Touch of Flame

Nazneen allowed Ares to drag her away, and she wasn’t sure why he was acting like this.

“What is wrong?” She asked.

“You need not ask him for money.” He sounded annoyed.

“He wants us to stay here, so he should pay for everything we need.” She simply said.

He came to a halt and turned to her. His eyes narrowed. “Is this an act of rebellion against him?” He wondered.

She shrugged. “He deserves no less.”

Ares just looked at her.

“And we needed our money. I want to buy things. I haven’t been able to do so for so long.” She complained.

He sighed. “I will give you money,” he told her.

She frowned. “How? I am sure we have a different currency.”

“There is a currency that works everywhere. Now, what is it you want to buy?”

Nazneen wasn’t sure what currency he was talking about until she took him to a jewelry shop and he went to the seller while she looked at the jewelry. She glanced his way to see what he was doing and to ensure the dragons wouldn’t hurt him. He was too brave for his own good. Reckless.

He pulled a purse from his pocket and extended a golden coin to the seller. The seller silently went ahead to examine it. The currency that worked everywhere was gold. He was going to sell it and get the money.

“How much?” The seller asked Ares.

“What is the price of seeds?” Ares asked to know the value of the currency in the dragon lands.

They negotiated back and forth, and Ares was good at it. At last, he got his money’s worth, and Nazneen pretended not to pay attention and continued to look at the jewelry. She could hear his steps from behind her, but he didn’t interrupt her. In the meantime, he waited patiently and looked around uninterestedly. Some women came into the shop and looked at him questioningly.

“A human,” one of them whispered to the other. “Is he allowed to be here? Who is he?”

Nazneen kept an ear on them in case they tried something stupid. She went to the men’s jewelry, imagining Ares dressed in their clothes. He would look good in it. She glanced his way as he did the same, and then she motioned for him to come.

He walked over. “Did you find something?”

“You need jewelry for tonight’s festival,” She said choosing thick golden wrist and arm cuffs for him.

“You want me to wear all this?” He raised a brow as he looked at the glistening golden jewelry.

“Well, we should get you a necklace too,” she smiled amused.

She could already imagine him walking with the jewelry and a skirt.

Ares looked like he wanted to protest but Nazneen didn’t want to miss the chance to see him in such clothes so she made it more difficult for him. “Why? Do you feel threatened by the male bodies here?”

He frowned. “Threatened?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Who knows? I mean if you haven’t already noticed, male dragons have great bodies.”

He looked outside at a few men passing by with their muscular torsos. Nazneen felt bad for a moment. She hadn’t meant to make him feel insecure if he felt so. He had no reason to. He wasn’t as tall and didn’t have bulky muscle as the male dragons but he still exuded power. He was more lean muscle and it suited him.

She took his arm and put the golden cuffs on without warning. “Yes, this looks good on you.” She smiled. “Let’s find you a necklace.” She took his arm and dragged him away.

Ares allowed her to pick jewelry for him and then she decided to take him to a fabric shop. She wanted to pick out his skirt and thought of what color would suit him the most. Looking into his eyes, she thought green. Emerald or teal blue; either would do.

“What about you?” He asked when she was done picking clothes for him.

“Pick a color for me,” she smiled.

He looked her up and down, his eyes darkening a little and then he averted his gaze to look at the fabrics. She watched him as he quietly looked through the colors and came to halt in front of the orange and rusty brown colors. He picked up a burnt orange fabric before looking her way.

“You will look good in this color,” he told her.

Nazneen couldn’t hold back a smile. She walked over and without question, decided to buy that color. But first, she would find a matching top.

Looking through the shelves she picked a few. She put one on her chest and turned to Ares. “How about this one?” She asked him.

“You will only wear that?” He asked.

She wanted to laugh but held back. It seemed like he was no different than male dragons. The top only covered her breasts so she decided to take one that was only covering a little more to see his reaction.

“How about this one?”

A slight frown settled between his brows. “How is it different from the first one?” Then he shook his head disturbed and looked away. “Buy whatever you want.”

With a smirk, Nazneen went ahead to pick the best clothing for herself, still in the same color and matching jewelry. Again, people coming in and out of the shop wondered who he was and what he was doing there. Ares didn’t pay them any attention and waited for her to finish her business. She paid with the money he gave her and then she was ready to leave.

“Shall we eat now? I am hungry,” She said, pointing at the food house across the street. She would show him their food.

A few males passing by looked her way and Nazneen could tell what they were thinking. What was a female like her doing with a human man? She scoffed. As if they were better, but then it struck it that she used to think just like that.

She looked at Ares, remembering their conversation last night. She had told him about her past, but she hadn’t expected his response, and he didn’t treat her differently today. Knowing about his past had broken her heart which was surprising. She rarely felt sad for someone. People said that mates shared each other’s pain. Could that be it?

“What is it?” He asked when she kept staring at him. “Do I embarrass you?” He looked around at the people glancing their way.

Embarrass her? She had thought about it. No. She agonized when he first released her. How was she supposed to live with a human mate? Everyone would look down on her but now… now she didn’t care. She didn’t want to live to impress people anymore.

“How could you?” She smiled. “Let’s go.”

Nazneen took him to the food house and made him eat spicy food. To her surprise, it wasn’t too spicy for him. He told her that he had tried all kinds of food from his travels. She showed him around, explaining their culture and traditions all while taking notes of what had changed during the hundred years she had been locked away. Then after the long exploration, they sat near the river, eating grilled corn.

“What do you think of this place?” She asked him.

He stared ahead, watching the river’s waves. “It is beautiful,” he said but his voice wasn’t enthusiastic. “So what is the festival about?” He asked turning to her.

“Oh. It is an old ritual. We celebrate good spirits. Depending on life experience, certain people feel close to certain spirits so in the festival they celebrate those spirits with music and dance and sacrifices.” She explained.

He nodded. “I hope it isn’t human sacrifices.”

She chuckled. “No. Don’t worry.”

He smiled.

“What spirit will you celebrate?”

She shrugged. The spirit of suffering?

“I don’t know. Maybe I should sacrifice for luck or… love?”

He blinked but then held her gaze. “Luck sounds better,” he told her.