Bleeding Hearts

Chapter 24

*Aaliyah's P.O.V*

I stare at the talon that is much bigger than me. I try to go around it but Vathini drags her talon along the ground and stops me from getting around her. She's still growling, something that is absolutely terrifying to hear but I know she isn't going to let me escape so I hesitantly turn around to look at her.

Vathini is absolutely terrifying even when she's not trying to be. Her scales were dark blue with smatterings of light blue and white that made patterns up and down her body. Her yellow eyes were almost glowing as she breathes in, making my entire body tremble as I have to plant my feet so that I wouldn't get pulled towards her.

'You stole my egg,' Vathini snarls, her mouth opening and showing off giant sharp teeth that are way too sharp to be anywhere near me.

"I did not! Everyone in the family got to bond with one of your children after they hatched. I just wanted to do the same," I retort, stomping my foot with a frown on my lips. Everyone in my family had bonded with one of Vathini's children. It was the way it was done. Although I had been a bit unorthodox with taking the egg before the dragon had even hatched from it.

'You had no claim! Your magic was not even trying to bond with her,' Vathini retorts, a low growl escaping her as she inches her head closer to me. I can feel the coldness that is radiating to her, the grass starting to frost around her as she growls louder.

"Well it did! And I even blood bonded to her," I retort, regretting it as soon as the slits in Vathini's eyes narrow as she lowers her head so that it's next to my body. She breathes heavily on me and the cold air that rushes from her buffets my body and knocks me off of my feet.

'I should kill you,' Vathini says, making me stare up at her with wide eyes as I try to pull myself backwards and away from her. I flinch when she opens her mouth, the air growing much colder before she is hit by a tiny ball of black and blue scales. Her mouth snaps shut, the cold dissipating as she stares at Etol.

Etol is small and not very heavy yet but you would think she was made out of lead with the way Vathini reels her head back. Etol is growling and angry, something I've never seen from the tiny dragon. She drops from the sky, circling around me as she challenges Vathini to do anything to me.

'My child,' Vathini rumbles out loud, resting her head on the ground. Etol takes that as a threat, curling up in front of me as she stands on her back two legs to try and cover me. She sort of drops down when Vathini doesn't do anything to me, her tail flicking slightly out of anger.

Vathini stops talking, at least to me. She was probably conversing to Etol through their native tongue based on the rumbles that she is making and the ones that Etol is making back. I take the chance to move away, managing to back up around Vathini's talon and keep backing towards the door. I run into something when backing up and I tense, knowing that it wasn't Vathini at the very least.

I turn around, realizing that the person I had just run into was worse than facing a dragon. I had backed right into my grandma, someone who was not a person I wanted to cross. At least not in my child form.

"Aaliyah," my grandma says as she drops down into a crouch to be more at eye level with me. She had always done that when I was younger, saying that she liked to level with me when talking

"Ash- Gran-," I stop, cutting myself off since I'm not sure what to call her at the moment. Calling her Grandma felt wrong but so did calling her by her first name. She seems to sense my hesitation, offering me a small smile.

"You can call me Ashia, I haven't been a very good grandma to you for a long time," grandma...Ashia says as she offers a weak smile. "I am so sorry for not believing you. I was stupid to take your brother's words over yours. My apology probably means nothing because I could apologize for the rest of my life and you could never forgive me and be in the right. I am just so so so glad you are safe," she whispers, tears falling down her face.

"You are safe right? I was told you were a child now but other than that? You are fine? No one has hurt you?" she asks, making me shake my head. I don't know how to respond verbally so I just decide that not using words is my best option.

"Can I...can I hug you sweetheart? Or hold your hand? Would that be okay?" she whispers. I shake my head, earning a soft smile.

"Of course, I understand," she says as she glances at Vathini who is still talking to Etol. Although Etol seems to have moved much closer. "So you were the one who took Vathini's egg," she says quietly.

"I wanted to bond with one of her children, like everyone else did," I whisper, making her nod her head in understanding.

"I understand. You'll have to apologize to Vathini though. The egg you took was her child and she was devastated by the loss," Ashia says softly, making me nod. I understood that part.

"Not to you?" I ask quietly, slightly confused.

"Why would you apologize to me? You have done nothing to me that needs an apology. You upset Vathini, that is the only person who needs an apology," she says as she sits down, now being shorter than me. "I'm sorry, I can't keep kneeling. I'm not so young anymore," she states. I hesitantly sit down across from her, watching as her magic forms and makes a little floating fire to keep us warm. I settle down, listening to her talk like she used to do when I was little.