There are instances where undead feel uneasy, and our instincts force us to take the fight another day. Perhaps it's a deep-seated averse reaction to pain, given that we love humoring ourselves with the seething pain of other mortals. Or perhaps it’s just a fragment of the mortal life we once led, never able to completely cut ourselves from the values formed at inconsequential periods of our un-life.

Either way, I wanted to run.

“Bastard undead!” The roar of Glazukaize rumbled the enclosure of the cave, rocks crumbling and buffeting my mortal body. “How dare they, how dare they?!”

Letitia was having the time of her life outside the cave.

"Tell me, who painted my tail blue, bastard undead?!" Glaz roared again, and the earth tremors had me reach for the stony wall to stabilize myself. “You were supposed to protect me in my slumber, bastard undead, and not let some puny mortal paint my tail!”

“Gwar,” Yule jumped from one corner of the cave and began nibbling on the tail of the immortal creature. Smokes oozed out from his muzzle, the ripped scales near the neck shivering in rage.

“Get this dog off me!” He shook his tail back and forth, crashing one wall after another until the stones gave away, and I made my dash outside the enclosure as the Heat cave of Besuk collapsed once and for all.

Hidden beneath the stockpile of rocks was the revered red dragon, whose blue tail was being bitten by my hound.

My lady covered her nose and let the dust settle down before moving toward me. She was much taller now, almost up to my eyes, the passing years giving her enough time to reach her growth spurt. A mischievous smile danced on her lips, and she ruffled my hair before moving toward the dragon.

“Bow before me, almighty Glaz,” Letitia said with a frown, the command in her voice unmistakable. “It is I, Letitia Valorant, who painted your tail. And, if you don’t stop disrespecting my man, I will paint your muzzle and parade you through the town.”

Glaz shook his massive body, and the scattering rocks sent a swirling mass of dust. The dragon moved his muzzle close to my lady and breathed hot air on her face.

“Is this my food, bastard undead?” Glaz asked, staring between the two of us. “Your loyalty hasn’t been wasted, I see.”

That earned him a smack, and Glaz roared on her face angrily. Letitia was unfazed, and she landed another punch in his face. “Pipe down, will you? Your stinking breath isn’t something any normal mortal can handle, so keep that muzzle closed.”

“Puny mortal,” Glaze raised his brows, “Who are you? How are you not scared of this majestic, mighty body?”

“I am undead’s woman,” Letitia said sweetly. “We mated last night, so I am no longer scared of anything in this life.”

I coughed, looking at the deep blue sky. Indeed, the clouds were unmistakably beautiful, as always. It was about time I started reveling in the beauty of nature.

What? It was about time we did that. Ahem.

The dragon laughed for a long time before he moved toward me. “Bastard undead, is this puny mortal telling the truth? You mated…” he continued laughing, the huffs giving out smokes in periodic succession, “you mated with a mortal?! What days have come?!:

I didn’t comment and continued staring at the deep blue sky. There was no need to embarrass myself further in front of immortal beings. Was I being especially quiet today? Well, there are those days for the undead, too.

“Don’t you dare laugh at my man,” Letitia held his muzzle and tried to turn it toward her. Of course, she failed. “Anyway, I come here with a request, Glaz. Would you like to serve me?”

There was another bout of laughter, and the dragon harrumphed coldly once he was done. “This world has degraded beyond my liking. Undead mate with mortals, a woman dares to order around a dragon, and,” he raised his tail, “one puny hound doesn’t stop nibbling on my tail. It is about time I showed the world the dragon’s pride and let everyone grovel at my feet.”

Letitia took a piece of bread from her bag and placed it before the dragon.

“What is this, puny mortal?” Glaz asked, sniffing the bread. I would be lying if I said he didn’t resemble a huge hound.

“Bread,” Letitia said as a matter of fact.

Glaz stomped the bread and roared angrily. “Are you making fun of this mighty body?!”

“See? I told you it wouldn’t work!” Letitia glanced at me, aggrieved.

“How can anyone not like bread, Letitia?” I stared at the dragon, aghast. “Try one loaf, Glaz. We bought it from our confectionary, and it tastes the best!”

Glaz slowly raised its leg and glanced at my lady’s bag. “Who dares give food to this mighty dragon?!”

“Drop the bag, Letitia,” I said, shaking my head. This bastard was too proud to accept food from mortals.

Letitia placed the loaves over her bag and walked toward me, watching the dragon munch it in one swoop.

“Tastes like crap,” Glaz roared and continued eating the second piece and then the third. “But for the almighty dragon I am, I will accept your offering. Where is more?”

“See? I told you it would work,” I whispered with a grin, and my lady pecked my lips as she moved toward Glaz.

“Come to the capital with us, almighty Glaz,” Letitia said, raising her brows. “But not with that body. Can you shapeshift or do something similar to our hound?”

“Gwar,” Yule had failed to bite off the dragon's scales, and here it was, waiting to get an upper hand over the dragon. “Grr grr.”

“He can shapeshift,” I sighed. “But I don’t think it will…”

My words trailed off when the dragon before us disappeared, replaced by a tiny lizard.

“Now, take this all-mighty dragon to the capital and give me your offering,” Glaz said, though the voice was faint.

Bread can do wonders, indeed.

With one new companion, we navigated the Besuk woods, and Glaz rode on the hound's back all the way, the latter failing to get him off his back despite the annoyance.

“Didn’t think it would work, Rudolf,” my lady said, wrapping her hands around my arm. “But you are full of surprises, aren’t you? You even know how to tame a dragon.”

“Bread takes all the credit, my lady,” I laughed. “But it’s nice to see a fellow immortal creature who understands the true value of bread.”

The lush green trees offered much solace from the sun’s heat, which had otherwise become unbearable in the capital. Birds chirped all around the forest, despite the mid-hours of the day, and a few rabbits and deer scuttled around carelessly, running away soon after noticing us. We decided to camp near the lake and rest for a while, letting the two monsters hunt for themselves in the forest.

“Time’s flying, Rudolf,” my lady said as she sat beside me after washing her face in the lake. I leaned against the thick oak, my eyes closed, recovering my lost strength thanks to the miserable heat.

I let her in my embrace and placed my head in the crook of her neck. “Can’t believe three years went by so fast. I have never counted days in my un-life before, but-”

She kissed my lips and leaned her head against my forehead. “Then stop counting,” she said my name and wrapped her hands around my neck. We stared at each other for a while before I leaned forward, holding her petite body in my arms. She opened my mouth, her tongue finding solace in my mouth as she moved closer to me, her body doing wonders to my own. She moved two and fro, and I caressed her hair, the little action bringing a smile to her face. I felt it on my lips and pulled back, intending to savor it.

“Searching for my smile again?” Letitia asked, caressing my cheek. Her kirtle and my shirt were disheveled, but neither of us minded our attire. After Letitia's incessant requests, I had stopped wearing an overcoat, and it was the best decision of this mortal life. Second best, I’d say. First is, of course… I softly planted a kiss on her forehead.

“It makes my day,” I said with a glimmer of a smile. “To know that you aren’t repulsed by me yet.”

“There you go again,” Letitia cupped my cheeks and brought them close to her face. “Why do you treat yourself so harshly, Rudolf? Not everyone is out there for your blood. Sometimes I feel you should take it easy: eat bread all day long, rest on the couch, and stop thinking. It will be a nice change of pace, and I have enough money to care for you.”

I nuzzled my nose against her. “Aye. Whatever you say, Letitia.”

She kissed me again before resting her head on my bosom. I caressed her head softly and watched her descend into a slumber.

She had become a light sleeper in the last few years, so it had become an effort to put her to sleep rather than wake her up. I know the work she put behind the confectionary, the number of sleepless nights she had organizing everything initially, and the efforts she put into perfecting her bread. The time had watered down the immaturity of my lady, replacing it with grit and maturity unseen before, and all I saw now was a woman who could stand up on her own.

To say I was not proud would be disrespecting her efforts. I had changed too, perhaps, because I had started killing mortals less frequently. That didn’t mean I didn’t like blood and slaughter anymore. Some things were hard to change, and it was one. But I liked spending time beside Letitia more. And I was learning to be honest with my feelings, though, slowly.

The wind picked pace, and my lady woke up, her face sweating profusely.

“A nightmare?” I asked, wiping her face with my sleeve.

“Not quite,” she smiled, getting off me. “But I saw you bleeding to death. An impossible feat, so hardly a nightmare.”

I laughed and took the hand she offered me before getting up.

“Yule!” I yelled, and the demon was beside us in seconds, Glaz still riding his back.

“Bastard undead, never knew having a hound for a ride felt so good,” Glaz said, the little lizard squealing. “This almighty dragon will give you some more pretty women if you give me this hound.”

Letitia smacked the dragon hard. “Don’t you dare!”

I ignored their banter and stared into the distance, the woods masking my view. The silhouette disappeared, noticing my stare, and I felt my instincts kick in.

“Let’s move out of the woods, shall we?” I asked with a sigh.

My lady acquiesced, and we enjoyed a peaceful walk to the capital, much to my relief.