I roll my eyes, wincing as I slide under the covers. I’ve been regaled with whispered stories from both Melina and Amy about how a very naked Kael had been acting like a madman, tearing through the city with me bleeding in his arms, bellowing “DAWK-TERRR” in that rolling voice of his. Melina had passed out in fright, so he’d simply grabbed her and Amy both and flown back.
I can’t help but grin—just a teeny, tiny bit—at that mental image. My big dragon thought it wasn’t necessary to learn the human tongue because mind-speak was so much better, but maybe now he’ll see the wisdom in talking to others. I reach out mentally to caress him, but he’s too distant to talk to, and I feel a little twinge of loss. I keep my voice chipper, though, so Amy doesn’t know how needy I’m turning. “Speaking of, where is the big lug?”
“I…I think he went off hunting. He kept pantomiming something about eating.” Amy shudders delicately as she sits on the edge of my bed. “You should have seen what he did to a wild pig—”
I wave a hand, cutting her off. “Yeah, I’ve seen it. Trust me. After a while you start to get used to it.”
Amy gives me a horrified look. “You do?”
“He’s killing it before he cooks it, right?”
Her eyes go wide in horror.
“Then yes, it’s better than it was before,” I finish. When she makes a gagging face, I shrug. “Come on. It’s more food and better than what we had in the city. And fresh.”
“But…he’s a monster. He’s the enemy.” She looks over her shoulder as if expecting a dragon to appear and flambé her simply for airing her thoughts.
I say nothing. I’ve had this conversation with Amy a dozen times since regaining consciousness, and every time, she makes me feel guilty. I love my sister, but right now, she’s being kind of irritating and small-minded. Yes, he’s a dragon. Yes, he’s different than humans. Yes, he used to be crazy. But that doesn’t mean he’s bad. I curl my toes, thinking about Kael and how thoughtful and sweet he is. Amy just doesn’t get it…yet. She will eventually. “He’s a dragon, but that doesn’t make him a bad guy. He’s been really good to me.”
“But he’s claimed you, you said. Like you belong to him.”
Well, there is that. But is it bad that I like being claimed? Maybe I shouldn’t like it as much as I do.
“You know, Melina and I have been talking…” Amy twists her hands and averts her gaze. “The next time he leaves, we can get away, you know. We could try going back to Fort Dallas.”
I sit up in bed, wincing as it pulls on my wound. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Maybe things would be better with a new mayor? Or we could always go to a different fort.” She reaches out and grips my hand. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to suffer for my sake. I know none of this is fair and isn’t what you wanted.”
I stare at my sister, our fingers laced. Here’s my out. I don’t have to be a dragon’s mate. I don’t have to endure the shocked, horrified looks that my sister and Melina give me on a regular basis. I can just get up and leave the next time Kael goes hunting, and we can sneak away, maybe to Fort Orleans instead of Fort Dallas. Be an anonymous human again. No one in particular, nothing to do with dragons.
Kael would try to find me, of course. He’d cover the ends of the earth looking for me, but there’s always a chance to hide, especially amongst a city full of other dirty, smelly humans. The psychic bond would be tricky, but with distance, he wouldn’t be able to locate me, I think. I could escape, really escape this time, now that I have my sister.
I…just don’t want to. In fact, I find the idea appalling.
I love my dragon. My big, bossy, domineering, half-feral dragon. I don’t care that he’s the enemy. I don’t care if it means I’m exiled from humanity for the rest of my life.
He’s mine and I’m his.
A little surprised at the ferocity of my thoughts, I squeeze Amy’s hand. My sister doesn’t approve of Kael, and…I kind of don’t care what she thinks.
So he’s a bit overbearing. He’s got a good heart.
So he sorta transforms into a bus-sized dragon and tends to flame goats alive as a show of his affection. His heart is in the right place.
He’s also incredibly tender with me, loving, wickedly sharp with his humor, and endlessly fascinating. He protects me, and in turn, he gives me control and he listens to me. I’ve never felt so badass as I do when I’m on his back.
Kael is also really, really good at sex. It makes me hot and squirmy just thinking about how good.
But Amy’s gazing at me with intent, worried eyes, and I need to reassure her. “I don’t want to go anywhere,” I tell her, giving her hand a sympathetic little pat, because I know she won’t understand. Not in the slightest. “I love Kael, and he loves me. I have a better life with him than if I went back to the city.”
Amy gasps, her nails digging into my hand. “You can’t mean that.”
“I do. I mean all of it. In the city, I was just another mouth to feed, and probably a week away from whoring myself for something to eat.” Like Sasha, I think unpleasantly but don’t say it aloud. I still need to talk to Kael, find out how Sasha is. If she needs rescuing from Dakh. “But it’s not like that with Kael. Here, I’m fed, pampered, and adored. I’m his entire world, Amy…and he’s becoming mine.” I give my sister an apologetic smile. “I hope you understand.”
“He’s not human.”
Yeah, I noticed that part,” I say drily.
She blushes bright red. “I just…I just don’t understand.”
“I know. Maybe you will in time.”
She nods quietly and gives my hand another squeeze. “I just…you know. Wanted to make sure you were happy.”
“Of course,” I say, still smiling. I know my sister doesn’t get it. It’s okay. As long as I do, it doesn’t matter.
“I’m going to, um, check on the tea.” Amy gets up from her chair and limps over to the fireplace, and I feel a twinge of guilt. Amy would never be so selfish as to ask what about me, but I know the thought has to be going through her mind. This is the first decision I’ve ever made that didn’t put Amy before me.