To think that fencing a few old batteries earned me this. Hell, if I’d have known I was going to end up as dragon bait, I’d have stolen something really damn good.

The wind changes, and all of the laughter in my throat dies. There’s a new scent in the air, the faint smell of char that’s far too familiar, mixed with…something else. Something sweet, almost spicy, and definitely not human. The scent grows stronger, and I realize with horror where it’s coming from. A shadow falls over the broken, open room, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

This is how I die.

A bone-jarring thump shakes the world.

I open my eyes and scream.

The dragon has arrived.

It crouches on the ledge of the building, framed between broken walls. It’s a terrifying glory to behold—a mass of amber wing, vivid scale, and a massive, gaping mouth. The creature is enormous, easily the size of one of the broken city buses that scatter the streets below. The gargantuan wings beat twice, then fold in as it sinks to the floor on catlike haunches. A tail slithers back and forth, batting at rocks and bricks in agitation. A thin scar cuts across the long snout, and the dinner-plate-sized eyes are a beautiful, vibrant ringed gold with a black pupil. They’re eerily human. The head of the dragon is triangular and bigger than a car, and the horned frill behind the head trails down to the mouth filled with sharp teeth as long as my hand, and nostrils that flare to catch my scent.

He can smell me, somehow. I know this even as the big head swivels and scans the room.

Oh fuck. Fuck. I’m going to die, and it’s not going to be quick or painless, after all.

There’s a living, fire-breathing, man-eating dragon less than fifty feet from me, and I’m chained to a pole like a bad, bad dog. The urge to shriek with fear rises in my throat, and I clamp harder on my mouth, the inside of it filling with warm, bitter saliva.

The creature’s nostrils flare again, and the long, sinuous tail behind it flicks, knocking down the remainder of a broken window. Crouched on all four legs, wings folded in, the creature lifts its head and takes a step forward, toward my hiding space.

I try to bolt.

Instinct and adrenaline crash through me, and I fling myself out of my crouch and race for the stairs. There’s no coherent thought left in my head, just fear.

It takes about two seconds for the cuff to bite into my leg, and another half second more before the momentum jerks me to the ground and I smack against the concrete with a loud, jarring thud. The breath is knocked out of me, and I flop onto my back, stunned.

There’s a subtle sound on the wind, like an exhale.

It’s seen me. My body locks with fear, my mind wild. I need to get up. Find a weapon. Protect myself. Instead, I lie frozen on the floor, waiting. Waiting for the damn dragon to toast me alive, waiting for it to snap me in half with its frighteningly powerful jaws. I’ve seen so many people killed by dragons in the last ten years that I know this thing won’t hesitate to rip me limb from limb like the predator it is.

I wait for the end. For the enormous, serrated teeth to clamp down on my flesh and rend me to pieces. This is it. I close my eyes.

And wait.

And wait.

I hear it lumber forward. The building shakes with each prowling step, and I remain utterly still. I can feel it close in on me. Thump. Thump.

Thump.

Oh shit.

The scent of char and spice grows stronger. I feel the air shift, indicating something big is standing next to—or over—me.

This is it, then. I clench my fists and remain still, praying it’ll be swift.

Hot breath wafts over me. My skin prickles, and I stop breathing, stop thinking, everything. The dragon is right over me. I can feel his muzzle move over my head, his breath tickling my hair.

And stupidly, I’ve forgotten my clothing. My dress that the captain tore off of me is several feet away. I dropped it when I tried to run, and now the dragon’s going to see me naked. Which is dumb, of course. The dragon’s going to eat me the same, naked or clothed.

The muzzle moves down over my face and neck, and I turn my head aside. My hands are so tightly clenched I can feel blood seeping under my fingernails, but I don’t dare move. I should attack him, force him to get this over with, but now that the end is here, I’m terrified. I can’t do a thing.

The dragon’s breath blows over my naked belly, and then I feel it nose me lower.

Between my thighs.

Something in me snaps. My eyes flick open. I slap at the enormous golden head, trying to push it away from my crotch. “No!”

It shouldn’t work. The thing’s the size of a car. But the head lifts up and the massive gold eyes meet mine. My skin prickles again, and as I watch, the dragon’s pupils dilate. As they do, they change from deepest, darkest black to…gold. More gold, a deeper, more burnished hue than the golden irises.

Oh shit. I’ve fucked up bad now. I put my hands over my eyes and curl up into a ball, tucking my legs up against me. I wait for the snap of the jaws. I can hear my raspy breaths—the only sound in the room. I’m hyperventilating. Not that it matters. I’ll be dead in moments.

…

…Any moment now.

It’s quiet. Too quiet. Nothing’s happening. Still not dead. Shit. I…I’m going to have to open my eyes and look. I part my fingers and peek out from between them.

I don’t see the dragon.

What I do see startles me.

There’s a beautiful man standing near me, with his back to me. His hair is tawny and wild around his shoulders, his skin a lovely golden bronze. He’s as naked as I am, and I can’t help but notice he’s got a very tight, firm, equally tanned ass. He’s got one hand stretched out in front of him and is wiggling his fingers like he’s never seen them before.

I make a strangled noise of surprise. I’m not sure what I was expecting to see, but this isn’t it.

He turns to look over at me. His expression is rapt with wonder, his lips parted. He studies his spread hands again and then gazes down at me once more. There’s something odd about his appearance, and I realize that his eyes are ringed gold with an even deeper gold pupil…just like the dragon’s.

The dragon…is human?

5

CLAUDIA

Clearly I hit my head when I went down. Either that or the dragon incinerated me so damn quickly I haven’t yet realized I’m dead, and this is my brain making some sort of sexy afterlife for me. Maybe that’s it, because this guy is the stuff of dreams. Dirty, dirty dreams.