Clau-dah makes a soft noise in her sleep, protesting my grip.

I immediately relax my claws again. She shifts her weight and presses her cheek to my scales, tucking her small body against mine. A small, tired sigh escapes her, and I want to bite it out of the air and keep it. My heart feels full. Complete.

I will do anything to keep this. To keep her.

Anything.

9

CLAUDIA

I awaken to the faint sound of something stirring, and I’m surprised to see that the sun is bright and there are birds chirping in the distance. Did I sleep all night? Despite being naked, filthy, and cradled against a dragon? Guess so. Even now, my cheek is resting against the deliciously warm scales of his foreleg, and my arm and leg are thrown over him like he’s a great big pillow. I’m not even embarrassed. I slept far too well.

I straighten, pushing my messy hair out of my eyes, and glance up at the dragon’s face. Kael is alert, his head high and stiff, eyes flicking between gold and black. As I watch, a plume of steam rises from one nostril, and his long tail lashes somewhere far behind us, stirring debris. It must be the sound that woke me up.

But why is he so agitated?

I remain still, not wanting to startle him, and decide to wait for him to notice that I’m awake. He remains in a state of alert, though, and doesn’t seem to be paying any attention to me. All right. I know what to do in dangerous situations—extract myself from said dangerous situation. I sit up and start to creep away, only to have one clawed paw reach out and immediately grab me, dragging me close to his chest again. I make a small noise of protest and push at one of the gigantic black talons, but instead of letting me go, he makes a cage with them.

I’m not going anywhere.

My heart starts to pound. This wasn’t how he acted last night. “Um, Kael?” I put my hand on one scaly digit. “Remember me? Claudia? Your bestest human buddy?”

His eyes continue to whirl black, and his lips curl back, revealing the sword-like incisors. Well, crap. I don’t know what to do. How do you calm down a pissed-off dragon when you have no idea why he’s pissed? I continue to stroke his scales, trying to soothe him. “Talk to me, Kael.”

Because talking would require turning back to human form, and he feels a lot less scary in human form.

The big head leans down, and he nuzzles my hair, but the claws remain tight around me. I think he’s trying to reassure me, but I’m not going to relax while he’s got all that black whirling in his eyes.

The sound of human voices touches my ear. I stiffen, instantly alert. Hope hammers in my heart.

People! Militia, from the sounds of their voices, but I don’t care. Fort Dallas sent people after me, and that’s all that counts. They didn’t leave me. Someone’s come to save me. I haven’t been completely abandoned. Joy and relief rush through me, and I push at Kael’s claws, trying to squeeze my way free.

Kael doesn’t let me go. He growls low in his throat, and his eyes are almost entirely black.

I go still again. Shit. This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.

I don’t know what to do. I want to be rescued…but I don’t want Kael to lose his shit and squeeze me into a pile of human goo.

“We just need to check on things,” a voice says, hollow and echoing from across the way. I can barely make it out, but it’s a man’s voice. “You saw what the dragon did to this place. Something happened here yesterday, and the mayor wants answers.”

My heart sinks at that. They’re not here to rescue me. They’re here to see what happened. Don’t I matter at all?

“No one could have survived that,” another voice grumbles. “We had to rappel up half the damn building just trying to get here. He fucking tore the stairwell out.”

“Yeah, but no corpse down on the streets. That’s a good sign.”

“Unless he ate her whole.”

Well, gee. They almost sound disappointed that I’m not roadkill. Like it’s inconvenient for them that I might still be alive and they have to check on me. I’m starting to side with the damn dragon.

“Check if he’s there. Look for signs of the dragon or the girl,” one of the soldiers says.

“Won’t be any signs of her left,” the other comments. “She ain’t more than two bites.”

Kael blows another puff of smoke from his nostrils, his growling increasing. His tail lashes back and forth wildly, the dust and leaves stirring so loud it sounds like a windstorm. He’s agitated as hell, and as he nuzzles my hair with another steamy breath, I realize he’s trying to comfort me. He’s trying to tell me he’s not mad at me.

But those other guys?

He’s going to straight up roast them.

My skin prickles. I know this as much as I know the nose on my face. He’s going to defend me from them. I’m his toy now, and if they try to take me back, he’s going to make them regret it. He’s going to kill them, and their deaths will be on my head. I don’t know what to do.

I eye the dragon, and then the stairwell across the room. The moment they come through that door, they’re dead meat. I have to stop them before they come up. And Kael won’t hurt me. I hope. So I take a risk and cup a hand to my mouth. “Don’t come up here,” I call out. “The dragon’s still here and he’s angry!”

Kael sucks in a breath, the intake so sharp my hair rustles. He lowers his head until his eye is even with my face, and it’s whirling deep, deep black. Oh shit. “Sorry,” I whisper, and give him a trembling pat on the nose. “Please don’t be mad.”

My warning seems to have the opposite desired effect, though. “Hello?” one of the men calls out. “Claudia Jones? Is that you?”

I open my mouth to call out again, but Kael’s eye is still staring me down, and the low growl is rumbling in his chest so loud I can feel it shaking my body. The words die in my throat.

“We’re coming for you,” another militia soldier calls out. “The mayor’s changed his mind.”

He has? I’m not exiled? I hold my breath, shocked and pleased. Then I see a shadow move in the stairwell. Oh no. “Don’t come up!”

Kael lifts his head, pointing it at the sky, and trumpets a call. It’s loud, blaring, and utterly furious. It’s a warning. Even I know that.