To my surprise, he pulls me from the bed and gathers me in his arms, holding me in a tight, oddly comforting hug. I don’t know how he knew that I needed a hug, but it helps. I burrow my face against his chest and let the tears flow.

26

CLAUDIA

The next morning, we don’t speak of things. Kael’s in a foul mood, though he had woken up early enough to catch breakfast for me and woke me with a roasted haunch of…something. I don’t ask what it is or how it died. I don’t want to know.

My own mood isn’t exactly stellar, either. I’m tired after our fight last night and sick with worry over poor Amy. I have to do something about my sister, soon. I can’t leave Amy there, and I can’t go back, either. I realize that now. It’s not that I’m dying to get back to a life of scrounging for the next bite to eat and sleeping in the back of a too-hot school bus, surrounded by a city full of unscrupulous, hardscrabble scavengers that try to take whatever you have, including your body. But…Fort Dallas is the devil I know. It’s familiar, it’s safe (mostly), and there are no surprises, except for the occasional out-of-pattern dragon attack.

And since I’ve ‘tamed’ Kael, I guess I’ve fixed some of that.

You’re welcome, Fort Dallas.

I worry about Sasha, too. She does what she has to in order to survive, and I hope she hasn’t put herself in danger. I don’t like to think of my friend willingly letting someone hurt her just for a few bites of food.

And Amy. Poor, fragile Amy. I picture my sister, her pale blonde hair, wide eyes, and bad leg that makes every step a slow limp. She won’t be able to survive without me. She’s too shy, too frightened of the world. It’s a scary, brutal place in the After, and Amy doesn’t have the personality to make it. She’s too trusting.

I simply have to do something. I think hard about this as I pick at my breakfast. I’m trying to eat it, since Kael was thoughtful enough to bring it, and meat should never be wasted, but I have no appetite. I’m sick with worry. A shadow flicks overhead, and I glance up, expecting to see gold wing.

Except…Kael is in the room with me.

A flick of red tail seen through one of the holes in the ceiling makes me tense. A red. A female. They’re completely lost to the madness. I stiffen in fear. It’s time for a dragon attack. I’ve lost all track of the patterns, and this one’s taken me by surprise. Very faintly, off in the distance, I hear the wail of the Fort Dallas sirens.

I push my food aside and get to my feet, staggering backward.

What is it, my mate?

“Red dragon,” I stammer, pointing at the sky.

She will not hurt you. She does not sense you as a rival, nor me as a potential mate. My venom has been given.

“O-okay.” I can’t stop trembling at the sight of it, though. The urge to hide is overwhelming.

I will make her leave. Do not fear, my Claudia. He immediately surges to dragon form and springs into the air. I hear his bellow of warning a second later, and the smaller red dragon’s high-pitched shriek of response. The smell of ash is carried in on the wind, and I realize the red’s been flaming the city somewhere. Something’s burning.

Worried, I retreat into the shadows of a nearby room with a protected ceiling and open the supply closet. I shut the door behind me and crouch in a corner, shaking. When dragons attack, the safest place is surrounded by concrete, but this will have to do. I can’t get over how scared I am. I shouldn’t be afraid of dragons anymore, should I? Not with Kael at my side? But the fear is real and vivid, and I’m shaking hard. And because I’m weak and needy, I reach out to Kael’s mind for comfort and reassurance. Kael? Is everything all right?

I am here, he sends, and his thoughts are warm and comforting. Do not fear.

Can you make her leave? I’m scared.

She is crazed, Kael tells me, his own thoughts a bit muddy. I am telling her to leave, but she is having a hard time comprehending. Her mind is nearly gone with madness. It is hard to connect with her.

The stream of his thoughts is interrupted, and I hear him give another low roar, this one more distant, followed by the female’s bellow of response.

Kael? I ask, worried. Are you okay? A tinge of madness creeps into my mind, and I worry that he’s losing control. I don’t like how quiet he is, or the scattered thoughts that are leaking through. It’s like her madness is infecting him. Focus on me, big guy. I’m here. Your Claudia.

My mate. I remember. Thank you. There is warmth and love in his thoughts, and they feel stronger than before.

I relax. I’m here for you, I tell him, though it feels a little silly to tell a big scary dragon that as I huddle in a closet.

She scents my mate on my skin, even though she cannot hear you in my thoughts. A pause then. She is leaving. She will leave my territory to me and seek out other males.

I breathe a sigh of relief, then feel guilty. The red is heading toward Fort Dallas, if the siren is any indication. I can’t chase her off from here to go there. Is she going to the city? Can you direct her away?

Her mind is not there, my mate. I cannot do anything except chase her away from my nest. She does not grasp anything other than I am a claimed male and she must search elsewhere for a mate. After a long moment, I feel a thump as the building rocks and Kael’s large form lands back on the roof. I open the closet door a peep and, daring, scuttle to the next door to peek at the skies. There’s a flash of golden wing, and then a moment later, Kael jumps down from the roof in his naked human glory.

He holds a hand out to me. Come. We have much to do.

I leave the safety of my hidey-hole and step forward, nervous. “Much to do?”

There are other males in the area. It will be safer for you if they imprint your scent. They will know you are claimed and off limits. It will be easier if I am at your side to communicate. Human skin does not hold the mating scent nearly as well. You lose the scent of my skin upon yours after a few days, and it is not safe.

That makes me nervous all over again. How do I get the, um, mating scent on me again? Not a bite, I hope.

His eyes swirl black. I must fill you with my seed.

My eyes narrow. Well, isn’t that just convenient. And if I say no?

He caresses my cheek in a possessive gesture. That is why we are going to go to them. My scent upon you is still faint, but it is there. Soon it will be gone unless you accept me again. This way, we ensure your safety.