Especially if Dakh’s abandoned me. But I don’t like to think about that.

Maybe Emma’s still around? I get to my feet and head through the store, looking for the stationary aisle. I find it and then find some pads of paper, and sit down on the floor to compose a note to her.

Emma,

It’s me, Sasha, the one who took over your store. I’m still here with the dragon, but I promise, promise he won’t hurt you. He’s really nice, and he’s been good to me, but I understand if you’re afraid. If you want to meet to talk, or if you need some supplies and are scared to come back, let me know what you need, ok? I’m including some paper and an extra pen in this envelope. Please write back if you see this.

Your friend,

Sasha

I put the letter and the supplies in a big envelope, seal it, and then write EMMA huge on the front and head to the store entrance. I’m going to tape it to the window and hope that she sees it.

Of course, the moment I finish attaching my envelope on the door, I hear the heavy beat of dragon wings and look up. My heart pounds until I see the dragon do a familiar whirl and dip in the sky that I’ve come to think of as Dakh’s. Thunder rumbles overhead, and the skies look ominously dark. I’m a little concerned, because should Dakh even be flying in poor weather? Or do dragons not have to worry about lightning? I stay close to the front doors, hugging my busted arm and watching as he comes in for a landing. I want to ask if everything’s okay, but of course I can’t. He doesn’t speak English.

The moment Dakh’s clawed feet touch the ground, he turns to his human form and bounds toward me, a toothy grin on his face. He looks so very pleased with himself that I can’t help but respond, and I begin to smile, too. As he approaches, he extends his hand in my direction.

“What is it?” I ask, and gesture at the sky just as thunder rumbles again. “It’s about to rain.”

I go to put my hand in his, but Dakh immediately changes forms, and then I’m being snatched up by the dragon and flown through the stormy skies. I swallow my cry of distress and cling to his claws. Not this again. I’m so tired of being hauled around like a piece of meat. And I hope we’re going back to the store and this isn’t the last time I’ll see it, because I’m not prepared. I force myself to push the negative thoughts away and hold on to Dakh’s claws. At the end of the day, I’m not in control. Best to just hang on and see where he takes me.

The rain starts pouring within minutes, and by the time Dakh lands, I’m soaked to the bone and shivering. “What the hell?” I tell him as he releases me and I stagger forward. I push wet hair out of my face, and my cute sundress is soggy and clinging to my body like a cold blanket. “Why are we here?”

Dakh transforms to human form, and I yelp as he grabs me in his arms, hauling me against him. I fling my good arm around his neck to hold on, mystified. What is going on? Why is he carrying me in his human form? Why are we out here in the rain?

Where the heck are we?

I squint through the driving rain, trying to figure out the location. Like most of Old Dallas, there’s a couple of wrecked cars in the wild grasses, one with a tree growing through the sunroof. The area is shrubby and unkempt, and in the distance, I can see a broken fast-food sign. It’s like we’re in a field…somewhere. But where and why?

I’m even more mystified when Dakh arrives at what looks like a murky, scummy pond. Well, ‘pond’ might be too kind of a word for it. With no one to run the city’s water systems, some sewer lines and man-made lakes have gone dry, and new ones have sprung up from leaks, turning low-lying areas into swampy miasmas. This looks to be the latter.

I swear I don’t know how this dragon’s mind works.

Dakh sets me down gently at the edge of a messy-looking…something. I wipe water from my eyes and stare down. It’s a long square of what was once white material. It…kind of looks like a huge car-dealership flag? But why it’s neatly folded up here on the banks of this greenish pond, I have no idea. It’s also completely soaked, thanks to the rain. I’m mystified as to what I’m supposed to think, and I turn to give the dragon a confused look. “Dakh?”

He gestures that I should wait, and races off. A moment later, he brings me…a bush. Not just any bush, but a bush with the roots dripping mud everywhere. He thrusts it out to me, a proud look on his face.

Am I supposed to take it? “Um, thank you?” I try to pick it up with my good arm, but it’s a little unwieldy and the leaves keep pricking against my skin. After a moment of wrestling with it, I just set it down and wipe my now-muddy hands on my dress. “I don’t know what’s going on, Dakh. I really don’t. I—”

I go silent because in the next moment, he’s holding a dead bird out to me. A dead, roasted bird, feathers and all. I look at it with horror, and he frowns at me, tilting his head as if he’s confused as to why I’m upset. He rips the head off the bird—I think it’s a dove—and offers it to me.

With a squeal of distress, I stumble backward. “Gross! No!”

He frowns down at the dove (and dove head) and tosses it aside, then moves forward and takes me by the shoulders and kisses me.

Kisses me.

I’m so surprised I stand completely still—I didn’t know that Dakh even knew what it meant to kiss! The last time he tried this, he just pushed his mouth against mine. This is different, his lips gentle against my own. He pulls away after a moment and then studies me again.

It’s like he’s waiting for something.

I stare at him, confused. I’m supposed to be grasping something from this ritual, I think, but what, I don’t know.

Dakh looks frustrated. He moves to my side and picks me up, then carries me onto the white material again. He picks up the bush again and offers it to me once more. It’s definitely a ritual of some kind. Maybe on his world, people give women bushes instead of flowers like they do here…

Flowers? I frown to myself, glancing down at the flag underneath my feet. It’s almost like a picnic blanket.

As if he can read my mind, Dakh grins and picks up the cooked dove and offers it to me again. “Is…this a picnic?” He carried me and gave me food. A flower—kind of. A kiss. It’s almost like my romance novel—

I gasp. This is the romance novel. Dakh brought me here like Dirk brought Ophelia to the shore. He’s giving me flowers and food for a picnic, and while this poor mangled dove isn’t chicken, the concept must be the same in his mind. He even kissed me, just like Dirk and Ophelia did.