by Hope Hart
I scan her body, noting the black-and-blue bruising along her arms and legs. She has a long cut along her thigh that has reopened with her movement and is slowly oozing blood.
She squeaks as I lean down, and her hand lashes out, attempting to push my head away as I stroke my tongue along the deep cut. Her panic fills the air, and I give her a warning look as she raises her fist once more. I was surprised more than anything when she hit me the first time. But the second time, when she struck my sensitive eye…after I shook off the pain…I was…amused.
Charlie attempts to retreat, wincing at the movement, and I am no longer amused.
I show her my teeth, and she freezes. Then I snap my mouth shut as her pain and fear turn to dismay. I raise one leg, placing my foot gently—so gently—on her chest. I must be careful not to damage the fragile two-leg.
She yelps as I slowly push her down, pinning her in place. I keep my claws sheathed, and then I lean down, attempting to ignore the way she trembles as I lick at her wounds.
Charlie is silent, her jaw set as she stares toward the entrance to my lair. But her blue eyes are shining with…water. Tears. The word floats into my mind. The sight of the saltwater dripping down her face makes me want to snarl as I gently stroke along her cuts and bruises.
She ignores me as I return my attention to her head. The sun is low in the sky when Maez reappears.
“She will need water,” Maez tells me. Charlie ignores her, and I glare down at her. Betrayal. That’s what the new scent is. She believes Maez should have helped her. Should have taken her from me.
The thought is ludicrous, and I step away, allowing Maez to approach with a cup of water. Now that the two-leg is no longer bleeding, I’m able to tolerate Maez as she hands Charlie the cup. Charlie gulps it down, and Maez leaves before returning when it is filled once more. She repeats this again until Charlie shakes her head at the offered cup.
The sun has set, and Charlie is shivering. I lie next to her, and she finally returns her attention to my face. I raise one wing over her, protecting her from the elements, and lay my head next to hers as I close my eyes.
Charlie
Someone is shining a light in my face. I scowl, attempting to raise a hand to shield my eyes. It’s probably a cop, about to bang on my car window and tell me I can’t sleep here.
I can’t raise my arm, and panic makes me jolt awake. There’s no cop, no car, and no Earth. I blink back tears as it all hits me again. I’m on Agron, on top of what appears to be a mountain, and the light is from the sun, which is rising on my left.
My arm is trapped by a huge wing. A dragon’s wing. Dragix, I mouth, remembering what the purple woman called him yesterday. I gaze up at the sky, attempting to come to terms with the fresh hell I’ve woken up to.
Count your blessings, Charlie. You’re alive, you’re no longer stumbling through the woods, and the dragon hasn’t barbecued you yet.
The dragon lets out a snore, and I stare as smoke twirls up above our heads. Now that he’s not holding me down with his giant foot, I take the time to examine him.
His scales are warm. In fact, I’m so toasty beneath his wing that I’m almost sweating in spite of the slight chill of the morning.
He’s so huge it seems unbelievable. His head is longer than my torso, and the claw I’m currently studying is larger than my hand. The rest of him is curled, almost like a cat, his huge body bunched as if ready to take off at any moment.
His scales aren’t blue or green. They’re both and every color in between. Some are such a light blue that they appear almost silver, while others are such a dark green that they’re almost black.
Along that serpentine neck, sharp horns jut up, even more protection from anyone—or anything—that would be dumb enough to attack. Something swishes along the ground, and I crane my head, wondering if I need to be wary of snakes up here.
It’s his tail. It sweeps lazily along the ground, and I return my attention to his face as he opens his mouth in a yawn, showcasing those gleaming rows of teeth.
On this planet, he’s one-hundred-percent predator, and I’m nothing but prey.
But I’ve been outweighed and outmatched before and survived. This is no different.
I just need to figure out how to sneak away from this oversize lizard.
The lizard in question opens one eye, then the other, his gaze already on my face. I attempt to raise my arms again, and he shifts his wing. I instantly regret it as I lose the warmth, but he huddles close as we eye each other in silence.
I had a reason for telling him my name yesterday. On Earth, we’re told that if we’re ever kidnapped, we’re supposed to attempt to build a relationship with our kidnapper. People are less likely to kill you when they see you as a human being.
I snort. Who knows if that will work on Agron.
Either way, if I can build some kind of bond with the dragon—who clearly understands me—maybe I can convince him to let me go.
My stomach chooses this moment to let out a growl.
Dragix’s eyes widen, and he moves his head close to my stomach, tilting his head as if waiting. He doesn’t have long to wait, and a few seconds later, my stomach lets out another howl.
His gaze returns to my face, and his eyes appear to be dancing with…amusement.
I scowl at him, and he casts me a warning look as he gets to his feet. He’s so huge that I wonder how he doesn’t accidentally squash me, but his feet are surprisingly nimble.
He steps back and scans our surroundings, lifting his head as he sniffs. He seems satisfied when he looks back at me. Then he glances toward the entrance to his lair. He steps toward it, and with a nudge of his nose, he pushes a huge boulder in front of the wide entranceway, blocking it off.
Then he crouches slightly before shooting into the sky. My mouth drops open. He removed my only way off this mountain.
“You son of a bitch!” I scream after him, attempting to ignore his answering roar.
It’s a lot easier to yell at a dragon who is flying away from you.
My bladder is making itself known, and I get to my feet, cursing Dragix again for leaving me here. I walk to the side of the flat top of the mountain, my stomach twisting at the long drop down. Nothing but sheer rock. I walk around the perimeter anyway. There’s no real trail, but on the far side, close to the entrance that Dragix just blocked off, I find a path that could work.
It would take some serious climbing skills to pull it off. I’d be inching down backward, clinging to the rock and hoping I didn’t slip. But…if I could get down around ten feet, I could make my way along those rocks until I hit the bushes and trees further down.
From there, I would need to hoof it until I could find some way to hide my scent.
If Dragix is leaving me now, he may leave me again. Or maybe I can even sneak away when he’s sleeping.
If he doesn’t eat me first.
There are a few scant bushes to the right of the boulder that Dragix used to block off my preferred escape route. I crouch behind them and pee, cursing the dragon the whole time, and I’m pulling up the rags that used to be my pajama pants when I spot a dot in the distance.
A dot that’s getting bigger.
Dragix lands with a thump, and I jolt as he places a dead creature on the ground in front of him, angling his head as he returns his attention to me. He raises one foot, the claws glinting at me in the sunlight, and gestures toward the animal—the movement somehow imperious.
I raise my middle finger and give him a gesture of my own.
He doesn’t get the insult and simply stares at me. His gaze flicks between me and the poor dead animal in front of him.
My stomach growls again, and he narrows his eyes on me, his clawed foot jabbing at the animal once again.
“You’re kidding, right?”
The growing annoyance in those gold eyes tells me that he is very much not kidding.
I survey the animal. It’s furry, with four legs, not unlike a sheep or goat on Earth.
It’s also covered in blood, and my stomach roils as I gag.
Dragix seems exceedingly offended by this, his eyes widening with outrage and then narrowing again as he glances between me and the animal.
“That’s greatly appreciated, but why don’t you eat it instead?”
He steps closer, and I step back. Just like that, he’s suddenly in front of me, clearing the top of the mountain in a single leap. His wing flies out, pulling me closer to him, and he bares his teeth at me as he flicks his eyes behind my shoulder. I glance back, realizing I just got way too close to the edge of the mountain.
“Uh, thanks. Great reflexes you’ve got there.”
He ignores that, herding me back toward the dead animal with his wing. I dig my heels into the rock, wincing as the sharp edge of the stone cuts into my foot.
Dragix snarls at that, immediately lowering his head to lick at the wound.
“Are you a dragon or a mother hen?” I move my foot away, and he ignores me until he’s finished with the licking.
Then he once again gestures at the bleeding carcass.
“I’m not hungry.”
He roars at that. I stumble back from him as the sound leaves him, and a flame shoots from his mouth and into the air.
He’s not the first male I’ve made roar with impatience, and unless he eats me, he won’t be the last. But he’s definitely the most terrifying, and my heart is thundering, my whole body shaking as I inch backward.
This time, I’m careful not to get too close to the side of the mountain. My eyes sting, and I wipe at them, frustrated, terrified, and just plain mad.
Dragix studies me, his tail lashing along the ground. The air still feels warm from the fire he spat out, although that might just be my imagination.
Wait. Fire.
“Hold on,” I raise one hand. “Can you…cook that animal with your fire? I can’t eat it raw. It’ll make me sick.”
He steps closer to the animal, blows out a breath, and sets it on fire.
I jump back, and he flicks me a glance, again warning me away from the edge of the mountain. I move forward again, and he returns his attention to the animal. The smell of burning hair, or…fur, turns my stomach, but it rumbles again at the underlying scent of cooking meat.
A few moments later, Dragix inhales deeply. I stare, stunned, as the flames flicker, die down, and then disappear completely.
Holy shit. Not only can he breathe fire, but he can put it out too. With just one inhalation.
He nods toward the animal, and I gingerly step forward. He seems impatient, almost desperate for me to eat, and I narrow my eyes at him. Maybe he’s planning to fatten me up before he eats me?
I swallow as I stare at the animal, unsure where to start. Dragix raises one foot, and his claws swipe out. He makes quick work of skinning the animal and cutting off a large piece. Then he reaches his foot—or maybe it’s a hand—out to me, and my mouth waters as the scent of cooked meat hits me.
I can’t remember the last time I ate.
I reach out and take the meat. It’s cooked through and surprisingly tender as I take a bite. It tastes slightly gamey, almost like rabbit, but I take another piece and then another, eating until there’s no way my stomach could handle another bite.
Dragix stares at me as I refuse the next piece of meat.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “It was really good, but I’m full now. I can’t eat any more. You should eat the rest.”
He glances back at what’s left of the animal. Guilt strikes me at how little I’ve eaten, but then I’m shuddering as Dragix tears into it, polishing it off in two bites. He swallows the entire thing—bones and all—his teeth snapping shut when he’s done.
Jesus, he’s scary.
I have to get out of here because if he ever decides to turn those teeth on me…
My stomach roils as I stare at the spot where the animal was lying and then meet Dragix’s gaze.
“Thanks again,” I say, my voice shaking, and he turns, stalking away.
Chapter Three
Charlie
I tremble. Not because I’m cold but because I’m slowly attempting to gather what’s left of my courage.
It’s dark, and Dragix has obviously decided that it’s time to bed down for the night.
The day passed slowly. After we ate, Dragix pushed the boulder away from the huge entrance leading down into his mountain. I watched closely and could see the bob of the purple woman’s head as she climbed a set of stairs.
She introduced herself as Maez and brought a wooden jug of water with the cup. When I’d drank my fill, she refilled the jug and left it behind.
I spent the day brooding, sitting in the shade of the huge boulder. Dragix ignored me for most of the day, flying off occasionally. But he was never gone for longer than what I estimated was ten minutes or so.
I have three options. The first is to wait here until he lets me go. But who knows when—or if—that’ll happen. The next option is to learn to anticipate his schedule, picking the moment when he’s likely to spend the most time away from this mountain to escape. Or I can try to sneak away when he’s sleeping at night.
While he was gone, I examined my escape site, surveying the side of the mountain. I mentally climbed down a hundred times, picturing where I’d put my hands and feet as I scrambled down the rock.
It’s going to be even more dangerous at night, but I have to go when he’s sleeping. He’s not leaving me much time with his quick trips to wherever he goes when he flies off this mountain. And only an idiot would stay here with a giant dragon.
The way his teeth snapped on whatever that animal was… I shiver. When he returned from his last excursion, he’d carried another animal with him. This time, he cut off raw pieces of the beast, holding them in the air with one foot while he breathed a steady stream of fire onto them. He then handed them to me to eat, and when I was completely full, he ate what was left of the animal.
Lesson: Dragix likes his food raw.
I bring my attention back to the present. This time, I was smart enough to make sure my arms were above the heavy wing Dragix laid over me.
My plan is simple. Roll away from him and head to my escape route. And don’t make a fucking sound. Then run like hell. I go over the steps in my head until I’m trembling so hard that I’m worried my shaking will wake up Dragix.
I begin to inch out from under Dragix’s wing. I close my eyes so that if he wakes, it’ll hopefully look like I’m just turning in my sleep. But I’m suddenly so convinced that he’s awake and watching me that I open my eyes to slits so I can see his face.
Eyes still closed. Good.
I have no chance of lifting his heavy wing off me without waking him. So I cross my left leg over my right, using my right arm to push against the ground as I roll myself over.
I make it onto my side and freeze.
Quiet as a mouse. Still. Silent.
But I’m not a mouse. Not any longer.
Never again.
I listen to Dragix’s breathing for a few minutes and then roll again until I’m facedown. I repeat this twice more, cursing the sheer size of his wings. Finally, I’m lying beneath the very edge of his wing, and it’s only covering half of my body.
When Dragix doesn’t move, I make myself roll again. Otherwise, I’ll lose my nerve. Yesterday—God, was it only yesterday?—when he brought me here, I was determined to make him angry enough that he’d eat me quickly. Now I’m terrified that this escape attempt will actually make that happen.
I roll once more, gently easing out of the wing. I make myself stay lying on the ground, as if I’ve simply moved away in my sleep. Dragix doesn’t wake, and I try to keep my breath even—attempting to ease the tightness in my chest.
I crouch, and then I slowly get to my feet.
I’m careful not to step on any stones, dried leaves, or anything else that could give me away. I scan my surroundings, daring a glance back at Dragix. I study the large entryway where Maez disappears to,
but I have no idea what’s waiting for me down there.
Better the devil I know.
I gauge the distance to the side of the mountain. If I thought Dragix wouldn’t be able to catch me, I’d run toward it. But I’ve seen how quickly he can move. My best chance is to creep quietly. Like a mouse.
Not a mouse. Not anymore.
Dragix lets out a snore, and I jump slightly. Then I slowly creep toward my path back to the other women and hopefully back to Earth.
I have no idea how I’m going to get down the side of the mountain without alerting the predator at my back.
Cross that bridge when you come to it.
I tiptoe toward the side of the mountain. Dragix stops snoring, and I glance back over my shoulder. In the darkness, his scales glimmer in the moonlight, and his eyes gleam like melted gold as he opens them and glares straight at me.
Fear slams into me like a freight train. I’m suddenly that mouse again, sizing up my chance of surviving the cat that’s slowly getting to its feet.
I run.
I know I shouldn’t. Predators love it when you run. When you show you’re scared. But I can’t help it. I bolt to the side of the mountain and scramble down, hauling myself over the rock until only my hands are holding on to the rock above me.
Dragix lets out a roar that makes the mountain tremble.
If I weren’t holding on to the rock for dear life, slipping and sliding my way down the side of the mountain, I’d slap my hands over my ears.
Instead, I scream back. My scream is half rage, half pure, undiluted terror.
A gust of air hits my face, and I move faster, my bare feet sliding for purchase on the rock. The sound of flapping wings turns my panicked breaths into dry sobs, and then I’m snatched up once again, Dragix pulling me away from the mountain and into the sky as the air turns hot with his rage.
He roars at me again, and this time I do slap my hands over my ears as he drops me back on the top of the mountain.
