by Hope Hart
“Fuck you!” I scream back.
He throws his head with a snarl, baring those lethally sharp teeth at me, and then he seems to turn into a burst of light.
My mouth drops open. I’m looking at a man.
A man who looks as surprised as I am.
He’s butt naked, bronze skin gleaming in the moonlight. His hair falls beneath his shoulders, tousled and as gold as his eyes, which widen as he brings one of his hands up to his face.
He takes a step and stumbles, staring down at his feet as if confused.
I rub at my eyes.
A dragon was bad enough. This proves that I’m truly going insane. Am I even on an alien planet? Or did I have some kind of breakdown and I’m really on Earth, about to wake up from a nightmare?
Silence stretches between us as he stares at me. I carefully—very carefully—avoid dropping my gaze any lower.
Butt. Naked.
He looks like a Greek god, and he seems to have figured out how his body works because he stalks toward me. He’s still relatively unsteady on his feet, but his face turns hard as he frowns at me.
“You will not leave.”
My eyes widen. Thanks to the Arcav, I have a translator in my ear. But the dragon…
“You speak my language?”
He gives me a look. “My people speak all languages,” he says. His voice is low and rough, and his mouth seems to hesitate as he forms the words, but his tone drips with arrogance.
Of course they do. Why wouldn’t they?
If he understands me, maybe we can talk this out.
“Look, I get that you’re used to being the ruler of the animal kingdom around here. But if you’re not planning to eat me—and I really hope you’re not—then please let me go.”
For some unknown reason, he seems surprised by my request. His thick brows rise, his gold eyes widen, and then he scowls at me, as if the very suggestion is ludicrous.
“I am tired of being alone,” he says. “I have healed you, fed you, kept you safe. You will stay here until I decide you may leave.”
I clench my teeth so hard I’m surprised they don’t crack.
Not only is he both a dragon and a man—and how the hell is that even possible?—but he’s clearly crazy.
“You’re not alone. You have Maez.”
He ignores that, seemingly distracted by one of his fingers, which he holds up in front of his face, studying it with a frown.
“Yo,” I interrupt the staring. “Did you hear me? I want to leave. You can’t keep me here.”
He meets my gaze. “I saw you, and I took you. I am Dragix. I can do what I like.”
For some reason, I attract crazy like honey attracts bees on Earth. This planet is obviously going to be no different. I open my mouth, and he narrows his eyes at me.
“I am faster than you and stronger than you, even in this form. You cannot leave.”
With that, he turns back into a dragon, effectively ending our conversation.
Dragix
I had…forgotten my two-leg form. It has been so many centuries since I chose to walk instead of fly that the shift took me by surprise. From the look of wrath on Charlie’s face as she stares back at me, she is not pleased by my shift back to my dragon form.
It was entirely unplanned.
For the first time in longer than I can remember, a shadow of fear slides over me.
I am shifting forms with no warning.
What if I shift back to my two-leg form while flying with Charlie?
No. I will not take her off this mountain until I have remembered how to control the shift.
I gesture toward the ground where we sleep, and Charlie stalks toward it, her back straight, her shoulders tight. Now that I have felt the rough ground beneath my bare feet, I realize that it cannot be comfortable for her to sleep on.
I felt the little two-leg remaining tense and awake next to me even as she pretended she was sleeping. So I also feigned sleep, wondering just how she would attempt to escape.
She has no understanding of how sensitive I am to movement, noise, and smell. Even if I had been in a deep sleep, I would have woken as she rolled away from me.
I didn’t expect her to attempt to scramble down the side of my mountain. I thought she would go deeper into my lair, where she would likely have become lost and I would have easily trailed her scent.
Instead, she could have lost her life. Her short two-leg life. I rustle my wings at the thought, and Charlie shifts next to me. She is not sleeping and is instead staring up at the night sky, her jaw tight as she ignores me.
My two-leg form. I had forgotten. Forgotten that my people had this form even though we once used it just as much as our winged form. We danced in this form, laughed in this form, mated in this form. My parents…
No.
I push away the thought. If my people had spent more time in their winged form, perhaps they would still be alive today.
I smell salt and glance at Charlie. Tears are tracking silently down her face as she looks up at the stars. She sniffs, and something in my chest hurts.
I harden myself against it. I am Dragix. Two-leg tears mean nothing to me.
Charlie
I don’t bother getting up the next morning.
There’s no point. Instead, I ignore Dragix as he rises, and I push away his head as he snuffles at me. He may think he’s won, but I can outlast him. Three years ago, I promised myself that I’d never be a prisoner again.
And I keep my promises.
Dragix stomps away, his tail flicking over the ground as he lets out a sound somewhere between a hiss and a growl.
Oh, I’m sorry, is your pet not entertaining you as much as you’d like? Maybe you should let her fucking go.
On the bright side, I’m not living in constant terror now. If he was going to kill and eat me, he likely would’ve done it last night, when the air around us heated with his rage.
Dragix must turn back to me because I can feel those gold eyes on my face. I ignore him, and he stomps back. He waits until I eventually meet his gaze and then shows me the edges of his teeth.
Asshole.
“What do you want?”
He obviously can’t reply, and this pleases me. Frustration shines in those gleaming eyes for a moment, and then he leans down, pushing against me with his head.
He wants me to get up.
“Sorry, I don’t speak giant lizard. Maybe you should turn back to a man and we can have an actual conversation.”
He roars at me, and I slap my hands over my ears.
Then, with a gust of air, he takes off, shooting up into the sky in the blink of an eye.
God, he’s fast.
Now that he’s gone, I drag myself to my feet. Maez will likely come up soon. Maybe I can take her by surprise and knock her out. Then I can skedaddle down into the mountain and haul ass out of here before Dragix gets back.
Except that she never comes up here unless he’s here, and he rolled that godforsaken rock in front of those stairs last night. All while staring at me as if to say “go ahead and move that.”
I move back to my shady spot but leave my legs in the sun as the day heats. I’m not used to Dragix being gone for so long. Usually, I’d estimate it at less than twenty minutes, but the sun is rising in the sky, and he’s still not back.
Am I missing a perfectly good opportunity to escape? Or maybe he’s punishing me? Perhaps he has even decided to just leave me here to rot.
I get to my feet and walk the perimeter. Again. In the distance, the calls of birds sound, followed by a howl that gives me goose bumps. Misty, early-morning sunlight softens the plains in front of me. To my right, a forest stretches, and through the green leaves, I can see dark-blue branches reaching for the sky.
A herd of the animals that Dragix seems to love are moving as one across a wide meadow on my left, and I can practically hear the thunder of their hooves as they sprint for the cover of the trees.
Likely because they’re a
ware of the huge predator who likes to pick them off whenever he wants a snack.
It still feels weird to be looking up at a green sky, and for a moment, I’m so incredibly homesick that I’m once again brushing tears off my cheeks.
Earth wasn’t perfect, that’s for sure. Especially for me. Sleeping in my car wasn’t exactly a good time, and moving from state to state to escape my sociopath ex was wearing on me. Never being able to make friends, only working temp jobs—it sucked. Not to mention, I was abducted by the Grivath on Earth. Being sold on an alien planet and crash-landing on this one? Also not cool.
But living in my car was better than this.
Finally, finally, Dragix approaches. I stay seated in the shade as he lands, his gaze going straight to me.
Then that bright light comes out of nowhere and he’s suddenly a man again. Only this time, he looks much more comfortable in his body as he stalks toward me.
I stand up, if only to avoid looking up at his giant—
Don’t think about that. Do not. Think. About. That.
“Where have you been?” I snap. “If you’re going to keep me here, you can’t just take off and leave me without any water.”
He nods. “You are right. I apologize.”
I’m so stunned to hear those words from the guy that I blink, almost missing what he says next.
“I have been practicing my shift,” he says. He steps back, transforms into a dragon and then back again.
This time, it’s his stomach that rumbles, and the corner of his mouth tips up.
He’s beautiful. So incredibly beautiful that it almost hurts to look at him. But he’s also a dragon, and he’s keeping me here against my will.
“Shifting forms quickly drains my energy and makes me hungry. If I do not eat, I will not be able to spit flame,” he explains as if I asked.
“I need to get off this mountain.” My words are weary, no longer pleading. I’ll keep saying them until he lets me go, even if I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.
Shock hits me when he nods.
“You’re letting me go?”
One firm shake of his head, and I turn away, unable to even look at him.
His hand is firm and warm—so warm—on my shoulder when he spins me back around.
“I know you are upset. I would not want to be trapped without wings. I will take you with me while I hunt.”
“Really?”
He nods and raises one eyebrow expectantly.
It burns. Burns to have to thank this motherfucker for “allowing” me off this mountain.
But I’ll play the game until he lets down his guard enough for me to sneak away.
“Thank you,” I say, forcing out the words. He inclines his head, and then suddenly he’s a dragon again, and the gurgle of his stomach sounds like a roar.
Chapter Four
Charlie
Once again, I’m flying, cupped in a dragon’s hand. Or foot. Maybe I should ask Dragix about that next time he’s in his man form.
It’s certainly not a human form. No matter which form it takes, it’s clear from the gold of his eyes, the shadow of scales over his body, and the way he speaks that he is one-hundred-percent alien.
I close my eyes briefly as Dragix banks left, and I get an up-close look at the tops of some of Agron’s tallest trees. Earlier, he snatched up some kind of animal from a herd—the injured one that was failing to keep up with the others, surprise, surprise—and shoved the whole thing in his mouth.
I covered my ears in an attempt to drown out the crunch of the bones, and Dragix narrowed one gold eye at me.
Now he’s eyeing up another herd of animals as we fly over a giant, grassy field.
“Please,” I yell up at him, the wind stealing my words, but I know he can hear me when he raises me closer to his head. “If you’re going to hunt, can you put me down somewhere first? You’re making me queasy.”
Dragix seems to consider it, glancing down at the animals. Then he lets out a sigh, and I squeal, slamming my eyes shut as he folds in his wings and arrows toward the ground.
His chest rumbles. Is he…laughing?
He lands with a thump, and I open my eyes, almost kissing the ground when he places me on it.
He’s standing naked in front of me a moment later, and I step forward as he moves closer.
“What are you—hey!”
He casually reaches for me, pulling me toward him, and I clench my hand into a fist. He gives me a warning look and then leans forward, sniffing at my hair.
One long inhale, and then he steps back.
“Did you just…sniff me?”
“I ensured that I have your scent, two-leg. If you run from me, I will find you. And I will not let you out of my sight again.”
I grind my teeth, pointing to the river in the distance. “I want to sit by the water. Is that okay with Your Majesty?”
He nods. “I won’t be long.”
Then he shifts and he’s gone. He flies even faster when I’m not with him, and I don’t quite know what to make of that.
I head toward the water. God, I need a bath. When I woke up on top of that mountain, there was a lot less blood on my body, but my pajamas are still covered in rust-colored stains, and I must smell ripe.
I glance around me, but I’m completely alone. Dragix likely scanned this place before he landed, using that incredible nose of his to check no one else was around.
In that case…
I stare down at my filthy body and raise a hand to my hair, which is still stiff with blood.
That’s it. I’m going in.
I glance up at the sky one more time, but Dragix is nowhere to be found. So I strip. I dump my pajamas on the ground and stride straight into the water, careful of the sharp stones beneath my feet. The stones give way to sand, and I don’t let myself think about the scary, likely poisonous alien creatures that could be waiting below.
I dunk myself, gasping as I rise out of the water. The water is freezing, and the shade from the trees overhead isn’t helping. Later on in the day, when the heat of the sun is beaming down, this water would be an excellent way to cool off.
I grab some sand and use it to scour my body. Then I dunk my head, scrubbing at my scalp. No shampoo, but even a rinse is better than nothing. I’m shivering as I throw my head back and turn to find Dragix landing next to the river, his eyes wider than I’ve ever seen them.
“Turn around!” I snap, and surprisingly, he does. My teeth are clattering as I wring out my hair before I reach for my pajamas. I really, really don’t want to put them back on, but it’s either that or hang out naked, and that’s not an option.
Dragix doesn’t bother changing form, simply scoops up my shivering body and takes to the skies.
The day is heating up, and Dragix is holding me in the perfect position for the sun to warm my body as we fly.
It’s…kind. In fact, all the things he has done for me have been kind—healing me, making sure I had water, hunting food and then cooking it for me. Not to mention keeping me warm under his wing at night. Unfortunately, they don’t negate the fact that he hasn’t yet been convinced to let me go and rejoin the other women.
Dragix swoops down, and I slam my eyes shut as he casually kills another beast, holding it tight with his claws. I’m guessing that’s my lunch.
What if the other women who were taken have already figured out how to get off this planet? What if they’ve been waiting for me and they’re eventually going to leave without me?
We were all taken together, but really, we don’t owe each other anything. If they get a chance to go back to Earth, will they take it and leave me here?
Dragix lands on our mountain. His mountain. And we do the whole cook, eat, try not to puke when the dragon crunches down on the rest of the poor animal routine.
Then he pushes aside the boulder, and I expect to see Maez waiting. Instead, he shifts back into a man and steps toward the stairs, gesturing for me to follow him.
; Is this a trick?
Obviously not because Dragix is casting an impatient look over his shoulder. I jump into action and follow him into his lair.
The staircase is steep, but there are torches placed along the walls, the dancing flames providing enough light to ensure I don’t tumble down the stairs.
And down we go. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t a spiral staircase leading to a small landing with a few doors, followed by another staircase and then another.
It’s dark. But strangely, the tall ceilings and the fresh air I can feel wafting in from somewhere ensure that it’s not claustrophobic. I guess if you’re a winged creature choosing to live inside, you’re going to make sure you don’t feel trapped.
The walls are mostly smooth rock, and this whole place seems…ancient.
How the hell did so much of this mountain get cut away without risking the structural integrity?
I can hear running water somewhere, and I’m instantly ready to explore this place and discover its secrets. But Dragix pauses before we go down yet another set of stairs and again gestures for me to follow him—this time into a room. I blink, realizing that the dirt and stone has been removed to reveal a window overlooking a shady forest.
A collection of wooden chests is sitting near the window, and I avert my eyes from Dragix’s ridiculously toned butt as he leans down and opens one of them. He’s not at all self-conscious about his nudity—and why would he be with that body?—but I’m still attempting to ignore the way my traitorous hormones react to all that golden skin.
Since I’m keeping my eyes on the stone wall, and carefully not fantasizing about what it would feel like to have that huge body wrapped around me, it takes me a moment to realize Dragix is saying my name.
I glance back at him in time to see his nostrils flare as his eyes scan my body, lingering on my hardened nipples.
Please tell me he can’t smell my arousal.
From the way his eyes have darkened, I’d say he sure can.
I clear my throat and reach for the bundle of clothes he’s holding out.
