by Ruby Dixon
No.
She sighs. “Come on, chacho. Ease off already.” She pushes at my wing again, her thoughts growing irritated, and I reluctantly let her move forward. She raises a hand in the air even as I lower my head, ready to push her back under my wing at a moment’s notice. “Hi,” she calls out. “Are you Sasha’s friend? I’m Emma. I’m looking for her.”
The red-haired female responds and gives her name as Claudia. She strokes her hand on her dragon’s neck and studies my Emma, then asks her why I will not talk to them. Am I still crazed, she wonders. If so, why am I not attacking Emma?
“Oh, he’s mine,” Emma says cheerfully, unbothered by such questions. “This is Zohr. Sasha knows about him. And he’s not talking because I told him not to. We needed to make sure who we were talking to first.”
The one called Claudia gives my mate a perplexed look and asks if it’s safe now. My Emma studies her for a moment. “Can we trust you? Against Azar?”
The other female is surprised. She says yes, but my Emma is a bit more reluctant. She glances over at me. Do we trust?
I nudge her with my nose. You are the one that knows these people. You tell me.
I don’t know her, Emma admits. I know Sasha. I think Claudia was one of the ones that helped in my rescue, though. I just…well, I don’t remember all that well because I told Sasha to hit me in the head and make things look good. I think Claudia’s dragon is the one that ate my brother, though. There’s a mixture of wry amusement and sadness in her thoughts. Then again, Boyd was going to try and kill us if we left.
If you wish for me to fight him, I will. I size up the other male. It will be a tough challenge with my inability to fly very far, but I will give my life to defend my female.
No way, babe. She sighs and chews on her nail, clearly torn. This is just me being suspicious of everyone. I just wish it was Sasha that was here. I guess we’ll have to trust someone in the end though, right?
I say nothing, because I know how she feels. I trust no one and nothing but my Emma. We are left with few choices, and as you say, we cannot do this alone. You decide.
She squirms in her seat, thinking. After a moment, she sighs heavily. Oh hell, go ahead and say hello to him. But if I lose you, I swear I’m going to burn this motherfucker to the ground.
I rumble with amusement. A fair deal.
With my Emma’s worried gaze upon me, I send a mental touch out to the other male, a gesture of acknowledgment.
Your little mate is fierce, comes the immediate reply. His thoughts are clear and full of amusement.
She is, I agree, full of pride at how perfect my Emma is. She seeks to protect me.
She does realize she is the size of a mere bite of food? the other male rumbles. No matter. Fierceness is a good thing. I am Kael. We mean you or your female no harm.
I am Zohr, I tell him. It is surprisingly comfortable to touch my mind to another male’s in companionship. It feels as if it has been a very, very long time since I spoke with another of my kind.
Seven human years, Kael agrees. Other than Dakh, you are the only one I know of that has retained thought enough to remember who you are. His thoughts grow a bit frustrated. I wish I remembered more, but most of my memories were destroyed with the Rift.
Mine, as well. I think it is one reason why we are so vulnerable to Azar.
The Salorian? His mind fills with acrid hate. He raises his head again? What does he plan?
Nothing good. My mate and I have much to share.
Come with us, Kael offers. Our aerie is safe. We will call Dakh and his female, and all of us will talk of a solution.
I look down at my mate’s worried, tense face. I know what solution we need—destroying the Salorian. But I am not sure we can do it alone. We need the others.
We will come.
33
EMMA
I can’t help but worry over my Zohr as we ride through the city, heading toward the building Claudia and Kael have set up as their home. It’s not that I think the other woman and her dragon mean ill for us. I just…I’m always uneasy depending on others. Even with my dragon-mate, that hasn’t changed. I know he’s got my back, but the rest of the world…not so much.
You do not trust, Zohr sends me with amusement.
No one but you, I agree.
Claudia and Kael are apparently set up downtown, in one of the old, broken skyscrapers. I’m a little nervous at how high up their “nest” is in the sky. When she gestures at the building, I inwardly cringe. It looks like they’re on one of the top floors on what has to be a twenty-story—or more—building.
It is safe, Kael promises me. Zohr sounds confident.
I’m sure it is. Anything that high up and occupied by a dragon isn’t on anyone’s easy raiding list. I think of Zohr’s wings and worry he won’t be able to fly it. But staying on the ground isn’t a good idea, not after I let fireworks fly. Even I’m not naïve enough to think that Azar’s men won’t come to investigate—or soldiers from the nearby fort. It’s better to get away.
I’m just not sure if Zohr’s able to make it to the top of such a tall building, especially after traveling all night.
I can do it, he reassures me. Kael asks if you wish to have him carry you.
What? No! I’m almost offended at the thought. I don’t want to ride on anyone’s back but yours. To do otherwise seems like a gross betrayal of our intimate connection.
I feel the same. Your weight is nothing. I can carry you. He is merely being polite.
If you think you can make it, I trust you, I tell him. But if not, you tell me. We’ll just figure out something on the ground.
I can make it. You must hold on tightly, though.
No girl will ever grip so hard with her thighs, I assure you.
He rumbles low in his chest. Save those promises for later.
Flirt.
A brief moment later, Claudia and Kael take to the air and fly up to their home. I watch them go, shielding my eyes with my hand to see where they land. Definitely the top floor. Ugh.
Hold tightly, my mate, Zohr warns me.
I press my sweaty hands against his scales, lean in against his body, and close my eyes. I can feel the moment he spreads his wings, feel them stretch, and then he flings his body into the air and the world jolts around me. Strangely enough, I’m not scared he’s going to drop me—I worry he won’t have the strength to get up there himself. It seems impossibly far and I know he’s tired.
I feel his wings labor, feel his thoughts strain. You can do this, I send to him fiercely. You got this shit! Just a little higher!
I…know…he struggles, and then his big body slams against the wall of the skyscraper.
I gasp as I lift out of my seat and then slam back down against his scaly shoulders.
Tighter, my mate, he warns me. We climb the rest of the way. I can feel his claws dig into the metal, and I’m grateful that he’s so strong.
I almost regret the claw I bit off, he tells me. Almost.
Oh my god, don’t be thinking dirty thoughts right now, chacho. Just climb!
I can feel the rumble of his amusement through his big body. I climb, he reassures me. I climb.
I don’t dare open my eyes because I’m afraid of what I’ll see. I also don’t dare move a muscle. I’m too afraid of tipping over the side of him and then sliding to the ground. The wind is high, ripping at my hair and pushing it into my face.
Zohr gives a determined heave of his big body, and then the world tilts around me. I squeeze him even tighter with my legs, holding my breath. We are up, my mate. You can breathe again. He sends me caressing thoughts. I have kept you safe.
I knew you would, booboo.
You had doubts, he tells me with amusement. It is all right. I had doubts, as well.
Don’t tell me that! I press a quick kiss to his scales before I lift my head and open my eyes. The dawn’s just now breaking, and I can see we’re just above the weirdest sort of apartment ever. The ceiling’s open
on one end, with patio furniture directly underneath, like it’s some sort of strange skylight. Below, underneath where the roof is intact, I can see real furniture, along with bookshelves and cooking utensils. There’s a big rug on the ground. It looks oddly homey, which is weird considering this also looks like it used to be an office building.
Kael has landed below in the open area, and as I watch, Claudia works on unbuckling all the straps holding her into the makeshift saddle perched on her dragon’s shoulders. She’s strapped in like she’s riding a really, really big horse. How interesting. I need to learn how to set up a rig like that. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.
We will get it later, Zohr promises me. Kael says that Sasha and Dakh have the same set-up and it makes riding much safer and easier.
Perfect. Of course, we don’t need it yet, since we won’t be doing much flying for a while yet.
Claudia flings her leg over Kael’s back and slides to the ground. She strips her goggles and helmet off and tosses them down on the table, then gazes up at me brightly. “It’s early. You want some coffee?”
I’m still not a hundred percent into trust-mode, but I can be polite. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll put some on. Kael says that Dakh says that Sasha’s just now waking up and they’ll be here shortly.” She shakes her head. “Not sure how she slept through fireworks, but hey.” She bustles away into the apartment. Kael flies back up out of the apartment and onto the next floor above the broken ceiling, across from where we perch. He tucks his wings against his sides and rests on his haunches, watching us with whirling, interested eyes.
Go and follow her and talk, Zohr tells me. I will wait here for you.
In battle-form? I ask, even as he bounds to the floor below so I can dismount. I slide off his side—less gracefully than Claudia—and stumble to my feet.
Yes. The better to protect you if I must. He nuzzles my hair and then leaps back up to the roof, perching next to Kael.
I think we’ll be all right, I tell him. At this point, we’re in too deep. I glance around Claudia’s cozy place. Despite the big hole in the ceiling, it looks comfy and lived in. The walls have framed artwork, there’s nice furniture, and in the corner there’s an absolutely palatial bed with lots of fluffy pillows and fresh-looking blankets. On the far end in her “kitchen” area, she’s got a charcoal patio stove with a grill over it so she can cook. A nearby shelf has a lot of kitchen implements and food stored on it. It’s clear that life in the After is treating Claudia well and that she’s a pro-level scavenger. It’s also clear to me that defensibility isn’t high on her mind because this place is open and breezy despite the Texas heat, whereas my little auto shop was a real hotbox, but it was safe.
They do not need to worry this high up, Zohr tells me. No one can reach them here.
Must be nice.
Claudia gets out a couple of mugs and sets a percolating coffeepot onto the grill over the coals. “Hungry?” she asks. “I have some old Pop-Tarts that are still wrapped. If you don’t mind that they’re a little dry with age, they make a decent breakfast.”
I try not to be too swayed by the offer, but oh my god. Pop-Tarts. I try to play it cool even though I’m already drooling. I sit down at her little table and make myself comfortable. “What flavor?”
Her eyes glint with pleasure. “Chocolate.”
Oh. My. GOD. “Yes, please.”
She grins and offers me a crinkly foil package that makes my heart sing. “I had peanut butter ones for a hot minute, but Sasha snagged those. She has a real hard-on for peanut butter. How do you like your coffee?”
I try not to weep with pure joy as I unwrap one of the priceless Pop-Tarts. If I’d found a box, I’d have hidden them from the world instead of sharing them with a stranger. “Do you have sugar?”
“I do. Some old creamer, too, but the taste is a little sketchy. You want it anyhow?”
I shake my head. “Just sugar.”
We wait for the coffee and I take the first bite of Pop-Tart. It’s stale and hard—I expected it to be—but nevertheless, there’s a sugary burst of chocolate, and I close my eyes in bliss.
You are making me jealous of food, Zohr tells me with a low growl.
Oh please, I think of your dick the same way, I tell him. And I get it far more often than Pop-Tarts.
I expect him to send me back a playful response but instead, he says, Another female is coming.
Sasha? I ask, swallowing hard around my dry, delicious Pop-Tart.
I do not know. This female comes from within. No drakoni accompanies her. I can smell perfume all over her. His thoughts are full of distaste. Her smell is awful.
As if she can hear our thoughts, Claudia grabs a pack of Pop-Tarts and sits next to me at the table, kicking her feet up. “My sister Amy’s going to join us, if that’s okay? I can tell you’re chatting with Zohr and I just wanted to reassure you that she’s okay. We can trust her.”
“All right,” I say around my mouthful, though I’m a little skeptical. I’m not sure I trust any of this.
Kael says not to worry about Claudia’s sister. She is soft.
Soft? I try to figure out what he means by that, but it’s evident a moment later when a lean, winsome blonde limps into the room. I can smell the wall of perfume covering her before she even approaches, and the description “soft” seems pretty apt. Her hair is long and silky and she wears a thin, gauzy sundress. She looks younger than Claudia and very gentle. Sweet.
My brother and Azar’s men would have eaten her alive.
She smiles at me shyly as she moves to the table, walking slowly. Her limp is more pronounced as she comes forward, and she sits with a heavy thump. “Am I too late for breakfast?” Even her voice is gentle.
“Not at all,” Claudia says. “We’re still waiting on coffee and on Sasha. You want a Pop-Tart?”
Amy shakes her head. She smiles at me. “I’m so happy to meet you, Emma. Sasha’s told us so much about you.”
“She has?” I ask between dry mouthfuls, a little surprised. “How did you know it was me?”
“Oh, well, I figured if we had a visitor with a dragon, it had to be you. No one else would be allowed up.” She looks at her sister uncertainly, and then I notice her gaze flicks to my big dragon roosting overhead.
“Should we go to your room?” Claudia asks, getting up from the table.
“No, it’s all right. I put on extra perfume,” Amy says, and I can sense frustration from her. “I’d like to be out for a while, since it’s a non-dragon day, and I should be safe with two dragons here. Now three,” she adds as another shadow flies overhead.
“All right, but if someone approaches…” Claudia warns.
“I know,” Amy says patiently. “Go into hiding.”
I watch them, curious. Claudia glances over at me and explains, “Amy’s not mated. We’re trying to hide her from any other males in the area.”
“I figured, with the perfume.”
“Emma,” I hear a voice call delightedly from nearby, and I glance over my shoulder to see Sasha rushing forward, her dark curls bouncing. She beams at me and spreads her arms wide, then flings them around me.
I hold myself awkwardly and pat her on the back. I’m so not good with affection. “Hey there,” I tell her.
“You look so good,” she gushes, squeezing my arm.
“You do, too,” I tell her and mean it. She’s plumped up since the last time I saw her, all curves. She’s all smiles, and there’s a rosy glow in her cheeks. She’s…adorable, damn it. “Being a dragon’s mate suits you.”
“You too,” she says, her eyes widening. “When you said you were staying for Zohr, I didn’t think you guys were already together.”
I cough, because I’m not sure how to explain that I mated Zohr deliberately to get the mental connection, and affection came later. “Long story.”
“I’m relieved you got away from Azar, though.” She shudders delicately and moves to sit next to my chair at the tabl
e. “He gave me the creeps. I don’t know how one person could be so ruthlessly evil.”
“That’s the thing,” I tell her, and take the coffee cup that Claudia pushes toward me. I sip it and nearly moan aloud. She’s sugared the hell out of it, and oh my god, it’s amazing. I’m momentarily derailed from my thoughts.
Tell them about Azar, my dragon reminds me. Tell them no one is safe.
God. Right. I’m getting distracted by sugar and here we are in danger. “That’s the thing,” I repeat. “We’re not away from Azar.”
Sasha stiffens, and I see her grow alert, her body tensing. “He’s here?”
“He’s not here,” I say quickly. “But just because he’s not physically here, it doesn’t mean we’re safe. I can explain…”
34
ZOHR
A mental virus, my Emma calls it. That is how she refers to Azar’s possession of me. One touch of minds to a polluted one and it spreads. The other females do not seem happy at the thought, and Claudia immediately insists on her sister returning to her room to hide. The sister does not seem pleased but does as she is told.
The wind grows strong, Kael tells us. We cannot take the risk of her scent being carried to another. My mate is very protective of her sister.
I acknowledge this and watch the females. They are far easier with each other than the three of us drakoni together. I study them, noting that the new dragon—Dakh—is far more battle-worn than Kael. Both of them are great warriors that have seen much conflict, then. I wonder if they remember any of it, or any of their past. I do not remember any battles of mine. I do not remember Kael or Dakh, either. They could be my brothers, or long-lost friends, and I would have no idea. The thought is a disturbing one.
I have no memory of either of you, I tell them. I am sorry. My memory is bad.
Mine is gone, thanks to this place, Kael sends, and there is a hint of bitterness in his mind. If it were not for my Claudia, I would be glad to burn this land to the ground.
Dakh echoes him with silent agreement. He studies me, eyes a mild gold. You have lost a claw, brother. From an old battle or a new one?
