The Lady Prefers Dragons

by Katalina Leon

Jace lowered his gaze. “Because our very existence disproves everything they want to believe. We threaten their faith. If everyone knew there were realities beyond this one and portals that alien beings could cross through, think of how your world would change.”

  “I can see that becoming a big problem for some people.” Devon gazed at the pot and the foil packets bobbing in the turbulent water. “At this altitude, the water is never going to boil. I’ll bet those are heated.”

  Jace fished the packets out of the pot with a fork and tossed them onto the edge of the blanket.

  Devon reached for one.

  “Be careful opening it!” Jace snatched the packet and tore the top for her. “Don’t get burned.”

  Devon withdrew her hand. “Thank you, but I could have managed.” She stared at the steaming packet of oatmeal. “I’m not four years old.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jace’s chin dipped. “It’s me. I’m feeling overprotective.”

  Devon thrust a steel spoon into the packet of oatmeal and stirred it. “This situation is a weird mix of feeling coddled while being forced to take big risks at the same time. Can we relax a little?”

  “Yes.” Jace reached for a small jar of instant coffee. “I know I’m going to hear at least one agonized groan about being forced to drink freeze-dried, but what the hell. It’s still coffee.”

  Beau frowned at the sight of the jar. “I love fresh coffee. I admit I’m picky.”

  “Me too.” Devon tasted the oatmeal. It had a lot of raisins and cinnamon and was delicious.

  “At home”—Beau tore his packet of oatmeal open and stirred it with a spoon—“I roast small batches of green coffee beans in a wok to get the best flavor.”

  “Me too!” Devon set down her spoon. “I started doing that about a year ago. Now I’m addicted to the good stuff. Oh, that’s so funny that you roast your own coffee beans too. Do you ever freeze what you don’t use?”

  “Never! It would ruin them.” Beau lifted his face heavenward. “I love the fragrance of fresh-roasted beans. They smell like warm toast.”

  Jace tapped what appeared to be a haphazard amount of coffee powder into the pot and swished it around until the water was uniformly murky and dark. “Well, this ain’t gourmet coffee, but it’s all we’ve got.”

  Beau shot a suspicious glance at the coffee. “It will be fine.”

  Jace poured the coffee into three tin mugs, handing one to Devon and another to Beau.

  “Thank you.” Devon accepted the warm mug between her palms, enjoying the simple comfort of holding it. She dared a sip. Jace’s brew was crazy bitter, but she couldn’t face the day without coffee, so she drank it.

  They ate in peaceful silence. By the time Devon was finished with her oatmeal she was beginning to feel the first jitter of nerves about flying.

  Jace gazed at Devon. “You’re scaring yourself, aren’t you?”

  She was. Heights had always been a big bugaboo. “Can you tell? Am I that obvious?”

  Jace stroked the side of Devon’s thigh. “Your leg is trembling.”

  The limb seemed to have a mind of its own. “Oh.”

  “Flying is only scary if you don’t know what’s going to happen.” Jace set his coffee mug down and stood. The blanket fell away, revealing a lean, muscular frame that looked capable of any powerful physical feat. “I’m built for flight. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  Was she really going to climb onto Jace’s back and dive down the side of a steep mountain? What the fuck was she thinking?

  Jace moved away from the fire and walked toward the far end of the cave.

  Devon was too distracted by the stunning sight of his naked ass to question what he was doing until she saw him crouch down on all fours. “What’s going on?”

  “You’ve already seen us in dragon form, but you haven’t seen us shift. I want to show you now and let you see the changes between human and Marduko form. I want you to have a few minutes to take in what you’re seeing before we leave the cave.”

  “And fly.” There was no hiding how nervous she was.

  “That’s right.” Jace’s gaze was sharp. “I want you to be safe, and that means being comfortable with me in dragon form. In the air you’re going to have to hold on tight and not pull away. Do you understand? You can’t get squeamish or iffy about touching a scaly dragon once we leap off that ledge.”

  Leap. “Oh God, did you have to say it that way?”

  “This is a practice run. I’m going to shift. You’ll see everything. I’ll look different, but I will still be me. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” Jace waved toward Beau. “Stand behind Devon in case she faints.”

  “I’m not going to faint.” She felt terribly offended she wasn’t getting the credit she deserved for being brave enough to even consent to anything this insane.

  “If you’re going to faint, it would be better to do it now in Beau’s arms than when I’m in a nosedive searching for an updraft.”

  Her knees shook. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  “The bone-crunching sounds can be bad.” Jace shrugged. “Try to get past it.”

  “Does it hurt to shift?” she asked with trepidation.

  “Sometimes it hurts like a son of a bitch and other times it’s bliss. It depends on the conditions and how much energy the body has stored in reserve.”

  Beau stood behind Devon. “I’ve got you.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at Beau. “I’ll be fine.” What the hell had she gotten herself into? Did she really want to know that the two men she was deeply attracted to were also scaly winged aliens from another world? Part of her was curious to see it all and another wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.

  “Stay put, Beau,” Jace called. “I don’t want Devon to be alarmed.”

  What if the shift was repulsive to watch? Would it make her feel differently about them? If the transition to dragon form was too raw or animal-like, would she ever be able to enjoy them again as men? She began to worry. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”

  “Shhh, it’s okay.” Beau was by her side and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder. “Jace wants to do this. Maybe someday, I’ll be strong enough to take you flying. I’m going to work on it. I’d feel so honored to soar with you on my back.”

  She gulped.

  “Ready?” Jace asked.

  Was she ready? How the hell would she know if she was ready? She was about to find out. “I have no clue, but go ahead.”

  Jace moved from a kneeling position and almost curled his body into a ball. The brittle sound of bones crunching and snapping filled the air, and she cringed.

  Beau held her tighter.

  “What the hell? The sound is god-awful.” Her hands shook as she fixed her gaze on Jace.

  “I know it sounds terrible, but he’s fine. His frame has to expand to become Marduko.”

  It sounded so painful she wanted to look away. “He doesn’t sound fine. It sounds horrendous.”

  “We do this all the time. I promise it isn’t too painful.”

  Devon had a hard time believing him. She could barely focus on what was happening in front of her eyes without wincing. Bones momentarily rippled and protruded beneath Jace’s back. He grimaced as his handsome face morphed into the vicious-looking beaked snout of a prehistoric predator. His skin changed from smooth copper to a scaly bronze. His beautiful eyes grew deeper set and appeared fierce and raptor-like. Jace opened his snout and a thin, slithery tongue snaked out. Spikes on his back unfurled into massive wings. When he stood to his towering height, she gasped and stepped back, slamming into Beau.

  “He won’t hurt you, Devon.”

  She was stunned. Was that uncanny creature flapping its wings in front of her really Jace, the man she’d just made love to without a condom? “How is this even possible?” Her voice cracked.

  Beau held her tighter, offering her a sense of security. Her stare remained locked on Jace as he lifted one talon-clad foot from the gro
und and rolled his ankle. She hadn’t noticed at first, but he now sported a long, spiked tail that looked arrow sharp. Like something out of a fairy tale, Jace had transformed from a human to a dragon before her eyes. “Wow, what can I say?”

  Beau’s grip eased and he gave Devon a gentle push. “Touch him.” He urged her forward. “Stroke his snout and wings. Get used to how a dragon feels.”

  Devon took a few shaky steps toward Jace. His broad chest pumped like a giant bellows and his breath blew warm and moist against her face as she approached. Jace bowed down and laid his chin on the ground where she could reach him with ease. He blinked his large brown eyes and waited.

  She knelt beside Jace and ran her fingertips across the edge of a wing. It felt tough and leathery but was also beautiful in its own way. Jace’s dragon skin shimmered with a faint iridescence and looked as if he were made of rich-hued, hammered metals. His bronzy skin had an ornate pattern embellished with iron-like studs that resembled a fine-wrought medieval shield. She stroked his snout. “You’re quite a handsome creature.”

  A low purr rose from deep in Jace’s throat.

  Beau stepped beside Devon. “Jace is from the royal line of Marduko dragons. In dragon form, he’s a lot larger and stronger than me. His ancestors were once great warriors who could not be defeated. On Draca the Jacesar bloodline had no peers.”

  Awed, Devon felt as if she should bow her head in reverence. This formidable being was kneeling with humility at her feet and allowing her to pass judgment on him, and he was mighty. It didn’t have to be that way. He could easily overpower her and force his will on her, but she knew he wouldn’t. Gazing into his keen eyes, she saw without a doubt that a Marduko dragon was noble. She slid a leg over his back and mounted him. “I can’t wait to ride you.”

  Jace moved beneath her with a pleased hum rattling low in his throat.

  “You’ll need to suit up first to protect your skin.” Beau reached into a backpack and retrieved a set of denim clothing in Devon’s size. “Marduko hide is slightly abrasive. It’s designed to protect us, but it could be hard on you.” He leaned down and retrieved a rope harness from the backpack. “We made this saddle so it would be easier for you to hang on to Jace.”

  She glanced at the knotted, handmade harness. This bit of maritime rope was the only thing separating her from disaster. “How do you know it will work?”

  “We tested it.”

  “Where? How?”

  “In Jace’s apartment—er, I mean our apartment.”

  “Jace shifted to dragon form in the Oakland apartment? No way.”

  “He did. It was cramped as hell. The old Lithuanian woman next door heard Jace’s bones snapping and kept banging on our wall and pleading with us to stop breaking dishes!” Beau laughed.

  Devon laughed as she slid off Jace’s back. Beau seemed to have a talent for calming her most jagged nerves and even bringing a touch of humor to a tense situation. “I wish I could have seen that.”

  Beau threw the largest loop of the harness around Jace’s neck and worked it downward. “The harness is lightweight but strong. It has to be. You’re still going to have to work pretty hard to hang on, but this will keep you from slipping off and falling.”

  Her stomach clenched. “Don’t say falling.”

  “It won’t happen.” Beau looped one side of the harness under Jace’s wing. “I’ll be right beside you watching everything, so you’ll be okay.” He finished tying the harness beneath Jace’s rib cage.

  Devon looked at Beau with expectation. “When are you going to shift?”

  “As soon as you get dressed, I’ll shift on the ledge. It’s going to be crowded enough trying to squeeze out the front entrance of the cave with Jace in dragon form. Besides, I was taught it was good manners to do your shifting outdoors.”

  That was sweet. Like not opening a wet umbrella inside the house. Devon stepped into the jeans and pulled them up her legs. “These are a little baggy but not too bad.” She slipped her arms through the sleeves of the jacket and rolled up the cuffs.

  “I have some leather gloves for you.” Beau rummaged through the backpack and tossed Devon a pair of supple gloves.

  Gloves and frumpy jeans, was this truly all that was required for an outing this fantastic? “What about shoes?” she asked cautiously.

  Beau shook his head. “You won’t need them. We’re not walking and it will be easier for you to hold on and more comfortable for Jace if you grip him with bare feet.”

  “Then barefoot it is.” She walked toward the pile of bedding and searched through a few of her things. “All I need is my camera. When is sunrise?”

  Beau glanced at a chunky wristwatch strapped to the side of the backpack. “Sunrise is in forty-seven minutes. That ought to give us more than enough time to take a short flight down the mountain and see a few of the animals on the plain before we have to get back.”

  Devon swallowed hard, nervous as hell about the whole adventure but excited too. “You and Jace are going to be linked in dragon form, right?”

  “Always. For safety’s sake we have to know what the other is experiencing or seeing.”

  “What about me?” She dared to turn the camera toward Jace and clicked a few candid shots. “What if something goes wrong or you need to communicate something important? You’ll have a snout, and you won’t be able to speak.”

  Beau’s gaze drifted toward Jace. “Can I do it?”

  Jace lifted his head and looked back at Beau. A slightly sad expression flickered in his eyes.

  Moving closer to Devon, Beau reached for the back of her neck and drew her toward him. “Jace gave me permission to offer you a temporary link. It won’t last, and it’s not ideal. It would be better to build a true link over time, but we don’t have that option.”

  Again, an iffy unknown. “What will happen?”

  “For the next few days, you’ll be mentally linked to me, and we’ll be able to communicate in basic terms while we’re flying. For instance if your foot slips, I’ll know it. If you want to do something, I’ll see a mental picture of it.”

  She felt cheered by the idea. “Well, that sounds good. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Jace will not be included in our link. The temporary link will be just you and me.”

  “Oh.”

  “A true link works three ways, and a true link has to be carefully forged and never during the presence of a temporary link. It’s one of those flukes of nature. The temporary link is a holdover from the old days when the Marduko kidnapped women and needed a way to communicate with them and establish a relationship.”

  She glanced at Jace’s now-passive posture. His gaze flickered. “You don’t look very pleased about this. I don’t have to do it. I can just hang on.”

  Beau looked at Jace. “Jace says it’s irresponsible to place you at risk and deny you a means to communicate. He said make the link.” With an abrupt move, he pulled Devon close and bit down on her throat until she squealed before swiftly releasing her.

  Devon leaped away from Beau, gripping the side of her throat with her palm. “That hurt! Goddamn, I’ve never been bitten so often in my life. Why didn’t you warn me?”

  Beau shrugged. “Even with a warning it still would have stung.”

  She balked. That was not how the bites in bed had felt. Those were yummy.

  Beau crossed his arms over his chest. “What am I thinking?”

  The way it was phrased sounded like a challenge. She willed herself to calm down long enough to concentrate and saw a vivid image in her mind of a small herd of elephants sheltering beneath a grove of flat-topped acacia trees. “I know this sounds like a lead-in to a bad joke, but you’re thinking of elephants.”

  “Yep.” Beau delivered a clipped answer. “We’re linked. Can you feel it?”

  Drawing a deep breath, she realized she could. Suddenly, she was able to look into Beau’s thoughts and experience them for herself. She saw Beau wanted another packet of oatmeal and had felt rushed d
uring breakfast. He was worried about Jace, and he was calculating how to stay beyond view of a hiking party on the northeast side of the mountain. He was juggling a thousand other small details. Facing them was exhausting, so she mentally pulled back. “Wow, you have a lot on your mind.”

  He blinked rapidly. “I always do.”

  A warm tingle of excitement spread across her skin, and she didn’t have to guess what would happen next. “So how are dragon bites and dragon tree leaf tea different? They feel a lot alike.”

  “I’d like to believe a dragon bite is more potent, but chemically I’d bet they’re almost identical. They’re both aphrodisiacs and support telepathic communication. Both have been part of the Marduko bag of tricks for a long time.”

  The sensations changed, making her warm and giddy. “I don’t really mind. They feel great.”

  “I thought you might say that. Come on.” Beau motioned to her and Jace. “Let’s fly.”

  Devon followed Jace onto the cave’s ledge. It was a tight squeeze fitting through the cave’s front entrance, and she was grateful to be behind him and not beside him as he clumsily hopped onto the narrow ledge. She drew the cool morning air into her lungs. It was still dark, but at this height she could see the sky was lightening almost imperceptibly on the far horizon.

  Jace hunkered down and allowed Devon to climb onto his back.

  She hooked her feet through the loops of the harness and wrapped the harness reins around her gloved hands, her heart pounding. She glanced down and saw the camera was securely tethered to her wrist with a strap. “I’m ready.” Looking at Beau, she silently sent the thought, “Don’t just stand there naked—shift!”

  Beau dropped to all fours and began to writhe and contort his body in a sickening burst of bone-crushing noise. Within moments he transformed into a sleeker, more compact version of Jace, with tapering, steel-blue wings. In dragon form he appeared as streamlined and dangerous as a polished sword. She stared in awe.

  Gripping the ledge with his talons, Beau silently asked, “What do you think?”

  “You’re gorgeous, Beau,” she said aloud.

  Beau purred with what sounded like pride as he pushed away from the cliff. He plummeted down the steep face of the mountain with a loud swoosh. After what felt like a prolonged and suspenseful fall, he tipped his snout skyward and allowed his wings to snap open and lift him in a graceful, wide arc. He flapped hard and rose, returning to the ledge to confront Jace.