The dragon went into a series of rolls.
As Gwennore was tossed about, one of her hands slipped loose. No! Luna and Lessa, help me! The dragon used his back legs to kick her loose.
Down, down, she was falling. Dear goddesses, am I going to die? The wind rushed past her ears, mingling with the little girl’s screams. Eviana. I wanted to protect you.
Something dark blocked her vision, then bam! She struck something so hard, it knocked the breath out of her.
Stunned, she was unable to think for a moment. Then, with a rush, her mind raced. She was still alive. Black, leathery legs held her suspended in the air.
The other dragon had caught her. He’d saved her life.
Thank the goddesses!
But why? Why would a dragon save her? What did he want with her? She lifted her gaze to his smooth gray chest, then higher to his long neck, covered with black scales. His head was frightening. Black horns sprouted from the thick, knotted ridge across his brow. His long snout ended with flaring nostrils, and his jaw looked strong enough to crush bones.
Whoosh, whoosh. The air around her billowed as the dragon beat his leathery wings and rose higher in the sky. Where was he taking her? What if he decided to drop her? She wrapped her arms around his foreleg.
Be still. He bent his long neck, angling his head downward so he could study her with gleaming gold eyes.
I have you.
Chapter Two
Gwennore did grow still. The way the dragon was staring at her was so fierce, she wondered if he could stop his prey from escaping by simply locking his sights on him.
Power. Strength. Those qualities were to be expected with a ferocious creature like this, but she sensed more than that. A high level of intelligence. And a feeling that he saw more than she wanted him to.
Once again, she was being examined as if she were a strange species of insect. Earlier, she had decided to unleash her rage on the next male who did that, but her tirade would have to wait. It would be foolish to verbally assault a fire-breathing dragon. Especially one that could kill her by simply dropping her.
Are you all right?
The dragon’s voice slipped into her mind like a lullaby. How could he look so strong, yet sound so gentle?
Were you harmed in any way?
She shook her head.
How is it you are able to hear me? Do other elves have this ability?
“I-I don’t know.” Was that why he had saved her life? Because he was curious about a strange ability she possessed? Did that mean he would have let her die if she couldn’t hear him? Did he believe that was the only thing that made her worthy of being saved?
Dammit. She allowed herself to curse. Why not, when she was in the middle of a nightmare, completely at the mercy of a frightful dragon? She glanced back at him and discovered he was still staring at her. Blast him.
“You should watch where you are going,” she fussed at him. “You could run into a tree. Or a mountain.”
As the dragon looked away, she had a bizarre feeling that he was amused. Stop imagining things. If she was going to survive and protect Eviana, she needed to face reality.
It seemed fairly certain that they were on their way to Norveshka. The first dragon was still holding Eviana in his clutches. Her dragon—she didn’t know what else to call him, but he was definitely not hers—seemed to be focused now on catching up with the first.
While her dragon increased his speed, strong winds buffeted against her, causing her ears to ache. Her hair unraveled from its braid, and tendrils whisked across her face. Cold air shot through her thin silk gown, chilling her to the bone. So cold. How high were they?
She ventured a look down. Good goddesses! She squeezed her arms around her dragon’s foreleg. They were so high, the trees appeared no bigger than ants. Don’t look down!
She quickly shifted her gaze to the first dragon and wondered how Eviana was doing. Was she freezing to death? Would she be traumatized for the rest of her life?
And how was Brody? She leaned to one side then the other, trying to catch a glimpse of him in eagle form, but the dragon’s chest was too wide for a clear view.
Stop squirming. The shifter is still behind us.
Her breath caught. The dragon knew about Brody? “He’s a friend. Please do not hurt him.”
The dragon made no reply, but snorted a puff of hot air from his nostrils.
She’d annoyed him. Not a smart thing to do when he could drop her. She cleared her throat. “I suppose I should thank you.”
I suppose you should.
His wry tone pricked at her. Did he think her manners were lacking? That was rich when dragons went around kidnapping small children.
Another puff of hot air. And I should apologize for my brother’s actions. I will make sure the child is safely returned.
“Thank you!” Praise the goddesses! She could only hope and pray that this dragon would be trustworthy. So far, he seemed somewhat civilized. She’d always thought of dragons as frightening, destructive creatures that burned down villages and terrorized the innocent. And the rumors about them were even more horrendous. Some people claimed the dragons stole children so they could feast on them.
The dragon’s talons suddenly flinched.
She winced as the sharp points dug into her skin. “Too tight!”
Sorry. His talons retracted a bit. Crosswind.
The wind seemed the same to her. A terrible thought jumped into her mind. Had he heard what she was thinking? She was hearing him, so what if it worked both ways? Oh, dear goddesses, no!
Her heart raced. Nay, it couldn’t be true. That would be too horrendous! But wait. If the dragon only knew Norveshki, all she had to do was keep thinking in Eberoni. That would keep her
