Over the past few days, he’s spent most of his time in his dragon form. I don’t know if it’s because he tolerates the heat better in that form or if it’s because it makes it easier for him to avoid me.
Whatever it is, he seems to become more…aloof as he spends more time in that form. More…predatory.
I don’t like it.
He tilts his head, gesturing for me to come closer, and I step forward as he picks me up and places me on his back. He waits until I’ve hooked my legs around his neck, holding on to his horns. I’ve thought about riding further down, closer to the top of his back, but there’s nothing to hold on to there.
“Does it hurt your neck when I sit here?” I ask suddenly, and Dragix snorts as he crouches, readying himself to shoot into the sky.
“Of course not. Your weight is minute. I would pay the same attention to an insect on my back.”
“Wow, thanks for that.”
He rumbles, and I realize he’s making fun of me.
He stays in dragon form once we land, and I pad toward the river.
I raise my eyebrow at him. “You’re not getting in?”
“No.”
“Your loss.”
I brought one of the long pieces of material that I use as towels with me, and I lay it over one of the rocks so it’ll be warmed from the sun.
Then I glance at the river, at Dragix, and back again.
He angles his head, his eyes on my face.
“What is it?”
“I really want to strip off and jump in.”
He displays his teeth, eyes dancing, and I realize he’s giving me the dragon version of a shit-eating grin.
“Go right ahead.”
I scowl at him. “You have to promise not to look.”
A gust of warm wind hits me as he sighs. Then he’s the one who glances between the river and my body.
“You plan to splash in that water unclothed and yet I cannot watch?”
“That’s right.”
He squints his eyes at me.
“This does not seem fair. I brought you to the cool water, and I don’t even get rewarded with the sight of you enjoying it?”
I glower at him. “Life isn’t fair, buddy.”
I ignore what it does to my heart when he teases me. After the last few days of him ignoring me and me tiptoeing around while attempting to avoid thinking about that kiss, the amusement in his eyes is like a drug.
“Fine,” he says with a huff. Then he curls up in the sun, the forest at his back, and angles his head away from me, facing the forest instead.
“Thank you.”
It feels weird being naked outside. But not weird enough to stop me from pulling off my clothes and striding into the river.
The water is cold but not quite as bitterly cold as it was last time. It laps over my feet, and I sigh as I sink down into the water, shivering slightly as it hits my shoulders.
The sun beats down overhead, and I splash some of the cool water up my neck, sighing again at the relief from the hot weather.
“You are making the most interesting noises.”
I glance over my shoulder, but Dragix is still facing away from me.
“You can get in here and feel why yourself as soon as I’m done.”
He snorts.
I turn back to the river and shriek, crouching behind a huge rock. A woman is staring at me. A human woman from the ship. Ivy. I remember her because she helped me with my head wound. And she’s walking hand in hand with a Braxian.
“You son of a bitch,” I say. “You couldn’t tell me they were coming?”
Dragix yawns, showing off his sharp teeth as he eyes our visitors. The Braxian is carefully keeping his eyes averted, and Dragix’s gaze lingers on him for a long moment.
“We are downwind. By the time I scented them, I could tell one of them was a female like you and would not harm you.”
“Unless I die of embarrassment right here.”
He lets out a rumble.
“Charlie?”
Ivy walks closer, and I huddle behind my rock like an idiot. I’m not completely shy, but I’d rather not walk around naked in front of three people. I glare at Dragix.
“You could hand me my towel, you know.”
He sighs. “When did I become your servant?”
Dragix is entirely too amused, but he gets to his feet, picking up the towel from where I left it waiting on my rock. He throws it to me, and I wrap it around myself before walking back to the traitorous dragon.
Dragix once again flashes his teeth at Ivy and her Braxian.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Scaring them is beneath you.”
I turn back to Ivy, who looks stunned. I can’t entirely blame her.
“Um. Hi,” she says, and I have to grin at that.
“Hi. Excuse the grumpy dragon. He hasn’t had enough to eat today.”
Dragix shifts behind me as the Braxian narrows his eyes at him.
They stare at each other for a long moment, and then Dragix snorts.
“I could eat him,” he says.
I ignore that.
“He’s not going to hurt you,” I tell them. “We’ve come to an understanding.”
Ivy looks doubtful, but she shrugs. “Uh, okay, then. We’ve been looking for you for a while now.”
They have? While I imagined that these women were planning to leave without me, they’ve actually been actively searching for me?
I’ve never had many friends. Since I escaped Ben, I’ve never been in one place long enough to make friends. But these women, these…strangers have been trying to find me.
I feel like a giant asshole. Not only have I not convinced the dragon to let me find these women, but I haven’t even tried to leave. Not for days.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” I say, my face heating. “It took a while before Dragix and I reached that understanding.”
Ivy stares at Dragix, and I can see her wondering if
