I scowl at him, and he casts me a warning look as he gets to his feet. He’s so huge that I wonder how he doesn’t accidentally squash me, but his feet are surprisingly nimble.
He steps back and scans our surroundings, lifting his head as he sniffs. He seems satisfied when he looks back at me. Then he glances toward the entrance to his lair. He steps toward it, and with a nudge of his nose, he pushes a huge boulder in front of the wide entranceway, blocking it off.
Then he crouches slightly before shooting into the sky. My mouth drops open. He removed my only way off this mountain.
“You son of a bitch!” I scream after him, attempting to ignore his answering roar.
It’s a lot easier to yell at a dragon who is flying away from you.
My bladder is making itself known, and I get to my feet, cursing Dragix again for leaving me here. I walk to the side of the flat top of the mountain, my stomach twisting at the long drop down. Nothing but sheer rock. I walk around the perimeter anyway. There’s no real trail, but on the far side, close to the entrance that Dragix just blocked off, I find a path that could work.
It would take some serious climbing skills to pull it off. I’d be inching down backward, clinging to the rock and hoping I didn’t slip. But…if I could get down around ten feet, I could make my way along those rocks until I hit the bushes and trees further down.
From there, I would need to hoof it until I could find some way to hide my scent.
If Dragix is leaving me now, he may leave me again. Or maybe I can even sneak away when he’s sleeping.
If he doesn’t eat me first.
There are a few scant bushes to the right of the boulder that Dragix used to block off my preferred escape route. I crouch behind them and pee, cursing the dragon the whole time, and I’m pulling up the rags that used to be my pajama pants when I spot a dot in the distance.
A dot that’s getting bigger.
Dragix lands with a thump, and I jolt as he places a dead creature on the ground in front of him, angling his head as he returns his attention to me. He raises one foot, the claws glinting at me in the sunlight, and gestures toward the animal—the movement somehow imperious.
I raise my middle finger and give him a gesture of my own.
He doesn’t get the insult and simply stares at me. His gaze flicks between me and the poor dead animal in front of him.
My stomach growls again, and he narrows his eyes on me, his clawed foot jabbing at the animal once again.
“You’re kidding, right?”
The growing annoyance in those gold eyes tells me that he is very much not kidding.
I survey the animal. It’s furry, with four legs, not unlike a sheep or goat on Earth. It’s also covered in blood, and my stomach roils as I gag.
Dragix seems exceedingly offended by this, his eyes widening with outrage and then narrowing again as he glances between me and the animal.
“That’s greatly appreciated, but why don’t you eat it instead?”
He steps closer, and I step back. Just like that, he’s suddenly in front of me, clearing the top of the mountain in a single leap. His wing flies out, pulling me closer to him, and he bares his teeth at me as he flicks his eyes behind my shoulder. I glance back, realizing I just got way too close to the edge of the mountain.
“Uh, thanks. Great reflexes you’ve got there.”
He ignores that, herding me back toward the dead animal with his wing. I dig my heels into the rock, wincing as the sharp edge of the stone cuts into my foot.
Dragix snarls at that, immediately lowering his head to lick at the wound.
“Are you a dragon or a mother hen?” I move my foot away, and he ignores me until he’s finished with the licking.
Then he once again gestures at the bleeding carcass.
“I’m not hungry.”
He roars at that. I stumble back from him as the sound leaves him, and a flame shoots from his mouth and into the air.
He’s not the first male I’ve made roar with impatience, and unless he eats me, he won’t be the last. But he’s definitely the most terrifying, and my heart is thundering, my whole body shaking as I inch backward.
This time, I’m careful not to get too close to the side of the mountain. My eyes sting, and I wipe at them, frustrated, terrified, and just plain mad.
Dragix studies me, his tail lashing along the ground. The air still feels warm from the fire he spat out, although that might just be my imagination.
Wait. Fire.
“Hold on,” I raise one hand. “Can you…cook that animal with your fire? I can’t eat it raw. It’ll make me sick.”
He steps closer to the animal, blows out a breath, and sets it on fire.
I jump back, and he flicks me a glance, again warning me away from the edge of the mountain. I move forward again, and he returns his attention to the animal. The smell of burning hair, or…fur, turns my stomach, but it rumbles again at the underlying scent of cooking meat.
A few moments later, Dragix inhales deeply. I stare, stunned, as the flames flicker, die down, and then disappear completely.
Holy shit. Not only can he breathe fire, but he can put it out too. With just one inhalation.
He nods toward the animal, and I gingerly step forward. He seems impatient, almost desperate for me to eat, and I narrow my eyes at him. Maybe he’s planning to fatten me up before he eats me?
I swallow as I stare at the animal, unsure where to start. Dragix raises one foot, and his claws swipe out. He makes quick work of skinning the animal and cutting off a large piece. Then he reaches his
