Shock hits me when he nods.
“You’re letting me go?”
One firm shake of his head, and I turn away, unable to even look at him.
His hand is firm and warm—so warm—on my shoulder when he spins me back around.
“I know you are upset. I would not want to be trapped without wings. I will take you with me while I hunt.”
“Really?”
He nods and raises one eyebrow expectantly.
It burns. Burns to have to thank this motherfucker for “allowing” me off this mountain.
But I’ll play the game until he lets down his guard enough for me to sneak away.
“Thank you,” I say, forcing out the words. He inclines his head, and then suddenly he’s a dragon again, and the gurgle of his stomach sounds like a roar.
Chapter Four
Charlie
Once again, I’m flying, cupped in a dragon’s hand. Or foot. Maybe I should ask Dragix about that next time he’s in his man form.
It’s certainly not a human form. No matter which form it takes, it’s clear from the gold of his eyes, the shadow of scales over his body, and the way he speaks that he is one-hundred-percent alien.
I close my eyes briefly as Dragix banks left, and I get an up-close look at the tops of some of Agron’s tallest trees. Earlier, he snatched up some kind of animal from a herd—the injured one that was failing to keep up with the others, surprise, surprise—and shoved the whole thing in his mouth.
I covered my ears in an attempt to drown out the crunch of the bones, and Dragix narrowed one gold eye at me.
Now he’s eyeing up another herd of animals as we fly over a giant, grassy field.
“Please,” I yell up at him, the wind stealing my words, but I know he can hear me when he raises me closer to his head. “If you’re going to hunt, can you put me down somewhere first? You’re making me queasy.”
Dragix seems to consider it, glancing down at the animals. Then he lets out a sigh, and I squeal, slamming my eyes shut as he folds in his wings and arrows toward the ground.
His chest rumbles. Is he…laughing?
He lands with a thump, and I open my eyes, almost kissing the ground when he places me on it.
He’s standing naked in front of me a moment later, and I step forward as he moves closer.
“What are you—hey!”
He casually reaches for me, pulling me toward him, and I clench my hand into a fist. He gives me a warning look and then leans forward, sniffing at my hair.
One long inhale, and then he steps back.
“Did you just…sniff me?”
“I ensured that I have your scent, two-leg. If you run from me, I will find you. And I will not let you out of my sight again.”
I grind my teeth, pointing to the river in the distance. “I want to sit by the water. Is that okay with Your Majesty?”
He nods. “I won’t be long.”
Then he shifts and he’s gone. He flies even faster when I’m not with him, and I don’t quite know what to make of that.
I head toward the water. God, I need a bath. When I woke up on top of that mountain, there was a lot less blood on my body, but my pajamas are still covered in rust-colored stains, and I must smell ripe.
I glance around me, but I’m completely alone. Dragix likely scanned this place before he landed, using that incredible nose of his to check no one else was around.
In that case…
I stare down at my filthy body and raise a hand to my hair, which is still stiff with blood.
That’s it. I’m going in.
I glance up at the sky one more time, but Dragix is nowhere to be found. So I strip. I dump my pajamas on the ground and stride straight into the water, careful of the sharp stones beneath my feet. The stones give way to sand, and I don’t let myself think about the scary, likely poisonous alien creatures that could be waiting below.
I dunk myself, gasping as I rise out of the water. The water is freezing, and the shade from the trees overhead isn’t helping. Later on in the day, when the heat of the sun is beaming down, this water would be an excellent way to cool off.
I grab some sand and use it to scour my body. Then I dunk my head, scrubbing at my scalp. No shampoo, but even a rinse is better than nothing. I’m shivering as I throw my head back and turn to find Dragix landing next to the river, his eyes wider than I’ve ever seen them.
“Turn around!” I snap, and surprisingly, he does. My teeth are clattering as I wring out my hair before I reach for my pajamas. I really, really don’t want to put them back on, but it’s either that or hang out naked, and that’s not an option.
Dragix doesn’t bother changing form, simply scoops up my shivering body and takes to the skies.
The day is heating up, and Dragix is holding me in the perfect position for the sun to warm my body as we fly.
It’s…kind. In fact, all the things he has done for me have been kind—healing me, making sure I had water, hunting food and then cooking it for me. Not to mention keeping me warm under his wing at night. Unfortunately, they don’t negate the fact that he hasn’t yet been convinced to let me go and rejoin the other women.
Dragix swoops down, and I slam my eyes shut as he casually kills another beast, holding it tight with his claws. I’m guessing that’s my lunch.
What if the other women who were taken have already figured out how to get off this planet? What if they’ve been waiting for me and they’re eventually going to leave without me?
We were
