Page 82 of Kenna's Dragon

As soon as we have her permission, my dragon moves, launching from the ground and scooping her up in one smooth move. She’s wrapped securely in the dragon’s claws, and he’s mindful enough to keep her away from the sharp, brutal points. Her soft hands stroke over his scales, soothing, even as she squirms a little trying to get comfortable.

Vaguely, some human part of my consciousness still lingering in the far corners of my mind remembers the remark she made about riding me.

Would she like that? Would it be more comfortable for her than being carried like this?

Surprisingly, my dragon doesn’t hate the idea. The thought of Kenna on top of me, riding me, feeling the same thrill and exhilaration I always do when I soar so high above the world and all my problems back on the ground.

Dangerous, perhaps, but maybe there would be a way to make it safer, some kind of contraption to…

No. Not right now. I don’t need to be thinking about it right now. Not when the only thing that matters is getting her somewhere safe.

The first place that comes to mind is the same place we went on the night I took her from downtown. The forest clearing. Not too far from Elias and Nora’s place. Private. Safe.

It doesn’t feelquiteright. The right place would be somewhere more remote. Maybe somewhere underground. A cavern or a den where I could stash her, keep her, hoard her…

I force some rationality back into my dragon’s brain and he gives his thick skull a shake.

The forest clearing will have to do, and I’m thankful for the sunny day and the smooth air as we leave Seattle. The scenery bleeds from city to suburb to something even more green and less populated, and by the time we reach our destination, I’ve almost managed to calm the dragon down.

Almost. Not quite. Because the moment I drop her down in the clearing, that same sense of wrongness rears right back up.

She’s too exposed here. This isn’t right.

Watching Kenna get her landlegs back with knees that knock a little and her curls a mad riot around her face, my dragon and I both take a few long moments to simply stare at our treasure. In the late-afternoon light, she glows like a jewel. From the carnelian of her hair to the rose quartz of her cheeks to the emeralds of her eyes, she’s more beautiful than an entire hoard’s worth of treasure.

And safe. She’s safe. She’s far away from the person who threatened her. Who threatened us both.

But she’s still too exposed.

With an irritated huff, my dragon takes a step toward her, and she takes a step back. He bows low, trying to communicate he’s not going to hurt her, but the apprehension doesn’t leave her eyes.

He steps again, and so does she. A slow dance moving across the clearing until she glances over her shoulder at the tree line behind her.

“The woods?” she asks, tilting her head in question. “You want me to go into the woods?”

The dragon huffs another breath, and she must understand it for the affirmation it’s meant to be, because she nods slowly and takes a few steps closer to the cover of the trees. When she glances back over her shoulder and sees the dragon following her, she gives a puzzled little smile that melts some of the lingering fear in my heart.

Just beyond the tree line, she turns back around. The dragon seems pleased enough to see her where she is, and he crouches low to the forest floor in another show of deference and reassurance.

“Ewan?” Kenna asks softly. “Can we talk?”

I’m not able to pull out of the shift. Not now. Not when the dragon’s instinct is so close to the surface.

When I don’t make any move to shift back, she frowns.

“Ewan?” she tries again.

More silence. She stares at me for a few long moments, contemplating, before taking a step closer. Then another.

Neither the dragon nor I are capable of moving a single muscle as she approaches.

“You’re going to stay right there, right?” she says, voice a little shaky. “You’re not going to bite my whole hand off if I touch you?”

The dragon drops his head until his chin is laying against the soft moss.

“Alright,” she mutters. “I guess that’s about as good as it’s going to get.”

When she comes within arm’s length, she pauses for a few final moments before extending her arm.

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