Page 7 of Vex
Right. He wasn't going to talk when he looked like that. Did he even have vocal cords?
But she could have sworn she almost heard, or maybe it was better to say felt, something coming from him.
Were dragons psychic?
Yeah, no way in hell was she voicing that question.
She pulled a jacket out of her pack and hoped it would do. The Mountain was called that for a reason—it was high in a range that couldn't be undertaken by foot and full of ice and snow and all that fun stuff.
Vex extended his leg and wing to make a sort of ramp up to his back.
He wanted her to climb on.
"I don't suppose there's a saddle?" she asked.
This time, she was almost certain she felt laughter in her mind.
No saddle.
Luisa climbed on and was surprised by how sturdy the dragon was. His body was solid muscle beneath her palms, warm and impossibly strong.
At first, she felt stable, like maybe this would work.
Then Vex shifted his weight, and she nearly bucked off. She threw herself down on his back, lying flat, trying to fling her legs on either side of him and grip with her thighs like he was a giant horse. Her legs barely reached halfway around his torso.
But he was way gianter than a horse.
I won't drop you. She had to be hallucinating out of fear because that was definitely her partner's voice in her head.
And why did it sound sexy?
The mental voice carried the same controlled confidence as his speaking voice, but there was something intimate about hearing it directly in her thoughts. Heat coiled low in her stomach, completely inappropriate and utterly unwelcome.
Fear and wonder. Or something. Luisa did not have time for attraction.
Or hallucinations.
The ground fell away beneath them with a rush of displaced air. Wind battered her face, stealing her breath and making her eyes water. Her hands cramped from gripping his scales so tightly, but she didn't dare loosen her hold. The city shrank below them at an alarming rate.
He eventually evened out in altitude, and Luisa started to relax a little. Curiosity finally overcame terror. She opened her eyes and gasped in wonder. From this height, even the squalor of the undercity looked almost beautiful, the neon signs creating rivers of colorful light that flowed between the buildings like magic.
But they quickly passed the city and turned for the mountains. The temperature dropped noticeably as they gained altitude, and she shivered despite her jacket. Then, as if responding to her discomfort, Vex's body temperature seemed to increase, warmth radiating through his scales like a living heating system.
Was that a dragon thing? she wondered. Or was she just imagining things again?
The view was spectacular. Jagged peaks stretched out in all directions, their snow-covered summits gleaming under the moonlight. The silence was profound, broken only by the steady rhythm of Vex's wingbeats and the whisper of wind over scales. She took in the view and relaxed some more.
It really was quite wonderful.
And just as she was beginning to think she could get used to that, Vex folded his wings and dove.
"What the hell?" It was half-shriek, half-yell. "Are you trying to get me killed?" She clung to him tighter.
There was more of that impossible laughter in her mind.
After an hour or so, she saw the lights of the Mountain in the distance. The casino resort grew larger with startling speed, its impossible architecture becoming clear as they approached. Glass and steel jutted from the sheer rock face, defying gravity and common sense.
Vex's landing was pure showmanship, a spiraling descent that ended with a flourish of wings and a perfect touchdown on the resort's private landing pad. Her legs shook as she slid down from his back. She did her best to maintain her dignity. She was on the job now and had a part to play.
