Dante glanced at the creature with a scowl, then continued to check over the supplies. “It’s not my cat, but her name is Rebekah. She belongs to an orc on the pirate ship I was traveling with. The damned thing must have stashed away in my bag when I flew off to find you. Once we’re done with our trip, I’ll fly her back to where she belongs.”
“Aww, did you sneak away from your home?” I cooed, bending down to get a better look at the little ball of fluff. I removed my mitten to rub a finger against her soft fur through the bars of the cage. Then promptly stopped when Rebekah’s little body rattled with a menacing growl. “Well, not the friendliest cat, are you?”
Rebekah hissed and swiped at me.
I pulled my finger away just before she could sink her claws in. “Now I’m just determined to win your affection,” I said, smiling at the little murder ball.
“Alright, this should tide us over until we get to the first town,” Dante announced. “Stay by the pack while I shift. I don’t want to throw you back.”
Excited, I watched on as Dante moved a suitable distance away from me. I’d never seen a dragon transform before. Would it be a cloud of smoke like when he shifted into his human form?
He turned his back to me and shifted his weight from side to side, then remained still. I watched on, waiting for a bolt of lightning to come down, or whatever magic explosion that came from a dragon shifting. Dante glanced back at me again, a reddish tint spread across his face.
No way. Is he blushing?
His signature scowl returned, and he waved a hand at me. “Turn around.”
“Why?”
The reddish tint spread to the tips of his pointed ears. “It feels strange to have you staring at me while I shift.” He made a twirling motion with his finger, indicating I should face away.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “You’ve been eying me up like a wolf near a flock since we met!”
“Exactly. You’re very aware of the destination I have in mind for this relationship. But you are staring at me with wide-eyed unidentified intent and it’s making me nervous. Turn around.”
“Gah!” I threw my hands up in frustration then turned around. “You’re being ridiculous.”
Thunder rolled in from behind me. Gray smoke spilled across the snow and– damn everything– I wanted to sneak a peek so bad. After a few seconds, the smoke dissipated.
I waited a few more seconds out of politeness then looked over my shoulder. Dante’s dragon form took up most of the frozen courtyard. He stretched like a cat, then shook his head. “Can I look now, Your Highness?” I asked, filling the question with as much sarcasm as I could.
He snorted and reached past me to grab our pack. Using the long rope, he tied it around his neck then laid himself down in front of me.“Can you climb up on your own?”
His voice rang so deep it rumbled the ground beneath my feet. I shook off the jitters and approached him. “Probably,” I said.
Even lying down, his neck was taller than I was. It took a few tries, but eventually I was able to climb up his scales to sit against the luggage. To my relief, his mane was soft and cushioned my bum from the hard scales. Once situated, I grabbed hold of his mane like a rein. “OK, I’m all set!” I chirped, giving his neck a little kick like I did with my horse back home. The dragon was a lot bigger than my stallion Crash, but I figured the concept was the same.
Dante’s tone was flat as he spoke.“Did you just kick me like a horse?”
Shit. I guess it wasn’t the same.“… Maybe?”
The dragon sighed. A stream of flames shot from his nostrils and melted the snow in front of him.“You’re lucky you’re cute.”
I patted his mane in apology. “Sorry about thaaAAAAAAA!” My scream was drowned by the wind as the dragon shot up faster than a snake’s strike. His mane slipped from my mitten-covered hands and my back slammed against the luggage. Rebekah yowled, I screamed, my stomach rolled. All in all, it was a very noisy affair.
When he finally evened out high above the trees, a wave of nausea rocked through me. I grabbed at his mane again, desperate for something to hold on to. Beneath me, the dragon’s body shook. “You’re laughing,” I said, slapping at his scales. “You jerk, you did that on purpose!”
Dante laughed harder. His breath turned into frozen wisps of smoke in the chilly morning air.“Never kick me again.”
I gritted my teeth and gave him another little kick. Why? Fuck if I knew. Maybe it was my hatred at being told what to do, maybe I simply had a death wish. But that one little defiant kick filled me with satisfaction.
Until I saw his toothy grin. Then it just felt like my heart shot out of my ass.
Dante flung himself higher, then barrel-rolled over a mountaintop. I dug my heels into his neck and held on for dear life, screaming as he dove back down to scrape against the tips of tall pine trees. My hood flung back, and I quickly grabbed my tiara and stuffed it in my coat.
When he evened out again, my hair was a wild mess, my heart was pounding, and I may or may not have lost my breakfast. I wasn’t sure. The sound of his laughter rang through the air and echoed through the mountains below. In his dragon form, laughter sounded more like someone beating on a massive drum. Yet it was surprisingly pleasant… and contagious. Even though my heart was beating a mile a minute, I found myself laughing along.
I gave another kick, screaming in delight when he dove straight down to a river, only to pull up at the last second. His tail hit the water like a whip and sent waves through the air. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so excited by anything. Each dive below made my blood race, and I felt more alive than I had in years.
