“You sure we’re going the right way?” Quinn’s head swiveled as he took in the vastness of the Expanse.

Sand as far as the eye could see in all directions. No trees, grass, or animals. Nothing but white. At first, it was almost pretty in its starkness, but hours of the same dull landscape left me feeling grumpy. Someone could get lost and wander around here forever.

I grunted and kept moving steadily forward. Fortunately, today wasn’t overly warm, though sweat still covered our faces and each step felt like slogging through quicksand.

We’d been walking for several hours now and the sun was beginning to set. Good thing I packed the large water skin. Still we were going to be mighty thirsty by the time we crossed out of the desert.

“How do you know we’re moving in the right direction? For all we know we’re moving in circles.”

“We’re not.” My voice was rough from inhaling small clouds of sand as we walked. Even having a piece of cloth around my mouth and nose only did so much. We continued to walk along in silence until the sun almost completely slipped beyond the horizon.

“Do you think there’s any chance of Brandsome paying me?” I asked, just to have something to say.

“Honestly? Once he has the horn in his possession, you’ll have a much harder time resisting him and will probably be suckered into canceling the debt. It’s the way his magic works. I’m surprised you shook off the effects so quickly when he left the room, but then again, he didn’t have his horn and I gave you meadowmint.”

“And if I cancel the debt, you’ll be returned to him.” It irked me that I could fall so heavily under some creature’s magic that I could be coerced to work against my very nature. That was some powerful juju. I held lots of defenses against most types of harmful magic, but I guess infatuation wasn’t considered harmful. Until now.

I was so lost in my thoughts I almost missed Quinn’s shudder.

“I’m sorry.” I seemed to be saying that a lot where Quinn was concerned. But saying it aloud caused a tightening in my chest. I knew what it was like to be mistreated. And Quinn was just a human. No magic to protect him, no magical healing properties either. That’s probably why Rainbowpebbles wanted him. That little fucker loved to inflict pain.

Quinn shrugged, but he tugged at his collar again as though he couldn’t breathe. “You might resist Brandsome’s charms if you use meadowmint. I’m not really sure. I know his magic doesn’t work as well against love. He hates happy couples. His favorite thing is to break them up. Sees it as a personal challenge. But otherwise, it takes a lot to resist him.”

“So how do you do it?”

“Constant exposure and a pocketful of meadowmint. He also doesn’t bother to try to charm me. All the eyelash batting is reserved for people he needs to enthrall. He . . . owns me. He doesn’t need to pretend with me.” Quinn’s jaw clenched when he said it. “Besides, he gets off on my resistance. He only magicks me when it will be most humiliating.”

My heart stuttered and my dragon hissed in my head. What the fuck kind of messed up unicorn perversion was that? I took a deep breath so my tone wouldn’t be harsh when I asked, “But you’ll eventually be free, right? Indentured servitude isn’t meant to last forever.”

“With the amount I’ll have to pay him, I’ll be a very old man before that happens.”

“Oh.” What did I say to that?

“Are we going to walk all night?” Quinn stumbled behind me, and I stopped to steady him.

Dark circles ringed his eyes and his shoulders slumped.

“No, we’ll rest here, then leave at first light.” I threw down the smelly carpet I’d hauled with us the whole way. I also carried sticks I’d broken off from a tree before we’d entered the Expanse. Using them to build a lean-to with a little twine to keep it all together, I laid the rug over the top. Not a bad makeshift shelter . . . if one didn’t mind the smell of manticore dung.

Wrinkling my nose, I waved Quinn underneath, and I again removed my knapsack to dig around for food and water. There wasn’t much jerky left, so I offered him the last piece. He looked surprised, and only when I nodded did he take it. I pulled out some bread crusts for myself and divided up a handful of storm nuts. We continued to eat in silence, the sounds of night slowly surrounding us. It was actually really nice.

“There aren’t any monsters in the dunes, are there?” Quinn squinted around, only it had grown too dark for him to see more than a couple inches in front of him. My vision was a bit better. Weak by dragon standards, but still enough that I could see far into the distance.

“Not that I’ve ever heard.”

“I heard there’s a creepy pirate ship patrolling the Expanse.”

“A pirate ship? On the dunes? What, with wheels or something? Or maybe the ship has wings?”

“Ha ha.”

“Where did you hear such a ridiculous story?”

“Don’t remember. Probably at the Steamy Bean. Brandsome and I spend a lot of time there.”

“Huh. Well, I think that’s just some fool spreading rumors. Seems like I would have heard of a pirate ship. Or seen one, with all the times I’ve flown over this particular desert.”

With the moons rising came the cold. Quinn shivered. I’d packed a thin blanket, but it wouldn’t be enough. I wrapped it around his shoulders anyway.

“You’re going to be cold.” Quinn opened the blanket so I could drape it around me too. Only my shoulders were way too big.

“Nah, I’m okay.”

He scooted closer until he leaned up against me.

“Let me at least share my heat. It will keep us both warm.”

“Fine.” I said it like I was put out, but secretly I was more than happy to press him against my side. And not only for his heat.

I just needed to keep my thoughts from turning too amorous. Not easy since even through the darkness, I saw the contentment in his face as he snuggled into me. He probably didn’t realize I could see him or I’m sure he wouldn’t look so at ease. I hadn’t really considered it before, but Quinn wore a perpetually wary expression on his face, even when he smiled. I suppose being Brandsome’s indentured servant would put that look on anyone’s face.

I slung my arm around his shoulders and dragged him even closer. I swear I heard a soft sigh. Either way, my unruly cock stiffened. Ever since I ran into the unicorn, I was one stiff breeze away from popping wood. I deliberated asking Quinn whether I’d need to get laid to get it out of my system, except I didn’t think he’d take it the right way. I enjoyed this too much for him to pull away.

“I know this sounds weird, but I feel so comfortable with you. I wish you were my master.” Quinn practically sat on my lap now, his arms wrapped around me.

I placed my chin on top of his head, inhaled his sweet scent, the faint smell of meadowmint lingering on his breath.

“I don’t want to be anyone’s master. Humans think dragons are barbaric, but we don’t keep slaves. Indentured or otherwise.”

“No, you just eat them.” Humor laced Quinn’s voice so I didn’t get offended. Besides, he was right.

“Too true. Apparently humans are particularly tasty. Why do you think I encouraged you to wash off all that crap Brandsome made you wear? Tastes terrible.”

He gaped at me for a minute, before he lightly elbowed me in the stomach.

“That’s not funny.”

I chuckled, giving truth to his lie. Totally funny. I mean, my mom would be horrified to see me snuggling and joking with a human. Dragons might have struck the Cairnsdaught Accord with humans, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t love to crunch up a few. I didn’t have that urge at all. In fact, I felt rather protective of Quinn. And wasn’t that a kicker? A dragon who wanted to protect a human.

“If it makes you feel better, I like you better without all the face paint and perfumes.” I inhaled his scent. Mmm.

It was his turn to snigger. “Because I’m tastier that way.”

“Because you’re perfect the way you are. You don’t need all those enhancers.” Now, why did I have to turn the conversation serious? Quinn went quiet and my cheeks felt suspiciously hot.

After a moment, he tightened his arms around me. “Thank you, Twig. That was a nice thing to say.”

I shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

We fell silent, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Before long, I heard the soft sound of his snores. I was built for endurance. Humans, not so much. And we’d had a long day. If my calculations were right, we could be through the desert in two or maybe three days’ time. Stupid rug. At least it afforded us some protection from the elements. Not that it was good for anything else.

I slowly lay back, taking Quinn with me. He snuffled and pressed even closer, but didn’t rouse. Good thing. My dick was trying to drill itself through my clothing.

A long, uncomfortable night lay in front of me.

* * *

Waking Quinn the next morning proved to be harder than anticipated. Sometime in the night he’d managed to work his way onto my chest and away from the chilly sand. He’d effectively draped himself over me as my blanket and I liked it. Too much.

I started off by trying to ease him off, but the guy clung like a barnacle to that imaginary pirate ship. Saying his name gently, I rubbed circles on his back. My morning wood was at full mast and his pushed into my hip. Torture. But I promised I wouldn’t use him the way Brandsome had. I intended to keep my word.

Quinn burrowed into me like he was a rabbit and I was his den. I tried calling his name a little louder. Nothing. Except his hands grasped tighter on my tunic. At this rate, he would tear it.

I pushed myself to sitting. Quinn’s brow wrinkled and a frown spread across his face. The guy still refused to wake.

“Come on, Quinn. We need to get going.”

No response.

I shook him gently. Then harder. I hoped I wouldn’t have to use our precious water to wake him. Huffing, I managed to pry his fingers from my now very wrinkled shirt.

“Quinn!” This time his eyes opened to slits and his delectable mouth turned down in a frown.

“What?” he mumbled, his eyes sliding closed again.

“No, you don’t. Quinn, wake up.”

“Fine, fine,” he grumbled. “A man can’t even get a good night’s sleep.”

“The sun’s coming up and we can’t count on having a cool day again. We need to make tracks now.”

“You’re really bossy in the morning, you know that?” He ran a hand through his hair and blinked owlishly.

Damn, he was adorable.

“You’re only just now figuring this out?”

The corners of his lips turned up. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Handing him the last handful of storm nuts and a nutvale apple tart, I tried not to look at him. He kept yawning and could barely keep his eyes open. I’d never seen someone so cute in the morning. Not that I made it a habit to wake up with others. My mom—and most dragons really—weren’t known for their bubbly morning demeanors, but then again, that was pretty much a given at any time of the day.

After we finished our meager meal, I exited our makeshift shelter and took it apart, rolled up the rug, and waited for Quinn. It wasn’t pitch dark, but the sun hadn’t risen yet and the desert landscape looked freaking eerie.

The spectral galleon gliding across the dunes as if it skimmed across water might have contributed to that impression.

Holy handmaidens of hellafuck. It is real.

Three huge masts held large sails billowing like they’d caught a strong draft. Except no wind blew. At all. Still, the galleon didn’t seem to know it and ploughed through the sand, coming our way fast.

“Storm and thunder! What is that thing?” Quinn’s voice carried across the sand.

“Not sure. Since it’s see-through I’m going to guess ghost.” I didn’t have any experience with ghosts. My understanding was some were harmless, and others not so much. “Guess we found your pirate ship.”

“Do you think they’re friendly?” Quinn gulped.

“I don’t suppose you have any Ghost-Be-Gone powder in that bag of yours? Just in case.”

He shook his head, took a step closer. To give him credit, he stiffened his spine and looked ready to brawl if need be.

The galleon sliced through the dunes, the whiteness of the sand making it appear as if the ship was cresting whitecaps. Quite impressive. However, scrawled across the bow were the words ‘The Dishonorable Princess.’ Guess humans suffered from the same problem naming things that magical creatures did.

As it drew near, the sails suddenly went slack and an anchor dropped. The galleon ground to a halt. Four large cannons swiveled until they were pointed directly at us. So, not friendly then. Great.

We stood, not knowing what to do. Where was the crew? How would I fight something I couldn’t see?

“Sail ho! Avast ye scaliwags,” a scratchy voice boomed from somewhere in the ship. “Fools! What be ye doing in these here parts?”

Quinn and I exchanged glances. I shrugged. Honesty was probably the best policy.

“Our flying carpet broke down, so we were forced to walk,” I called back. “We’re just passing through. We didn’t mean to disturb you.”

I squinted trying to get a look at the crew, but from what I could see the deck was empty. Ghosts tended to haunt the Hominus Realm, and were only rarely seen in the Elder. Could they actually hurt us? I really couldn’t say.

“Whar be ye going?” the voice said.

“Rottingvale Quagmire.”

A long silence ensued. Quinn tensed and I tried to remember everything I’d ever heard about ghosts.

“Hey, you still there? I mean, ye still be thar?” I called when no further communication was forthcoming.

Quinn elbowed me in the side.

“What?” I mouthed. I could speak pirate with the best of them. Sort of.

Quinn didn’t roll his eyes, but I could tell it was a close thing.

“Now, why be ye doing something so addled?” the voice finally answered.

“We need to speak to Sahara Burningwood. She has something belonging to someone else and we plan to get it back.”

Another long pause. Speaking from the side of my mouth, I said, “Anything useful you know about ghosts, Quinn? I’m all ears.”

Before he could answer, the voice carried to us again.

“Well blow me down, an addlepate and his life be soon parted.” A weird clicking noise followed the pirate’s pronouncement.

“Maybe. Either way, we’ll just be on our way.” I signaled to Quinn to start walking. He nodded and gathered up the carpet, while I collected the rest of our things. No way to outrun the ship, but I didn’t even know if it could harm us. I didn’t really want to find out.

We walked backward at first, but the galleon just sat there. We moved away slowly as if it would pounce if we retreated too quickly. But nothing happened. No voice. Nothing. We clambered up another dune and crossed to the other side. As soon as the ship slipped from sight we took off running like our boots were on fire.

Quinn didn’t have my speed, but he was still surprisingly quick. We stumbled down the dune and ran until he couldn’t continue. Gasping, we slowed to a walk.

“Do you think we’ve lost them?” he asked.

“Highly doubtful. But maybe they aren’t interested in coming after us. They might have just wanted to know our business.”

“Sure,” he said, but his tone was as disbelieving as I felt. Once he’d caught his breath, we sped up again until we reached another dune. We could go around it, but it would take a lot longer and at some point we still had to crest high enough that the ship could see us. Besides, if they found us in the vastness of the Expanse once, I didn’t think a sand dune or two would stop them.

I looked for the swiftest place to climb and cross the dune. The less they saw of us, the better.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Never been better.”

Liar. Beet-red face, heaving lungs. Yep, looking good. I reached over and snatched the rug from him.

“Let me carry that. If you need me to, I can carry you too.”

“No,” he wheezed. “Not unless you can move at lightning speed with me on your back.”

“Unfortunately, no.”

He nodded.

“Let’s go, then. The sooner we get out of this hellscape, the better.”

I couldn’t agree more.

We hurried up the next dune. When we were high enough I looked to see if the galleon was still there. It wasn’t. I swallowed. Maybe it departed and the crew decided to leave us alone. It could happen, right? Strange no evidence of a trail existed with the amount of sand the ship displaced.

We trudged on. When we crested the dune, I swore a blue streak. The galleon waited for us at the bottom, the gang plank lowered.