Where was Ashur? I glanced around and realized I was much higher up than I had been.

Oh.

I looked down. There he was. He had backed up quite a bit to give me room, and he was staring, his mouth hanging open.

"What?" I asked. Or at least, I tried to. It came out as an odd growling rather than distinguishable words.

Luckily, Ashur had experience with dragon speak. He understood what I was trying to say easily enough.

"Wow," he said, a smile starting to spread across his face. "I've never seen such a...fancy dragon."

Fancy? That was not a word I was expecting. He must have seen my confusion because he walked over next to me and jerked his chin behind me.

"Look."

I turned in the direction he'd pointed. There was a large metal storage shed in one area of the roof, tucked out of the way behind the door that led up. It was as shiny and reflective as a mirror.

I stared. Huh. And stared some more. This really wasn't what I'd been expecting to see.

A large, lavender dragon stared back at me.

Purple.

I was purple.

Did that mean I was related to those dragons that had attacked? Would the others see me and immediately attack before asking any questions? I wouldn't blame them considering what had just happened.

But there was something else I wasn't expecting at all. The reason why Ashur had described me as fancy.

My wings-- they were edged in feathers. Red feathers that fluttered when I spread my wings out.

"Those are phoenix feathers," Ashur explained from next to me. "I've never seen anything like it. But then again, I've never met anyone quite like you either."

I stared, turning this way and that.

"Whoa," Ashur laughed, stepping back as I almost hit him with my tail. The very end of it was also adorned with a fan of feathers. "You're a lot larger now—you're going to have to learn to adjust to your size."

I craned my neck—what an odd sensation! I could bend my neck in any direction like a swan or a snake. I wanted to look at my scales from close up. They were lavender, yes, but from this close, I could see they were actually iridescent, reflecting the rays of the sun in a rainbow.

Oooh. Pretty.

I straightened quickly and had to spread my wings to steady myself. An incoming breeze caught them and I hopped back with the force of it.

And had another sudden realization. Could I fly?

I looked over at Ashur, spreading my wings out and flapping them a little. I was sure my face looked hopeful if a dragon's face could convey emotion like that.

Ashur laughed, his face suffused with humor and joy. "You want to fly?"

I nodded, probably looking ridiculous. But I just couldn't bring myself to care.

This was amazing!

I was pain-free and I was a dragon!

Or a dragon phoenix.

A dragix? Maybe a phoegon? Hmm. Maybe I could spend some time coming up with names later.

"Hold on," he said, turning and getting some distance between us. "I'm going to change so I can take the lead and catch you if there are any problems. But I want to give you some instructions first. Are you listening?"

I gave him a look. No, I was just going to jump off a skyscraper and hope for the best.

He grinned. "Glad to see you're feeling better," he said, his face turning serious for a moment. "I couldn't imagine..." he trailed off. I really wanted to know what he was going to say, but he shrugged it off. "All right, we're pretty high up, which should work in our favor. I'll jump off first and spread my wings to glide. You jump off a few seconds after me. We should be able to ride the currents for a while—you'll get the hang of steering pretty quickly. It's instinctive once you're in the air. If we're getting too low, I'll use my wings to rise. You just have to follow my lead. Got it?"

I nodded again, watching him.

"All right, good."

He closed his eyes and burst into his dragon shape between one breath and the next, his clothes shredding away, so much faster than me that it was like he'd been fast forwarded.

Maybe it just took practice. Maybe I'd be that fast after a decade.

Now that he'd changed, I could see that he was much bigger than I was. Maybe half again my size. He looked back over his impressive shoulder as he walked to the edge of the rooftop that had no railing. I could actually appreciate that feature now.

I took a step towards him. Satisfied that I would follow, he turned. And with no further ado, launched himself off the edge.

Oh man.

I moved forward gingerly, looking down. He rode the current back up, circling around and using his wings to hover only yards away from me, but to the side so he wasn't in the way.

Waiting and watching.

I looked down. That was a long way down, even if I had sprouted wings.

Okay, I needed to not look down.

Piece of cake.

I forced my head up while Ashur watched patiently. I couldn't show that I was afraid. He'd never let me live it down. From personal experience involving doing things I didn't want to do, I knew it would only get more difficult the longer I waited. I needed to just do it.

Moving back a little, I inhaled. And inhaled some more. Wow, I could really take in a lot of air with these lungs!

Okay, focus. I needed to stop delaying. I had this. No problem. I was a strong, powerful woman. Er, dragon.

One. Two.

Three!

My heart was pounding as I launched myself off the building and snapped my wings open like I'd seen Ashur do. If my eyes were shut, nobody had to know that apart from Ashur. Who hopefully didn't notice.

My stomach rose as I dropped, but then the wind caught me. My body strained with the force of it, but I was rising, my wings adjusting automatically to ride the current.

Was I doing it? I wasn't in free fall anymore. I carefully opened one eye to check. And then the other.

The city spread out below me.

I was doing it! I was flying! Did this mean I never had to be afraid of heights again?

Ashur shot passed my side in a blur of gold until he was in front of me, his large body graceful and gorgeous. In his element. He belonged in the sky.

I was shaky and ungainly next to him, but I was still in the air. I called that a win. I wasn't nearly as good at maneuvering as he was, but he adjusted, making sure I could keep up with him as he led me past the city, spread out like a miniature model below us.

My heart was beating so fast in my chest as a joy like I'd never experienced before suffused me. I could fly!

I grinned as I followed Ashur across the length of the city, which was much larger than I'd realized. It took time to fly across all of it. And then we were over the flat, bleached desert. It looked different from this high up. Like the distance made it somehow smaller.

Ashur flapped his wings lazily and I followed suit, my body knowing what to do without conscious thought. Like I was born to fly.

We glided through the hot air with the sun beating down on us, farther than I'd ever dreamed I would go. We flew over other city domes, spaced so far apart I knew I'd never have seen them otherwise.

We flew for hours. And I loved every minute of it. It was like a piece of my life that was missing clicked into place. A piece I didn't even know I needed.

I adjusted as Ashur changed course. Why had we veered in this direction? Then something caught my eye in the distance. Squinting, I focused, my eyes so sharp I could make out details even from miles away.

The ground beneath us had started rising and falling, the flatness giving away to hills and valleys. The crack in the earth that I was so focused on slowly coalesced into a deep valley as we drew near.

And then there was something that shouldn't have been there. Color. Vibrant green color.

Was that...?

My eyes widened as I started making out individual trees, clearings, the sparkling clarity of a river of water. A river that led to a large, glittering lake.

Ashur lazily descended towards it and I automatically followed, my eyes glued to the sight in front of me.

But-- trees were gone. Natural ones anyway. And these looked natural. Vegetation was gone but for what we carefully cultivated ourselves. Even as I thought that, I couldn't stop staring.

The scents hit me as we came even closer. The scent of water, of green things.

Of life.

Ashur aimed for the strip of clearing around the lake, extending his wings as he neared the ground. I watched carefully as he used his wings as a kind of parachute, cupping the air to slow his descent, cushioning his fall. He changed as soon as his feet hit the ground and turned to look at me.

"Run when your feet hit the ground! You'll need to get rid of the momentum! It takes time to learn how to land in a smaller area!" he shouted up at me.

All right then. I swallowed as I aimed for the grass next to him. Run when I hit. Got it.

I cupped my wings, trying to slow as the ground rushed up at me. It didn't work quite as well as I'd hoped. I was still going fast. Too fast. I grunted as my feet hit the slight cushion of the green grass, running for all I was worth. Well, waddling. I wasn’t really built to run well in this form.

No, it didn't go well. And yes, I probably looked like an idiot. It didn't help that I tripped and face planted, skidding to a stop with my nose buried in the rich earth.

Perfect.

The sound of footsteps ran towards me even as Ashur's laughter grew louder.

"Are you all right?" he asked, still chuckling as he bent down to look into my eye on one side.

I glared at him.

He just grinned back. "I promise not to tell anyone," he offered. "For a price."

I huffed out a breath. Figured.

"Picture your human self," he said encouragingly. "You'll find the change easier now that you've done it once. It's exactly the same only in the other direction. And you know how your human self looks."

He was right that I knew how I looked as a human. And I never expected to form a sentence like that. I closed my eyes and pictured myself. Any minute now... I'm sure it was coming... And...

Nothing.

I needed to put more oomph into it somehow. Ashur must have thought the same.

"Think of your dark hair, the pale gold of your skin," Ashur murmured. "That ridiculous rack. That round butt."

My eyes snapped open and I glared at him.

He raised his hands and backed away with a smirk, his eyes laughing. "Just trying to help."

I shut my eyes again and focused on my face. On my amber eyes. The small scar above my lip from when I'd had my head bashed against a wall. Not one of my best moments. The arch of my eyebrows.

The tingling meant it was working. I kept focusing on the details as the change started to ramp up, the tingles intensifying. Ashur was right. It was faster this time.

My body...collapsed, for lack of a better word. Folding in on itself. It was weirdly disconcerting, more so than growing larger because it was like parts of me were just disappearing. I wondered where all that mass went.

And then the tingling faded away.

When I opened my eyes again, I could still see, and I was looking up at Ashur from a sprawled position on my stomach. He crouched down in front of me, his eyes scanning my naked back. I was about to make a smart comment, but his eyes met mine solemnly. There was only relief in them.

"You're healed," he murmured, reaching out to smooth his large, warm hand down my back. "Perfect."

My breath caught in my throat at that touch and his eyes met mine again, his hand stilling on my back. Those crystal blue eyes darkened as he realized his touch was affecting me.

I cleared my throat and sat up because I was too vulnerable lying down on the ground. Mistake. Ashur's eyes dropped right down to my breasts, his jaw clenched.

"Fuck," he muttered, abruptly standing and turning away, giving me an unimpeded view of his muscled back and the hard curve of his ass. "Sorry."

I swallowed, my heart beating faster as I stared at him. At the expanse of gleaming skin stretched over his hard body. He was physical perfection. The wide shoulders, his muscled back, the deep furrow of his spine, the definition in his arms and legs that was apparent even when he was relaxed, like now. The little indents at the small of his back that I wanted to kiss. He was just as large and impressive in this form as his other one.

My hands itched to touch him.

I stilled at that thought.

Why the hell not? I was more alive than ever. And maybe a little reckless—I’d just flown through the air for miles on my own wings. I slowly got to my feet and took a step forward. I just wanted to feel good for a bit. To stop worrying about everything else and live for the moment. Maybe I wasn't being completely logical, but I didn't care.

I watched my hand as I placed it on his smooth back.

He sucked in a breath.

"Careful," he warned, his voice deep, a little rough. It sent a shiver down my spine. "Is this really what you want?"

I swallowed, sliding my hand around his body. Taking hold of the thick erection I'd only caught a glimpse of.

That was answer enough for him.

Growling, he slid out of my hold and turned around. His eyes were narrowed as he cupped my ass and drew me up his body. And then his mouth was on mine.

That initial contact electrified every inch of me.

Hard and deep, the kiss was all-encompassing from the word go. And it was just what I wanted. I groaned, lifting my legs to wrap them around his slim waist, his erection throbbing against my already-wet folds at the shift in position.

I rubbed myself against him, wanting him too much to be self-conscious.

He groaned, taking us down to the ground. The bed of grass was soft under my back. He left my mouth and kissed his way down my neck to my breasts, his hands sliding impatiently over my skin.

Cupping my breasts. Sliding over the curve of my waist. Squeezing my hips. His mouth closed over a hardened nipple as his fingers found me and slid in easily. I was already so wet for him.

I cried out, arching up into him as my hands slid into the rough silk of his hair, my eyes on the bright blue of the sky above us.

He bit down on my other nipple and soothed the sting with his tongue before kissing his way right down my stomach, his breath hot on my skin. Going where I wanted him most. He gripped my thighs, pushed them apart, and buried his face against me.

I moaned, my hands clenching in his hair as his tongue found me, licked me, worked me hard. Expertly.

I came embarrassingly fast, writhing under his mouth. I tried to stay silent, but I couldn’t keep whimpers from escaping.

But he didn't stop as I began to come down. Taking my clit into his mouth, he started sucking and flicking his tongue against me as he slid another finger into me.

I cried out, trying to move away, but he held me down easily as he forced me to ride out the next orgasm. And then another one. Until my body went completely limp and I just lay there, trying to catch my breath.

Saturated with pleasure.

He gave me one last kiss, letting out a low laugh as I twitched in response. He moved back up my body and took me into his arms, holding me close.

I frowned, opening my eyes to stare at his flushed face. His erection was hard and pulsing against my stomach.

"Don't you want...?"

I slid my hand down, but he caught it before I could touch him.

"No," he growled, flipping me over so he could spoon me from behind and I couldn't touch him where I really wanted to. "You've been through a lot. And I don't take advantage of women."

"What if I want to be taken advantage of?" I asked archly, irritated at his high-handedness.

"Then I'll be happy to oblige. Later," he replied implacably, his hand closing over my breast.

I rolled my eyes. "You're not my Dragon Lord," I muttered.

His chest shook behind me in a silent laugh.

"I bet I could get you to change your mind," he purred, sliding his thick thigh between mine. "Just not right now."

I sighed. But didn't push it more than that. Maybe he was right. Maybe I'd regret this later. But man. I'm damn sure it would have been worth it.

Fine. This wasn't going any further. But then I really needed to get my mind off that erection digging into my butt.

"How does this place exist?" I asked, my eyes going to the lush trees. It was a testament to how thoroughly he could distract me that I hadn't asked the question earlier. This place was a literal miracle. The air composition, the lack of unpolluted water, and the searing sun weren't friendly to anything green. Hardy cacti were the only exception. Or that's what we were taught anyway. "I thought they couldn't survive out here. And how is there a lake?"

He hummed behind me.

"If there's one thing that's for certain, it's that nature will always find a way to survive," he finally said. "We believe the water comes from underground, though why it's decided to bubble up now is a mystery. Our own botanists think there was some kind of mutation that allowed these trees to grow here like this, creating an environment for the smaller grasses and other flora. And this isn't the only place like this, though they are few and far between. Rare enough so that they're all considered neutral zones for phoenixes and dragons."

"What about humans?" I asked.

"They never come out this far," he replied. "Most of these places aren't anywhere near city domes and are surrounded by dragon or phoenix territories." He shrugged. "And we figure it's a fair trade. Humans don't let us into the domes and we don't tell them about these places."

I wanted to argue, but I thought about everyone who'd want to immediately strip this place bare. I was impressed the dragons and phoenixes had been able to preserve the places even without humans knowing. Maybe it was better that more people didn't know.

"We protect it from each other too," he added. "Nobody can take anything or leave anything. Not unless they want to face down all of us."

"Hmm." That would be quite a deterrent.

We let silence descend after that, enjoying the life around us. It was so...peaceful. I was experiencing a lot of things that I’d never experienced before in a ridiculously short amount of time. Not all of it had been good. But this...this was worth everything else. And I wanted to enjoy it as much as I could.

With that thought in mind, I lay still, wrapped in Ashur's arms, for a long time. Soaking in the lush greenery. Enjoying the sound of running water and his hot body against mine.

It was perfection.

An oasis in the madness that had become my life. But, like everything, it couldn't last forever. We both had to go back to the real world.

I needed to get back to Omari.

Ashur kissed the back of my neck and I knew it was time. When we finally stood up again, I looked over at Ashur.

"I don't know if I can change again," I admitted. I was exhausted in an indefinable way. Like I'd overused a muscle I didn't even know I had.

"The change will take it out of you the first few times, until you get used to it," he explained, sliding my hair behind my ear, his expression soft. He was relaxed out here. It softened some of his edges, made me want to hug him close. "I'll change and you can ride back on me."

Wait. What?

"Um..." I looked at him dubiously.

He smiled. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

I wasn't so sure about that but I didn’t have another choice. He changed and ducked down so I could climb onto his back. I'd never climbed anything butt naked, most definitely not a dragon.

It was...interesting. His scales actually gave me a pretty good grip, so that was something. Lying down on his upper back, I wrapped my arms around his neck and gripped him with my thighs.

"This would be a lot easier if you came with a seat belt," I muttered as I got comfortable.

He let out an odd sound that must have been a dragon laugh.

"Okay, I'm ready," I announced, closing my eyes.

He didn't wait for another indication. He spread his wings and took off. I was still sorta freaked about the height but his hide was smooth, and there was enough friction that my grip was secure.

So long as I didn't open my eyes, I was fine.

When I first laid eyes on Ashur, I never would have thought I'd be riding him naked.

Well.

Not like this anyway.