The dragon in front of us straightened and lifted its head.

It was a little brighter here, so I could just make out that he or she was probably a golden color. The others arranged around us in a circle also seemed to be various shades of gold, though none of them seemed to be quite as brilliant a gold as the first. At least as far as I could tell in this lighting. For all I knew they weren't gold at all but silver.

Not that any of that really mattered at this moment.

It wasn't like I was going to file a police report when I got back describing exactly what kind of dragon it was that picked up my car after I'd invaded dragon territory.

My attention returned to the dragon directly in front of us. Something about its positioning and the fact that it was slightly bigger than the rest told me that it was the one in charge.

I didn't have to wonder long.

A second later, the air around the dragon seemed to almost ripple, like heat emanating from the ground. I blinked as I watched, not knowing quite what I was seeing. It was like my eyes couldn't understand so they didn't see it.

Somehow, between one moment and the next, the massive dragon shape shrunk down into a much smaller one.

A humanoid one. Though small was a relative term.

Yes, the man was much smaller than his dragon form. But he looked to be well above six feet tall, closer to six and a half maybe. Not small by any standards.

And very naked.

As he strode forward towards the car, I took in his still-impressive shape. Broad shoulders narrowed into a slim waist and hips. He was carved down to pure muscle. His arms, the muscled planes of his chest, the cobblestone abs. Even his legs were thick with muscle, though not in the bodybuilding way. No, this was a man whose body was carved through actual effort. Not through steroids or hours with weights.

As he drew closer, I could make out details better. His hair was a little long, dark with light streaks that I couldn't quite make out the color of. His face was...masculine. That was the first word that came to mind. Defined jaw, straight nose, high cheekbones with hollows underneath, slashes of dark brows highlighted light-colored eyes, though I wasn’t sure if they were blue or green.

There was no denying that he was a head-turner. In the city dome, women and more than a few men would probably follow him with their eyes when he walked by. As it was, I tried my best not to focus on another very naked part of him.

I guess clothes didn't stay on when they shifted. Which, intellectually, made sense. I just never expected to be faced with that fact so blatantly.

He stopped about ten feet in front of the car, his gaze locked with mine as I sat inside with Omari clutching at my arm.

I stared back, not knowing how to react. I figured silence was a safe bet.

After a moment of staring at each other, he finally opened his mouth. "Get out of the car," he said in a calm, deep voice, the bass rumble of his dragon form hinted at in the tone.

I hesitated, not knowing if I should bring Omari out with me.

"Now," he added, his jaw tight.

Okay.

"Omari," I said quietly, turning to him. "I'm going to have to get out of the car for a second. Can you stay in your seat for now?"

He lifted his head a little, his eyes glancing outside. Swallowing hard, he asked, "Can I stay with you?"

"I'll be right outside," I reassured him. "It's safer for you to stay in here while I talk to them." I cupped the side of his face and leaned down so I could see his eyes. "Okay?"

His eyes were wide as he nodded. He still looked frightened and I didn't blame him. I was frightened myself.

I opened the door and stepped outside, closing it behind myself. Practically, I didn't know if he would be much safer in the car. But it made me worry less having some kind of barrier around him.

I circled around to the front of the car and leaned back against the hood, putting myself between the guy in front of me and the car. I crossed my arms over my chest in an effort to look less terrified but I wasn’t fooling anyone.

His eyes scanned down my body, cataloging everything. The glance was swift and efficient, but I knew without a doubt that he would be able to rattle off every detail of my appearance if he had to.

"Who are you?" he asked, making no move to draw closer.

"Mia Hill." Lying would probably not be smart if he had any way to confirm my identity. I didn't know if freely offering more information would be helpful or not, so I decided to simply stick to answering what he asked.

"Mia Hill," he repeated slowly. "What are you doing in my territory, Mia Hill?" His eyes glanced passed my shoulder over to Omari in the vehicle. I stepped to the side to block his view. He raised an eyebrow at me. "With a child no less."

I had to tell them something. After running through various possibilities, I decided the truth would actually serve me the best. I hoped it would be enough.

"I run a carrier business. The job I'm working right now requires that I bring this child to his family. I took a calculated risk and thought it might be faster and safer to bring him through your territory rather than go through the longer route that would take me around you."

He let me say my piece, his eyes focused on my face. The intensity of his attention was a little unnerving. Silence stretched as he considered what I'd said. He shook his head.

"You thought it would be safer to drive through the heart of my territory with the child."

Disbelief was clear in his voice. Considering what had just happened, I couldn't blame him.

I shrugged. "Yes."

He stared at me. "Well, Mia Hill, your calculated risk was stupid," he said bluntly.

My back stiffened. Way to rub it in. Yes, maybe this wasn't ideal but that didn't mean I wanted to have my face rubbed in it. However, for once I kept my mouth shut. Escalating the situation would not be in our best interest.

When I didn't respond, the man took a step closer.

My hand automatically went to the hilt of my dagger at my side.

He raised his eyebrows at that and paused. "If I was going to kill you, you would already be dead," he pointed out bluntly. "If you try to attack me with that tiny knife, you would be dead even if you were to succeed, which you wouldn't. My skein here would take care of you right away." His eyes went back to the car behind me. "And I would rather not have that happen in front of this audience."

My eyes locked with his when they turned back to me, taking his measure. He kept his expression calm and still. I couldn't read him. But everything he'd said was true enough. I let my hand slide away from my knife. It wouldn't help me right now anyway.

He nodded slightly in acknowledgment of the move and closed the distance between us. He stopped maybe a foot and a half away from me. Close enough that I knew exactly how large and intimidating he was. He took in a deep, deliberate breath.

What was he doing?

His eyes narrowed and he took a partial step closer to me still. Right into my personal space. Leaning in he took another breath. Was he smelling me?

Not knowing what else to do, I just stood there, fighting the urge to take a step back. Hey, if all he wanted to do was smell me, I would take that over being engulfed in flames any day.

He finally moved back again, his eyes considering me.

A moment passed.

This guy was really into his dramatic silences.

I forced myself to stay still and not block him as he stepped past me and opened the door to the car. I really wanted to pull him back. He ducked his head inside, but he made no move to actually enter. After a few seconds, he straightened again.

He moved so he was standing in front of me. "My name is Ashur Jah. I am the Dragon Lord for this area. You and the child will be my guests tonight."

There was a formality in that statement that made it sound official somehow. And there was no hint of invitation in his tone. It was clearly an order.

"That's very gracious of you," I tried, carefully. "But I'm trying to make good time."

"You will stay here tonight," he repeated.

My mouth tightened as my eyes locked with his. I really didn't like being told what to do. I also wasn't stupid, despite what he might believe. Sometimes there was no choice.

"We'd love to," I said, unable to completely keep the sarcasm from my voice.

The corners of his mouth twitched. "I'm glad to hear it," he replied seriously.

He turned and gestured to someone lurking in the shadows. Or multiple someones. A man and a woman, both dressed in t-shirts and jeans, walked over. At least they weren't naked.

"Hathai and Enzi will show you to your room."

A petite woman and a wiry, dark-haired man both nodded at me. If someone had told me the day before that I was going to be experiencing dragon hospitality, I would have laughed. As it was, I couldn't find much humor in the situation.

I turned to the car, opened the door, and leaned in.

"Come on, Omari," I called out to him. "We're staying here tonight." I hoped it would be only tonight.

He scrambled across to the driver's side and latched on to me. I grunted. That was a strong grip. I stood up holding him, though I could probably let go since he was now attached with both arms and legs. He looked around for a moment, but then buried his face against my neck.

"Are they going to eat us?" he whispered.

But, apparently, it wasn't quietly enough. The Dragon Lord still heard.

"We don't eat children," Ashur said gently, amusement clear in his voice.

Omari looked over my shoulder at him. "Promise?"

Ashur nodded. "I promise."

Omari's hold on me loosened a little. "Okay." That apparently settled things to his satisfaction.

I turned to follow our guides out of what amounted to a stage or a playing field.

Now that I wasn't so focused on Ashur, I realized we were in some kind of theater. The curved sides along the edges of the packed-earth circle hosted benches at an incline so the view would be clear to anyone sitting down, even in the back.

What did they use this place for? I puzzled over that as we neared the edge of the circle, where our guides had emerged. My neck tingled as we reached the darker shadows. I glanced back over my shoulder.

Ashur was watching us as we walked away, his gaze intense and steady.

I turned away, shivering a little. That wasn't a man I wanted to cross. No matter how gentle he seemed towards Omari, he was a predator.

And he didn't even pretend to hide it.