EMMA

The next morning, bright and early, I sit atop my dragon on my spanking new saddle, hands on the pommel, and wait. “Any word, babe?”

Kael says the banner should be ready soon. Patience.

“Oh, I’m patient,” I say aloud for our passenger’s benefit. “It’s poor Amy that’s suffering.”

Behind me, Amy crinkles in her weird get-up. “It’s really hot in all this plastic,” she tells me, her hands tight on my waist. “I’m more than ready to get this off of my body. I’m sweating like crazy.”

“You’re getting your scent all adobao and juicy for our trail.”

“Great,” she murmurs, and she doesn’t sound enthused. I wouldn’t be either if I had to wear head-to-toe garbage bags with only a small piece cut out for my face. It’s an utterly ridiculous get-up, but the dragons agreed that when Amy’s smothered in plastic like this, her scent is negligible. Which is good, since we don’t want her scent trailing back to Claudia’s tower.

This is all part of the plan.

Something white unfurls in the distance, at the top of a nearby building. In the same moment, Zohr sends to me, The banner is ready. Kael says we can begin.

I squint at the banner and bring my binoculars to my face. “I think we’re good to go, Ames.”

“It’s up?” she says nervously.

“Yup.” I read the banner aloud. “Help, my sister Felicia has gone missing. She is very young. If you find her, please bring her to this building. Reward!!!” I put the binoculars back into their case and unbuckle my seatbelts, then hop off Zohr’s side. “Heh. Your fake name is Felicia. That’s cute.”

“Great.” She sounds nervous, clumsily sliding down to the ground next to me. “So I should just…uh…do this?”

“Yup. Feel free to get naked.”

“Get naked?” Her voice is a squeak. “I thought we were just going to take my clothes off and drag them around the city?”

“We could do that, too. I’m just teasing.” I give her a cheery smile. “Don’t worry. Zohr’s interested in no one’s tits but mine.”

My dragon rumbles amusement. Your tits are most magnificent. I am very much not interested in another female’s body.

“Right.” Amy doesn’t sound reassured. She strips off her garbage bag coverings and then sighs with relief, wiping her forehead. Her hair is plastered to her head with sweat, and her cheeks are flushed bright pink with exertion. “I wore extra layers of clothing. Do I…do I have to take all of them off?”

Poor thing looks really uncomfortable. “How about you give us the sweaty underlayer first, and when those dry out, we’ll switch ’em out for fresh stuff? So you don’t have to be naked.”

The look she gives me is shyly grateful. She maneuvers her body under the clothing, sliding off a T-shirt and then a skirt, both of them damp from perspiration. She hands them to me and then mops her forehead again with her hand.

“Use your shirt to wipe the sweat,” I tell her. “We want all the smell we can.” I take the clothes and bring them to Zohr. “How do these smell, babe?”

The dragon leans his big head down and his nostrils flare lightly. He rears back slightly, nose twitching. It is thick with her scent. We can use it.

“Okay, good. I’m going to tie them to your tail. Let me know if the knots are too tight, all right?” I send him a loving thought and jog down to his hindquarters. His big tail lifts off the ground slightly so I can slide Amy’s clothing onto it, and then I fiddle with the fabric, knotting it until it’s tight against his scales. “Good?”

Good, my dragon agrees. Climb back on and we will go.

I move to Amy’s side. “All right. Back up we go.” I help her get back into the saddle and then buckle myself in. We’re off a moment later, and I glance behind us, watching as Zohr drags his tail along the dusty, broken road.

Perfect. The plan’s moving along as it should. The banner’s a trick, of course. There’s no Felicia, no one’s missing, and no one’s going to be dumped at that building. It’s all to flush out the bastard. He can’t read English…but his men can. They’re going to want a young girl, and Amy’s scent is going to confirm things if Azar’s senses are anything like the other drakoni.

We’re going to draw them to the building, and then we’re going to take them down. I feel a surge of elation as we move through the streets.

We’re doing this. We’re going to win. Azar doesn’t stand a chance.

“Is it working?” Amy whispers, clinging to my back as Zohr lumbers through the city. Above, Dakh and Kael dart through the clouds, their mates on their backs. They’re running interference in case another dragon decides to come and check out the scent trail we’re leaving.

“Oh yeah,” I say, and practically chortle with glee.

Come and get some, you son of a bitch.

AMY

It’s hot and sticky outside. The sun is baking me alive after months of hiding, and I’m pretty sure my scalp is burning from the rays that pound down relentlessly from above. It’s hot, and there’s a smell of char in the air, and there are ruined cars all along the road that we ride down. I cling to Emma, and the saddle pinches my butt uncomfortably, and my bad leg aches as if I’ve been standing on it for hours.

I’ve not felt so…alive…in forever.

There’s a fresh breeze. Distant birds are twittering. The air is full of all kinds of fresh smells—some good and some not so good. There’s no perfume. There’s no stagnant heat suffocating me in my little hotbox of a room. The sunlight is overwhelmingly bright and I love it.

I want to stay outside forever and be free, but I know I can’t. Even now, the thought of returning to my room, trapped and bored and oh god, so damn lonely, it makes me want to scream.

I pull a wad of fabric from my pocket and clutch it tightly in my hand. It’s my panties. No one saw me take them off when I was changing. I deliberately pulled my clothes off underneath my shirt and skirt, because I didn’t want Emma to see what I was up to. I mean, yes, I was shy at the thought of undressing in front of her and her dragon, but there was an ulterior motive. My panties are now clutched tight in my hand, and I’m waiting for the right moment to drop them. The breath catches in my throat and I can feel my heart pounding with both excitement and terror.

Do I want to do this? Can I? Do I know what I’m getting into if I do such a thing?

I close my eyes, and the cool breeze ruffles my hair against my sweaty face. It smells like grass and distant ashes, but it also smells fresh. Pure.

It decides me. I want this.

Swallowing hard, I wait until we pass a tall patch of reeds that overgrows the ancient curb and spills onto the road. We lumber past, the dragon moving slowly and pitching his tail back and forth. At the last moment, I flick my panties into the grass.

I hold my breath, waiting for Zohr to bellow a warning. Waiting for Emma to ask me what the fuck I’m doing. But no one says anything. No one’s noticed. Instead, Emma chuckles low and murmurs something under her breath, stroking her dragon’s scaly neck. I can feel a rumble deep in the dragon’s belly that sounds like laughter. They’re taking no notice of me.

I close my eyes and make a little wish.

Please come find me. Someone. Anyone. I can’t keep living in a prison. Come find me…and love me.