With a stich piercing his side, Xilon chased after Ash. She was alive! But he’d flown overhead in his dragon form and spotted a cluster of Tryns nearby including one of the huge bastards that were harder to kill than a wart-mong. His feet slipped in the mud but he grabbed onto a tree branch to keep his footing.

“Ash! Wait!” he yelled after her. She was headed straight toward the demons. If he didn’t stop her soon, she’d crash right into them. Using all his strength and will, he burst forward. It was too soon to change back into his dragon form. His muscles already screaming from the recent change after he spotted her. None of the Tryns looked his way when he had flew over. And he hoped resting once Ash was safe would buy him some time to recoup before he faced the horde coming for them.

A few feet from her, Xilon launched himself into the air at her. He knocked her down. Both of them sliding into the mud.

She swung hard with her elbows, catching him in the throat. When she scrambled to get away, he held on tighter.

“Ash, stop, it’s me.”

Instantly, her struggles stopped. “Me who?”

Right, his voice must sound different as a human rather than the Renjerian mind-speak he’d used before. “Xilon.”

She turned, then clobbered him in the face. Her punch stung his cheekbone.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“One,” she wiggled out of his grasp and stood, “how do I know this isn’t some demon trick. And two, why the fuck did you leave me in a forest fire?”

“Sorry.” He cringed, climbing to his feet. “I tried to get the others to stop, to look for you, but they didn’t believe me that a human was here.” With a grunt he rose, then pulled her into a hug, but she pushed her hands against his chest.

“How are you human? And I think you need some clothes on before you go around hugging people.”

Joy filled him and he smiled. She was alive. Just like her Grams had said. He’d never been happier for a human to be right and him wrong.

“Listen, Tryns aren’t that far from here. Come, I will lead you to safety.” He held out his hand to her, but she merely stared at it. “Hurry. We need to leave now before they pick up our scent.”

“Why not fly us out of here? Or better yet, use your dragon-fire-breath trick.”

He ran his hand through his hair. Thunder boomed in the distance, the storm was subsiding. “I can’t. Not yet, it’s too soon to switch back.”

“Fine.” She limped closer, pain marring her brow. “Let’s go then.”

Carefully, he helped her walk by placing a hand around her waist and taking some of the weight off her injured leg. He’d breathe a little easier once they were away from danger.

“Let me carry you.” He could run with her in his arms.

She bit her lip, her gaze weary.

What was she worried about? “Tryns are going to catch up to us at this pace and I’d rather we be somewhere safe at least for the night. Okay?”

“It’s not that. I just… I’ve never had to depend on anyone else since my parents died.” She shrugged. “Guess I’m used to being the one rescuing someone not the other way around.”

Her honesty struck a chord in his heart. He wasn’t used to depending on anyone either. Yet, he couldn’t get her out of his mind, even when he thought she was dead. In the short time since he met her, he wanted to know more about her. Who had trained her to fight? Why had she turned to the life of a warrior rather than a wife and mother? Did she have any regrets?

“I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.” He winked.

In answer, she leaped into his arms. “You breathe a word of this and I’ll have your dragon head mounted on my trophy wall.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Clutching her to him, he raced into the darkness. Thankfully his human form retained some of his dragon strength and speed. But he’d have felt a whole lot better if he could’ve swept them both into the air and to the mountain’s cave labyrinth.

But he had a few sanctuaries sprinkled around the land. One nearby would help hide their scents from the Tryns because of the year-long blooming Yurtra bushes blocking the hidden entrance. They’d be safe there until morning. By then, his dragon form should be accessible and they could leave.

Against his flesh, her body was cold. And he detected her slight tremors even though he was pretty sure she tried to hide them from him. What had she gone through while he was away from her? His blood boiled. Had one of the Tryns touched her? The desire to hoist her into his sanctuary and race back to the demons pressed on his soul. He wanted her safe. And Renjer was the worst place she could be right now. It was too soon for him to travel the lightning back to Earth though. Already, he felt achy all over and his skin hot and clammy.

He slushed forward in the mud, Ash in his arms and relief that he’d found her untouched and alive radiated though his soul. Never again would he allow anything to come between them. Having her with him fed his core, like a piece of him he hadn’t realized was missing now fit perfectly into place. Like it wasn’t him against everything anymore, but the two of them together against all odds.

Once he reached the Yurtra bushes, his body relaxed. The blooming buds crowding the area would help hide their scent from the Tryns. He pushed them past the white flowers into the cave behind.

“We’ll be safe and dry here for the night.” He set Ash down on a flat rock inside the cave. “I keep wood in the back of the cave, give me a second to stack it up for you.”

“T-Than-k-s-s.” Her teeth chatted.

Loading up his arms with logs and sticks, he dashed back to her shaking form. He piled the wood in the small fire pit and forced a sliver of fire-breath out onto the wood. Fire popped to life and she sighed, scooting closer.

“Don’t suppose you’ve got a water bottle and a cheeseburger on you, do you?” she asked, her body still trembling.

“Wait here.” He dashed out into the rain. The droplets shifted to sprinkles now, but most of the leaves on the Hazer tree here would hold water for days. He tugged off a mass of Whinster berries, then tugged down two Hazer leaves the size of his arm, keeping their funnel shape intact.

The rain had stopped when he returned to the cave. Ash’s face was pale, but at least she wasn’t shaking as much anymore.

“I’ll bring more water and food once I know the Tryns have moved far enough away.”

“Thanks.” She clasped one of the leaves and their hands brushed.

Electricity raced through him, but he backed up and let her have some space while she gulped down the water through her cracked lips. Then she devoured the food.

“You’re not hungry?”

He shook his head.

“Well, it’s weird you being naked and staring at me while I’m eating.” She cocked her head to the side, a faint blush dotting her taupe-colored cheeks. “Um… why don’t you sit and tell me how is it you’re human. Where you always able to shift?”

“No. It’s complicated.” He sat across from her still marveling how she survived on his planet this long.

Her hair was damp and hung in curly rivulets that fascinated him. Were they soft as they appeared? Her clothes were drying too. But her tunic was gone. She only wore trousers, her coat, and a small black thing that hugged her breasts making him envious.

“Where’s your tunic?” he asked.

She popped another handful of berries into her mouth. “My what?”

“Your clothing.” He tapped his stomach then pointed to hers.

“Ah… I kinda left it behind during an encounter.” She shrugged. “No idea where it is now, but I’m okay. The fire’s keeping me warm.”

The muscle in his jaw tightened. “What encounter?”

She waved a hand. “Nope, you first. Stop stalling and tell me about how you’re human and naked now.”

“All right, but then you must tell me everything that has happened to you since I left.” At her nod, he continued letting her know he’d taken another dragon shifters blood and rode the lightning down to Earth. How he got arrested and Dena and Isabelle’s sister bailing him out. And about her Grams.

“Is she okay?” she swallowed, her eyes hopeful as they waited for him to answer.

“She was in bed when I visited. Coughing, but was more concerned about you than herself,” he admitted.

“That’s true.” Ash grabbed the second leaf. “She’d take care of the whole town before herself if she could.”

Xilon leaned back against the cave wall behind him. “There was a young man there in the house with her. He was worried about you too.”

“Brice? That’s a first. He only cares about himself and football, but I guess that’s his age. I tried to shield him from what happened to our parents. Football became his obsession and fighting, mine.”

“Tell me what happened…to your parents,” he whispered.

She hesitated but he gave her time to collect her thoughts and decide if she wanted to share with him or not.

“Sorry, if it’s too hard to talk about,” he said.

“No,” she swallowed. “I’m okay. It was dark that night. All the lights in the neighborhood were out like a hurricane had come through,” Ash said, staring at the fire. “No one had picked me up from camp like they were supposed to, so I got a ride home. I knew the moment I smelled the stench of spoiled milk and skunk that something was wrong.” She shivered. “My mom’s body was flayed open and laid across the table. At first, I didn’t realize it was real. Thought maybe I had to be seeing things. But I slipped in her blood as I fled. Dad’s head was ripped off, black locust demons pouring out of his neck.

“That night, I ran all the way to Grams’ house. She told me what I’d seen and I dedicated my life to find and kill as many of those bastards as I can.”

“I understand.” Xilon shared his experience with the Tryns. How they killed their king, his brother and his father had to take over. That they weren’t allowed to hunt or sun themselves during the day for fear of attack. And while they’d had their weapons early on and were winning the war, the Tryns had been able to destroy all the quasicrystals that made them function. “And my brother Kohl believes there are undiscovered crystals on Earth. Enough for us to turn the tide of this war. With them, our shields will be up and the venom and poison won’t reach us.”

“If I find any of these quasicrystals, I’ll send them your way.”

“Let’s get some rest.” He added more wood to the fire, then stretched out on the ground beside her.

When she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, he chuckled.

“I promise, I won’t grope you…unless you ask me to.”

“Hmm... ” She stifled a yawn and laid down next to him, her back to his chest.

He placed his arms around her and for a second, she stiffened, then her body relaxed. The scent of her, spicy and musty, filled him. He could sleep with her in his arms forever. Already, the fatigue of the day and his transformations tugged at him. “Come morning, I’ll be able to fly us out of here.”

“I can’t wait to ride you, dragon,” she said sleepily. “In more ways than one.”