shock of what Tem had allowed jettisoned him from the sexual haze that had snared the dragon when Astrid walked into his cell. Astrid gazed at him with hurt and trepidation and he hated it. He was old enough, damn it, not to be drawn into mating on instinct alone.

Tem?

He couldn’t bear the look in her eyes. Every piercing shard of doubt and fear revealed in those beautiful green globes shredded his heart like little knives.

What did you do, old man? What possessed you to let her touch you like that?

Ah, what didn’t possess him. Common sense. Decency.

There were other dragons that had no compunction about using their wiles on human women. Dragons, at any time, were a powerful draw to a human woman.

He wanted to reassure her, but he had no good words. Confusion washed over her face and he sensed her rising panic that she had done something to displease him.

It’s not your fault.

Four little words. They were so useless, so inadequate. She blinked and he felt her disbelief.

I- she started.

I— broke in Tem— knew. I knew as soon as you walked into my cell that you should turn around and leave and never come back.

She shook her head stubbornly.

We don’t have time for this.

She bent and released the shackles on his ankles and finally the collar on his neck.

What are you doing, human?

Getting you out of here.

You can’t do this. Danger. Danger to you!

You can argue or you can help me get Calvin. I’ll release Evan.

And then what are we supposed to do?

“You’re the dragon,” she said aloud. “I’m sure you have dragon tricks up your sleeve. But we don’t have much time. The technician will return to his station eventually.” She smirked at that and rude images of what the technician was probably doing in the bathroom filled his head.

Please. No visuals.

Sorry.

Astrid tossed his shirt at him and he pulled it on while she went to Evan’s cell. Evan gave a whoop and ran out of his cell, looking extremely pleased.

“How about my girl?” he said.

Tem pursed his lips. This was not the time to explain what had happened between him and Astrid.

“No time for chit chat,” said Astrid.  She entered Calvin’s cell and released his shackles. His limp body fell into Tem’s arms.

Harsh klaxons rang and Astrid sprinted to the outer door. She swiped her key card but the door refused to budge.

“Oh, hell!”

Astrid’s alarm sent shock waves through Tem and the urge to shift gripped him. He needed his dragon form and strength, but not here in this tight place. Tem handed off the unconscious Calvin to Evan and rushed to Astrid.

“What are we going to do?”

“Stand back.”

It was a matter of whether his human form was strong enough to do what he planned. He couldn’t fully shift here, but he could pull what strength he needed from his dragon form, or at least try.

Otherwise, not just him, but Astrid, Calvin and Evan would be dead meat.

The klaxon continued its raucous noise as he raised his leg and kicked.

Astrid’s eyes grew very wide and she gasped as he flung his foot into the metal door. If he were a mere man he would have shattered his foot or ankle, possibly both. Drawing from his dragon form, the strength of dragon sinew and bone wrapped around his human form and flung a massive force into the steel. It shrieked and crumbled, until the metal hung at on odd angle from the frame.

“Go!” he yelled as he took Calvin from Evan. “Run.”

At once the lights in the hallway shut down, leaving them in darkness.

“I can’t see,” said Astrid.

“I can,” said Evan. “Take my hand.”

Tem’s dragon eyes allowed him to watch Astrid and Evan flee down the hallway, but his dragon sense of smell told him that there were humans standing at the end. The acrid odor of gun oil told him they held rifles.

“Stop!” yelled Tem.

Their footfalls faltered in the dark and then were silent.

“I need,” said Tem, “to know where this hallway is positioned in relation to the outside. Where is the closest outside wall?”

“This is the basement,” said Astrid. “The outside walls are up.”

“Then the hard way. Evan, take Calvin, Astrid stay behind them.”

Evan took Calvin and hefted him over his shoulder.

“Who’d have thought he’d be heavy,” the younger man groused.

But Tem didn’t have time for conversation. Humans were stunningly good at gathering forces and he could imagine a good size one was forming up now. Calling on his dragon body for strength, he also formed an energetic shield that he hoped would protect all of them from flying bullets.

It had been a long time since he had summoned what humans called magic. The electric force of the shield danced around his body, making his skin itch and crawl.

He flung his body down the hall to face the human soldiers that jammed the doorway with their bodies. It was a choke point, meant to head off the dragon’s escape. But it was the point of their defeat as well.

Tem did not have time to be subtle or gentle. He flung the force field at the armed guards and they fell backward into each other and to the floor. 

“Come,” he said urgently. This was surely just the first wave of defenses; there would be others.

“Wow,” said Astrid, as he helped her over the pile of humans. He lifted her with one hand and easily swung her over. “Are they—?”

“Unconscious. Where to?”

“The lift?”

“Lead on.”

Their feet slapped against the cement floors of the basement hallways as they twisted and turned through different corridors. They made the entrance of the lift but found the doors were shut. Again, the humans must have thought this would be a barrier.

“It won’t open,” said Astrid in distress when her key card failed.

“No worries, sweetheart,” said Tem. “Back away”

Tem rammed his foot into the door of the elevator several times and at the last good shove of his foot it crumbled under the force of the blow.

“You’re terribly good at that,” Astrid said. She peered inside. “But what now?”

Tem looked over her shoulder and noted that the elevator car had settled at the sub-floor below. He cast his glance skyward and followed the cable. It would have to do.

“As you said, I’m the dragon.”

Tem put his hands-on Astrid’s arms, pushed her gently aside and kicked off his slippers.

“What are you going to do?” said Evan. “And are you doing it soon? No disrespect, but Calvin here—” He shifted the man on his shoulder and huffed for emphasis.

Tem checked the elevator shaft one more time, and then pushed off, launching his body at the thick cables. And as he did so he shifted.

Behind him Astrid gasped as his human body stretched then twisted into wings, tail and claws. It was a fearsome sight at any time and he worried what Astrid would think.

It was one thing to be attracted to a dragon and another to face the reality of his form.

With a metallic ring Tem’s claws clutched the cable. He glanced over his shoulder. Both Astrid’s and Evan’s eyes were wide at the sight of him.

He extended a forepaw to Astrid.

Come.

And all hell broke loose.