Later that afternoon, Carly was watching Drago fasten his shirt and wondering if there was something wrong with her. All she could think about was how she wanted to rip Drago’s shirt off again and just make him walk around without it – or without anything else on for that matter. It was probably a good thing she had already finished dressing first, otherwise she seriously doubted they would have left the bedroom. Her lips curved in a rueful smile when Drago turned to look at her when he heard her soft sigh. Her smile faltered when he raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

“Earlier… before….”

A blush stained Carly’s cheeks and she glanced down at the tiny paper bird that was sitting in the palm of her hand. She had been surprised when she woke a short while ago to find it pecking at a strand of her hair. It had taken several long seconds to realize that it was made of paper. The magical creature had quickly captured her heart with its amusing behavior and curiosity. Drago explained that he had cast a Finding spell in order to locate her and this was what the spell created.

Carly gently stroked the paper feathers while trying to search for what she wanted to say without it sounding dorky. She felt the warmth of Drago’s hand before he touched her chin. Lifting her head, she gazed up at him. A shy smile curved her lips when she saw the slight redness on his neck where she had bitten him.

“I left teeth marks on you,” she continued in a distracted voice.

“I know, I felt them,” Drago teased before his expression became questioning. “You were saying… Earlier…?”

Carly blinked, already feeling the need to be wrapped in his strong arms again. What had transpired between them earlier had deeply affected her. Their lovemaking was more than just physical to her. There was an emotional level to it that shook her, leaving her confused and wary of what she was opening herself up to – real heartache.

Granted, Carly knew she had a big heart and was an emotional person, but she’d always believed that the love she read about in books was make believe. Heck, even her parents hadn’t loved each other. The moment she had graduated from high school, they divorced and went their separate ways. Her dad remarried and had a couple of kids and her mom had taken a teaching job overseas and had a new girlfriend. Carly hadn’t seen either of them since she and Jenny had moved in together and they only called each other on their birthdays – though, even that wasn’t consistent now with her mom in another country and as her dad had said – ‘I’m too busy to remember birthdays anymore’.

“I just wanted you to know that I thought what happened was special,” she said in an awkward voice.

“I agree,” Drago replied, brushing a kiss across her swollen lips. “I wish to show you something.”

Carly drew in a deep breath and nodded. The little bird flew up onto her shoulder when she slid her hand into his. She swallowed again when Drago stepped back and gently squeezed her hand. Together, they stepped out of his living quarters and into the outer corridor.

They walked together down the long hallway to the staircase she had walked down early this morning. It took several minutes to remember that he had been going to show her something before they were distracted. Darkness had fallen and now the magical torches ignited along the passageway, illuminating the beautiful tapestries and paintings along the walls. Once again, Carly was reminded that she had fallen into a world unlike anything she could ever have imagined.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Earlier you asked what happened to my people. I wish to show you,” he replied.

Carly followed Drago as he guided her down the long staircase. At the bottom, they crossed a large open foyer that Carly recognized from her earlier adventures. Her gaze went to the door that led down into the labyrinth below and a shiver ran through her body. Instinctively, she moved closer to Drago. A smile curved her lips when the tiny paper bird on her shoulder hopped closer and tried to hide in her hair.

She lifted a finger to stroke it. Drago released her hand and paused in front of a set of massive doors. They had been locked when Carly had tried the doors earlier. Drago reached forward and gripped the handles, pushing the doors open.

“How…? Oh yeah, no doors remain locked against you,” Carly said with a shake of her head.

Drago stood in the doorway looking into the interior. His face was a frozen mask. Carly, unsure of what to do next, peered into the darkness. One by one, the torches flared to life. Her throat tightened when she caught her first glimpse of what the room contained. Stepping past Drago, she entered the room.

“What is this?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“This is just a small gathering of my people,” Drago replied, his voice echoing through the room filled with hundreds of statues.

Carly paused by the frozen figure of a dragon trying to protect a small boy. The boy was turned toward the dragon trying to protect him, his small hands desperately reaching around the large creature. The boy’s head was tilted back, his mouth open, and Carly could see the traces of tears on his cheeks. The dragon, Carly suspected it was the boy’s mother from the delicate features and the way she protectively encircled the boy with her body, was staring off into the distance with a look of fear and horror. Carly raised her hand and trailed her fingers along the little boy’s face, wishing she could dry his tears.

“Her name is Morgan. The boy is her son, Arid. His father is – was – one of the gatekeepers,” Drago said.

Carly moved among the statues. Each figure was frozen in a different position. Some statues were in their person form while others in their dragon. She gently traced over them with her fingers as she moved throughout the room, her heart nearly bursting with grief. On all of their faces was the identical look of horror and fear.

“Where are the others?” Carly asked, turning to look back at Drago with tears shimmering in her eyes. “You said… you said this is just a small gathering. Where are the others?”

Carly saw Drago’s throat move up and down before he reached out and ran his hand down the long scorch mark on the dragon nearest him. She saw his hand pause over the mark before he continued down to the dragon’s shoulder and rested his hand there. His gaze moved around the room before settling back on her.

“Many are still in their homes, others – others were lost to the sea,” he said, turning away from her.

Carly could hear the grief in Drago’s voice. Her gaze swept over the room filled with statues….

No, not statues, Drago’s people, she thought, pausing on the figure of a large dragon shielding a woman and two small children.

The tears that Carly fought so hard to hold back spilled over and silently slid down her face. She threaded her way back to Drago. He must have sensed her approach because he turned toward her and opened his arms. Carly practically fell into them, choking sobs shaking her body as she cried for all the people who couldn’t.

Drago held her tightly against his body. She could feel his cheek on her head. He held her to him with one hand and caressed her hair with the other. Carly felt the shudder that ran through his body.

“Come with me, I wish to show you my kingdom,” Drago finally said, releasing her.

Carly nodded and wiped her hands across her damp cheeks. She released a watery laugh when the little paper bird tried to help her. It chirped when one of its wings stuck against her damp skin. Carly carefully pulled it free and shook her head.

“You need to be more careful, Little Knight,” she gently admonished.

“Little Knight? It is just paper,” Drago commented, glancing at the bird.

Carly shook her head and ran her finger over the bird’s tiny head. “No, he’s not. Little Knight saved my life, like a knight in shining armor,” she said, turning to look up at Drago with a tender smile. “He showed you where I was. He’s… magic.”

“If you like the creature so much, I will make you a flock of paper birds,” Drago stated, reaching for her hand.

Carly followed Drago out of the Great Room. Her resolve to stay with Drago strengthened when he shut and locked the doors. She never wanted him to be alone again. No one should have to live through what he had witnessed and remain alone.

His tender vow to create a flock of paper birds melted her heart. Deep down, Carly knew she was no longer falling in love, she was already completely in love. How an emotion so strong could happen so quickly, she didn’t know.

She remembered the saying ‘love at first sight’ and had read about it in books, but she always believed it was a fairy tale made up to make little girls believe. Oh, she had seen couples in love. There were several older couples who were inseparable back home, but she’d figured it was more of a deeper friendship than actual love. She definitely knew that infatuation and lust were real, she saw that all the time and had felt it a few times herself. This emotion was different. She felt – whole, as if a piece of the puzzle that had been missing was suddenly found. There was a powerful physical attraction as well as a chemical reaction to him, yet she couldn’t put her finger on why it was there – it just was.

Carly watched the massive front doors open when Drago waved his hand. The paper bird chirped and lifted off her shoulder. Little Knight turned in the opening and chirped again, as if telling her to come on!

“My, but you are an impatient little thing!” she giggled.

She followed Drago down the front steps to the courtyard. The last light of the day began to fade and the stars were coming out. Carly swore it looked like they were so close that she could reach out her hand and touch them.

“The kingdom is magnificent during the day, but absolutely magical at night,” Drago said, pausing to look up at the night sky.

“It’s magical to me all the time,” Carly replied in a quiet voice.

Drago turned to look at her. Carly stepped closer to him when he reached out towards her. She tilted her head and pressed her face into his hand when he ran his fingers down along her cheek.

“You have stolen the heart of this dragon, little thief. That is something I never thought possible,” Drago said in a soft, tender voice.

The corner of Carly’s mouth lifted in a teasing smile when she realized why he called her little thief. She had finally come to accept his nickname for her as the sweetest, most special endearment she had ever heard. His softly spoken words just sealed the last of her doubts. She had fallen in love with the most magnificent man in this entire, fantastical world.

“I think I love you, Drago,” Carly admitted with a wavering smile of uncertainty.

“Good,” Drago replied, stepping back. “Now, you will fall in love with our kingdom.”

An exasperated frown flickered across Carly’s face. She declares her love for him and he responds with a ‘good’. What the heck was that supposed to mean? She was about to point that out when his body shimmered and he transformed into his dragon form.

Carly watched in confusion when Drago knelt down. The little bird excitedly chirped near his shoulder, fluttering from Drago to her and back again. Drago turned his head and looked at her, raising his eyebrow when she remained rooted to the spot she was standing on.

“Well, do you wish to see your kingdom?” Drago asked in a slightly amused tone.

“My kingdom? How?” Carly asked.

“Climb onto my back,” Drago instructed.

“Climb…? Okay, climb, like on a horse,” Carly replied in a slightly uneasy voice. “Did I ever happen to mention that the only horse I have ever ridden was on a merry-go-round… and that I fell off of it?”

Drago’s husky laughter filled the air. “I do not know what this merry-go-round horse was like, but I will not let you fall off,” he promised.

“Yeah, well, those could be the last famous words I ever hear,” Carly muttered under her breath.

She tentatively stepped closer to Drago’s large body and looked up. His shoulders stood way over her head. There was no way she could climb up that far. Biting her lip, she started to shake her head. A startled squeak escaped her when she felt a strong scaled band wrap around her waist and she was suddenly lifted into the air.

“Drago!”

“I will not let you fall, Carly. Trust me,” he said.

Carly’s fingers curled against the scales of his tail. She muttered a soft curse when she looked down and realized she was several meters above the ground. She swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat and nodded when he gently lowered her to sit astride his shoulders and neck. Instinctively, her fingers clutched one of the large fin-shaped membranes that ran along the back of his head and down his neck. She tightened her thigh muscles and braced her heels against the front of his shoulders.

“I can already tell that this is a really, really bad idea, Drago. Don’t you have a pair of binoculars or one of those machines you put a quarter in to look around? I mean… Eek!”

Carly’s voice faded on a loud screech when Drago’s muscles tightened under her and he pushed upward. Terrified, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms as far as she could around Drago’s neck, buried her face against his smooth scales, and closed her eyes, all the while muttering dire threats and begging forgiveness for all her past sins.

“You will have to tell me about of some of these sins. Something tells me the list would not be very long, but it could be very entertaining,” he chuckled.

“Oh, just shut up. I can’t believe I am doing this,” she sniffed against his neck.

“I swear I will not let you fall, Carly,” he insisted.

She didn’t respond. Her arms and legs trembled with the effort to hold onto him. Her stomach dropped when he started to fly in an upward direction. She was having trouble breathing. The fear and panic threatened to choke her. Black dots danced behind her closed eyelids. Her fear of passing out grew until she opened her mouth to cry out a warning to Drago. Her eyes snapped open at the same time.

The cry of terror she was about to release died on her lips. Her stunned gaze locked on the beauty of the stars and the faint wisps of clouds. On the horizon, the fading red, yellow, and orange glow of the setting sun was in stark contrast to the darkness of the night.

“The moons will rise shortly,” Drago said.

“Oh, Drago, it is – breathtaking,” Carly whispered, unsure that he could hear her, but needing to express the awe she was feeling anyway.

Breathtaking was an understatement. The view of his kingdom from above literally took her breath away. The setting sun illuminated the horizon like a blazing fire, igniting the ocean in an array of colors before it slowly dissolved and faded.

Carly turned her head to look along the coastline. She expected it to be too dark to see, but waves of brilliant green and blue bioluminescence lit up the water along the cliffs. A startled laugh escaped her when the little paper bird flew by them before turning back toward the palace after Drago snorted at it.

“Where is Little Knight going?” Carly asked in concern, trying to follow the bird’s flight.

“I instructed him to stay close to the palace. Where we are going he might get damaged,” Drago stated.

“Oh, good. Where are the lights coming from down in the forests?” Carly asked, leaning forward.

“Many of the plants and animals have a chemical that glows at night, much like those in the water. Hang on tightly,” Drago replied.

Carly blinked when she realized that she was barely gripping the curved ridges along his neck. She tightened her hold on Drago just as he swooped downward. She gasped and then felt a sense of exhilaration sweep through her. She could feel the power in Drago’s dragon body as he guided them down along the cliffs. His wings rose and fell in strong strokes before he caught a gust of wind and allowed it to lift them up again.

“This is just like being on a roller coaster,” she laughed.

“What is a roller coaster?” Drago asked, turning his head to glance at her over his shoulder.

“It is a ride that goes up and down, in tight circles, and sometimes upside down really fast,” she explained.

“You enjoy these roller coasters?” Drago asked.

“Yes. Not the real scary ones, but I do love the not-so-scary kind,” she admitted.

“What do the scary ones do?” he curiously asked.

“If they have a really big drop or go upside down, I get sick to my stomach, but I love the ones that curve sideways,” she said, staring down at the water below them.

“Then I will give you a not-so-scary ride,” Drago replied with a firm nod of his head.

“Drago… Oh!”

A squeal of laughter escaped Carly when Drago swooped down again and began weaving in and out of the tall pillars that stood just off shore. She leaned forward, her hands firmly gripping him. The wind blew her hair back, and she could feel the fine mist rising from below as the waves crashed against the base of the pillars.

Together, they weaved in and out of the towers of rocks and up along the coast. Carly shouted for him to go faster. Their laughter combined when he soared up over the cliffs and turned inland. The first moon was coming up on the horizon, turning the glowing waves into a cache of multi-colored diamonds. If anyone had asked her at this moment if she had seen anything more beautiful in her life, she would have said one word – Drago.

“It’s magical,” she remarked in a quiet tone.

“Yes,” Drago agreed.

Carly turned her head to focus on where they were going. Drago was flying high above the treetops. Bright colors flickered on and off like fireflies far below them. Drago continued his inland course for close to half an hour before he swept through a gap between two mountains and emerged in a long valley. She thought he would land in the meadow, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned to the west.

She caught her breath again when he entered the thick forest. Her fear that he wouldn’t be able to see soon died when he easily navigated through the forest. Massive trees that reminded Carly of the Redwoods near her home rose up to block the bright light from the rising moon. To the left, she saw the movements of a herd of animals. It was hard to tell exactly what they looked like in the darkness, but the shadows were enough to make her thankful that Drago was there.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To a special place that I used to go to before…. I wish to show you the old palace,” he replied.

“Oh!” Carly hissed out when they broke through the darkness of the forest and into another clearing.

A lake at the base of the mountain stretched out in front of them. The second moon had begun to rise, illuminating the tranquil water. At the far end, carved into the mountain were the ruins of an ancient castle.

“The ruins of Arkla,” Drago announced, skimming the water of the lake with his hind legs before soaring upward.