Mists from the waterfall to the right of the ruins made the white stone glisten. This was the one place where Drago had found peace during the hectic days before the silence. He had also come here shortly after his confrontation with Nali.

His gaze swept over the ancient palace that had stood for almost a thousand years before his ancestors had built the new palace closer to the coast and near the cove. This was a sacred spot preserved as a reminder of their origins. Eleven of the fifteen tall, dragon-shaped pillars remained supporting the remnants of ornate arches. Parts of the other four pillars were submerged beneath a waterfall, while their other remains lay scattered near the palace’s entrance. Pride filled him when Carly released a soft exclamation of pleasure. Turning, he flew down for a landing along the front steps.

“What was this place?” Carly asked, sitting up and gazing around.

“Arkla was the original stronghold of the dragons,” Drago said.

He knelt down and stretched out his wing. Turning his head, he lifted his tail out to Carly. She gave him an uncertain smile before lifting her leg over his neck. She held onto his tail to steady herself before sliding down his wing to the ground. He transformed once she was standing on her own.

“Oh! I swear I could watch you do that all day long,” she said before turning to walk over to the edge of the courtyard. “This is incredible.”

Drago watched Carly run her hand over the smooth stone. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. They stood there, staring out over the vast lake. The first moon had risen high enough to cast its light across the water.

“As the population of my people and trade with the other kingdoms grew, it became necessary for our city to be near the coast. The final decision came after a fierce winter snowstorm covered the mountains with a record snow. The combination of the snow and an earthquake sealed the fate of this palace,” Drago explained.

“It is amazing,” Carly said, leaning her head back against him.

“I used to come here as a boy,” he reflected.

Carly looked up at him in surprise. “I can imagine it was a lot of fun to explore,” she said.

Drago chuckled. “It was forbidden. My parents warned me that the structure was unstable when I asked about it. My mother soon realized that the combination of danger and saying it was forbidden was like waving a bag of gold in front of me. She worked with the engineers to stabilize the structure to preserve it for future generations. At least that was the excuse she gave my father when he protested the gold she was exchanging for the work,” he replied with a grin before it faded.

“You must miss them very much,” Carly said, turning in his arms to gaze up at him.

Drago sighed when she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. He ran his hands down her back to her hips and pulled her close. Closing his eyes, he allowed the peacefulness of the night and the warmth of Carly’s presence to wrap around him.

“I do. I miss them and my people. I wish….” He paused and opened his eyes to gaze out over the moonlit water again.

“You wish…,” she asked.

Drago swallowed. How did you tell someone that you wished you could have one more second with someone? He couldn’t remember his last words to his parents before they had left. All he could remember was the sound of his father’s heartbroken roar before it too became silent. That was the first time in his life that he had really felt the emptiness of losing someone close to him.

He shook his head. “It is nothing,” he said, releasing her and stepping to the side to hold onto the stone railing.

“I had wishes,” she said.

Drago’s lips twitched and he turned his head to gaze at her. “More than one?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Carly waved her hand in the air. “Oh yeah, probably like a hundred or more, but not all at the same time. I finally decided if I ever met a real live genie that I needed to have my three wishes ready,” she stated with a toss of her head.

“A genie… I do not believe I have ever met one of those,” Drago replied with a thoughtful look.

Carly sighed and stepped closer to him. Drago decided he liked the way her hair shimmered in the moonlight. He could see strands of gold running through the dark brown tresses.

“Well, so much for being a magical land! No genies, what is the world coming to?” she grumbled.

“I did not say they did not exist, only that I had never met one. What is a genie and why would you wish to meet one?” he asked.

Carly leaned forward on the railing and released another loud sigh. Drago bit back the retort he was about to make when the movement gave him a full view of her breasts and the curve of her buttocks that made him want to slide up behind her and….

“You aren’t listening, are you?” Carly asked with a knowing grin.

“What?”

Carly shook her head again and turned to gaze out over the lake. “I said a genie can grant you wishes, but you have to be very careful what you wish for. If you wish for the wrong thing, bad things can happen. Oh, and you only get three wishes. No wishing for more wishes,” she firmly stated.

“That is not much fun,” he retorted with a grin.

Carly laughed. “No, it isn’t, but you can imagine the problems it could create for the genie,” she replied.

“What would you wish for?” he asked.

Drago leaned closer when she didn’t immediately answer. The light-hearted mood from a moment ago had changed to a quiet reflection. He raised his hand to brush her windblown hair back from her face.

She turned to look at him. In the moonlight, he could see the expression in her eyes. It was sad, more like resigned. A rueful smile curved her lips.

“When I was a kid, I wished for my parents to love each other, a dragon, and to free the genie because I couldn’t imagine how hard it must be to never be free,” she admitted.

“And now?” he asked.

Carly straightened and turned to him. “It hasn’t changed much. My parents have found love with someone else. It turns out my dad was not the right person for my mom. She has a new girlfriend and is finally happy. My dad found a woman who loves to cook, doesn’t nag him about watching football, and has three boys to take fishing and play sports without nearly killing anyone else on the field. As far as my dragon wish – well, I chose you. Since I never met my genie, I’ll just have to hope he or she was set free. Overall, I can’t complain….” Her voice died and her expression changed as she turned her head away from him.

Cupping her cheek, Drago gently turned her head so that she faced him again. “Except for?” he encouraged.

“Jenny – I miss Jenny and I can’t help but worry about what she must be going through after my disappearance,” Carly confessed with a strained smile.

Drago pulled his hand away and turned toward the ruins. He could feel a muscle in his jaw pulsing as he clamped it tight to prevent the harsh words from escaping. He knew the words were born of fear – his fear of losing Carly and being left alone once again.

Deep down, he understood her worry and regret. He had felt the same emotions when he had lost everyone. How could he justify allowing Carly to live with that feeling?

A strange burning in his eyes and a swift pain in his chest struck him. He raised his hand and rubbed the spot over his heart. His jaw tightened with resolve.

“We need to return to the palace,” he said.

“What? Oh, okay,” Carly replied with a slight frown.

Drago stepped away and shifted. He reached down and scooped Carly up in his claws. Holding her against his chest, he pushed off the ground. Carly sat in his palm, leaning against one clawed finger with her arms wrapped tightly around it. Neither one of them spoke during the return trip, both lost in their own thoughts. Drago wished he could read Carly’s thoughts. His own thoughts were swirling with memories of their brief time together. He desperately wanted to remember each and every second of it. The knowledge that those fleeting moments might be the only things he would have of Carly pierced his heart with a sharper blade than that of any sword or arrow.

He glanced down when he felt Carly move. She was stretching out a hand to touch the cloud they were flying through. The simple, innocent move was like another knife through him. Her joy and awe was captured in his mind to join with the other precious memories. Facing forward, he released a low roar.

“Where are we going?” Carly asked nearly an hour later.

“To the treasure room,” he replied in a clipped tone.

Drago pulled her closer to his chest as he turned in a downward spiral and whispered the magical words that would split open the ground. His body twisted and turned through the jagged opening. The ground closing in behind them within seconds of his passing through the gaping hole formed in the compacted dirt, rock, and roots.

Within minutes, they burst through to his hoard of treasure far below. His wings opened and he glided over the rolling mountains of treasure. His back legs extended and he landed, sliding along the loose gold coins before coming to a stop near the archway where Carly had first appeared.

He reached out and gently set Carly on the steps before he shifted. She turned toward him with a frown. Her face was tight and she had that look of defiance on her face.

“What is going on, Drago? Why are we here?” she asked.

Drago returned her steady gaze. He lifted his chin and unclenched his fists. He would not change his mind. As a leader, it was his responsibility to think of those under his protection first, even if that meant great heartache and loneliness for himself.

“I am setting you free – like your genie. You must return to your world and let Jenny know that you are safe,” he stated in a low, fierce tone.

“You are… Drago…?” Carly’s voice faded and her eyes filled with tears. She stepped toward him, her right hand raised in a silent plea. “What if I can’t come back? What about you?”

Drago reached up, grabbed her hand, and placed it against his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment when he felt her caress. His fingers tightened around her hand and he opened his eyes.

“Go while I can still give you this, Carly. Go!” Drago ordered in a harsh voice.

Carly looked at him and started to shake her head. He released her hand and took a step back. His throat tightened when he heard her choked sob and saw the tears dampening her cheeks.

“I will be here when – if – you return. I will never forget you, Carly Tate. You are my greatest treasure, little thief,” he swore.

Drago continued backing away from her, knowing that if he didn’t, he would never let her go. Carly wavered on the steps, looking at the arched doorway she’d first entered into his realm and then back at him. She started toward him, but Drago shook his head.

“I’m coming back, Drago. I promise,” Carly choked out.

“I will be waiting,” he vowed.

Carly turned and slowly climbed the remaining steps. She paused under the arch, her hand on one of the dragon pillars. She glanced over her shoulder at him and her lips parted as she drew in a shaking breath.

“I love you, Drago,” she said before turning and disappearing into the corridor.

Drago stood frozen, gazing at the empty doorway. Pain radiated through him to the point that he almost sank to his knees. His fists clenched and the burning in his eyes increased until he had to blink in an effort to clear his vision.

“Come back to me, little thief. Please, if I could have only one wish from your genie, it would be to have you come back to me,” he whispered.