Obsidian
“Thank you,” he grumped as she finally unlocked the window, allowing him to put it down so he could feel the breeze rush over his head. “Though I still don’t know what I did wrong.”
“If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you.”
He rolled his eyes, knowing she was just trying to get his goat, more annoyed that it was working than the fact she was doing it. Hollie had the same ability to get under his skin that he had to get under hers. It was…irritating, to not be the best at something. Especially because she didn’t seem like she was even trying.
Hollie pulled off the main road and onto a mountain switchback trail.
“Ow.” The transition wasn’t smooth, and his large frame was already crammed into her vehicle. Every bounce threatened to send his head into the roof, and this one had come through on that promise. He raised a hand and lazily rubbed the affected area.
“Oh shut up. It’s not my fault you decided to switch into this giant human form.”
He snorted. “It’s not exactly a choice. You get what you get.”
“Really? Care to explain?”
His lips stayed closed. It drove her crazy not knowing more about him, and he intended to keep it that way. Perhaps it was cheating, but he would do anything to keep her around, and if that meant taking forever to divulge rather uninteresting information, then that’s what he would do!
“That’s what I thought. Now hold on, this is going to get bumpy.”
He slouched down in the seat moments before the car jolted again, this time saving him from possible brain injury.
“How do you know where to go?” he asked.
“Uh, I grew up here,” she admitted. “Moved away for school and work.”
“Why did you come back?”
“Work.”
She guided them through twists and turns as they worked their way up over a hill and down into a valley between mountains. He hadn’t seen any signs of humans for ages, besides the trail they were on now. A bit farther should suffice to keep them properly hidden from prying eyes.
“It was really a coincidence, truth be told. I didn’t have any intention of it. I follow the work. But my company won the contract to drill this tunnel, and with my skillset I’m rather in demand. So I was able to get it.”
“Understood.”
She brought the car to a halt in the little circle where the road ended. He looked up to see a large metal tower built from poles reaching into the sky.
“It’s a radio tower,” she said. “It sends signals that can be translated into audio.” Her hand reached out and she flicked a button. Music filled the car immediately.
He smiled and nodded, declining to tell her radio and communications were something he’d researched. While it would take some time to get used to, he understood the basic premise behind much of the everyday technology now. Enough that it didn’t seem like magic anymore.
“So, where to now?” he asked.
“There’s a meadow just through there.” She pointed at the trees on the far side of the tower. “I figured that would be good. Nobody ever comes out here unless there’s a problem with the tower. We should be safe.”
They hiked in silence, neither of them feeling the need to speak all the time. Sid enjoyed the few minutes immensely, having long ago learned to appreciate the quiet times, where two people who cared for one another could simply be, without having to force conversation.
He didn’t doubt that Hollie was feeling something for him. Her reaction to his cheek kiss the night before, and then the way she’d blushed at his suggestive comment earlier were both excellent indicators. But on the regular she still seemed…distant, not quite ready to let her guard down around him, unless he forced it. There was only so much he was willing to push before he felt uncomfortable. After all, there were boundaries to respect.
“Okay, let’s see them scales, flyboy,” she teased as the trees ended and they walked into a field of flowers and short grass.
“Good things come to those who wait.”
“Those who wait never come,” she countered automatically, before her hand flew to her mouth as she realized what she’d just said.
Sid chuckled mightily; that was a new one to him. “Would that explain why you don’t wish to wait then?”
“I can’t believe I said that,” Hollie moaned, looking horrified.
Sid, however, noticed how she managed to neatly deflect his question, while not changing the subject enough for it to be obvious. Her eyes danced and sparkled as he gave her a knowing look, making her aware he was on to her.
“Shall we continue?” he relented a moment later.
“Yes, please. Anything to move past this. Besides, I still want to see this transformation.”
He nodded. “Be warned, you’re going to be disappointed on that front. Maybe not the end result, but…”he stopped speaking as she waved him off.
“Are you nuts? I get to see you change into a dragon. How is that not cool?’
“Just saying, I warned you,” he repeated before stepping a careful distance away.
“Whatever. Just change.”
Sid grinned. “Your wish is my command.”
Then he did exactly as she ordered.
“What a rip!” she stormed as he blinked open his eyes and focused on her. “That’s so not fair! There was no change. It was just like, poof, man, then dragon! No fair.”
“What did you expect to happen? Smoke to appear from somewhere and do something crazy?”
“I don’t know. I just thought it would be more than a split-second change. I mean, I saw you grow and stuff, but it was so fast. I missed it.”
He laughed, a much more intimidating sound in his current form. “Well, now you have seen me as a dragon. Are you happy?” He stretched out, spreading his wings and giving her a full view.
Something tugged at his side. He turned his long, sinuous neck around so he could regard what it was. Why am I not surprised…
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Uhhh, helloooo, earth to airhead. You’re a dragon? I’m going to fly, obviously!”
He shook his head. “No. No, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Which is precisely why your input was not asked for.”
“No,” he repeated firmly, but it was too late. Hollie was already scrambling up onto his back.
“Oh yeah. We’re doing this. Let’s go! Hyah, hyah! Giddyup!”
His head drooped in defeat. It was clear that Hollie wasn’t taking no for an answer; he recognized the set of her voice. Rather than try to argue with a determined woman, he simply accepted the inevitable.
“What happened to the timid girl I met in the cave?” he complained.
“What timid girl?” she shot back, settling around the base of his neck and grabbing hold of the edges of his scales. “I was just being bombarded with your whole death-incarnate thing you can do. This is the real me.”
He boomed with laughter once more. “Very well. Hold on.”
And then he pushed off the ground, taking them into the sky. His wings beat, massive leathery membranes that stretched wide, pushing down to lift them. It was a huge risk, but he was going to keep them lower to the ground, to better keep himself obscured from any prying eyes. They were well away from Drake’s Crossing, so they would hopefully be okay. People might mistake him for a large bird, at best. But like Hollie often said, people knew dragons didn’t exist, so they would write him off as something else.
“Higher!”
So much for that plan. He took them higher, though not anywhere near his max flight-capable altitude. “By the way, I should apologize for that.”
“For what?” She was nearly forced to shout from the air whipping past.
“Scaring you,” he rumbled, banking gently to the left to stay in the shadow of the closest mountain.
“It’s okay, you didn’t mean to.”
“Actually, I did,” he corrected, using another beat of his wings to direct him nearer to a thermal, a plume of heated air that would help lift him, making everything easier.
“What? What are you talking about?”
In way of response he showed her, projecting fear out from within him.
There was a shriek and suddenly a lessening of weight.
“Uh-oh,” he said after a quick look showed him just what had gone wrong.
He tucked his wings into his side he dove, dropping from the sky like a rock.
“Spread your arms and legs out spread-eagle!” he bellowed.
But Hollie wasn’t listening, she was tumbling end over end. Each time she came around, her eyes widened with fear as they latched on to him.
Shit, he’d forgotten about the fear billowing out from him in waves. With a mental thought he shut the flow down. Almost immediately Hollie’s body language changed. He repeated his command, and this time she listened. Her fall rate slowed and he started gaining rapidly. It was going to be close, but he would be able to make it with time to spare.
Swooping underneath, he slowly spread his wings, until she landed on his back with an impact he could barely feel. Once he was sure she was seated he spread his wings wide and pulled out of the descent, leveling off over a hundred feet from the ground.
It felt like it had taken forever, but all in all it had taken no more than a double handful of seconds at best. He turned his head on his long neck to look at her. “Are you—”
“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, YOU IDIOT?” she screamed, holding on with one hand and beating her fist on his scaled back with another. “YOU NEARLY KILLED ME.”
She was okay, thankfully. He quickly landed, waiting until Hollie was safely back on the ground before he resumed his human form. Shaking off the moment of confusion that always accompanied a change, he spun on his heel and headed toward her.
Only to get hit in the head with something hard.
“Ow!” he yelped, flinging a hand up just in time to block another projectile. “Why are you throwing things at me?”
“Because you almost killed me, you moron!”
“I said I was sorry!” he shouted, ducking another one as he closed.
“Stay back!”
He ignored her words, catching her next thrown rock with ease, crushing it to dust. Hollie’s eyes went wide as he kept walking toward her and she managed to take a half step backward before he reached her, swooping one hand up to take the back of her head.
Then he kissed her, smothering her protests with his lips.