VAAN

No smell has ever been as glorious as my female's mating scent. Faint wisps of it cling to the air, and I flare my nostrils, lifting my head to catch it in the breeze. It's delicate but musky, and almost overwhelmed by the fear scent that followed.

My mate. Mine. Enough waiting. It is time that I claim her as my own. She hides in the human nest, but it would be such a small thing to peel the metal skin from their hidey-hole, to flush them out like lizards under rocks and pluck her from their grasp.

You said you would wait, a dragon interrupts me. You promised not to harm the humans.

Who are you?

I am Rast. You know me. We have had this conversation many times already, my friend. You are Vaan. You promised to wait to claim your mate because I would send her out to you.

Then do so! I tire of waiting.

Tomorrow, he promises me. Tomorrow I think she will arrive and greet you.

Tomorrow is too long to wait. I want her now.

If you try to claim her now, you will hurt many of the people she is protecting. She will be very angry over that.

That makes me pause. She is already frightened. I do not need to frighten her more.

One more day, Rast tells me. Can you wait one more day? You have already waited several.

Have I? I do not remember. But I settle back down atop my perch and tuck my wings against my body. If I must.

Try and remember this time.

I would rather raze the hive with fire and pry her out, I admit to him, resting on my haunches.

Some days, I would, too. But it is important to your female that the hive is a safe place for her humans. Honor that.

I can, if it will please her. I imagine how happy she will be at such a realization, that I am holding back my strength because I wish to please her and her hive. Perhaps she will be so taken by the realization she will challenge me for a mating. A flicker of memory returns and with it, pleasant feelings. Ah. She has challenged me once before. I wish I could remember what I did to encourage that.

I wish I could remember what she looked like, too. Or her name. But these things are nothing but smoke in my mind when I try to focus on them.

Your mate will help with that too, Rast tells me. This I promise.

She needs to hurry, then. I do not know if I can wait much longer. The sliver of sanity that I hold on to seems smaller with each breath I take.

GWEN

When morning comes, I've decided.

For everyone's safety—except mine—it's wisest if I go confront the dragon. I can do this, I tell myself over and over again as I quietly pack my second pair of jeans and a T-shirt and my other shoes that are slightly too small but get worn anyhow. Daniela, Andrea, and the others are at breakfast in the cafeteria and then Amy and Rast are going to take off.

I figure if I have to do this, the sooner the better.

Daniela was fragile this morning. She had bad dreams all night and wept and clung to me like a child. It didn't matter how gently I tried to extract myself from her embrace, she didn't want me to leave. Andrea realized what I was up to and goaded/teased my sister until they both left for breakfast. I don't think Andrea will be surprised to see me gone. She knows I don't have a choice. She'll take care of Dee for me.

And me, I'll take care of the dragon. I choke on my own hysterical laughter and after a second thought, dump my pack on the bed. Daniela and Andrea can have my stuff. I won't need it if he kills me. And if he doesn't…well. I'll tackle that one day at a time. It feels a little terrifying to think about leaving the fort without a single thing with me, but everything can be used by someone else and I'd feel like a jerk taking it and then it being roasted.

Of course, Amy is positive the dragon—Vaan—won't kill me, but I can't seem to get that idea through my head. Billions of people have died to dragons in the past. It's hard to take the word of one single person over that.

I close the door to the room behind me and sneak down the hall. I pass by the cafeteria to get one last look at Daniela. I peer in through the textured glass next to the double doors and there's my sister, seated next to Andrea and Benny, dragging her spoon through her oatmeal. She looks dejected but not broken, and I hope she's okay. Andrea's frowning, focused on something across the room and she's practically stabbing her oatmeal as if it offends her. I follow her stare and…

It's Liam.

Liam of the weird golden skin and sunglasses and hats. He's wearing his normal get-up today, a long-sleeved dark shirt, a baseball cap, and a scarf around his neck to try and hide his skin despite the fact that it's already blisteringly warm this morning. He's hunched over his bowl and eating alone as he normally does.

He's returned. I'm a little surprised that he's back—and so bold as to sit in the same room as Rast and Amy, who must know his secret. I'm torn between going into the cafeteria and confronting him myself, but I know if I do, I won't be able to get away today.

It has to be today, too, before Rast and Amy leave, just in case they're wrong and this dragon—Vaan—eats me instead of dates me. Just the thought makes a hysterical laugh bubble up in my throat. I push away from the cafeteria windows and race down the hall.

Time's wasting.

I head out of one of the back doors of the school and pace across the yard, through rows of crops on wheeled dollies and flatbeds. They're out soaking up the sunlight right now since it's not a dragon-attack day and we've been reassured by Amy and Rast that Vaan won't attack the settlement because I'm here. I touch one of the vines of a cucumber plant and hope that they're right. So much food could be wasted if he loses it and starts flaming. Maybe I should cart all the plants back inside, where they'd be protected just in case. After all, Amy and Rast could be leading us down a path to destruction if—

I squeeze my eyes shut. No. Stop it, Gwen. You can't control everything. Let someone else take on these problems.

I force myself to walk forward, to open my eyes and move with determination toward the fence at the back of the compound, where Benny's hole has yet to be repaired. My skin prickles with the terror surging through me, but I keep going. I have to. This has to be finished one way or another. I can't let this continue, because we'll all die slowly if we can't go out of the fort or raise crops. Something has to give, and in this case, it's going to be me.

I find the hole in the chain link, where it's been dug out a bit along the ground, just enough for a body to slide under. Andrea placed a few cinderblocks to block it temporarily, and I haul them out of the way before crawling under the fence. Dirt sticks to the sweat on my face and covers my clothes, but I don't care.

What, am I going to dress up for a dragon? Please.

Once outside the gate, my body prickles with goosebumps. The streets are creepy quiet, and each footstep on the broken pavement feels like it's a blast of sound. How long is it going to take before the dragon finds me? I swallow hard, my throat dry. I'm terrified and I want nothing more than to turn back. Why couldn't this dragon pick someone other than me? Why?

I think of Amy's leg and how she doesn't let it stop her, and of Daniela's branded cheeks. I'm being a whiner again. Things could be worse. I suck in a deep breath. Nothing to do but carry forward and handle shit. All right.

"Come on out, dragon," I call in a wobbling voice as I head down one of the back streets, away from the gates of Fort Shreveport and away from my people. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. Let's get this introduction out of the way already."

I head down another street, and then I'm unable to ignore the creeping feeling of worry in my gut. What if this is a trap? What if…no, Gwen. Think positive. I mean, it could be that the dragon's already left the place and decided he doesn't want himself a bit of dark meat after all. I brighten at the thought.

Two more streets, I tell myself. I'll go down two more streets, wait, and then allow myself to turn around and go back to the fort.

Even as I think it, a shadow moves overhead, blotting out the sun. I stare at the weed-riddled pavement as it glides overhead, bigger than a school bus.

Shit.

The dragon hasn't left after all.