Chapter Ten

Flora

MELODRAMA ANYONE? DARN it, I actually feel sorry for him, but I’m just unsure how to remedy the situation. The green will eventually wear off if I hold my magic back from doing it again. The green doesn’t detract from the fine specimen dragonbreath is in dragon and human form. My, oh my. His muscles ripple with each breath. My mouth waters and my tongue flicks out to swab my lips at the thought.

No.

I’m better than this. The man kidnapped me.

I tip my chin an inch higher and tell the biggest whopping lie I can think of. “There is a disease in the Earth realm that has this type of reaction. I’ve heard appendages fall off even.” My eyes go to his crotch and then lift back up in sympathy. “Do you have a local doctor?” I barely manage to keep a grin from splitting my face again.

He looks down and then back up at me with eyes that practically pop from his head. I take a step in his direction. “Why don’t you let me take a closer look at your green penis to see if it’s showing signs of brittlemortis.”

His eyes go impossibly rounder. “Is that the name of the disease?” he asks with dread in each word.

“Yep.”

His hands move away and I have another look at him. It’s large and not even the slightest bit erect. I wonder how far I can take this. “Can I touch?”

His hands slap over his penis. “No. What if you touch it and it falls off?”

A girl must try. “Sometimes brittlemortis is helped by vigorous activity. There’s no cure but there are lesser forms of the disease.” I look away because watching his horrified expression is more than I can take, and I’m half a second from rolling on the floor in laughter again.

“I’ll go talk to Jewel’s mother, Pepper. She may have an idea on how to cure it.” With that he turns, runs out the window, and launches off the balcony. One second he’s a green man and the next he’s a green dragon flying away.

The laughter hits hard. It’s so bad I have difficulty breathing. Brittlemortis. Oh my goddess the laughter hurts my belly.

As an eagle shifter I have few abilities compared to other shifter species. One thing I can do is control pigmentation with my magic and the other is calling up a turd when needed for launching. That’s about it. Happily, when dealing with a dragon, controlling pigmentation appears to be enough. Splashing him with turds is a bonus.

I eventually pull myself together, dust off my hands, wipe the tears from my eyes, and look around. I need to stay busy until dragonbreath returns. A picture of the cellar and what it’s stocked with fills my head. I know exactly what I’ll do.

Lighting the stove and adjusting the temperature takes an hour. I added wood, adjusted the vents, removed wood, and added more to get it where it needed to be. The flour is in a large burlap sack in the cellar and it’s easier to fill a bowl and carry it up than bring the entire bag up to the kitchen. I have everything I need after two visits down and up the stairs.

I love to bake and I’m good at it. By the time I’m ready to place the pans in the oven, I’m covered in flour and my hair is a wavy mess because I got tired of that darn bun. The cake batter is exactly how I want it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed it won’t fall as it bakes. I head to my room and take a bath. Earlier I discovered a fully functioning bathroom that even produces hot water for the tub. I soak and wash my body and then wash my hair.

I dress in more of Ashrac’s too large clothes. They hide my curves and I consider that a plus right now. The last thing I need is Ashrac looking at me the way I look at him. The cake is ready when I return to the kitchen. I let it cool while whipping up the frosting. My sugary confection turns out perfectly and if it tastes as good as it smells, I’ll consider my baking abilities in a cast iron oven a success. I can’t wait to see the look on Ashrac’s face when he sees it.

I spend another hour wandering around the castle learning all the nooks and crannies. The sword cabinet is my last destination. I swipe another sword to hide under my bed. Now, I’ve done everything I can to keep from flying out my window in eagle form. But I failed, so I finally shift to put some air beneath my wings.

Ashrac’s realm is beautiful. From the huge lake to the jagged cliffs that surround it, his kingdom is something to behold. It’s too bad it belongs to such a dunce of a sexy dragon. Yeah, I’m noticing his sexy more and more. It’s not like me to be attracted to such an ass.

My travels take me in and out of canyons and I snatch a sparrow from the sky and eat it for a snack. It will hold me over until I can serve dragonbreath his just desserts.