The water was warmer than she expected, lapping at her ankles with gentle insistence. She found a spot where smooth rock jutted out from the sand, creating a natural seat, and settled down to watch the horizon.
She dug her toes deeper into the sand. This was real, at least. The grit between her toes, the heat on her shoulders, the ache in her chest that had nothing to do with her recent injuries.
In the distance, she heard the whine of a speeder engine. Common enough at a resort like this. Rich guests needed their toys. She tracked the sound absently, a pilot's habit of monitoring her surroundings, but thought nothing of it until the pitch changed. Growing louder and closer.
Much closer.
Mercy's head snapped up. The speeder was cutting across the beach directly toward her, sand spraying in its wake. Not a leisurely cruise. This was purposeful. Targeted.
Her body moved before her mind caught up, scrambling to her feet and stumbling backward in the soft sand. Her hand reached automatically for a weapon she didn't have. Stupid. She'd gotten comfortable, let her guard down in this paradise of fake beaches and perfect weather.
The speeder skidded to a halt twenty feet away. Two figures in mercenary gear jumped out, their movements too coordinated to be anything but professional. One Kellian with mottled green scales, one human with cybernetic enhancements gleaming at his temples.
"Zane!" she screamed. He was too far away to hear her, she knew that, but her instincts didn't care.
The mercs crossed the distance with deadly efficiency. She tried to dodge, but sand was a terrible surface for quick movements. The human caught her arm, spinning her around while the Kellian produced a handheld scanner. She lashed out with her free hand, catching him across the jaw, but he barely flinched.
"Hold still," the Kellian growled, pressing the scanner to her face despite her struggles. The device beeped, a cheerful sound that made her stomach drop.
"Identity confirmed. Bounty on Mercy Webb in progress." His voice was almost robotic, like he was using some kind of modulator.
Bounty? Her mind raced even as she fought against their grip. Was this Horris's doing? Had he put a price on her head? Or was this something else entirely, some new nightmare connected to her father's legacy?
She drove her heel down on the human's instep, satisfaction flaring when he cursed. But these weren't drunk pirates or station thugs. They moved with military precision, the Kellian producing restraint cuffs while his partner kept her arms pinned.
"Stop fighting," the human said, almost conversationally.
She twisted hard, managing to get one arm free, and clawed at the Kellian's face. Her fingers caught scales, tearing, and he snarled something in his native language.
Brace yourself, she heard Zane's voice in her head and had to be hallucinating. You're going to be okay.
A breath later, she heard a dragon's roar loud enough to rattle her eardrums, and a wave of heat rolled over her. Around her. Past her.
But the fire didn't touch her.
What?
The mercs released her instantly, diving away from the inferno that engulfed the space where they'd been standing. Sand turned to glass beneath dragon fire, the heat so intense it warped the air itself. But where Mercy stood, in the center of it all, she felt only warmth. Like standing in sunlight, pleasant and safe.
A massive shadow blocked out the sun. She looked up to see Zane in his full dragon form, wings spread wide enough to darken the entire beach. Scales caught the light like gold, edged in deep crimson that flickered with inner fire.
He was beautiful. Terrifying. Absolutely magnificent.
The mercs scrambled for their speeder, but Zane wasn't finished. Another blast of fire turned their vehicle into slag, metal running like water into the sand. They tried to run. Pointless. A dragon could cover ground faster than any human, and Zane moved with predatory grace that made her shiver despite the heat.
One more blast of fire, and the mercs were nothing but ash and bone.
Zane landed on the beach with surprising delicacy for something so large, the impact sending tremors through the sand. One massive leg extended toward her, claws carefully tucked away.
Hop on, he said in her mind. I've got you.
She might have been going crazy, but right now she would take that over sanity.
His scales were warm beneath her hands, almost hot, but not burning. She found purchase between the larger plates, hauling herself up with muscles that remembered climbing cargo nets and access ladders. It should have been terrifying, clinging to a creature out of legend.
It wasn’t.
The world dropped away as he launched skyward. Wind whipped at her hair, tore at her clothes, but she pressed close to his neck and held on. Below them, the resort sparkled, and she could see the dark spots on the beach where sand had turned to glass.
