“What about love and affection?”
“A human thing.”
“You were in love once with that dragon who, uh”—I paused before I said betrayed and flipped to—“before things didn’t work out.”
“Was it love?Or a desire to fertilize a clutch that might leave a lasting legacy?”
“Er, what?”I blinked.“Is fertilize really the word you should be using for sex?”
“Dragons don’t have sex the way humans do.While we have a phallus, and the females a vulva, the two never meet.”
“Then how on earth do you make babies?”
“The female will eject eggs from her body and invite a suitable male to?—”
“Oh my god, you jizz on the eggs?”
He winced.
And I laughed.“Damn, that’s a cold way of making kids.”
“Is it?Seems to me it’s more civilized than the grunting and humping common among humans and other species.Not to mention less messy,” he groused.
“Also no fun.Where’s the intimacy?The love?”
“Unnecessary.The fertilizing of a clutch is a transactional matter conducted between two consenting dragons.”
“Sounds so clinical and boring.”I almost slapped a hand over my mouth, but he actually smiled.
“Having experienced the human method, I’d have to agree.”
“Wait, you’ve had sex?”I blurted out and then blushed so hard I thought my face would melt.
“Yes, I’ve had sex.More than once, before you ask.In this man shape, I can feel arousal and achieve orgasm.”
He said it matter-of-factly, not sexy at all, and yet I shivered—and quivered in places I shouldn’t.Since I didn’t know what to reply, I stared at the fire that no longer burned as bright.“Do you think we need to worry about more Red Caps coming for me?”
“I would like to say no, but considering this one should have never been present on the Isle of Rum to begin with…” He shrugged.
“Think I’ll run into any on my journey to Loch Ness?”
He didn’t reply for a moment.“Again, I’d like to say no, since you would be essentially doing what Nessie wants, bringing yourself into her domain.However, her aggressive use of the Red Caps, rather than sending you a message, indicates she might not be thinking clearly.”
“So you’re saying I might wake up to another of those things trying to kill me before it remembers it’s supposed to kidnap me.”I grimaced.“Great.”
“If you’re done with the questions?—”
“Not quite.You say Nessie can’t fly, and everyone knows she lives in the loch, but does she ever leave it?”
“She rarely waddles ashore.”
“So she can’t change into a person like you can?”
“No.Shall we have breakfast?”He abruptly changed the subject and didn’t wait for a reply as he headed into the castle.
Since I could see faint light on the horizon, indicating dawn neared, I figured, why not?Better to have a belly full, in case I did get snatched.I doubted a kidnapping Red Cap would think to feed me, and even if it did, would I want to put in my mouth anything it touched?Blech.No.The smell of them alone was enough to ruin an appetite.
I sat on a stool as Alistair bustled.What a novelty, a man cooking for me.I’d had a few dating partners over the years, even lived with someone for six months.None knew their way around a kitchen, but that wasn’t the reason why those relationships never lasted.I’d had my reasons for breaking up.Being cheated on being an easy one.The guy I lived with, John, our ending proved to be the hardest because he’d not done anything wrong.I just found myself bored in his company.Bored during sex.Bored when he spoke.Not a good sign.At the time, I’d thought I wanted someone nice and stable to share my life.Turned out I needed something more.
