Arthur handed him the keys without comment. “Thank you.”
Caliban glanced at me. “Try not to fall off him.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
He sighed. “That’s all anyone can ask.”
Then Arthur stepped back.
Even though I had already seen him shift once, it still stole my breath. The change unfolded with controlled precision. Scale and muscle replaced skin and bone until the dragon stood before me again, vast and solid and completely real.
He lowered himself deliberately, folding down until his body rested against the ground. His head dipped, settling near my feet.
The meaning of it spearedthrough me.
Submission. For me.
I swallowed. “Is this… okay?” I asked, reaching for him before I could talk myself out of it.
“Yes.”
The word echoed through my mind.
I froze. “Oh.”
When I put my hand on him, heat spread under my palm. His scales were smooth, strong, and alive. It made my hands tremble just a little. I slid my hand along the curve of his neck, awed by the reality of him.
“You’re incredible,” I whispered.
A deep, pleased satisfaction answered me. Not words. Feeling.
I climbed up carefully. Following his instructions, I settled just behind his shoulders. The moment I was seated, something firm, gentle, andinvisible, wrapped around my waist, holding me securely in place.
“That’s… very thoughtful,” I said.
“I wouldn’t allow you to fall.”
I grinned. “I appreciate that.”
There was a pause.
“You can hear that?”
“Yes,” I said slowly. “I can.”
A longer pause.
“That should not be possible.”
I tightened my grip slightly. “What does it mean that I can hear you?”
His surprise brushed against my thoughts.“I have suspicions,”he said carefully.“But I can’t be certain yet.”
“That’s… not very reassuring,” I muttered. “And deeply alarming.”
I spotted Caliban beside the car, his arms crossed over his chest. He shook his head.
Arthur gathered himself beneath me. “Hold on.”
