Page 47 of Dream Reaper

Jerrid sat down hard on his bottom, clutching the blanket around him as pain lanced through his shoulder blades. The wings shrank back into his body, and his incisors slid back into his gums. The sharpness of Dragon’s vision blurred briefly before returning to Jerrid’s normal, poorer eyes.

He blinked and stared at the two girls crumpled on the ground. They had both pushed up onto their elbows and were glaring at him so ferociously his stomach actually clenched.

“It wasn’t me,” he mumbled, the words sounding and feeling strange in his mouth. “It was Dragon. Dragon did it. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t.”

Brynja shoved Ava off her right leg and scrambled to her feet. “I don’t care who it was. You’re going to pay for that⁠—”

“Don’t rile him again!” Ava snapped as she untangled her skirts and also stood. “You’ll let Dragon out again. You need to keep him calm so Jerrid doesn’t lose control.”

Brynja took a menacing step forward. “I am the one in danger of losing control!”

“Please! I’m warning you⁠—”

The human spun to face Ava, hands clenched at her sides. “You dare to speak so to me? What gives you the right to threaten me, elf?”

“I wasn’t threatening you. I was trying to warn you⁠—”

“I should cut out your tongue⁠—”

Don’t let her, Dragon whispered, his voice tired and far away. Stop her. Protect her.

There was no doubt in Jerrid’s mind who Dragon wanted him to hurt and who he wanted to protect. He had clearly set his cap for Ava.

How was that even possible—a dragon falling in love with an elf?

Jerrid held on to the blanket with both hands and jumped to his feet, accidentally stepping on the corner in his haste and very nearly ripping it off his body. As he struggled to re-wrap himself, blushing furiously, the arguing stopped. He looked up to see both maidens watching him with mildly amused expressions.

“Do you need help with that blanket?” Brynja asked, a smirk playing about her mouth.

“No,” Jerrid ground between his teeth.

Ava sighed heavily. “I do wish you’d leave him alone. This isn’t going to end well if we don’t all calm down.”

Brynja continued to stare at Jerrid. Was she waiting for him to make the first move, or was she daring him to continue the fight?

We can fight some more.

No. Jerrid was done fighting. He was tired and sore and naked, for crying out loud. He wanted clothes and food and sleep, preferably in that order.

And Ava. We want Ava, too.

“No, we don’t!” he snapped.

Brynja arched an eyebrow, but Ava merely pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Don’t mind him—he talks to himself sometimes,” Ava said. “Just take me back to my cell.”

“No!” Jerrid pulled himself as tall as he could, striving for some sort of manly dignity. “You’re not sleeping in a cell.”

She can sleep wherever we will be sleeping, Dragon said slyly.

Jerrid nearly barked out that she wouldn’t be sleeping with them either, but he caught himself just in time. “She…she’s my wife, and she will sleep with me.”

The words felt so wrong as he forced them out of his mouth.

Brynja belted out a laugh as Ava blushed and looked away. “You really have it bad for this stupid elf, don’t you?”

Knock her on her⁠—