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The dragon’s long neck bent almost double, and one large eye stared at us.
My fingers refused to release, and my tail slid more tightly around my mate’s leg.
When we still didn’t move, the dragon snorted.
The kreecat began to squirm and fuss, and Zo-Fee shifted in my arms.
I forced myself to let go of her, looped the reins around the pommel, and swung a leg over so I could dismount. Then I reached up to take the pack and set it on the ground.
Lila wiggled her way out and stood, shaking her body to fix her mussed fur. Her tail whipped back and forth, but her stinger remained retracted.
Zo-Fee climbed down, using the leg the dragon bent for her. She smiled and threw her arms around me. “That was utterly amazing!”
Shock froze me to the spot, and before I could move, the dragon’s head butted my back, rocking us forward. Only long years of warrior training allowed me to keep my balance.
My mate only laughed as the dragon thumped into me again, sending us reeling for a second. “Somebody wants their reward.”
“I better take care of that,” I said, immediately missing the feel of her arms around me as she stepped back.
The dragon’s breath blew over me as I pulled out the packet of duva fruit. I laid the first slice on its tongue, and it gobbled it down before turning that eye on me again.
“Can I?” Zo-Fee reached for a piece of duva, and I held the packet out to her. As she placed it in the dragon’s mouth, I longed to yank her away from the rows of teeth. But she moved speedily enough on her own, and the tension coiled in my shoulders eased as she pulled her hand free right before the great jaws snapped shut.
She beamed up at me, her eyes dancing with delight, and I let her feed it the final piece of fruit.
When it had swallowed the last bite, it stretched its head in our direction. I showed it the empty packet, and it gave a disappointed snort that blew our hair back.
“Go now. Get home.” I stepped away, bringing my mate with me. The kreecat kept by her side.
We cleared the immediate area, standing with our backs pressed into the crag behind us as the dragon turned to face outward. Its long body coiled tight, folded wings shivering on its back. Then it launched forward, wings snapping outward and filling with air as it began to flap.
Zo-Fee called after it, “Thank you for the ride!”
It made the same deep humph it had given the lone dragon, then banked and flew over our heads. The downdraft brushed my face as a great beat of the wings whomped.
We strained our necks, keeping it in sight until it soared past the mountain peak behind us.
Awe quieted Zo-Fee’s voice to a whisper. “That is the most magical thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life!”
Lila headbutted Zo-Fee’s legs.
“Oww! Mee-err-da!” My mate laughed and leaned over to pet the kreecat’s head. “No, you’re right. Having a telepathic cat pick me as her friend iswaybetter.”
“What is this Mee-err-da?” I asked. “My translator chip doesn’t recognize it.”
“That’s because it’s a different Hyoo-mon language, Span-ish.” She grinned at me. “Technically, it means ‘shit,’ but it’s also used kind of like ‘damn’ to show surprise.”
“And you speak this other language, this Span-ish?”
She gave me a rueful smile and shook her head. “No, not really. My Ab— My grandmother grew up in a Span-ish speaking home, but she was the last in my family to do so.”
“How can that be? How can you have two languages?”
“Two? There are a lot more than two!” She laughed. “We started speaking Een-glush because we moved to A-mare-ick-a.”
I shook my head, the concept hard to fathom. For all of known history, the Zaarn sent their unmated males out to Roam, spreading them across the main continent. We’d only ever had one recorded language.
I picked up the pack. “We need to move.”
