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“Bolt. Can you carry him?”
The mare just snorts.
Even if I manage to get him on horseback, he won’t stay in the saddle.
“Sorry, girl.”
I lower Rook to the ground and lift my arms in anticipation of wings. Heat simmers in my skin, then boils over into transformation. My shape melts into a dragon. Bolt whinnies and dances back.
I circle my talons around his waist, like a hawk with prey, and lunge into the air. Pumping my wings, I fly into the sky until our shadows dwindle beneath us. Praying that the demon in my claws won’t wake.
CHAPTERNINE
Ibring Rook back to my cave.
This time, he’s my prisoner.
When I lower him onto a bed of gold coins, he groans and blinks his eyes open. He lifts his bound wrists to his face.
“Fuck,” he rasps. “What happened?”
My scornful laugh echoes off the walls of the cave. “I saved your life.”
“Why bring me here?” He struggles into a sitting position. His head sways as if he’s close to passing out.
“Because this is my territory.”
I lurk in the shadows among my treasure. A dragon in her element. My scales rustle against the fallen coins.
He grunts. “Healing potion wasn’t enough. I’m bleeding all over your gold.”
“I’m not afraid of blood.”
He swallows, then licks his lips. “Water?”
“Why?”
“Always thirsty after losing a lot of blood.”
Not the first time he’s been stabbed, then. As if to prove I don’t consider him a threat, I relinquish my armor of scales and shift into a woman. Goose bumps prickle my skin. I snatch a golden goblet from my treasure.
I bare my teeth at him. “Don’t try to escape.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I whirl from the cave and follow the path carved from the cliff. Down by the nameless lake, I fill the goblet with water. When I return to the cave, I’m gritting my teeth, expecting Rook to lunge from the dark.
He’s slumped on his side, his hands still bound.
“Tried to stand up,” he admits.
“Don’t try to escape!” I repeat with more ferocity this time. “You might bleed out if you run away.”
“Conveniently.”
“Like I’m afraid of a little murder?”
He meets my eyes. “You missed several opportunities.”
