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When they swarmed her and picked her up onto her side, floating her around the room, she yelled, “Put me down!”

Heavy and large footsteps came from the tunnel before they stopped at the entryway to her room.

“How did you vermin get into my cave?” the Dragon snapped, quickly ducking into the alcove to give chase when they continued to float her around.

A few went missing when he snapped his jaws around them.

Eventually, he grabbed her and pulled her to his chest before he unleashed a rush of flames to disintegrate most of them. She didn’t think he knew he held her upside down, and she was thankful he’d grabbed her around her legs so that her skirt didn’t fall.

The rest rushed from his lair with tiny shrieks. He let out a loud, ear-splitting roar behind them, watching them scatter as the remaining troupe fled.

“Blasted vermin! Why do they return to my cave when they know I will kill them?”

“Uh, could you possibly put me down?” Preferably before he squeezed his paw any tighter in anger and possibly crushed her to death.

He lifted her to blink at her face, which reddened from the blood rushing to her head, before he carefully transferred her to his other paw, right way up, so that he could place her down on her feet.

“Wretched pixies. They manage to sneak past my wards because they are so small and dishevel my home,” he said as she stumbled from light-headedness. “They usually try to steal my treasure. I did not think they would attack you.”

She put her hand up to indicate it was okay.

“I was surprised. I have never been attacked by so many before. The ones where I lived, although mischievous, have never tried to harm me because they knew I would help them if they were injured.”

She rolled up the sleeves of her dress to double check they hadn’t broken skin. She knew it would bruise, but mostly she was fine.

“This will most likely happen again.”

His face turned into a glower.

“Do you happen to have a broom?” She pushed her sleeves down before putting her hands on her hips, staring up at him.

His spiked brows crinkled into a frown. “You wish to clean?”

“No, silly. So I can swat them away next time. You have never seen action like an angry Witch with a broom,” she laughed.

He gave a chuckle in return. “That would be an entertaining sight to see.”

Amalia liked it when he laughed.

He didn’t do it often, but it was deep and warm and very soothing to her senses. Every time he did it, it made her feel as though she was truly safe from him. She didn’t think he would laugh with someone he hated.

“It is quite early.” Thanks to her rude awakening. “I am going to go sit by the entrance.”

It was her way of extending an offer to him to join her. Though, she thought she should’ve been more direct when he nodded and left her on her own.

Amalia had been right when she thought the sun would come into the cave mouth in the morning. She decided that each day she would try to sit in it.

After the sun faded from her reach, she went back to her room to read, sitting upon the couch he’d brought in for her. Licking her thumb and using it to swipe the page, her head turned up, like it did every time she heard movement. She glanced up at the entryway.

What she hadn’t expected to see was a human man walking past her room while tossing something into the air, only to catch it a moment later.

She does not see past my scales,Rurik thought while he dug through the basket of apples in his food storage alcove.

He grabbed the two that appeared to be the ripest and most firm before leaving, placing one of the apples in the pocket of his black leather breeches for later consumption.

She does not see me as anything more than a creature.

He knew it was the truth as he walked down his tunnel, on two legs instead of four.