Page 16 of Claimed by the Savage Dragons

I peer up into the darkening sky, wondering what’s going on.

‘Mari?’ Tor calls from inside the cave.

I hesitate at the entrance.

‘Mari!’ He sounds much more impatient now.

I step into the dark and gasp. It’s not dark at all! It’s a well-lit and furnished living room, at least on one side of a huge cavern. Tor is sitting on a couch with a black square thing in his hand. When he sees me, he beckons me.

‘Orin is gone. I sent him ahead. He’s to fly all the way home without rest as punishment.’

‘Thank you,’ I say quietly.

He rolls his eyes. ‘The punishment was for disobeying my orders and not being able to control his urges, not forgropingyou. As far as I’m concerned, the kick was his penalty for that.’

‘Oh.’

He looks at me and his lips thin. ‘When we get to where we’re going, the fact that you’ve been taken by force before won’t matter. You understand, don’t you?’

I shake my head at him, confused.

‘I won’t be able to protect you from those whowantyou. Only the Commander can do that. And he won’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because his reign is new and precarious. He may not believe your kind should be subjugated, but many in our faction do. If enough of them turn on him, his time will be over before it even began.’

‘So other dragons will try to…do what Orin did?’

Tor looks away. ‘Not just that. They’ll succeed, Mari. No one will protect you.’

‘Not even you?’ I ask quietly.

‘No.’ He stands. ‘So, I suggest you try to get over your fear. It doesn’t matter what happened to you before. The future for you is already set. Come to terms with it.’

He stalks from the cavern and down a narrow hallway that’s clearly only meant to be used when they’re in human form.

‘Come on,’ he calls.

I follow him, finding the caverns quite warm so I lose the furs I had for flying, draping them over one of the couches before hurrying after him.

I find him in a rough kitchen with a big white box at one end, which he’s rummaging through.

He brings out something huge and frozen. It’s wrapped in paper. He shuts the box, unwraps what I see is meat, and puts the slab on a rock in the large fireplace. ‘Step back. I have to half-change for this.’

I do as he says and watch with wide eyes as his torso and head morph from human into lizard, and he blasts white fire at the stone for about two seconds before changing back.

I stare at the rock which is now red-hot, and the meat is steaming.

‘Food in about ten minutes,’ he says, looking a little proud of himself.

I look at the white box again.

‘It’s a freezer,’ he murmurs.

I nod. ‘I’ve seen pictures in old books. But I thought those needed power. I’ve only heard of one place with power to make them work.’

‘There are a few human settlements that use old technology to keep their machines working,’ he says quietly.