Page 5 of Claimed by the Savage Dragons

‘I could do as you ask,’ I murmur, ‘but I request more than your acquiescence.’

‘What do you want?’

‘I’m not sure, but when I know, I’ll tell you and you’ll do it.’

She nods.

‘Orin, kill the males.’ I say to my second, my eyes not leaving the female’s.

‘All of them?’ He sounds excited.

‘All of them,’ I say in a bored tone.

I step to the side and raise my leg high, stepping on the leader as casually as I might bat a fly in my human form. He crunches under me, a soft oomph coming out of either his mouth or his anus, I’m not sure which and I can’t say that I care.

The rest begin screaming as Orin burns them, a couple flee into the woods, and I glance at the females who are still waiting in a line like goats for slaughter.

‘Well? Escape you ridiculous creatures,’ I roar.

Another one pisses herself at my yelling, but they scatter like roaches. I can’t help my booming laugh. In mere moments, all the men are dead, and their camp is a smoldering ruin. The female I’ve chosen isn’t where I left her, and for a second, I’m afraid I’m going to have to hunt her down, but then I realize she’s behind me trying to shadow me without being bowled over by my great tail.

I grab her with it, the forked end grabbing her wrists and hauling them together. I pick her up and dangle her in front of my massive black snout. She struggles a little, but she doesn’t scream and squeal like so many do. I can tell she’s afraid. I can smell it on her and, for once, the scent isn’t wholly disagreeable.

I think I might even like it. But it’s hard to tell under all the other stenches that are on her.

‘Come,’ I say to Orin, ‘You’ve had your fun.’

He grins toothily and I can’t help my chuckle. ‘Incorrigible youngster.’

‘Where will we camp tonight?’ he asks, looking at the human dubiously. ‘The female you’ve chosen is lacking in furs. She’ll likely freeze to death without more substantial clothing.’

‘I have something she can wear,’ I growl. ‘But she’s touching nothing of mine until she’s been bathed. She stinks.’

The female frowns as if she knows what I’m saying, but I’m not speaking her language. Perhaps she understands the sentiment behind my clicks.

‘Yes,’ I tell her in her people’s words. ‘You smell of the dung of more than one creature, piss, and sweat.’

‘Sorry,’ she breathes. ‘If I’d known I was going to be chosen as the dragon sacrifice, I’d have told one of those assholes to give me a bath. Course they’d probably have killed me for it.’

I frown at her.

‘You’re a funny little thing,’ I tell her. ‘But you might want to learn to keep your chatter to a minimum. My kind don’t especially like mouthy humans.’

She looks up at me, her luminous green eyes ensnaring me. ‘Humans don’t like mouthy humans either. Guess our kinds have that in common.’

I shake myself free of her oddly hypnotizing gaze.

‘Is that why you were chosen as a Tribute by your kin, female?’ I chuckle. ‘Did they get tired of your voice?’

‘Maybe,’ she says softly and looks away.

She struggles a little in my grip.

‘You’re hurting me.’

I grunt. ‘Good,’ I hiss, and she winces, but I let her down and release her.

‘Thank you for letting the other women run away.’