Page 7 of Claimed by the Savage Dragons

I stalk up the hill, surveying the landscape as I look for our destination. I know I saw it close by as I dove, but I’m not sure exactly where.

‘There,’ Orin points and I see a tendril of smoke curling up from the trees just over the next hill.

‘Come on.’ I trudge down and glance back. The idiot hasn’t even covered her.

‘Orin.’

‘Yes?’ he asks almost guilelessly.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. How can be thisyoungstill?

‘If you take the female into the inn with her cunt out for all to see, we’ll be fighting off woodsmen and hunters all night and won’t get to sleep a fucking wink.’

‘Oh!’ his ears pinken as he looks over and sees what I mean. He tries in vain to pull the dress down, but there just isn’t enough of it.

‘For fuck’s sake, just put her down.’

‘She’s still in her faint, Tor.’

He holds her limp body out for me to see.

I glance around and see another pile of un-melted snow under a tree nearby. Grabbing a chunk, I mash it up in my fist and rub it in her face.

I hear her gasp, and she lets out a squeal, her eyes opening. She looks adorably confused.

No not adorably, not adorably at all. She looks like the rest of her foolish kind.

‘Wakey, wakey,’ I snarl, and her eyes widen even further.

And she opens her mouth.

She’s going to scream, I realize with a jolt, and I quickly put my hand over her mouth to stifle it. We’re so close to the inn, the humans will hear, and I want to greet them on my terms, not theirs.

‘Shut up, foolish female,’ I hiss.

She garbles something I can’t make out and I lift my hand.

‘You’re the...dragons from before?’

‘Yes,’ I half snarl.

‘But you-you’re...’

‘In human form. Yes,’ I say impatiently.

I pluck her from Orin’s arms and set her on her feet. She pulls down the dress, blushing and I look away from the hard nipples that are protruding from her inappropriate clothing.

Stalking ahead, I only give a cursory glance behind me to make sure Orin hasn’t done anything else stupid, but he’s just helping the human up the steep hill. I wait for them at the top. The human’s teeth are chattering, and I roll my eyes.

The inn we’re making for can be seen in the dip below and the female’s eyes take it in warily.

‘What is that place?’ she asks over the sound of her teeth knocking together.

‘Food. Rest.’ I can’t help my eyes as they travel up and down her once more before I start walking. ‘Warmth. But stay close. These harsh places aren’t for lone females.’ I halt my steps, and she bangs into my back with a grunt. ‘And if you decide to ask them for help, know that they will not give it freely, nor will you come outunscathed.’

She looks down and nods, clearly understanding what will become of her if she tries to make a deal with the lawless types who frequent these places.

We make our way down to the base of the hill and along a winding trail with hoof tracks that lead straight to the inn’s adjacent barn.