Page 48 of Entwined

I laugh. “We can talk about that later.”

He nods. “Later.”

“Now it’s time for us to start the first dragon-human Thanksgiving. So get your red scales on, mister.”

Axel leans a bit closer, pressing his fingers against my lip even harder. “I will, but before we start, I want to tell you something.”

I want to bite his finger. I want to drag his head down toward mine. I want to kiss the dragon overlord I’m bonded to. Maybe Mom is right. Maybe I am a monster.

“Today, I’m only thankful for one thing.” He releases me, dropping his hands to his side. “In all my life, I’d only had one blessed I cared about, and that was Euphrasia. I still care for her in a way very few blessed do. But now, I’m even more grateful that I bonded you. You brighten my life, Elizabeth Chadwick.”

Before I can even respond, my horrible beast smiles a wry smile and shifts back into his large red form—the bigger, more terrifying beast, and also still the same. For a moment, as I stare up at his gleaming scarlet scales, at the power and majesty of the massive beast in front of me, I wonder whether it’s really even that bad to be a monster.

Or maybe I’m just too far gone to care what I’ve become.

That may be the scariest thought of all.

10

Liz

Come, my monster.

I startle at the word, surprised both that Azar’s making a joke, and also that he knew what I was thinking. But then it makes me laugh.

We have a party to start together.

I suppose we do.

I begin walking out the enormous, ceiling-less doors, but Azar grunts.

When I turn around, I realize that there’s a saddle on his back. You’re riding with me. Flame blessed don’t walk into rooms.

As I scramble up his back, thankful he still drops his shoulder for me, I can’t help thinking about Iceland again. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to go?”

He doesn’t mistake my question as being one about Thanksgiving. He knows what I’m asking. That’s comforting in and of itself—having someone who always understands me. I do. The heart’s not near Houston.

The heart. The object that, if they extricate it, might plunge Earth into sheer misery. And it would be my fault for assisting them.

If our removing the heart harms humans, we’ll do anything we can to mitigate that before leaving.

“Do you swear?”

Azar’s giant neck swivels so he’s looking me right in the eye. His are bright golden, even in this form. The same, whether he’s the Cow Dragon Prince, in his human form, or this massive, terrifying creature.

He’s always the Azar I know and care about.

Liz, I’m a terrible monster, which I understand is something bad when you say it. But it means that there’s very little for me to fear. The one thing that scares me right now is losing your goodwill. If I can do anything to stop that while still ensuring the future of the blessed, I’ll do it.

My heart swells again.

It may be us against them—humans versus dragons—and without the heart, something namelessly bad might happen to humanity. But without the heart, they’re dying slowly. They’re forced to eat their own kind or disappear. I don’t blame them for coming here. I’m not sure humans would have waited as long as they have to do it.

Azar’s head straightens, and I realize he’s preparing to launch.

I need to figure out this saddle first—it’ll make it much easier for me to stay on. It isn’t much like any horse saddle I’ve ever seen. There aren’t stirrups, but there is a cushioned seat, as well as handholds. That’s when I notice the strange straps that are dangling. “Do these go around my waist?”

Azar snorts.