Page 83 of Exquisite Monster

Smothering my laughter, I headed back down the stairs and outside. Natural winds would help to take him off guard. If we were training, we did not train for the sake of it. And this little dragon was just as dedicated to my mate as I was.

I pointed to the trees. “Start there. And the first task? Simply make it to me, no matter what the air does around you.”

Varíarrowed straight for the trees and landed on the branch I’d indicated. I swore there was a feral gleam in his eye as I called my winds to my hands, and we began.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

________

ZOVAI

Itook my clothes from Lena and put them on in the shadow ofSythal Itur’swalls. She glanced around us, shrinking into the shadows so there was less of a chance she would be seen.

It hurt my heart that she was so afraid. The fear was justified, but I still hated it. She’d already been afraid enough for a lifetime.

Gently, I lifted the hood of her cloak over her hair. The deep ruby strands caught the last bits of dying light, and the beast in me saw her as a jewel. Treasure. While we were still in danger, I wanted to minimize any other dragons thinking the same.

After the world was safe once more, I would show her off at the earliest available opportunity.

I ducked so I could see her eyes beneath the hood. “Are you all right?”

Her lips pressed together in a flat line, and I felt her nerves. “I think so.”

“If this is too much, Lena, I understand. I would never take you anywhere I knew was unsafe, but that doesn’t mean youfeelsafe. We can fly back right now if you want to.”

She blinked, and through our bond, I felt her determination harden. “No. I want to. I can’t… I can’t feel like this forever.”

I pulled up my own hood and laced our fingers together. “Just know that if you want to leave, we can. Anytime.”

She gripped my hand tighter as we walked toward the gate. No one even glanced at us as we passed through. Her cloak was covered with my scent. It would mask hers a little. But still, the dragons here minded their own business. They cared little who came and went, as long as you didn’t cause trouble.

If I had to guess, we were far from the only beings wanting to keep a low profile in this city.

Beyond that, visitors were common here. The city was beautiful, had a thriving marketplace, and was a regular getaway from the business of other dragon cities. Many dragon artisans made their home here precisely because the town was so isolated from the rest of our kind. They cared for little beyond their art and the freedom to make it. Enough of their goods made it to Doro Eche, but there were some things you could only buy here. And I wanted Lena to see all of them.

“Come, quickly.” I pulled her toward the center of the town square. We would be just in time if they still did what I remembered.

I felt Lena’s mood lift as I tugged her, eased by my excitement and our rush. “Where are we going?”

The main square was still dark. Perfect. To the east, the last lingering glimmers of sunlight faded and disappeared. I tugged Lena in front of me, slipping my arms around her. “Just watch.”

A bell tolled, echoing over the city, and at all four corners of the enormous square, dragons unleashed their fire. The entire square was lined with glass lamps of various shapes and colors, all connected by crisscrossing ropes that were immune to the flames. And every evening, the town lit up the lamps, fire racing along those ropes and transforming them in a wave of gorgeous light and color.

Lena gasped, and I tightened my hold, feeling her wonder at the beauty.

“One of the things I wanted you to see,” I murmured.

“Is it a special occasion?”

I shook my head, but she couldn’t see me. “No. It happens every night.”

Now that the square was fully lit up, we could see the mixture of dragons in both their human and beast forms. Every color of hair and scales. The rows between market stalls were wide enough to accommodate our beasts, though most chose to remain human.

“I have one place we must stop,” I told her. “Other than that, there is no agenda.”

She turned in my arms and looked up at me. Her eyes were just visible beneath the deep hood. “Where do we need to go?”

“Should we go there first?”