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The water rushed into the sink as she marveled at how well her skin had healed. A few minor bruises were along her jaw, but her face was clear, and the swelling was gone. Her hair was a rat's nest because she hadn’t braided it before falling asleep, or rather being put to sleep by Liekki.

Leaning down, she splashed the icy cold water on her face.

She wanted to fill the sink up, call Chumana in, and ask her to heat it as Liekki had done.

But warm water was a luxury she’d only gotten used to when she moved into the lab.

It wasn’t that the district didn’t have hot water.

It came at a steep price, which was a luxury.

With the Drahks, a people who had the gift of dragon fire, she didn’t see the cold water as evidence of their lack of finances. Hell, the man had a big chunk of a precious stone he freely gave her, one that strangely brought her comfort.

Quickly, she washed her face and cleaned her teeth, ignoring the goosebumps on her skin from contact with the frigid water. The clothes came next, and she could admit she felt like a normal person instead of a lab rat. She’d lived so long only being able to wear a hospital gown and slippers.

The short-sleeve top was snug since her breasts were a bit fuller than Chumana’s, but it covered Avalore to the bottom of her ribs and only left a few inches of bare midriff.

She would have appreciated underpants but Avalore wasn’t keen on wearing another woman’s.

Instead of pants, which would have been way too long given the other woman’s height, Chumana had given her a cargo skirt.

The pockets on the thighs weren’t big enough for Avalore to put the stone in. The only thing missing were shoes.

However, Avalore could understand because, like the length of Chumana’s legs, the woman’s feet were a bit larger than hers.

Glancing up, Avalore thought about what to do with her hair.

She opened the same drawer she’d found the comb the night before and was happy that Liekki had returned it.

On the counter were a couple of the same small jars as the larger ones on the side of the bathtub.

She decided to use the moisturizer she’d used on her body the night before to smooth out her natural waves.

Her hair’s texture and length were like her Dominican mother’s, while her nose and lips represented her Black father. They both could be blamed for her ass and thighs that were giving the seams of the skirt a workout.

In minutes, her hair was done in a single braid over her left shoulder. Happy with her appearance and to know she hadn’t been permanently scarred by the winged honey-defenders, Avalore left the bathroom.

She paused momentarily, straightened the bed, and considered taking the stone with her. Deciding to leave it, even though it made her uneasy to be without it, Avalore wanted Liekki’s people to see her as friendly. Maybe it would make it easier for them to help her.

Her stomach growled, and Avalore was forced across the room to the open door and down the stairs.

Chumana rose from the couch as she descended. “I’m glad everything fit. Liekki told me last night your shape was similar to mine, but you were much shorter.”

If he were remotely interested in me, it would seem the man has a type. Avalore told herself she didn’t care if Liekki liked her because she wasn’t interested in him.

Shoving the thoughts aside, Avalore stood at the bottom of the stairs, her head only coming to the woman’s chin. She grinned at Chumana. “I’m grateful for the loan. I feel human again—”

The tall woman laughed. “I got you. Let’s get going. You can grab shoes at the textile building, too. The sun is rising higher now, and there should be plenty of Drahks to introduce you to.”

“I’m ready.” Avalore followed the woman out the door. When she turned to close the front door, it was as heavy as the bedroom one.

“Let me help.” Chumana reached around her and smoothly shut the door with one hand.

Avalore glanced back at the door and then at the woman with the muscular arms and toned body. “I need to work out more if I’m ever going to get myself in and out of places around here. Whoever thought stone doors were a great idea was wrong.”

“Wood and other materials burn too easily. And our dragons can be temperamental at times.” Chumana shrugged and started walking.

Avalore dashed to keep stride with the other woman’s long legs.

“Dragons?” She shook her head. Just then, two big beasts flew high above them in the sky.

One dove toward the ground, and the other seemed to follow in a chase only to circle the other.

Then they circled each other as if dancing before launching back up toward the cloudless golden-purple sky, and the first followed.

Her heart pounded in her chest with fear and amazement.

“That’s going to take some getting used to. ”

Chumana glanced up. “That’s Aine and Ryuji. A mated pair who are expecting. There has been a lot of that happening in the territory.”

“Sky-dancing dragons?”

“Yup. This is a wonderful time for us now that Aguya Kai has conceived, opening the wombs of all female Drahk.”

“What?” Avalore skip-walked to match Chumana’s pace. She was happy the ground was covered in soft grass and cleared of debris that could be painful to step on. “How can one woman getting pregnant affect others?”

She was winded. Avalore knew it wasn’t because she’d recently been ill because she felt terrific, but she’d spent too much time inactive in the lab.

The scientists didn’t need her and the other woman physically fit enough to run miles or walk long distances in the lab.

They needed them for blood samples, spit, and even stool, then pump them full of more things they needed to test how their bodies reacted. However, nothing physical.

Chumana looked down at her and slowed her pace. “Forgive me. I’m not used to walking with a human. I forgot your legs are shorter than mine.”

Grateful for the slower pace, Avalore took a deep breath and exhaled to calm her racing heart. “No problem. It won’t take long for me to learn to keep up with your kind.”

If I stay.

“Tell me more about the pregnant woman. Is she sort of a goddess for your people?”

Giggling, Chumana shook her head. “Oh, no. We believe in the Great Spirit who created us. Kai is the Mckenna’s mate. He’s our leader and Liekki’s brother.”

Unable to help herself, Avalore assessed the woman to see if she showed any outward response to saying Liekki’s name. She saw nothing in the woman’s eyes or markings to indicate some burst of emotions, not that Avalore would know which color meant Chumana and Liekki were romantically involved.

You could ask the woman.

That would mean I want to know or care. And. I. don’t.

While Chumana was still talking, Avalore missed some of it, arguing with herself.

“...as Drahks, we are all connected...linked. The Great Spirit made it so. We operate differently than most humans on this continent; we are a community first. Our dragons do what serves all Drahks; in that, we serve ourselves because others are doing the same. So, if one of us is hurt or injured, we know and can sense it. Also, everything starts for us at the top, through our Mckenna. His job is to ensure we are provided for, protected, and strong.” Chumana glanced up toward the couple, who were still soaring.

“Our strength is in our numbers. Now that he has a mate and she carries, we can grow again.”

Unity. That’s what Avalore heard in the joy in the woman’s voice and saw in her serene expression. And this time, Chumana’s markings radiated an amethyst hue.

Everything the woman said stretched Avalore’s mental capacity for imagination. It was all foreign to her. Every new thing about Drahks she learned challenged her ignorance. If shifters and other things were roaming the Earth, why weren’t humans aware of it?

Avalore locked her thoughts away for later. For now, she’d taken in enough and figured she needed to focus on mapping the area around her. She couldn’t see much most of the time since so many two-story buildings blocked her view as she walked between one stone and glass structure after another.

“Why do Drahks build such huge buildings and ones with unsafe balconies—?”

Just as she asked, she saw a Drahk male step out of a large set of massive, glass windows, like at Liekki’s place, then leap into the air and shift into a gigantic golden-green dragon with spikes at the tip of its tail. The beast’s astonishing wingspan flapped and carried it into the air.

Avalore stumbled but regained her balance quickly before ending up on the ground.

“Wow. He just shifted. One second, he was a man, and then... like in a blink...”

Chumana laughed as she released her. “More like a breath. Shifting and breathing are the same for us. We simply choose when to let go.”

“Choose to let go,” Avalore mumbled as she tracked the flight path of the dragon, who seemed to be headed in the same direction they were going.

“Trust me, as Liekki’s mate, you will get used to it here.”

“What?” Her feet skidded to a halt, ripped blades of grass, and dust kicked up at her feet.

It took Chumana a moment to realize she was no longer walking beside her and had taken four steps before she stopped and turned. The other woman’s perfect brows arched up.

“I’m not Liekki’s anything.” Avalore wasn’t even sure what that term meant. “Unless mate means ‘patient’ to Drahks. You know someone who is ill and needs care.”

Chumana folded her arms over her chest, the woman’s first sign of annoyance since Avalore met her. “I know what a patient is...but I stated what I meant. You’re Liekki’s mate.”

Shaking her head, Avalore stared across the short distance at the other woman.