“Really?” Dramatically, he sniffed the air again, and she glared at him.
“Would you stop doing that!”
“I could. But where would the fun be in that?”
Fun? He thought this was fun? Nightmares were made of this. Tales of terror to scare children into behaving. She was not having fun. Dammit.
Standing up, Talaith went in search of a sturdy stick. “Tell me, dragon. Are you planning on forcing me to bed with you?”
“No.” He said it so casually. Like she didn’t just ask him if he had intentions of raping her.
She crouched down, moving a small pile of twigs and branches around until she found what she needed. “Then you and I will not be—”
“Oh, yes we will.”
The branch held tightly in her fist, Talaith stood and turned quickly to face him. “No. We will not.”
He snorted a laugh, his eyes rolling. “Why do you deny yourself?”
“Oh. Is that what I’m doing?” His arrogance made her head want to explode.
“Aye. To both of us.”
Marching back to her rabbits, Talaith again crouched by the fire. She picked up one of the carcasses and brutally shoved the stick through it. She didn’t even have to sharpen the end to a point with her knife.
“You, dragon, are the most—”
“Amazing being you’ve ever met.” It wasn’t a question from him. It was a statement.
“I was going to say the most arrogant son of a bitch.”
He blinked. “Well, that’s rude.”
“Personally, I find you—”
“Shush.” He waved his hand.
For a moment, Talaith truly thought her head might explode. Through gritted teeth, she snapped, “Did you just shush me?”
“Aye. I want to take a nap before we move on.” He settled back against the tree, closing his eyes. “And I find your constant chatter quite annoying.”
Talaith looked around desperately. When did everything become blood red? Because at the moment, everything appeared blood red.
“And don’t try running off anywhere.” One eye opened and focused on her. “Although it might be fun to chase you down.” He smiled as he again closed both his eyes and seemingly drifted off.
Unable to think of anything else to do, Talaith stuck her tongue out at him.
“And don’t stick that tongue out at me,” he teased in a low, sing-song voice, “or I’ll find a good use for it.”
Startled, she immediately closed her mouth and turned back to her rabbit. But when she heard his deep chuckle from across the flames, she knew at that moment she really did hate him.
Briec only slept an hour or so. The suns hadn’t moved far through the sky. He glanced around the camp and panic swept through him. Gone. She was gone. But then he heard her gasp and a startled, “Ack!”
Before he could move, she stumbled out of the forest pulling her nightdress down. He really would have to get her something better to wear than that. He’d begun to despise it.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded as he quickly stood, ready to blast anyone who may have touched her or tried to harm her.
She opened her mouth to answer but closed it again.
“Well?” he pushed.
She shrugged. “Bugs.”
“Did you say bugs?”
“Yes. And don’t look at me like that.” She glanced around the forest. “I don’t like”—she shuddered—“being outside.”
She walked closer to the dwindling fire. “I was off taking care of…uh…some things when something suddenly crawled on me.”
He stared at her and she angrily folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t need to be judged by you.”
“As you wish.”
She perked up. “Really? As I wish? Then can I go home?”
“Yes.”
She blinked in surprise and he smiled. “Home with me. Unless you hope to return to the noose.”
“Oh, keep tossing that into my face,” she snapped.
“If it gets me what I want.”
She stormed up to him, looking fierce in her dirty nightdress and bare feet, gorgeous hair an out-of-control mane of curls, and pointed one small finger at him. “I. Detest. You.”
Briec leaned down until their noses almost touched. “I. Don’t. Care.”
Screaming in exasperation, she turned away from him. He couldn’t hear what she muttered, but he really didn’t care.
“Let’s be off. I want to get a few more leagues between us and that den of vipers you lived with before the suns go down.”
“You’re really insisting I go with you, aren’t you?”
“Of course. You’ll be safer with me.”
“And how can I be sure of that?”
Briec walked over to her. Gently gripping her shoulders, he said, “I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“But you won’t let me go either.”
“Where exactly would you go? Clearly you’re from Alsandair. I can tell by your color.” He reached up and caressed her cheek, startling her. But he couldn’t help himself. She had the most beautiful brown skin he’d ever seen. Flawless, even when outright cranky. “Do you have family here? Friends? Anyone who cares for you within a thousand leagues of this place?”
She tried to turn her face away at his words, but he wouldn’t let her. “Trust me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. And we’ll at least get you some decent clothes.”
“Fine.”
He stared at her, but her face revealed nothing. She’d taken control of her emotions and hidden any feeling she had. She was good at that.
Realizing he’d gotten the most out of her he could, Briec walked away. When he was at a safe enough distance, he chanted the old spell of his people and his body shifted. He went from man to dragon in moments. She stared at him, looking duly horrified. It was no longer dragonfear. No, she simply found him a monster. He’d somehow have to get her over that.
With that last thought swirling through his brain, Briec the Mighty did something he never thought he’d do. He lowered himself to the ground as much as possible.
“Climb up.”
Her eyes widened. “Climb up? Where?”
Briec sighed, annoyed he’d even think of allowing this. “On my back. Grab hold of my hair and climb up.”
“Can’t we walk? Or a brisk run is always nice.”
“Woman, don’t test me.”
She glanced desperately around the forest, apparently looking for that last way out. But he didn’t give her one.
“Unless you’d like to make our journey wrapped in my tail—”
Her head snapped around. “No!” she yelped.
“Then climb.”
After another long pause, she finally walked over to him. With a deep sigh, she grabbed hold of his hair and hauled herself onto his back. She actually tried to sit sidesaddle. And he