3

AMY
The new dragonstays until it’s almost dawn before heading off once more. That’s two nights in a row that he’s interrupted our sleep, and my sister has the deep circles under her eyes to prove it. The next day her mood is less chipper, and she casts worried looks at Kael.
“Is everything okay?” I ask hesitantly over breakfast. I can’t taste the eggs because I’ve bathed in so much perfume. Kael keeps looking at me, and my sister’s expression is tense. I suspect they argued over whether or not I should be allowed to come out for a meal. I’m glad my sister won the argument; the thought of being cooped up all day without being let out is practically like being in a cage. Doesn’t matter how nice of a cage it is, it’s still a cage.
Claudia just shakes her head and sits with me. She’s not eating, a sign that she’s more stressed than usual. “It’s handled.”
The dragon overhead snorts, the sound almost derisive.
Uh oh. I glance between my sister and her mate. I’m not entirely sure I want to pick sides in this. “Handled? So there’s a problem? He’s not just passing through?”
My sister gets that distant, inward look on her face that tells me she’s having a private conversation once more. Normally Kael isn’t in dragon-form all day long, which should have been my first clue. He’s still on guard, then, still trying to protect us.
“Is he coming back?” I ask my sister, trying to prompt her.
Claudia’s mouth forms a thin line and when I glance up, Kael is watching her. He ruffles his wings and shifts on his feet, then gazes out into the open skies again. I can practically hear his voice saying, You tell her, or something along those lines. It definitely feels like I stepped between an argument of some kind.
“Kael thinks he’s picked up your scent,” my sister says in a flat voice. “That it’s no longer safe for you here.”
“Oh.” I sit back, my hands folding in my lap. My heart flutters with excitement and worry both. Things are changing…I’m just not sure what they mean yet. “He has my scent?”
She nods and crosses her arms over her chest. “He’s going to keep coming back until he finds you, so we’re just going to have to leave and head somewhere else.”
I realize that my sister’s more than stressed, she’s upset. She flicks her gaze around the room and I know it’s not just me she worries about. It’s the life she was carving out with Kael here at the top of this tower. She’s spent months acquiring things and making a home, and she’s pregnant. There are so many things at stake, more than just my safety.
My safety that I sabotaged. I feel like a childish jerk all of a sudden. I didn’t think of anyone else in this, did I? I just want what she has and I acted without thinking. Now my sister’s going to have to pay the price unless I confess what I did and let the chips fall where they may.
But as I look at her, the words stick in my throat. If I tell her what I did…she’ll be so upset at me. So disappointed. I can’t bring myself to tell her yet. Maybe…maybe I’ll write it down, compose my thoughts. “I see. Do we have to leave? You’ve worked so hard to have a home here.”
Anyone in the After knows just how much “home” means to a person. After living in fear in Fort Dallas, hungry and miserable and constantly worried about where your next meal will come from or what you’ll have to trade for medicine or a place to sleep? Home is more than just things. It’s safety and security, and I’ve taken those from my sister. I feel so incredibly guilty and sad. I’ve ruined this for her.
She tries to smile, as if it’s not so bad. “It’s going to be all right, I promise. We’ll find someplace new and safe, and we’ll set up all over again.”
And if he follows us there? I don’t ask that. I don’t think I can physically wear more perfume than I already am. The taste of it is in my eggs, in my nose, in my everything. I know Claudia’s been trying so hard to keep me safe, which just makes my selfish actions even worse. “What about the others? Could they help chase the dragon off?” I practically choke on the words, because I’m torn. I don’t want him to be chased off. I want to meet him. I want to greet him and watch his eyes light up with joy at the realization that I’m his mate.
At the same time, my sister’s misery is eating at me.
“The others?” Claudia echoes and then gives a little shake of her head. “Sasha and Dakh are at the ocean and won’t be back for weeks. And Zohr offered to come and help, but you know his wings aren’t great. He needs to stay back and protect Emma. This other dragon’s really big and Zohr’s at a disadvantage on the ground. He wouldn’t be much help in a fight.”
“Still,” I say weakly. “Two against one…”
“Or we can just move.” Claudia’s voice is crisp, as if we’re done with arguing over it. “Take today and pack your things, and tomorrow morning, we’re going to head out and look for a new place to live.”
Tomorrow. “So fast?”
“No sense in waiting,” my sister says.
No, I suppose not. All right, then. One day. One day for me to somehow get to the dragon and talk to him. To stop his endless attacks so my sister won’t have to leave her home. And more than that, for me to say hello to the man—uh, dragon— I’m going to be the companion to.
He has to be the one that found my panties. He wants me.
The thought cheers me probably more than it should.

I only pack enoughfor a small bag. It might be because I don’t really intend on Claudia and Kael having to bail out of their home. It’s just a big enough bag that lets me keep a few small necessities in case I need to travel. It’s got a dress, a wrap for my knee, a toothbrush, a comb, and a highly prized box of tampons I’ve been saving. I throw a knife in there “just in case” and a couple of wrapped snacks, because I want to be prepared. It feels a bit ridiculous to prepare what feels like an overnight bag, when in reality, I’m probably running away with a dragon I’ve never met.
Actually, that sounds even more ridiculous.
I pack a spare bra and panties, too, and my book. And then my bag’s starting to get bulky, so I hide it under my bed like I’m a child, and wait for night.
I’m restless and nervous, and when my sister comes down to hang out, I try to concentrate on sewing torn clothing scraps into a blanket as she talks about what furniture she’ll have Kael come back and get and possible locations for us to stay at temporarily. She isn’t sure if they want to move closer to the outskirts of Old Dallas, because the hunting might be better for Kael with less draconic competition, but she also doesn’t want to move too far from Sasha and Dakh’s nest, as well as Emma and Zohr.
I get that. She wants to be close to her friends, who are going through the same thing she is with a dragon and a pregnancy. I can sympathize and listen, but I can’t really offer advice in either of those aspects, so I understand why she wants to stay close. They’ve formed their own little network of dragonrider ladies. It’s just another small thing I’ve been excluded from. Not in a malicious way, of course. Claudia would be hurt if she thought I felt left out. But there’s no way to include me without, well, me getting a dragon-man of my own.
And…I’m excited.
To think that a dragon’s here. For me. Someone wants me enough to love me and protect me. It’s different when it’s a man compared to just my sister. I’ve grown up in the After, so I’ve never had a real relationship. When the Rift happened, I was in middle school. After that, we were in Fort Dallas, and having a relationship never even crossed my mind, because all the men there were creepy and made me feel unsafe. If I wanted to just get groped, I could have had my pick of men despite my bad leg. But to have someone love and care for me? Not a chance.
I try to recall what my sister said of her meeting with Kael. She’s skimmed over a lot of the specifics when I’ve tried to pry for details, but I know the gist of it. She was chained up at the top of a building, left by the militia. Kael smelled her scent, landed in front of her, and changed. From there, they fell in love. I don’t know how they got past the communication barrier, but just scenting my sister must have somehow flipped the switch in Kael’s mind from crazy to sane. It’s like there’s a piece missing that she didn’t share with me, but I can’t figure out what it is. Kael’s nothing but loving to her, though, so I’m not worried.
I just hope that my bad leg doesn’t make my dragon like me less. I rub my knee, worried. The break happened in the time of chaos during the Rift and there weren’t any doctors to help out. I still vividly remember those awful days of mind-numbing pain, and the weeks I spent unable to do more than lie down without hurting. It’s healed badly, and when I run my fingers down my leg, I can feel the upraised scar tissue and then the knobby bend just below my knee where the bones healed badly. It’s ached ever since, but I’m lucky I’m alive. So many died during that time. But Claudia’s strong and healthy and so smart. Sasha’s beautiful. Emma’s strong and pretty. If dragons want a strong mate, then…what happens if mine rejects me?
You’re just making trouble for yourself, Amy.I swallow my fears. I’m stalling, mostly because I’m a little worried about making the leap into the next chapter of my life. I hope my sister understands. I’ve left a note tucked onto the table explaining that I’ve gone to meet my dragon and that I’m safe and not to follow me. I hope she and Kael listen.
No more stalling, I tell myself. It’s time to go.
I suck in a deep, steadying breath. I can do this. I can be brave. My loneliness is stronger than my fear. I get up from my bed and move to the door, listening. There’s not a sound. I know Claudia wanted to wait up for the dragon, but the pregnancy makes her tired, and I think Kael convinced her to rest for a while, because she went to bed before I did. I don’t hear him moving around either, so I suspect he’s with her. I crack my door and peek out, just in case. When I don’t see anyone, I quietly shut my door again and throw the lock, just because I might need a few extra moments that it’ll buy me. Kael can just turn the entire thing into melted slag anyhow.
With that done, I turn back to my bed and put my shoes on. Not my sandals that I wear around the building here, but real, sturdy, lace-up shoes that never get much use from me. They feel stiff against my skin, but I’m glad Claudia made me take them “just in case.” I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder, then head for my hidden grate, moving aside the scarves. It’s dark inside, and I don’t dare carry a candle or use my flashlight, but I know the way by heart. I crawl inside and slowly make my way toward my “secret” room, the one with the window.
When I get to the other side, I’m so nervous that I half-fall out of the air duct and land heavily on the floor. A shooting pain spikes up my bad leg and I remain utterly still, worried that Claudia—or worse, Kael—is going to come and investigate, and all of this will be over before it started.
No one comes, though, and after a few nervous minutes, I take another deep, shuddering breath, and pick myself up off the floor.
Moonlight pours in through the dusty window and the city ruins are nothing but shadow. I approach the view, thinking about how it used to be back when there were things like electricity. I remember thousands of clustered lights everywhere, dotting the landscape like a bed of fireflies and so bright that they drowned out the stars above. Now, the night sky is so brilliant that it’s like a light show of its own, and it’s the city itself that’s dark and uninviting. In the gloom, the ruined buildings look more like skeletal hands reaching up from the earth, and that’s enough to make me shiver. Luckily the stars are so bright that they light up the nighttime sky, and I approach the window.
I’m breathing hard, nervous. Is he out there? Is he waiting for me? Can he sense my thoughts? Or did he give up and leave? The thought fills me with a surge of panic. Please, please still be out there. Don’t leave me just yet. Give me a chance.
I just need to get far enough out of the window to let my scent carry on the breeze. If he’s around, he’ll smell me.
I think.
I study the window. It’s made up of several panes, all of the glass gorgeously thick and strong for having held up this long, given the dragons and apocalypse and everything. Each pane is as big as a wall, and I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to get one of them open. The ledge outside is easily two feet deep, big enough for me to stand on even with my bad knee.
I put a hand against the glass, frowning as I push against it. It feels solid. Strong. I’m not entirely sure how to get this open. What do I do? I don’t have a baseball bat like Emma carries with her. Even if I did, I’m not sure I’d have the strength to break it. I run my hand along the glass until I hit the seam. The sealant looks cracked and old, and on a whim, I slip my bag off my shoulder and pull out my knife. I jam it into the grout and drag downward, and the grout falls away like dirt, dry and hard.
Progress!
I continue working along the seam, digging out as much of the grout as I can. I go as high as I can reach, but I can’t quite get all of it, so I move along the bottom instead. When I’m done, the window looks the same, though. Frustrated, I make a fist and shove my knuckles against the center of the glass.
I don’t know what I was hoping for—maybe a nudge, or a slight shift of the glass that would tell me I’m on the right track. Instead, the glass itself just creaks and then the massive slab of it is tumbling from the skies. I lean out, staring in horror as it descends hundreds of feet, and I cringe when I hear the faint smash of it on the sidewalk, the tinkling of broken glass filling the air.
Surely that’s going to wake up my sister?
I’d better act fast, then. I shove my knife back into my pack and step out into the open air.
Immediately, the ledge doesn’t feel big enough. It looked enormous and roomy on the other side of the glass. On this side? It’s not nearly enough separating me from falling hundreds of feet down to the broken sidewalk below. I cling to the wall and shuffle along it, my butt plastered to it for safety. The wind up here is crazy, and I wish for a moment that I’d tied my long hair back, but there’s nothing to be done for it now. It’s cold, too, and I wonder if I should have worn something other than one of my normal, simple dresses, because my skirt is whipping around my legs.
I wonder how long I’ll have to wait for my dragon to pick up my scent?
I scan the night sky, but it looks as empty as ever. As the minutes drag past, I begin to get anxious. What if Claudia and Kael see me here before my dragon does? How am I going to explain that? Of course, it won’t matter if he doesn’t come…my fragile heart might break.
“Oh please,” I whisper out into the air. “Come and find me. I’ll be a good mate, I promise. The best mate.”
The only sound is the wind whistling around me.
My knee begins to throb, and I glance down at the ledge I’m perched on. My situation starts to take a more alarming turn. If my knee keeps getting worse, my entire leg could go out from under me. This is not the ideal spot to have that happen, because it’d send me right over the edge. Do I try to sit down, then? Or go back inside? I lean heavily against the wall, feeling frustrated with my body. If I was as strong as Claudia, this wouldn’t be a problem—
The beating of wings interrupts my thoughts.
Elated and terrified all at once, I watch as the dragon circles in the air, drifting out of sight to maneuver around the building. I hold my breath until he appears again, watching as his tail flicks. This is him.
This is my dragon. My mate. I’m shaking with excitement. This is where my life changes. He’s going to be my prince, my love, my protector and my best friend all in one. I watch him eagerly as he shifts his wings and swoops low, then glides toward my spot on my perch. He’s getting close enough that I can see whirling black and gold eyes, a noble golden head with a lovely crest of horns and gleaming golden scales. Oh. He’s so beautiful. The sight of him overwhelms me. This is all so romantic. I needed him to come and save me, and here he is. He—
Out of nowhere, another dragon crashes into him.
I barely catch a glimpse of long, white fangs and eyes black as night as the second dragon swoops in and grabs my dragon by his neck. They go tumbling through the skies, and I bite back my scream of horror. This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen! I watch as they whirl through the air in a flurry of wings and limbs, and the second dragon—who is much bigger and far more menacing looking—still has his jaws locked on my dragon’s neck.
As I watch, the large, evil dragon whips his head back and forth, shaking him with impossible strength. There’s a horrifying crunch of bone, and then his jaws loosen.
My dragon slides out of his grasp, boneless. He tumbles down to the ground, and even from here, I can tell that he’s dead.
I’m going to vomit.
Utterly sick at what I just witnessed, I choke back my tears and start to inch back toward the broken window. How could things go so wrong so quickly? Within the span of a moment, my dream has been shattered. I feel as destroyed as the window scattered on the pavement below. My sight blurs with unshed tears but I don’t care. All I need is enough vision to get me back into the window. I don’t care what happens after that. My dragon’s dead. He’s been killed by another.
I hear the rush of wings as the other dragon moves closer, heading for me.
No. I can’t let that happen. I don’t want my dragon’s murderer to grab me. I don’t want anything to do with him. Panicked, I fling myself forward—
And then my bad knee gives out.
There’s a flash of pain and I tumble to the concrete lip of the ledge. I claw at it, desperate to find purchase, but there’s nothing to hold on to. My hands scrape uselessly over the rough ledge, and then I’m falling.
Falling.
Falling. I close my eyes. This is how I’m going to die.
The wind changes.
I thud into something—not hard enough to be concrete, but just hard enough to knock the wind out of me.
I open my eyes…and look up at the throat of the second dragon. It’s still spattered with blood from his brutal victory. I’m in his claws.
It’s too much for my brain to process. The world blurs and goes black around me and I faint just like a heroine in a fairy tale.