“The gnome believes everything he has said.”
“Is that the same as he’s telling the truth?”
“He is telling the truth as he sees it and has lived it. I am… inclined to believe there is some Silverclaw plan that has been in place against my family since before I was born, because they are cowardly and despicable and have no honor. This is what they resort to instead of fair fights. I have also found it strange that so many of my relatives have gotten sick and gone off to die, but this has happened to dragons from other clans too, so it seemed possible it was something natural. This suggestion that it is not…”
“I’m surprised you’re not jumping up and down with fury and ready to charge off to war.” I’d seen him get furious merely over an ogre picking a fight with me. This calmness now was almost eerie.
“I am seething with inner fury.”
“Sounds uncomfortable.”
“Yes.” Zav stroked his chin. “I am attempting to weigh all the consequences and potential ramifications of taking action. As soon as I tell the queen, she will want to gather an army and strike. I admit that I want to do that. I would even volunteer to lead that army. But from what I saw in the gnome’s thoughts of this place, I worry that it’s possible Shaygorthian or his ally could flip a switch and kill all of the imprisoned dragons. It is almost surprising that they haven’t already. Why keep them alive when they could have killed them long ago and destroyed the evidence? It is hard to believe they care about obeying the tenets of our people about not killing other dragons. More likely, they feared reprisal. It is also possible they want to use them for bargaining—or blackmail. Will the Silverclaws try to force the queen to step down by threatening to kill our kin if she doesn’t comply?” He shook his head slowly. “More than thirty members of my family have gone missing over the last few hundred years. Some I never knew, but I knew many of them. My uncle helped raise me after my father died.”
“I’m sorry this has happened to you and your family.” I stepped close and wrapped my arm around his waist.
“Yes.” For a moment, he didn’t move or acknowledge my embrace, and I wondered if he would prefer if I left him alone. Then he lowered his hand from his chin and rested his arm around my shoulders. “Another concern I must admit I have is that the queen might not be willing to listen to me right now. I visited her again to discuss Velilah’nav, and we had a heated argument. Our words were cross, and she told me not to come back until I’ve dissolved my claim on you and am willing to mate with one of my own kind.”
I groaned. What crappy timing.
Before, I worried that he would succumb to his mother’s wishes and walk away from me, but now, I worried about what would happen if he didn’t. A lump formed in my throat as I wrestled the thought of losing him against the realization that it would be much easier on him if he left.
Even if I hadn’t been on board with being claimed in the beginning, my feelings had changed. Now, I wanted to see where the relationship could go. The thought of him walking—flying—out of my life forever was heart-wrenching.
“Maybe you should do what she wants, so she’ll speak with you and you can bring her this information,” I made myself say, though tears threatened to fall.
Zav’s arm tightened around my shoulders. “You wish me to dissolve my claim on you?”
“No, but if it’s what you need to do to help your people…”
He grew still again and did not speak for several long moments. When he moved, it was to draw me closer and wrap both of his arms around me.
“No.” It came out as a defiant growl, and he lifted a hand to the back of my head and stroked my hair. “You are mine. The queen will come to see your loyalty and value and that you please me, and she will accept it.”
It sounded like he was describing a good hound, but by now, I was used to how he spoke and thought. Besides, I didn’t feel like objecting to semantics tonight. I laid my face against his shoulder and hugged him tight.
“Can you tell your sister about all this and ask her to speak with your mother?” I suggested.
“Possibly.” He started kneading the back of my head, and I melted against him. Then he kissed my ear. “It also pleases me that you wish to plan battles with me and assist my people.”
“Well, I want to assist you. I’m not in love with the rest of your people. All the ones I’ve met have tried to flatten me or forcefully read my mind.”
“Dragons are dangerous enemies.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“They are also dangerous family members.”
“Sunday-night dinners at your house must be a blast.”
“Sometimes, we fight over meat.”
“Imagine my surprise.”
He rubbed my head for a while before speaking again. I was happy to bask in the attention—and the delightful sensations flowing through my nerves—but I worried about his future. Our future.
“I am debating,” Zav said, “if it would be possible to defeat the two Silverclaw dragons guarding that facility and sneak in and free my people before the rest of their clan figured out what was happening.”
“Freysha thought they might have alarms that would go off if they sensed a bunch of dragons coming.”
“That is likely, yes.”
“Maybe they wouldn’t notice a half-elf and a tiger. With a gnome guide.”
Zav stepped back, his hands resting on my shoulders as he frowned sternly at me. “I am pleased that you wish to assist me, but this is a problem for dragons. It is too large for a half-elf and a tiger to handle.”
“You forgot about the gnome.”
The frown grew even sterner.
“And a vampire alchemist. Since Ti’s predecessor—that gnome scientist who invented the bacteria—is gone, Zoltan may be the only one with experience eradicating this infection.”
“He cannot accompany you to another world.” His tone turned dry. “There is light there.”
“He could prepare enough doses of his formula for me to take along. Assuming we can prove ahead of time that it works on dragons.” I patted him on the chest. “That’s where you would come in. How do you feel about lending your body to science?”
Zav’s nostrils flared. “You want me to let him experiment on me?”
“If it’ll get us a formula that can cure your family, isn’t it worth it?”
He radiated distaste as he continued to gaze at me, but I could tell he was considering this.
I hoped it wasn’t insane that I was considering this. It sounded like a suicide mission. My whole life had grown ten times more dangerous since Zav had come into it, bringing with him a whole passel of new dragon enemies. But did I truly regret that? I liked Zav. And maybe I was the tiniest bit tempted by the fact that Ti was willing to pay me enough to retire on if I actually managed to succeed.
“I would sacrifice myself so that my family could live,” Zav said.
“I don’t think you have to sacrifice yourself, just let a vampire poke needles into your veins.”
“That sounds less palatable than sacrifice.”
“Don’t be overdramatic.” I swatted him on the chest.
“If he is able to make a formula… and you are willing to go, I will go with you.”
“Wouldn’t the whole point be to avoid setting off the dragon detectors?”
“If I sense such a thing, and if I can’t figure out how to mask my aura or otherwise elude the detectors, I will wait outside while you go in, but this will not be the case. I am cleverer than my more blunt kin. I can find a way to go in with you without setting off alarms.”
“You’re the non-blunt one in the family?”
“You do not believe me? You have met the queen. And my sister.”
“This is true.”
“Am I not more tactful?”
“I’m not sure if you’re more tactful or I’m just more willing to find your arrogance charming because you’re sexy and think I’m a great warrior.”
His eyes narrowed as he gazed at me through his lashes. “You are a great warrior.” His voice turned to a purr. “And I am sexy.”
“I feel like I should object to such cocky statements, but I did see you earlier without your robe on.” Smiling, I stepped in and kissed him.
Zav wrapped his arms around me again and returned the kiss, but there was a crease to his brow and tension in his mouth. He was worried. I was too. But if we could somehow make everything work out, it could return full power to his family and might solve problems for a lot of the innocent people in the Cosmic Realms. Maybe it would help my people, too, and keep dragon troubles away from Earth. So long as it didn’t keep my dragon away from Earth.
My dragon whose hand drifted under my shirt, stroking his fingers across my bare skin. Little tingles of magic momentarily made me forget my worries. And everything we’d been talking about.
I might have gone on kissing him all night—or suggested we go up to the bedroom and finish what we’d started when Nin had interrupted us—but the back door opened, and Zoltan leaned out.
“Am I or am I not experimenting on your dragon tonight?” he asked without any apology for interrupting our kiss.
Zav glared coolly over at him, breaking the kiss but not letting go of me, neither with the hand on my butt nor the one that had found its way up to cup my breast. Why did I have a feeling Zav didn’t care a whit about privacy and would be perfectly willing to have sex in a hot tub while a bunch of pervy goblins watched?
“I will allow you to use me to perfect a formula that will cure my kin,” Zav finally said.
“Excellent.” Zoltan practically skipped to the basement steps and down to his lab. Maybe he was fantasizing about sneaking a few more drops of dragon blood into his collection while he was working. He left the door open and his voice floated back. “I’ve already done the preliminary work with the bacteria, so I’m ready for you as soon as you can pull yourself away from your horny pleasures of the body.”