“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 knew why. Except for that dagger she kept on her, she was naked under her nightdress.

“That won’t work, little human. You’ll need to straddle me.” He heard her quiet moan of despair and fought back a laugh. Normally he would never revel in someone else’s discomfort. But he knew what she was hiding as soon as she straddled his back. He felt it against his scales as if it were human skin she rested upon.

The woman was wet. Evidently she liked a good fight. Of course, so did he, when he found a worthy opponent.

Add in that heady scent of lust, and Briec knew he’d made the right decision.

She was his…until he was done with her.

Smiling, he unfurled his wings and took to the skies. All the while enjoying the feel of his little human clinging desperately to his back and hair, even as she insisted on squealing like a frightened mare.

Chapter Four

Arzhela, the goddess of Light, Love and Fertility, glowered down at the lowered head of her priestess.

“What do you mean he took her?”

She heard the woman swallow before she answered. “He took her.”

“Who took her?” And to be quite honest, she feared the response.

“A grotesque beast. A demon from the underworld. A blight upon—”

“Do not test me, Mer’lle!” the goddess’ voice boomed across the temple built in her honor.

The woman trembled, and Arzhela reminded herself a frightened priestess was a useless one.

“Tell me what the villagers said, Mer’lle.”

“It was a…dragon. A silver dragon, my goddess.”

Arzhela turned from her priestess and stared at the gold statue made in her image. She took a deep breath and sent a silent call to her brothers and sisters, gods and goddesses of this world, to keep an eye out for her little protégé. She couldn’t afford to lose Talaith now. She’d invested too much in the human, using her best priestesses to train her. Prepare her.

The time had finally come when she was to call on Talaith to perform her sacred duty. In fact, Arzhela would have called on her within the next week. Because after the coming full moon, another moon would follow. Among her pantheon, it was the time of darkness and despair. The time when a dark evil would force her priestesses to build up their protections around the villages while keeping all other Magicks and spellcasting to a minimum. Because it was the night the power of the dragon gods would reign supreme upon the land. To the dragon gods’ brethren, the Moon of the Black Fire was a mighty and sacred time when their powerful witches worked their strongest Magicks. And a time that one of the dragon gods had been looking forward to for centuries. She knew all he needed was finally in alignment. All he wanted at the ready. Unless she could stop him. Unless she could destroy his plans. Which meant she must have that viper-tongued little rodent back.