a leather lump caught on the edge of a partially-crushed bush to my right. I begin to rush after it, but a large hand catches my arm.
“Do not move fast,” the male growls low, prickling my skin.
I don’t know if the warning is because of the female—femdragon—or because he’s not good on his legs. Either way, his grip remains.
“I need to get that bag,” I say after a moment. When he responds with a growl, I add, “It’s in the direction of… my territory.”
His grip tightens but to my surprise, he steps onto the wet bank first, pulling me after him. Nearly falling, he takes me with him. I land against his side. He shoves me off—still holding onto me—and with a little bit of awkwardness and a few more stumbles, we make it to the bag together.
Lifting it up, it’s completely soaked, but within are fruits and several clay jars of crushed herbs and spices, medicinal and otherwise.
“What is it?” he asks, releasing me to snatch the bag.
“Food, some medicine.” I see my net in the place the bag was, caught in the weeds. Excited, I grasp and untangle it and check the net for holes. Finding none, I hold it to my breast. “My net,” I say when I notice him studying me curiously.
It dawns on me, and not for the first time, that there’s a male here, beside me. The impossibility of it is still hard for me to take in, even after everything. Even though there’s guilt. Even though I saw him turn from a giant, mighty dragon with my very eyes. He’s lost something… magnificent.
His lips warp into a sneer.
There’s a male, and he hates me.
He takes my arm again and shoves me forward. “Go.”
10
The First Evening Bonded
The screeches of the femdragon follow us—each time I hope it’s the last—and the jarring sound rises back into the air to assault my ears. It’s not long before night has fallen completely and we’re both tripping and stumbling over everything.
He keeps his hold on me, making it worse—maybe not for him—and our bodies keep colliding together. He’s huge, a whole head taller than me, and even though there’s nothing but the muted gleam of red to guide us, I still feel the shadow of his body over me. And to make matters worse, his shaft is still hard, and it hits my back and my side again and again.
I’m beginning to think he’s doing it on purpose.
I’d give anything to have my raft back right now. I swat away a glowfly in front of me.
He trips on uneven ground and his curses fill my ears. I barely manage to stay upright as he catches and rights himself.
“Puny, weak legs, with no armor. How has your ridiculous species survived?”
His question burns me. “By not traipsing through a dangerous jungle at night!” I snap.
His nails bite into my flesh. “You should have thought of this before touching me! Where is your territory, wretch? It must be nearby now.” Hissing, he waves his hand against his thigh. “These blasted bugs. If they knew what they bit into, they would stay clear.” More curses follow. “I will destroy you all!”
He releases me and flaps around like a madman, slapping his skin. Gaping, I follow his outline twisting around, wishing I could see his face.
“The bugs aren’t biting me,” I say.
Roaring now, he pivots back to me, swiping his hand once more before his face. “Your flesh is too weak,” he blasts. “You are lucky they have rich, ancient, dragon flesh to dine on otherwise they would be after you. Should I sacrifice everything for a powerless human!”
“Powerless?” I furrow my brow in annoyance. “If my flesh is so weak, why does a single touch of my hand do so much to you?”
He grabs me again before I can react, jerking me forward. His breath hits my face. My nose fills with his wild floral and spice scent. His warmth floods over me, and I can feel all of him. I can even see his scowl in the pitch-dark. My palms come up to press against his chest as his hard cock nudges my belly.
“Where is your territory?”
“A day or two’s walk away, in the light. That way.” I point behind me, using the sound of the river close by to direct me.
He closes the distance and we’re flush against each other. “A day? A. Day! Two?” Twisting to the side, he slams his fist into the tree next to us. I