Feel the Burn (Dragon Kin #8)(21)

“Loud. Yes. We all know. I did not invite her. She invited herself.”

“I see.” Gaius studied the Rider a moment. “Kachka Shestakova . . . I owe you much.”

“Yes,” she replied. “You do.”

“How can I ever repay you?”

She faced him, her blade and arms covered in blood. “Give me your kingdom!”

Gaius smiled. “You’re adorable.”

“See? The royals. They say all this and they say all that . . . but they do nothing but lie.”

“We don’t lie all the time.”

“You owe me nothing, royal. But we are even for my sister, yes?”

“I never thought you owed me for that. Your sister needed help and I understood her problem better than most. That doesn’t lead to a tit-for-tat situation, in my humble opinion.”

She snorted. “There is nothing humble about you, royal.”

“That’s true.”

Gaius eased around the Rider, watching her as she cut the fur on the bear so that, with one good yank, she could remove it whole.

And, before he knew it, he was snuggled up beside her and on his back.

Although he had no idea why.

Kachka placed the fur aside and was about to cut down the bear when she felt something warm blowing against her bare arm.

She looked down and found giant dragon nostrils right by her. Leaning back a bit, she realized that the dragon’s long body circled her and he was on his back, exposing his belly.

“What . . . are you doing?”

“Proving I’m not slimy.”

“What?”

“You said dragon scales were slimy. As a matter of honor, I have to show you that’s not true. You’ll need to touch me, though.”

Kachka sucked her tongue against her teeth. “Men are disgusting.”

“I’m not a man. And I don’t mean that. Just touch my scales.”

“Touch them yourself.”

“I do. Every day. And they are fabulous. Now it’s your turn.”

“Go. Away.”

“You’re afraid to be proven wrong.”

“I do not care!”

“Then prove it.”

“Fine!” Kachka slapped her hand against his snout.

“Ow!”

“It’s sticky.”

“That’s blood. I just ate. Go down lower.”

“Disgusting.”

“I don’t mean that low.”

With a heavy sigh, Kachka walked around the dragon. His scales were the color of steel. His horns curled down and the tips pointed in toward the middle of his snout. His wings were tucked under his body. And his hair wasn’t nearly as long as the Southlanders, reaching only to his shoulders. It was also steel-colored.

She went under his forearm and pressed her hand against the scales.

That’s when Gaius Domitus giggled and turned away from her.

Kachka reared back. “What are you doing?”

“I’m ticklish there!”

“You are a king!”

“And ticklish!”

She made the rather long walk back to his snout and her bear. “Pathetic,” she tossed at him before she cut her bear down.

He rolled onto his belly, grinning at her, all those fangs flashing in the suns. “Now you sound like my aunt.”

He went up on all fours, shook himself like a dog, wings flapping against him, making a small whirlwind around them.

Kachka waited for him to stop before dropping the fur on top of the bear.

“How long would it take for me to get back to Garbhán Isle from here?” he asked.

“Days.” Kachka tied more ropes around the bear’s skinless ankles. “But old bitch can get you there faster.”

“The Dragonwitch?”

“Yes.”

“How fast?”

“Seconds. Just make sure you do not drink before you leave.”

“Drink what?”

“Anything worth drinking,” which Kachka felt was explanatory enough.

She finished tying the rope strategically around the bear carcass. As she did, she felt flames near her, but paid them no mind since they didn’t actually touch her.

She wound the rope around her arms to make hauling the animal easier, and turned, which was when she came face-to-bloody-chest with the dragon.

“I still haven’t thanked you for saving me,” said the dragon, now in his human form.

Kachka looked up into his handsome face. Horse gods in the field! How unfair that a dragon, of all beings, should be so handsome when human. She could overlook his ridiculous political leanings—as she did with most men—but she could never overlook the fact that underneath all that flesh he had scales.

Scales!

“Again with that?”

He took a step closer and soothing heat came off him in waves. “Yes. Again with that. If it had not been for you and your friends, I would have surely died. Or ended up in a worse situation than I was already in.”

“Oh. I see.” She thought a moment. “True. You should thank me. But we can fix now, yes?” She dropped the rope from her right hand, reached up, catching the back of the dragon’s neck, and yanked him down, taking his mouth hard, sliding her tongue past his lips and teeth. His entire body stiffened in surprise, and as soon as she felt him respond in kind, Kachka pulled back and pushed him away with a shove against his blood-covered chest.