I won’t let you fall.
“Sure, sure,” I mutter, and check my waist harness one more time, just in case. If I fall, I’ll still be strapped to him, more or less. It’s a totally jury-rigged set-up, but I figure we can perfect this over time.
And then I frown to myself, because why am I thinking long term? My goal is to get back to Fort Dallas and my sister Amy. But then Kael’s big foreleg wraps around me oh-so-gently, and he pulls me in to nuzzle me with his big snout. You can do this, my mate.
I stroke his nose, feeling a rush of affection for him. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.”
He gives me a hot whuff against my neck, which is the dragon-form equivalent of a kiss, I suppose. And it makes me smile wistfully. When had anyone (other than Amy or Sasha) been so totally focused and devoted to my happiness and care? Even with Amy and Sasha, it’s not the same. We look after each other because we’re family, and that’s what family does.
With Kael, it’s different. So many things are.
I’m torn once more, but now’s not the time to worry about it. I need to quit stalling and get things moving. So I let him pull me closer, and I use his leg to clamber onto his back, sliding into the saddle rather messily. I wiggle into place, gripping the handlebars, and then begin to tie down additional Velcro straps to my legs that I rigged for ‘just in case.’ Being on Kael’s back is broader and a bit wobblier than I expected, and it’s making me even more nervous than before. He’s not used to having a rider. What if he forgets I’m back here?
I won’t forget, he vows. And if you fall, I will catch you. No harm will come to you, my Claudia. I would die first.
Somehow, I know that is the truth. I reach out and stroke a hand along the scales of his neck, and I can feel the heat through them. “I know. I’m just a little worried, that’s all. I’m sure it’ll be fine with time.” I put my hands back on the handlebars and suck in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s give this a whirl.”
Before I can tell him to take things slow, Kael shoots into the air like a cannon. I let out a shriek of surprise as my butt lifts from the saddle, despite all the strapping-in I’ve done, and then thumps back into place a moment later. I cling to the handlebars, but they don’t feel like enough.
But then, Kael extends his wings out to glide, and we get caught on an updraft. Suddenly, we’re soaring high through the skies, and I’m on dragon-back instead of dangling from dragon-claw and…it’s breathtaking. I stare out in wonder at the spread of the city below, the ruins covered in creeping greenery. Birds flick past us, unafraid, as we fly. The sight of them makes me laugh in delight, and my ponytail streams wildly around my face and into my eyes. I shake my head to try to get it out of my eyes, but that doesn’t work so well. I need a braid, I think. Or a hat.
And then a bug flies into my eye, and I shriek again, clawing at my face. Adding goggles to that list, too.
I can feel Kael’s amusement as we soar, sailing leisurely through the skies. Are you all right?
I am, I tell him, once I’ve wiped my eyes a million times. The wind makes them wet with tears, but it doesn’t stop me from staring around in wonder. I feel so…powerful like this.
You like this much better, I can tell.
“I do,” I call out, but my words get eaten away by the wind. No wonder his people are telepaths. I try again. I do. I feel less like a victim and more like a participant. This is fun.
And you are strapped in solidly? Your seat is good?
I keep one hand on the handlebars and give the straps on my legs a few experimental tugs. I think I’m anchored well enough—
The breath chokes out of me when he does a flip in the air, and we go upside down for a brief, horrifying moment. OHMYGODKAEL!
We right a second later, and I can feel the rumble of amusement in him. I shake a fist helplessly at the air. You jerk. You jerk! You scared the crap out of me!
Why? I told you I would not let you fall. But now that you are as close to my skin as one of my scales, I no longer have to worry about your safety nearly as much.
Just about me losing bladder control, I tell him sourly, but I can’t stay mad. This is too much fun.
Shall we keep going?
For once, I’m not desperate to get out of the air and to land. Yes, let’s. I’d love to see more of the city.
Then on we go.
And we bank heavily to one side, turning, and head off into the horizon.
27
CLAUDIA
We fly for at least an hour or two, leisurely gliding over parts of the city I haven’t seen since the Rift opened and humanity went bust. There are suburbs (overgrown), length upon length of highway (overgrown), and lots and lots of charred areas where it’s clear that dragons have come through. I see one fairly intact tall building on the outskirts that I’d love to explore. It even has an old helipad for Kael to easily land on, and it might make a better ‘lair’ for us than the old office building we’ve currently claimed. Out farther in the city, there are a lot more promising scavenge buildings, too. I’ve seen herds of horses and cattle, wild dogs roaming the streets far below. They all scatter at the sight of a dragon hovering overhead.
We even saw a red dragon off in the distance. I’d panicked a little at the sight of it, because I feel vulnerable perched on the ridge of Kael’s shoulders. But the red flew away, completely uninterested in us.
She smells me with my mate, he tells me, so she is not interested.
Funny how simply being with Kael has turned into the ultimate safety net in this strange place our world has become. Once, I would have been terrified at everything I’m seeing, but now it’s just mildly interesting. Nothing can hurt me. Not now, not while I’m with Kael.
I reach out and caress his scales with one wind-chapped, cold hand. Gloves, I think idly. I need gloves next time. As much as I worked, I’m still not prepared for riding dragon-back. Clearly there’s more gear needed than I’d thought.
Still…I’m on freaking dragon-back! How awesome is that? We can fly so far. I’d never be stuck behind the walls at Fort Dallas again, forced to co-exist with a bunch of criminals and obey the militia simply because it’s not safe to be alone. With Kael at my side, I don’t have to worry about that. We can go anywhere. We could go to the western seaboard and see if old California is as destroyed as Texas. Who knows, maybe we could even fly to Hawaii. I used to love the beach. I wonder how long flying across the ocean would take and if there are any dragons on the islands.
Of course, I’d have to find a way to get Amy on dragon-back without scaring the shit out of her. And Sasha, too. I wouldn’t leave them behind—
Be calm, my mate, Kael tells me, interrupting my stream of thoughts. His head lifts, and he stares off into the distance.