Zed closed the door behind her as she walked into the warm space with its strange musty, metallic smell. She was immediately overwhelmed by a sense of claustrophobia. She was a creature of the forest, of green growth and light. She was not meant to be kept underground. She shuddered as her footsteps echoed into a deep, concrete-lined void that stretched beyond what she could see.

Jillian had shifted into an enormous and brilliant blue bird, feathered in flames. She was settled onto a nest of glowing embers, her long swan-like neck tucked down as she breathed deeply.

Bael paused and casually blew out a lengthy line of flames that lit one and then a long line of torches stretching to the end of the cave. Torchlight reflected off of piles of gold–coins, platters, statues, chests of jewels–practically blinding her if she stared too long in one direction. It was all she could do not to run around the cave, shoving treasure into her pockets, fulfilling her Goonies fantasies. But she knew that she was already pushing Bael’s instincts to their limits, she didn’t want to test him further.

The fellas had obviously “swept” a significant corner of the cave, baring the floor to make room for two camping cots and a pile of pillows and blankets, multiple camping coolers, and an enormous rock fire circle already chock-full of lumber. In the far corner, in the darkest part of the clearing, he’d set up a privacy screen and a beaten copper bathtub.

“We tried to make it as comfortable for you as possible,” Bael told her “Jillian’s used to sleeping in a sort of nest of pillows at home, so I brought them–for afterwards.”

“Do you need to take a break before we get started?” she asked. “Drink some water, get something to eat? Because your energy is a little…on edge.”

“It’s nothing personal. It’s just a big thing to let a stranger into my treasure horde. Between that and trusting you with my mate and my young–that’s an awful lot of trust I’m placing in you, Charlotte,” Bael said.

“I know, and I appreciate that. You’re going to do great, Bael,” Charlotte promised him. “But can I ask–just one more time–that your dragon form try not to eat me?”

He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “If you could just keep reminding me that you’re there to keep Jillian and the baby safe, that would help.”

“I can do that. We’ve got this.” She extended her hand, which he shook firmly. He crossed the cave, undressing in an unlit corner. Charlotte heard cracking and metallic shrieks while the shadows shifted and grew.