Julie couldn’t help but to laugh with excitement as he launched himself into the sky, moving almost too quickly for her eyes to register. Then he dropped like a great rock falling quickly, and then with an almighty stroke of those massive wings he was soaring again. Julie laughed again as she watched him fly somersaults. Forwards and backwards, up and then down. He was showing off, for her. How cute! This arrogant barbarian, caveman was showing off. It was surprisingly touching.

In this moment, he reminded her of a young boy trying to impress a girl for the first time. He could be sweet, arrogant and down right bossy. There was a quirky side to him as well though.

Coal had slowed right down. He flew towards her, stopping a few feet above her head and slowly lowered himself down. His claws were huge and sharp looking. She should be afraid, but for whatever reason, she wasn’t.

Julie lifted her arms so that he could wrap his scaly, talon tipped claws around her waist. She took ahold of one of his legs. It was like holding onto a narrow tree trunk. A scaly, hard as granite tree trunk.

Don’t look down. Don’t look down. His wings beat as they lifted up and up. Not so fast that her stomach lurched but quick enough that the windows seemed to grow bigger by the second. She looked up as adrenaline coursed through her. This was both nerve wracking and exhilarating all at the same time. It didn’t take long and they were swooping over onto a balcony. Julie almost felt sad that the flight was over. She’d never experienced anything like it in her whole life. Okay, she’d experienced it twice but not like this. Not with her eyes open. Not with him… Coal. Not that it mattered.

The balcony seemed to have been built into the rock. The railing looked ornate, made from a dark metal that blended into the side of the cliff. The ground was cut rock. Her feet touched down. It wasn’t lost on her that Coal held onto her for a few beats before letting her go. Only doing so once her feet were firmly planted on the ground.

If her eyes hadn’t been on him, she wouldn’t have seen the change. It was much quicker to go from dragon to human. It was like everything pulled in on itself. Within two seconds, he was a man. A very naked man. She had to work to keep her eyes from drifting. Coal slid his arm around her and drew her against his body.

He was warm and big. She pretty much fit in the crook of his arm. His hand curled around her hip possessively.

“You are mine.” His voice was rough, with a smoky edge. Smoky – funny that, since he was a dragon.

Mine.