I woke up on top of a very warm and cozy draconian, held in place by a hug that was just on the verge of getting a little too tight.

  I was learning that Alys was definitely a hugger when she was asleep. If the wings still wrapped snugly around me were any indication, she also seemed to enjoy holding me as close as possible.

  I didn’t mind. She was definitely comfortable. My only concern centered around what might happen if she ever turned over in her sleep. I would never say it to her face, but I harbored a genuine worry that I would simply get squished.

  Though shorter than me, Alys probably weighed considerably more than I did. Dragons, as I’d both read about and discovered in person, had much denser bodies than most other races. It was a marvel they could fly at all.

  The only reason they could was, frankly, ‘magic.’

  Just that one word. Magic.

  They had wings. They yearned for the skies. And so, they flew.

  More than a few intelligent, educated magic-users had tried to study dragons and their flight. Several schools of flight magic had been founded during the course of such research, and records had been kept. Yet none of these hopeful scholars had been able to explain the phenomenon. A few had even been incinerated on the spot for daring to upset one of the majestic creatures.

  Dragons were magic. More magic than flesh in some ways, actually. And they wanted to fly. So, they did.

  “Mmmhrrmm.” Alys yawned, then clacked her jaws shut so hard that I was worried she had chipped a tooth. When her sleepy eyes fluttered open and found mine, she gave me an adorably silly smile. “Mornin’.”

  “Morning to you, too.” I smiled in return, shifting just a bit so I could press a kiss to the side of her snout.

  She rewarded me by almost squeezing all the breath out of my lungs as she let out an interesting rumbly noise and cuddled me closer.

  Neither of us said anything for a long while after that. We simply enjoyed the early morning rays of light spilling through the window and over us, giving the room just a dash more warmth.

  For once, neither of us seemed inclined to get up early and start working.

  I had no poison-handling class to teach that day. The town wasn’t in desperate need of alchemical products. No enemies were on the way to threaten the life we’d built.

  Knowing her work ethic, I kept expecting Alys to prod us out of bed, but she didn’t budge. I suppose the arrival of the royal surveyors had somewhat doused her hurry to produce results. After all, they had just gotten a look at everything she’d achieved since the last caravan. Even Alys wasn’t stressed enough to start preparing for their next visit already.

  We were free to be lazy for a bit. In that moment, peace and contentment were the only feelings I was aware of… and I loved it.

  Then she said something wholly unexpected.

  “We should probably start working on your home now, shouldn’t we?”

  “Are you sure?” I pushed myself onto my forearms so I had a better view of her face. “The work on the bridges isn’t done yet.”

  I also wasn’t in a hurry to live on my own just yet, but I didn’t say that.

  “Yes. I…” She hesitated. If I was reading her right, though, the sigh that left her was one of relief. “I can leave that to my crew. They’ve proven they can produce high quality results at this point. This can be a test for them, I suppose.”

  “I am sure they’ll be happy that you trust them enough for something like that.” I spoke with the utmost certainty and sincerity. Careful observation of Alys’ crew had revealed that they consistently pushed themselves to the brink of their abilities to earn her approval.

  “Well, if they disappoint me, I am going to be upset,” she groused, but without any heat in her voice.

  “They won’t.”

  “Hrrrrmmm… That does mean we need to do some planning. You actually found some materials I could use to build a proper bathroom.”

  “Yes, that was a bit of a relief,” I said with a smile. “I really didn’t think we’d be able to purchase something like that outright.”

  “You typically couldn’t. That’s the first time those twins have been part of the caravan, I think. Most merchants with wares that extravagant do not bother making their way this far out. Good food stalls are more normal. Nasha brought me back some food to try a couple of times, and when I personally visited that one time, I also found some interesting snacks.”

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  “But nothing like the Emporium or the Curiosities?”

  “Exactly.” She pulled me down again and pressed her chin to the top of my head like I was a stuffed doll.

  This made my smile widen, but I still poked her side in pretend protest as I mused, “Think it’s because this current frontier is getting better established? The towns are excavating more resources, producing their own goods, that kind of thing?”

  “Maybe.” She yawned again, the sound reverberating through me. “Or maybe those twins are just odd, and decided to come this far out for some reason only they know.”

  “Yes. That could definitely be it.” Chuckling dryly, I shook my head.

  “Stop that. Your hair is tickling me.”

  “Then stop treating me like a stuffed toy,” I shot back with another, more deliberate shake of my head.

  She let out a displeased rumble and shifted so we were both on our sides, shooting me a mild glare for a second before she suddenly drew me into a kiss. When we finally pulled apart, I busied myself with running my fingers gently over her snout, admiring her scales and burning that soft look in her eyes deep into my memory.

  Then she decided to demonstrate why people equated dragons with courage and valor.

  “Can I… suggest a small change to the plans we made for your house?”

  “Of course,” I answered, keeping any displeasure about my impending move out of her home to myself. “You know a lot more about building a house than I do.”

  “How about we design it as primarily a workspace and a shop? Maybe even something of a bath house. We can keep the upstairs rooms as guest bedrooms and such, and if we build it close enough to my home, we can link the two on the upper level.”

  I paused, freezing ever so briefly as my mind churned and my heart hammered away in my chest. Then I asked the obvious question.

  “Guest bedrooms? And where would I sleep?”

  She rolled her eyes before squinting them at me in displeasure. “Don’t be coy with me, fae. You would be sleeping with me.”

  “Are you sure?” I wet my lips. “I know it’s odd saying it now, in our current state, but… that is a big step. You might grow tired of me, or I might disappoint you, or —”

  She cut me off with a growl, her thumb pressing against my lips as she cupped my chin. “No. None of that. And yes, I am sure. I am a dragon. I know when I want something, so I know I want you. I won’t push you past what you are comfortable with, but you’re mine, and you’re stuck with me now.” She paused, then reluctantly continued. “You don’t need to accept if you don’t want to. I just… don’t want you to go.”

  “I suppose I could make the sacrifice of living with a very cuddly dragoness.” I took a deep breath and let a smile light up my face. “I’ll be honest: I didn’t want to leave, either.”

  “You. You don’t have any idea what you’re doing to me when you say things like that,” Alys grumbled. One claw poked my forehead hard enough to make me wince slightly. “Stop saying such nice things, or deal with the consequences.”

  “Oh? And what are the consequences? Maybe I would like them,” I teased, enjoying the mildly annoyed look on her face.

  “You do realize we draconians have all the instincts of a full dragon, right? I know I don’t live in a massive cave system I excavated myself, but this is still my lair, and you are in it. Continue to sweet talk me, and I might give into the urge to keep you here indefinitely as part of my hoard.”

  I blinked slowly. Most of her speech made me feel several interesting emotions I wasn’t ready to tackle at the moment, so I focused on the one point I thought I could handle.

  “You have a hoard?”

  She froze, her eyes widening as her face flushed brightly. “Um… yes.”

  “Are you embarrassed?” I squinted at her. “Why are you embarrassed?”

  Oddly enough, she couldn’t meet my gaze. “No reason. And you should stop asking!”

  “Well… I will if you really don’t want to tell me.” I placed another kiss on the tip of her snout. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I was just curious.”

  “I thought I told you to stop saying sweet things!” Huffing, she finally looked back at me. “And it’s embarrassing because… I am a dragon, but my hoard is… not large. It’s not really a proper hoard at all. Not yet.”

  Her gaze drifted towards the wooden chest nearby, placed so prominently beside her central nest. When she spoke next, her voice was so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear it, even as close to her as I was.

  “Your gift is probably the most valuable item I have in it. My hoard is kind of pathetic, when I compare it to others I’ve seen.”

  “You are embarrassed by your hoard?” It was my turn to tilt her chin up, forcing her to look at me. “Alys, I admit I know very little about draconic hoards, but we are both rather young for our species. Right? Whoever you are comparing yourself to, I’ll bet they are much older.”

  “Well… yes,” she admitted. “I saw my grandmother’s hoard once. My mother didn’t let me into hers.”

  I nodded, absorbing that. “What about your father?”

  “He’s… not a draconian. Or a dragon. He’s… well, a human. And he might have tried to attack my grandmother, due to a misunderstanding…”

  “Wait. Your father tried to attack your grandmother? Why?”

  She squirmed for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she slowly sat up, bringing me with her. “I guess I might as well show you a few things.”

  I said nothing as she pulled me up to my feet and led me towards the aforementioned chest. Magic sparked around her right hand, and a key appeared in it out of nowhere.

  Fascination surged through me. I hadn’t known she could use magic like that. I kept staring at the key as she inserted it into the lock and turned it.

  Then she hesitated, looking back and forth between me and the chest.

  “No matter how many times you look at me, I don’t think I’m going to fit inside that chest. Even if you do decide to add me to your hoard,” I said, hoping a bit of teasing would break through whatever negative thoughts were churning away in that head of hers.

  It worked, though it also earned me a small glare.

  “Hmph. Maybe I’ll try anyway,” she grumbled as she lifted the lid, finally giving me the chance to look inside.

  I wasn’t going to say it to her, obviously, but the chest was a bit barren. A thin layer of gold coins covered the bottom. A few gems were sprinkled amongst the coins, most of them uncut. I noted several old books bound in richly colored leather. They featured no titles, but from my experience with such items, I gathered they looked immensely valuable.

  Other than coins, gems, and books, the chest contained only three objects, each wrapped carefully in oiled cloth. Alys focused in on these. The care with which she extracted them told me she valued them higher than everything else in the chest.

  She glanced at me, took a deep breath, and started to unwrap the first one.