Page 63 of Revenge of the Forgotten

Khort laughed gently, standing in the clearing as Vega slid down the last pile of rubble. “You’ve done worse in a dress. Stop complaining.” He looked up at the night sky as the wind blew tendrils of his blond hair around his face.

Once beside him, Vega groaned, pulling the skirt of her dress up above her knees to avoid the mud. The land around them reminded her of pictures she’d seen of Ireland with jagged cliffs and homes that once resembled castles. “Not this body.”

Khort reached out and grabbed the bottle of wine, then took his own sip. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve been through a lot.”

The reminder sat heavy on her chest. “I’ve had enough time to figure it out. You said so yourself. I don’t need to be babied. It’s time to shit or get off the pot.”

The serious air hanging over them shattered as Khort’s laugh bellowed from deep inside his chest. The wine in his mouth sprayed onto Vega, covering her hands, chest, and exposed leg. “Oh my gods,” he said between laughs. “I’m so sorry.” He wiped his mouth on his arm before reaching out for Vega.

Her mouth was open wide, a smile still pulling at her lips as she began to laugh freely like Khort was.

This might be the last time I get a laugh like this.

“Khort!” she whined, drawing out his name while shaking her leg to clean off the red wine sprinkling her body.

“Shit or get off the pot?” He still laughed, holding her by the arms as they both continued to cackle like a couple of drunk friends at a bar. “Do people really say that on Earth? That’s awful.”

Vega nodded as he pulled away from her, wiping at the stubble on his face. “The convenience store owner down the street from my place loved using it when his customers were taking too long. He was a delight.” It felt odd reminiscing about Gregor, a man who used to seem so evil before she knew what evil actually looked like.

“I hate that one,” Khort replied as he started to settle down. The smile on his face gave Vega butterflies. She looked away, using the dress as a napkin to wipe whatever she could off her bare skin.

“There’s plenty more where that came from,” she promised, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Great.” He chuckled, rolling his eyes snarkily.

Vega snatched the wine from him and stepped back, leaning against the rubble she’d just climbed. She pointed to the open landscape. “Show me what you’ve got, dragon boy.” She took a swig from the bottle, a dark eyebrow raised.

“Pushy,” he said, beginning to unbutton his white shirt. “And it’s dragon man to you.”

Vega’s eyes wandered to his chest as he stripped. His muscles rippled with his movements, and Vega couldn’t keep her eyes off the pulsing veins running down his forearms.

Khort caught her watching him. “This isn’t shifting material.” The shirt fluttered to the ground, but Vega’s eyes hadn’t moved from Khort. She cleared her throat, her gaze dropping low before it shot to meet his. His lips spread in a smug smile.

“And the pants?” Her mouth went dry as she asked.

Get it together, Vega.

Khort stretched his arms over his head, swinging his arms in a couple of big circles. “Those are shifting material, but I can take them off if you want.” His fingers hovered over the button.

Vega’s cheeks burned, and she hoped she was far enough away he couldn’t see the way they flushed. “What would old Vega say about that?” Her eyes settled on his with heavy focus as she forced herself to push any thoughts away that would get her in trouble.

I’m just drunk. That’s all. No big deal.

“She would’ve hit me,” he said with a goofy grin, his hands moving away from the button to keep his pants hanging from his hips.

“Good to know. Better keep those on then.” She held up her fist and wiggled it as a warning.

“Terrifying,” he cooed.

“Enough stalling. Show me what you’ve got.”

“You run your mouth a lot for someone about to be in the presence of a dragon.” And before Vega could respond with some new sarcastic comeback, black wings shot out from his back, and the rest of his body followed suit.

He morphed so quickly, Vega didn’t have time to see his bones shift as they grew to new lengths and sizes. The sound of whooshing wings masked the sound of cracking bones.

Vega’s hand gripped the bottle, the other digging into the stone behind her as Khort’s new face landed inches from hers. She took a gulp of air, catching her breath in a lump.

Standing before her was no longer the handsome blond without a shirt. Replacing his figure was a black dragon, scales twinkling an iridescent green the color of his eyes. Vega didn’t budge, waiting for Khort to make the first move.

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