Page 39 of Red Captive

My eyes track back up…and up.

Steel is looking at me. He folds his arms. “Are you done looking, Miss Harris? Is it okay if I shift now?”

I want to roll my eyes and groan in both irritation and frustration, but I do neither of those things.

“I didn’t tell you that you couldn’t shift. You didn’t have to wait. I’ve seen naked men before, and you’re all the same.”Not!I’ve only ever seen my ex naked, and he didn’t look like this. “It’s just that I like your scorpion tattoo.” I had my eyes all over him, so this explanation doesn’t really hold water, but I go with it, anyway. “Whoever did it is talented. If I’m not mistaken, that’s a deathstalker. It’s highly venomous and—”

“How do you know about scorpions?” He looks down at his leg. “Itisa deathstalker.” He nods. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Well, the color and the spots… It’s just that Caleb loves scorpions.” I warm up inside just thinking about my little brother. About his excitement and joy whenever he talks about scorpions and snakes. “He has a book on them. I’ve read it to him a hun—” I remember that Steel doesn’t believe that Caleb even exists, so I stop talking. “Never mind, you should shift now; we don’t want to keep the duke waiting. He sounds important.” I couldn’t care about the duke. If he’s anything like the others, I’m in for a long afternoon.

For a second, it looks like Steel wants to argue with me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he looks straight at me while silver scales start to pop out all over his body. His limbs start to stretch before my eyes. They elongate, becoming more flexible as his muscular body transforms. His face shifts, broadening, and the tips of his canines extend beyond his lips into sharp teeth that don’t seem to fit into his now huge maw. The bones in his hands realign,giving him an extra digit on each hand. Wings extend from his back, blocking out the sun.

I gape in awe and fear at the man-turned-beast before me. As the final transformation takes place, Steel’s eyes meet mine, almost human, but with a beastlike quality. They’re not quite as dark now that he is in his dragon form. Aside from all the anger, they hold a sadness I’ve only seen a glimpse of once before, but there’s something more now, too. Something wild and untamed. This creature in front of me is no longer a man but a predator. A beast. I shiver, but not entirely from fear.

He’s almost more beautiful in this form. I can’t decide. His dragon looks kinder, somehow. There are bursts of red in the shimmering silver scales, exactly where there was red from his tattoos.

Steel. His name suits him. He looks like he’s made from the metal.

Steel rumbles, nudging the backpack with his nose. Wafts of smoke lift into the air.

“Is this a bad time to tell you that I’m a little afraid of heights?” I wince.

Dragon Steel chuffs a few times like he might be laughing, but I know that isn’t the case since the man isn’t capable. Then he grunts. I think he’s telling me to hurry up. I sling the pack onto my shoulders.

“No, really! I was forcefully carried by a dragon once before, and I hated every second,” I tell him, immediately regretting it. I shouldn’t have said that. I was indirectly referring to the kidnapping, which no one is allowed to know about. “What now?” I quickly add, looking into Steel’s quizzical stare.

He flaps his wings, lifting into the air. It defies gravity how such a huge creature can lift so gracefully into the air like it’s nothing. Once again, I’m in awe. So much so that my mouth falls open for a few seconds. I quickly close it. I’ve seen dragons. Ofcourse I have, but Steel the dragon is just as impressive as Steel the man. He has this aura of power. He keeps saying that he is a nobody, but I struggle to believe that. He doesn’t carry himself like a nobody. Besides, “nobody” is a horrible way to describe anyone, let alone themselves. I’m thinking in terms of the phrase he used, not in terms of a phrase that I would be comfortable using.

Steel is quick, too. One moment, he’s hovering before me, and the next, he’s picking me up.

I scream as soon as my feet leave the ground. I can’t help it.

I knew this was going to happen, that I would be lifted up in the air, but I scream, anyway.

He’s moving quickly. Too quickly. As we get higher, I yell, “I changed my mind. Put me down. No! I’d rather not.”

Steel keeps ascending. Of course, he ignores me flat and is moving faster and faster.

I scream louder.

He growls. More smoke wafts. He doesn’t like my vocalization of how much I freaking hate this. I don’t care. He sucks! This sucks! It feels like I am about to die.

The ground is far below us. Sky’s Edge was bad enough. This is insane. If he lets me go, I’ll go splat. I hold on to his massive claws, trying hard to breathe and trying even harder not to look down.

I’m safe. I’m safe. He’s got me.

I survived the last flight. I can survive this one, too. I think of Hunter and how intense her fear of heights was. Much worse than mine. Now she’s a dragon rider. Holy freaking moly! If she can do it, I can, too.

Just as I’m about to close my eyes, several dragons flank us, and we fly together in a formation. I suppose it’s like driving in a convoy but for dragons. I breathe in deeply, hold my breath, andthen slowly exhale. I go through the breathing exercise my mom taught me, and it helps.

The flight lasts far longer than I would have liked. I think happy thoughts and continue to concentrate on my breathing. I count as I inhale, hold, and exhale. At least now I know why Steel insisted that I wear pants today instead of a dress. Why he told me to wear my hair up instead of loose like I have been for these introductions.

Finally, there is a castle in the distance. It is built into the top of a high mountain overlooking the ocean. Nope, it most definitely wouldn’t be accessible by foot or by car. It’s not as big as the palace, but no less spectacular. Holy freaking crap!

The castle has three turrets of differing heights. Each one is adorned with a flag. The structure looks to be fashioned from the rock itself, blending in with the cliff wall. Hundreds of windows glint in the afternoon sun. Dozens of balconies and terraces jut from the vast building. We seem to be aiming for the largest of them. It doesn’t have any railings, which makes sense, since these are dragons. They can’t fall to their death.

Steel lands carefully on the large balcony, setting me down gently. The rest of the dragons land as well, claws scraping as they do. The tension in my body begins to ease, but my heart still pounds in my chest. I’m not sure I can do that again. I look around me. Looks like I’m not going to have much choice. We’re high up. It’s insane that someone can live all the way up here.

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