Page 34 of Training my Human

“I’ll have to take him far from here.” A morose admission and the reason for my dejection stood leaning against me.

“Here’s hoping we’re overreacting and it doesn’t come to that.”

A thought hit me. “Your idea about him circling back is good, but what if they bring dogs to sniff out his trail? I mean, they might not, but I know sometimes law enforcement uses them for manhunts and missing people.”

“Good point. Having seen him climb, I’d say doing the same with trees would be a cinch. If he were to enter the woods and take to the higher branches, with his light weight he could travel overhead and avoid leaving his scent anywhere on the ground.”

“We’ll have to tell him when he returns.”

“Speaking of return, feeling brave enough to do dinner again at my place?”

A dinner that would lead to his bed. I was in, but for one thing. “Yes, but I can’t stay the night. I don’t want to leave Abaddon for that long.”

“Bring him.”

“After what happened last time?”

“This time, we’ll make sure they’re separated. The guest room has a television, its own half bath, and we can pile enough snacks he won’t have to go anywhere.”

“You’ve thought about this.”

He turned me in his arms. “Nothing but. So what do you say?”

“I say, can we skip dinner and go straight for dessert?” A whisper against lips.

We were still kissing when a disgusted dragon said, “Enough eating of each other’s faces. I’m getting hungry.”

Maddox had kept something for just such a situation. Once he’d lowered Abaddon and coiled the rope to hide in a tree hollow, he handed the dragon a bag of gummy bears. He then crouched and began grabbing fallen leaves to stuff in his bag.

At my arched brow, he explained. “So it looks just as big on our return.”

Well damn. My paranoia was contagious.

The conversation flowed as we returned to my place with Abaddon excited to be out and about—like the child he was. Hard to remember sometimes that while he might have hatched with some knowledge, in truth, everything he encountered, every experience, was new and exciting.

Just before the edge of the woods, without having to be told, he turned to me and sighed. “Back into the bag.”

“Only for a little bit, until we get you inside,” I murmured.

“I look forward to the day I can go about freely,” Abaddon grumbled.

I didn’t mention the fact that day would most likely never come. The world would never allow a dragon to roam free, not unless something changed drastically.

Once at the trailer, Abaddon declared himself too tired to go out but insisted I still have dinner with Maddox.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I might be back late.”

“I have food and I’m tired. My next molting is almost upon me.”

“Do you need me to do anything for you?”

“Stop fussing over me, woman,” Abaddon grumbled.

I went for dinner, and it went well. The sex, even better. The only part I hated? Leaving to go home, but despite Abaddon insisting he’d be fine, I didn’t want him to feel abandoned.

Hence why the next night Maddox came over with a surprise. Not for me. My dragon.

He handed Maddox a small kid’s knapsack.

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