Page 46 of Training my Human

“So you do,” I murmured. “Look at you, growing up.”

“I’m hungry,” he declared—kind of predictably.

“Pizza’s in the fridge, bud. Let me know if you need a hand getting it,” Maddox offered.

“I can do it.” Abaddon wiggled free and headed for the fridge. A fridge that Princess suddenly decided she needed to sit on top of, glaring.

Maddox shut his apartment door. “Sorry it took so long. Even after I borrowed Gary’s car, I took a bit of a circuitous route to ensure no one followed.”

Gary being the owner of the laundromat next door. He was out of town and had left the keys to his business with Maddox so he could keep an eye on things and help Gary’s brother if he locked himself out—apparently a common occurrence. Gary had also given Maddox his car keys because said brother didn’t have a license anymore but kept trying to drive.

“At least you made it back safe. No one saw you?”

He rolled those big shoulders. “Don’t think so. Guess we’ll know for sure if anyone tries to kick in the door. Which reminds me. Hey, bud, now that you have wings, if you need a quick escape, head for the roof. Even if you can’t fully fly yet, I assume you can coast from this building to the next.”

“I can,” Abaddon mumbled through a mouthful of pizza. He sat on a stool eating, a perfect little gentle-dragon. So far, he appeared to be ignoring Princess and the little miss didn’t like it. She’d exchanged her spot on the fridge for a perch on the counter right across from the island where she continued to stare with her hackles up.

“Anything happen while I was gone?” Maddox asked, cracking open a beer.

“Fuck all. As suggested, I hung out in the window a few times and puffed. Sorry for the skunky joint smell. A cigarette wasn’t going to cut it for my nerves.”

Maddox chuckled. “I could have used one of those. And don’t worry about the odor. I’ve done that a time or two myself when it’s too cold to go up to the roof for a drag. Did you talk to your boss about borrowing his barn or have you changed your mind about staying here with me?”

The pleasure at his offer didn’t change the fact that his place wouldn’t accommodate the rapidly growing Abaddon for long.

“Once Leo heard about the fire, he immediately offered me the barn for as long as I need it. He’ll bring the keys to the shop tomorrow and give me a code to get through the gate.”

“Did you tell him about your pet?” Maddox slewed a glance to Abaddon.

“No. The fewer people who know about him the better. My plan is to smuggle him in and keep him hidden.”

“For how long?”

“Until I figure out a better place to go,” I admitted with a sigh. “And that’s where I’m stuck. Where can I go with a dragon that people won’t notice?”

“If those hacks hadn’t raided your place, I actually thought you had the perfect spot,” Maddox stated. “Close to the woods, very little traffic.”

“Even if those fucks forgot my address, there’s nowhere to stay anymore.” I was bummed. People could spout bullshit all they wanted about memories living in our hearts and minds, it didn’t replace granny’s hand-stitched quilt made of t-shirts I outgrew, or the photo album she’d kept of me growing up, or my favorite pair of leather pants that made my ass look amazing.

“Do you think that ass and his goons were really from the government?” Maddox asked as he dropped onto the couch and patted his lap.

Feminism be damned. I plopped onto those corded thighs for a cuddle. “I have to wonder. I mean, you’d think if they were official, they’d have been flashing badges to get me to obey. And then there’s the fact someone told him to leave. Seems to me the only reason to do that would be because they had no business being there in the first place and wanted to avoid discovery.”

“If they’re not government, then who?”

“Whoever it is must have deep pockets because that many hired thugs can’t have been cheap.”

“I am not the first dragon they’d discovered,” Abaddon announced before dragoning down another slice.

“Hold up. How do you know that?” I asked.

Abaddon swallowed before replying. “They said something about an incident on the southern continent, and they knew quite a bit about hatchlings. Such as the molting and whatnot. They also came prepared, wearing fireproof suits and bearing tranquilizer guns.”

I mulled over that information. “Do you think they found one of the other eggs your mother dumped?”

“My progenitor’s or another’s. It doesn’t matter. They are aware of our existence and, I would surmise by their actions, are actively seeking us out.”

“But how did they even know the Tseax Cone had a dragon? Or do these guys just roam around the world collecting big lava rocks each time a volcano erupts?” Maddox questioned.

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