“Oh, hush,” Leslie said. “We were summoned here. You barely gave me enough time to make myself presentable before you were pushing me out of the cave. Really, Pat. You may play the part of the gruff old dyke, but we all know you’re just a softie on the inside.”
Pat looked outraged at the prospect.
Leslie ignored her. “Sam,” she said as she bowed her head in my direction. “It is lovely to see you again. Please know that our hearts ache for all that you have lost.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “I don’t understand. How did you know?”
“We are dragons,” Pat said. “We are made of magic. It flows from the earth through us. When someone such as Morgan passes beyond the veil, the earth takes note. We felt it when it happened.”
I nodded, telling myself I was just blinking away the rain that fell from above. “So you would feel if Randall were to—”
“He lives,” Leslie said. “And he is safe. He will return when the time is right.”
Before I could ask another question, the last dragon came.
“Aaaaahhh,” the fairies said.
Zero Ravyn Moonfire landed in the clearing, his body coiling underneath him as he gaped nervously at Leslie and Pat.
“Oh, he is precious,” Leslie cooed. “Tell me, little dragon, do you want a mother? I accidentally ate my rock children and am looking for someone to smother with my love.”
“Here we go again,” Pat muttered.
“I am fourteen years old,” Zero said haughtily. “I don’t want to be smothered. I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”
“I am going to love you forever,” Leslie breathed.
“Sam!” Zero whined. “Tell the weird old lady that I don’t want that. Gods, my life is so freaking hard. No one understands me. No one will ever understand me.”
“I understand a hard life,” Kevin said easily. “Why, this one time, Gary had a headache and only rimmed me for forty-six minutes, when everyone knows a dragon’s asshole needs to be licked for at least an hour to achieve maximum stimulation.”
“These are the dragons of Verania,” I told Dimitri.
Dimitri’s tiny face was in his tiny hands.
It was adorable.
WE FOUND him hours later, just before dawn.
Or rather, he found us.
We came upon what I thought to be a large hill. If we could get to the top, we’d have a good view of the Dark Woods as the sun rose. Hopefully we could see the Great White, given his size.
I should have known better, of course.
Dimitri didn’t even warn me. He probably just wanted to see me scream, the little bastard.
I didn’t disappoint him.
I shrieked as the hill moved the moment I put my foot upon it.
“That is my face,” the Great White growled as he rose from the earth.
“Gods,” Zero moaned. “As if I needed another blow to my self-esteem, now I’m the only dragon without legs? This is lame. Everything about this is lame.”
“Hey, baby bro,” Kevin said. “Don’t worry about the leg thing. You’re just differently abled. And since I’m the second-biggest dragon here with all four of my legs, I totally got your back.”
“I’m not your baby bro!”