Chapter Six

Madison

T he man who had seconds before been a gold-scaled dragon pointed casually at the woman beside me. I watched her shuffle forward nervously while I idly wondered if it was a coincidence that her hair matched the dragon’s scales.

Probably. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for what was happening. The eight of us had been shoved into the giant underground chamber under the watchful gaze of numerous dragons high above us. Then, one by one, we’d been selected by a dragon and taken off who knew where.

Most of the women had freaked out, understandably so. They had no experience with dragons. I, on the other hand, had far too much. Watching them, I could see they were not perched, ready to swoop down. Instead, they were lying spread out, casually witnessing the proceedings below.

We were not in danger of attack.

The giant doors opened again. Despite knowing we wouldn’t be attacked, my heart rate jacked up again. After all, there were only two of us left. The rest had been taken away. I had no idea about whether I would ever see them again.

Deep in the darkness, a dragon with red scales came forward, but the lowlight made it impossible to see anything in the way of detail. The crimson-colored dragons were the most numerous, we’d learned, followed closely by the blues. Greens, golds, silvers, and metallic bronze/brass were far lesser but still around. The rarest of all were the black and orange, and I saw several of those looking down upon us from above.

Golden yellow eyes were once more visible before they disappeared into the shape of a man. As part of my briefing for the mission, I’d been made aware of their shape-changing nature and had seen them shift at the dropoff, so I was no longer caught flat-footed by it.

The man came forward, glancing between me and the only other woman.

“I guess we’re the least desirable,” I muttered.

“You.”

I stiffened as the man-dragon pointed at me.

“Me?” I hiked a thumb at my chest.

He nodded, beckoning.

“Aw, shit,” I said, stepping forward as I was told.

There seemed little point in resisting. It wasn’t like I could overpower or outrun him. I was trapped in the land of the dragons.

Walking forward, I gave the dragon-man a once-over.

He was tall, towering over me by the better part of a foot if I had to guess. At somewhere near six and a half feet tall, he had the shoulders to match. Broad and well-muscled, he was not a man to mess with.

The fit, toned stature had a hard-looking core and two treetrunk-like legs. Even with his pants on, it was quite obvious this man did anything but skip leg day.

“About done?” he asked as I approached.

“Done what?” I asked. As I looked up at him, I was overcome with a major sense of déjà vu.

He glanced away, refusing to look at me. I did, however, get an eyeful of strong, wide jaw and cheeks that were so tight they screamed for a smile to loosen things up. Blue-green eyes the color of sparkling tropical seas were set against the mild tan of his skin. Thick, arched eyebrows were drawn somewhat together, wrinkling the lines between them ever so slightly.

Long sandy brown hair tumbled to his muscular shoulders, framing his face perfectly.

The man was a specimen, and I couldn’t look away. I stared, blatantly and openly, at his beauty even as it reached out to me in some sort of metaphysical way, caressing my skin with a warmth that had to be imagined. There was no way it could be real. He was too perfect. Too gorgeous.

I wanted him. Unprovoked, thoughts tumbled through my mind of what it would be like to succumb to his advances. To feel the sheer power of his body push me to the ground while he spread my legs, preparing to take me.

My throat dry, I tried to stop my brain and cease the avalanche of dirty thoughts that pounded into my consciousness until my body was all but screaming for him to bend me over right there in the middle of the chamber and thrust into me from behind. I wanted to feel my body shake, my boobs bouncing with every movement.

“About done with that ,” he said, making it very clear he knew exactly what was going on in my mind.

The torrent of warmth came to a screeching halt as his words settled into my brain. He knew. He knew . Whoever this man was, he was calling me out on my desire to hump like animals without even exchanging names.

“Come,” he growled, the deep, throaty masculinity of the single word no doubt chosen specifically for the innuendo behind it.

I followed anyway, my cheeks burning. What an idiot I was, letting myself get all caught up in his looks.

You were kidnapped. Don’t go Stockholm-syndroming yourself within the first five minutes, even if he is fine as hell.

I repeated that mantra to myself as I was led from the cave. It didn’t matter. Once the doors closed behind us, the first thought from my brain was about how we were alone now and what that would allow.

“Keep up,” he said as I lagged behind. Definitely not to stare at his tight tush.

Definitely not because I was stronger than that. Even if it did bounce nicely with each step. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Madison Page! Get a grip!

The tone was the one my mother would use with me when I was a child. Before … I shook my head, only to realize I’d once more fallen behind.

“Are you going to make it, or do I have to pick you up and carry you?” the dragon-man asked, half-looking back, though he still refused to look directly at me.

I frowned, once more overcome by that sense of déjà vu I could not place. His voice didn’t sound familiar at all. So, why was my brain trying to tell me I had met him?

“Do I know you?” I asked. “Have we met before?”

He just looked forward. “I don’t think so. Now, come, let’s keep going.”

I stayed still.

“What now?” He was quickly getting fed up with me, the irritation in his voice growing each time he spoke.

“I want you to send me home.” I crossed my arms to show I was serious.

The man laughed. “Pardon me?”

“You heard me. Send me home. I’m not a volunteer here, mister.”

“Callum,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Call me Callum.”

“Whatever, Callum. Some of your friends literally busted up my helicopter and dragged me from it against my will. A quite by-the-books definition of kidnapping. That was not part of the terms of the truce. The women were supposed to be volunteers.”

Callum cocked his head but didn’t say anything.

“You knew,” I said, a heavy weight settling about my neck like a noose.

There was no going home.

“The terms of the truce were eight women to be sent here,” he said. “Whether or not I agree with that idea, those were the terms set out. Eight human women. I do not believe there was any mention of volunteers.”

I rocked back on my heels.

“So the way I see it,” he said, “your government wasn’t going to bat an eye about a volunteer or not. Eight people is nothing compared to those saved by a ceasefire.”

Air shot into my lungs as I prepared to unleash on him, but he held up a hand to forestall my explosive outburst.

“Listen. I’m not saying I agree with that, remember? Nor am I saying it’s what I would have done if I were sovereign. But if you take a moment to look at it through a neutral lens, you’ll see it’s pretty obvious. Your government sold you out. Although I know seeing it that way might be hard, given your current situation.”

“I don’t believe you,” I said automatically.

But I didn’t argue.

Not because there’s any truth to what he’s saying. There isn’t. But I have bigger fish to fry right now.

Callum waited silently as I processed it all.

“Great,” I said at last. “So, I’m stuck here now, with you, someone who seems just as enthusiastic to have me as I am to be here. What fun.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Callum said, gesturing for me to get going again.

“Nothing is ever as simple as it seems,” I muttered, still trying to decide what to do next.

There was no way I would just give in and make the best of it. That wasn’t me. I was a soldier. We didn’t give up.

So, what then? Fighting was out of the question. Even if he wasn’t a dragon, I wasn’t overpowering this giant.

I would have to find another way. A means of escape. But to do that meant knowing what I was up against.

Which meant spending time with him, learning his weaknesses. Reluctantly, I followed him. It wasn’t permanent, though.

I wouldn’t be stuck here for a minute longer than absolutely necessary.