In return, she narrowed her eyes at him, her black hair shimmering with red highlights in the light of the dragon fire that lit the cave.
“Since when do you dragons care about a human's name?” she demanded. “Can't you just call me human like all the other dragons?”
“I'm not like all the other dragons,” Braeden said. “Well, not like all the other fire dragons. Trust me. Or if you can't trust me—humor me?”
She snorted. “You're pretty weird for a high and mighty fire dragon, I'll admit that.” She hesitated for a moment, then glared at him. “I'm Alyx. Hope you're happy now.”
“I am, actually,” he said softly. “But I'll be much happier once we've made it out of this place.”
She gave him another look that said all too clearly what she thought of that plan.
But as much as it hurt him that his mate, the woman his heart was destined for, had learned that all dragon shifters were horrible monsters, there really wasn't another second to waste.
Once she was free, surely she'd see that he hadn't lied.
“Sorry,” he said in advance. “Remember, try to keep silent.”
Then he shifted. A heartbeat later, he rose into the air, carrying her as gently and carefully as he could in his clawed hand.
Above him, the small ball of dragon fire he'd used to illuminate the cave was still burning. In its familiar orange-red light, he made his way straight towards one of the openings further up, feeling with his dragon's sharp senses for the telltale sensation of fire that would tell him if the other guards had returned.
But they were lucky. His ruse had worked. He could sense them, somewhere off to the east.
And the tunnel before them was dark and quiet, with not even the smallest hint of heat that any other dragons would give off.
So far, so good.
This tunnel was large enough that he could move in his shifted form, although he couldn't fly. Still, in case they were surprised, he'd be prepared.
He stayed in his dragon form, gently setting Alyx down on his back.
For a long moment, she held herself stiffly, and he worried that she'd try to jump down and run again. But after a few seconds, he felt her reach out to hold on to one of the ridges around his neck with her hands.
Even that touch sent a wave of warmth through him, the flames in his heart burning brighter as the dragon within him preened.
Our mate, every triumphant heartbeat said.
Our mate, who hates us, he thought. Our mate who's in mortal danger. We have to get her out of here!
As quickly as he could, he made his way back through the maze of tunnels, following the air that carried the scent of the mushroom fields towards him.
His claws struck sparks again on the stone, and Alyx was still holding on tightly. She felt so small and fragile on his back that his dragon was beside himself with worry—even though Braeden had learned that human women were far from fragile.
In fact, it had been the human mates of the other council dragons who'd first had the courage to stand up to him and tell him some truths he'd badly needed to hear.
Truths like how destroying the entire world would leave fire dragons with nothing but ruins to rule over. Truths like how it was cruel to sulk in caves below the earth and prepare for revenge, depriving their own children of sunlight and freedom.
Wistfully, Braeden thought of his own childhood. They'd been right—he should have been able to soar through a blue sky, the sun warming his wings.
That was what every dragonet deserved. Instead, he'd learned to fly across mushroom fields, circling caves lit by the unnatural sun made out of dragon fire.
I can't end it, not on my own.
Perhaps, if he managed to take out Steele, the fire dragons' leader, the remaining dragons could be convinced to give up the centuries-old quest for revenge.
But first, he'd have to carry his mate to safety...
He couldn't tell Alyx how important it was to stay silent and out of sight, but she instinctively clung to him, pressing herself close to his back so that with some luck, she wouldn't be seen from below.