Skylar gave up fighting; she had no chance of breaking out of this man's grasp. He was solid as a rock and broad as a barn. She didn't like the vulnerability of being in his arms, but since there wasn't anything she could do about it, she sat quietly. Where was he taking her? She didn't think he was going to kill her, if he was he would have done it already. But the uncertainty of her situation made it impossible to calm down. Her dragon didn't like their situation anymore than Skylar, but she preferred it over being in Draco's grasp. Besides, she was quite curious about the man and his dragon.

Skylar's dragon had been thrilled to be in the presence of another of her kind, and she liked this one a lot. He was powerful and knew what it meant to be a dragon. Skylar didn't care for him, since he was pushy, arrogant and very physical. He wasn't afraid to try to intimidate her with his size, which was exactly what he had been doing when he'd pulled their bodies flush. To her dismay, she hadn't minded the proximity to the good looking man. In fact, she'd been quite intoxicated by his woodsy, musky scent and the hard strength of his body. But when he'd leaned in and sniffed her, that had quickly reminded her of her situation. Luckily, Skylar's dragon had had similar feelings about the uninvited investigation. She wasn't some female for him to take at his leisure. Skylar's dragon wouldn't go easy to any male, especially one who presumed to have authority over her. For the second time in a night, they were on the exact same page.

She glanced up at her new captor, took in the squareness of his strong jaw and the dark stubble that covered it. Shaggy brown hair fell around his sculpted face and brushed his shoulders. Those shoulders stretched his shirt tight across his solid chest, which was unnervingly close to Skylar's face. The man was built like a mountain.

"What are you looking at?" he snarled down at her. She responded with an instinctual growl of her own. The sound generated in her chest so naturally, she didn't even have to think about it. The way she gave into her more animalistic qualities, the snarling, growling, and baring her teeth, was something completely new to her. Being in the presence of another dragon was affecting her in unpleasant ways. She was starting to act like them. But it felt like the only way to voice her irritation to this burly man in a way he would understand.

"Nothing of importance," she told him steadily. Her dragon made a noise in her head, and it took Skylar a moment to realize that it was amusement. She'd never experienced such a positive emotion from the beast and it was the most pleasant sensation. Why the animal was amused, Skylar couldn't tell, but that didn't matter.

The man snorted and scrunched his elegant nose in distaste. "I could say the same."

Their gazes clashed, gold versus blue, and neither was willing to give. She felt him projecting his strength at her, willing for her to submit, but her dragon shrugged it off. The beast met the challenge readily, sending out waves of her own to let this male know who exactly it was he was dealing with. If he felt her power, he gave no indication. Skylar hadn't expected her dragon to have such an enthusiastic, strong response to this brute of a man. No matter what her dragon thought of her, the monster wasn't about to let this male push Skylar around. It was surprisingly comforting to know she wasn't all alone in this, even if her companion was a monster inside her head.

"Since I have no choice in the matter," Skylar huffed, "you could at least tell me where you're taking me."

He took a few more long strides before he answered. "To my clan. You can't endanger anyone there."

His clan. Where other dragons lived. Her own dragon sang in joy of this new development, but Skylar's stomach dropped right to her feet. She likely wouldn't be in danger, she was a dragon herself, but she was an outsider. She knew absolutely nothing about being a dragon, and she wasn't keen to learn.

"People will be looking for me." Skylar had little hope that this would deter him, but she had to try. Her dragon snarled at Skylar's attempts to keep them away from the other dragons.

He lifted a shoulder and let it drop, which caused Skylar to awkwardly bump around in his arms. "They won't find you."

She had no doubt about that. Draco had planned to get her away without leaving any trace; this man only had to continue what Draco started. Too bad for Draco, she'd left a hint. It had been an accident, but she was glad it had happened. When the guard had tackled her outside the castle her tiara had been knocked off her head. It now sat somewhere outside the gate, the single clue as to what had happened to her. She prayed that they didn't think she'd run away, prayed that her parents would send someone after her. She hoped they weren't secretly thankful she was gone, that she was no longer their problem.

"Besides," he continued, as if she cared what he had to say. "Where are you going to go? Your family let you be discovered, and you put them in danger. The person who had you captured, whoever he is, knows what you are. He'll come after you again. You can't hide forever."

"I'd think of something," she insisted. Of course, she hadn't thought of anything in the carriage, but in her defense she'd been under a lot of stress. She just needed a moment to think, that's all. Just one moment. She'd come up with a solution.

"Sure, okay," he indulged. He stepped out of the trees onto the path where the carriage waited. She saw another man, the other figure she'd seen crouched in the bushes, pulling an unconscious guard inside the carriage where she could make out three other pairs of feet. He looked up at their approach and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Didn't want to come willingly, then?" he chuckled, slamming the door of the carriage, sealing the men inside for now.

"You could say that," her captor responded. He then focused his gaze down to Skylar. "I'm going to put you down. Are you going to run?"

It was awful tempting. She thought she could outrun him if she had open ground. Perhaps not for long, but hopefully long enough...

He bared his straight white teeth at her. "Are. You. Going. To. Run?" His clipped words insulted her. She was neither slow nor stupid, and him talking to her as such was greatly unwarranted.

"No," she snapped. It was probably in her best interest to listen to him for now. He'd get her away from the guards, from Draco, and then she could plan her escape. Her dragon would fight her every step of the way, but she'd controlled the beast thus far.

"Good," he set her on her feet, "because we'll catch you again and then I really won't be happy."

"As if you're such a joy to be around now."

His companion snorted but quickly covered it with a cough when the man before her shot him a venomous look. "Should I take one of these horses?" He already held a saddled one by the bridle, although the poor animal looked less than thrilled to be in the grasp of a dragon.

"Yes. She's coming with us."

The dark-skinned man's silver eyes lit up. "Good. Then Leo can't complain that we completely failed. He did tell us to bring a lost dragon home. What clan are you from?" He aimed this last question at her while her original captor gave her arm a tug to get her walking. The second man fell into step next to her, leading the horse along.

"Um-"

"She's not from a clan," her ill-tempered companion answered for her. "I'll explain more later."

"I can explain for myself, thank you very much."

"Whoa," the other man held up his hands in a calming fashion, "it's not a big deal. So, you're not from a clan. Rare, but not unheard of. I'm Percy. What's your name?"

The man grabbing onto her arm swung around to look at her, as if it just occurred to him that he didn't know her name. Well, she would have rather kept it that way, but perhaps they would return her if they knew who she was. But, then again, if they did know they might use her for ransom.

"Skylar," she responded simply. If the name meant anything to them, they didn't show it. Percy smiled at her kindly, while the other man just narrowed his golden eyes.

"Well, Skylar, it's a pleasure. Although the circumstances are unfortunate," Percy patted her shoulder companionably. "That's Orion. He's not usually in such a terrible mood."

The man in question, Orion, growled at his friend in warning. Percy merely chuckled. "He's tired. I disrupted his sleep when I heard your carriage."

"And I should still be asleep," Orion cut in. "Not running around the woods chasing after an ungrateful female." He gave Skylar a pointed look.

She lowered her brows at him. "I never asked you to come after me. If I recall, I did my best to get away from you."

He pondered this for a moment. "Does your dragon feel the same way?"

She didn't, and the arrogant man knew that well enough. But if he thought Skylar was going to give in that easily, he thought wrong. "Either way, she doesn't like presumptuous men who like to intimidate frightened women. We would have been just fine without you."

A mocking smile spread across his full mouth. "You would have been on your way to being someone's slave and giving away everything about our kind."

"I would have gotten out of it."

Orion took a breath to respond but Percy beat him to it. "Alright, enough. You're together for ten minutes and you're at each other's throats. Skylar, I promise Orion usually isn't like this. For some reason you bring out the worst in him."

She rolled her eyes, finding it difficult to imagine the brute of male being pleasant to anyone. "I find that hard to believe."

"He just wants to get home, and now you've given us a reason. Technically, he should be thanking you, but I won't insist on it. But, you should also be thanking us. There's no problem with help in a dangerous situation. And your situation definitely wasn't safe."

Skylar looked away from him in shame. Despite how Orion acted toward her, Percy was kind and if it weren't for him she would likely still be tied up the carriage. "I'm sorry. Thank you, Percy. Without you, I'd still be someone's prisoner."

He waved it away with a flick of his hand. "It was fun. If you ever need me to knock out anyone else, just say the word."

She smiled. "Thank you." Her dragon had spent the entire time sizing up this new arrival, and she finally decided she approved. He had a powerful air about him, not as powerful as Orion or herself, but he was still a leader. And he was obviously very patient if he was able to put up with Orion. He seemed very fond of his friend, and perhaps leader, the way he had gone along with Orion's announcement that she was accompanying them.

"That's quite the dress, Skylar. Where exactly did you say you were from?" Percy asked again. Orion's hand on her wrist tightened and she wasn't sure if it was just a reaction from the question or a warning not to answer. She wasn't sure she wanted to answer either. Orion likely didn't want to worry his friend about the abomination of a dragon he had picked up in the woods, he had no idea who she really was.

"Nowhere important," she shrugged in a very un-princess like fashion. Her mother and Greta would have chastised her for the bad habit.

At the thought of Violet and Greta, Skylar's stomach clenched. Had they realized she was gone yet? It had been at least a couple hours, she thought, but it was a party, people got lost in the crowd all the time. What would they think when they discovered her missing? Found her tiara outside the gates? She hoped they looked for her; they would protect her from Draco.

Her dragon snarled at the thought of Draco, but she also fought against the cage when she realized Skylar was still working out a way to get away from these two dragons. She didn't want to go back to the human life, not after she'd been around dragons for the first time. They were her kind, and she wasn't going to give them up easily. The powerful surge against the wall Skylar had built up around the beast sent a sear of pain through Sky's head. She gasped and stopped walking, pulling even the large Orion to a stop.

"Skylar?" Percy asked. Skylar couldn't answer him while she tried to calm the animal. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon, she promised. They would stay with Percy and Orion, where they were safe from Draco, for as long as necessary. Either way, Skylar knew she wasn't going anywhere if this was how her dragon would respond every time she tried to leave. She could barely talk let alone move.

She squeezed her eyes closed and pressed against her temples with the tips of her fingers while she rode out her dragon's tantrum. She couldn't get past her confines, but she wasn't going to make it easy for Skylar, not that she ever had. But this time, she was truly invested. Before she fought Skylar simply because she wanted her freedom. Now she fought because she had found her kind, her equals, people who understood her, and she wasn't about to give that up.

"Skylar," Orion's rumbling voice asked and she felt a heavy hand fall on her shoulder. "What's happening?"

The dragon subsided when she heard the man's voice. He was still here, still holding them captive. He wasn't going to let Skylar leave, so her situation was safe for now. Skylar shook her head and took a calming breath. "Just my dragon. I'm fine."

"Your dragon caused that? You looked like you were in a lot of pain," Percy pointed out. His silver eyes were filled with concern and some confusion. "Is she okay? I know it's getting close to the full moon, but she shouldn't be fighting you that hard."

"She always fights me that hard," Skylar told him. "I was just thinking about going home. She doesn't want that."

Percy cocked his head slightly to the side and his gaze turned slightly suspicious. "She doesn't?"

"Let's not worry about it now," Orion took his hand off Skylar and ran it through his dark hair. "Percy, you take the horse ahead and get everything situated. Skylar and I will be right there."

Percy glanced at Orion and nodded slowly. "Okay," he said slowly. "I'll see you guys in a minute."

As his friend walked away, Orion turned to Skylar and ran his large hand through his hair, a habit that Skylar had noticed. He did it when he was thinking or about to say something he wasn't sure how to deliver. "He can't know about your relationship with your dragon, nor your living situation. For now anyway," he finally stated.

"Why not?" Skylar hadn't planned on telling Percy, but being explicitly told that she couldn't made it seem very appealing.

Orion sighed and glanced around them in exasperation. "Believe it or not, Skylar, not all dragons are as understanding as I am."

She laughed until she realized he was serious. She sobered up and blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what Percy will do. He's the best person I know, but he takes being a dragon very seriously. Your situation put all of us in danger, and the fact that you keep your dragon locked up will not sit easily with any dragon worth their fangs. Your dragon has likely gone insane from confinement. The only emotion she knows is anger, and if she surfaced she would attack anyone in the vicinity."

Skylar simply stared at him. Sure, she and her dragon didn't get along, and yes, the beast harbored a lot of resentment and anger, but she wasn't insane. She was very sane, very calculating, and very intelligent. She did not appreciate this male assuming things he knew nothing about. Her dragon stood snarling in her cage, but for once it wasn't aimed toward Skylar. And then, in a motion in what appeared to be proving a point, she went and calmed down in a corner, as far from the surface as she had been in recent years. Orion didn't know what was happening inside Skylar, but she knew that it was about as much proof of her dragon's state of mind as she needed.

"She's not like that," Skylar snarled, suddenly protective of the beast she despised. "She doesn't like me, or her situation, but she isn't crazy. She wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose."

For the first time, Skylar actually believed that about her dragon.

"You might not think she's like that because it's all you know."

"I know that she's completely ignoring you because you offended her. Insane dragons aren't petty."

That quieted Orion, but it didn't last long. "Either way, you've never willingly let her surface, and that's dangerous. If one day she bursts forward out of anger, and she's suddenly free of anything holding her back, there's no knowing what she would. So, for now, don't tell Percy about your situation. Let him think you're a nomad, let him believe you're in harmony with your dragon. Let him believe whatever he wants, but I want to talk to my father about what to do with you."

The idea that this large, imposing man had a family whose council he desired surprised Skylar. He seemed like the type to take things into his own hands and keep them there, the man who didn't need help and who knew all the answers. What she didn't appreciate was being treated like an inconvenience.

"What to do with me? I'm not a lost puppy you found on your way home."

"Aren't you?" he chuckled. It was actually quite a pleasant sound, low and rumbling from deep in his broad chest. "Because I was on my way home and stumbled across you, a girl away from home and no idea where to go."

He wasn't wrong, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. His ego was large enough already. So she shifted the topic slightly. As she opened her mouth to talk, he nodded his head in the direction Percy had gone and began walking. He didn't grab her arm this time to propel her along. It felt like progress in her mind. Or he was confident he could run her down again. Or the fact that she really didn't have any idea what to do next. Going along with Percy and Orion seemed as good as anything, and it would keep her dragon happy. If her dragon was happy, Skylar's life was far more pleasant.

"What do you think you're going to do with me?" When he turned his head and raised an eyebrow at her in amusement, she quickly added to her statement. "For curiosity's sake. I don't actually care."

He snorted. "Dad'll likely want to keep you around, train you and teach you to be a dragon. With the Wildlings attacking humans more often, we're being hunted down as well. Our numbers are dwindling and all dragons are valuable. Even ones who don't know how to be a dragon."

She ignored the shot. "Wildlings?"

"Wild, pure-blooded dragons. No human in them. Those are the ones who attack villages and farmsteads. We're mistaken for them, even though we're nothing alike."

"How so?" Wow, he was fast. He took one stride for every two of hers and she was almost running to keep up with him.

"Well, we avoid humans as much as we can, for starters. We don't have any need for their animals or food or whatever else. We do like their weapons and it's easier to trade with them than steal or make our. That's our only interaction with them," he answered. His voice was monotone, as if it wasn't anything interesting. Skylar found it fascinating. The dragons that people didn't like weren't even the type of dragon she was! Of course, he could just be telling her that, but why would he? What would be the point of lying to her about that sort of thing?

"What else is different? Do you look different? Because that could be where some of the confusion comes in," she offered.

"We come in more colors. Wildlings are the classic greens, browns, blacks, and grays. We're any color you can imagine. You're sky blue," he pointed out. "Very nice, by the way."

"How did you know that?" she demanded.

He widened his expressive golden eyes at her and stopped moving. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, how did you know what color my dragon is?"

"Wow, you are serious," he shook his head slowly. "I guess there's no way you would've known, not growing up around dragons." He stepped closer and bent down so they were nearly nose to nose. She nearly backed away, but her pride wouldn't let her.

"I'll give you one guess as to what color my scales are," he whispered. He was close enough that she could smell his strangely wonderful scent and it fogged her brain. It caught her dragon's attention from where she'd been laying quietly. She hadn't been paying close attention to the interaction, and now she was curious as to why the male was so close to them. She didn't not like his proximity.

Skylar ignored her dragon and tried to focus on what he was saying to her. All she could see where his gold eyes. Strange, gold eyes. She'd never seen-- of course. How dumb was she?

"Gold. You're a gold dragon," she whispered back, her cheeks turning red as she did so. Part was from embarrassment at her ignorance, but the other part was from how close his face still was to her own. She let out a breath of relief when he rose back up his own plane and all she could look at was the sculpted muscle of his chest that pressed tight against his white shirt. Her dragon loved the new view. Skylar simply became flustered and backed a few steps away.

"Good. First lesson," he resumed walking, "you can always tell the color of a dragon's scales by the color of their eyes. I bet that's why you lasted so long in the human world. Your eyes are a more vivid blue than most, but blue is still a common color among humans. It wouldn't raise any questions."

"So dragons with red scales-"

"Red eyes. Yes, some colors are a little unnerving, but you get used to it when everyone is different like that. Very few dragons are the same exact color. Perhaps twins, but even then they can change over time," he explained indulgently. "Think of it like hair color for humans: similar but never exactly the same."

"Anything else specific to just Wildlings or just dragons? Or is that the only way to tell them apart?"

"Not really. I guess Wildlings are generally larger, but not by much. When I'm in my dragon form, I'm the same size as most Wildlings, and some Wildlings are smaller, more in the size range of us dragons. It depends on the animal, really. They look a little fiercer, have more spikes around their face." He shrugged as he thought more. "Dragons prefer groups, clans we call them. We like to be around each other. That would be the human in us. Wildlings live on their own or in a mated pair with new hatchlings every three years. Sometimes small groups of twos and threes form, but again, depends on the beast."

He gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. "So you've spent your entire life avoiding all this and now you're curious?"

She avoided his gaze defensively. He was mocking her and she didn't like it. "Anyone would be curious. And if I'm stuck with you for the foreseeable future, I'd like to know what I'm getting into."

"Nothing I say can prepare you for being a dragon, that I promise you. Once you find that equilibrium with your animal side, nothing can compare."

Skylar felt her dragon stir within her cage and knew that the likeliness of her and her dragon ever becoming one was very slim. Perhaps they could learn to live in tandem, learn to respect one another. That would be far nicer than fighting every second of everyday.

They walked on in silence until Orion suddenly veered off into the trees. Skylar followed him at a much slower pace. She was bone tired, the adrenaline was leaving her system far too quickly. Was it only a few hours ago that she was dancing with Jonathan, celebrating her birthday? It felt like a lifetime. Perhaps if she went to sleep, she'd wake up from this nightmare in her soft, familiar bed. Although at this point, she'd settle for the hard ground. She could barely keep her eyes open as she stumbled after her large guide. She had no idea how she'd managed to sprint through the woods with her wrists tied and her skirts twisting around her ankles. Even now she was struggling, and she gripped the skirts in her fists to keep them from impeding her progress.

Oh, her poor dress. The gown that Greta had spent so long creating for her was ruined. It was dirty and torn. The hem was in tatters and her bodice was streaked with mud and bits of leaves and twigs. She reached up to pat her hair and realized that all the activity had caused the curls to come undone from the careful style that Greta had pinned it into. It sat in a lopsided mess atop her head, from what she could tell. Thinking about the disaster that was her dress and hair caused a tear to slide down her cheek. And once that tear fell, so did the rest of them. All of the despair and hopelessness she'd been holding up behind a wall of anger and fear. And with the adrenaline went the anger and fear, leaving her sad and alone. She knew it was stupid to cry over a dress and hair, but it was the simplest thing to think about at the moment. She reached up with a filthy hand to wipe her face in an attempt to hide the tears, but there was no hiding them because they simply wouldn't stop.

Skylar wasn't a cute crier.

Her face got blotchy and red, her eyes puffed up and when it got really bad, her nose started to run. When she appeared behind Orion in the tiny clearing the pair had claimed as their own, she was simply breaking into pieces. Percy turned to say something to her, but his face shifted into complete terror upon the sight of the sobbing female. Skylar didn't blame him; she'd be scared if she could see herself too.

"Whoa, hey," Percy came up to her slowly, talking to her like she was a frightened horse. "Hey, it's okay."

Skylar simply shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "I just need to go to sleep." She sniffled loudly and wiped her nose and cheeks again.

"Right, of course," Percy gently placed a hand on her back and guided her over to where he had piled up a couple of blankets. "It's not much, but-"

"I -It's fine," Skylar said shakily, impressed with herself for even managing that much. A few more tears dripped down her cheeks, but she ignored them. "Thank you."

He nodded once and then left her. "Good night, Skylar."

He was only about ten feet away, but he still left her alone, which was what she needed. He curled up with a single blanket on the ground and turned with his back to her.

Skylar took a deep, somewhat shaky, breath. Percy's kindness had helped slow the tears, but they still fell. She could go to sleep now, and when she woke up it would be a new day and she could figure something out. Except it would appear that she would have to sleep in her gown and the uncomfortable laces. She could at least undo the laces. She thought she was tired enough to ignore the bodice in her slumber, but the tight laces needed to be undone. She reached around awkwardly, searching for the end of the lace and then attempting to pull it loose.

She jumped in surprise when her hands were brushed away and another set took their place. "I'll help you," Orion said gruffly but quietly. Skylar could already hear Percy's soft snoring across the little clearing.

"I can get it," she insisted, but she was glad she didn't have to. She was even more glad when he reached around her to hand her a canteen filled with water. Wow, had she ever been this thirsty? Why hadn't she realized it before? She guzzled down the water until Orion pulled it away from her.

"Easy. It'll be coming back up if you drink it like that," he warned as he finished with the laces. He stepped away the second they were loosened, but stood still when she turned to face him.

She gave him the smallest of smiles. "Thank you, Orion."

He nodded. "The least I can do, I suppose. Good night, Skylar." He wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and laid back on the ground, three feet away from where her own feet would be when she laid down.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. It was far less threatening than she had intended, with her still raspy voice and tear streaked face, but it was still laced with venom.

"Sleeping, like you should be." He didn't open his eyes to look at her as he spoke.

"Why aren't you over there?" she stared pointedly at Percy's sleeping form, hoping he got the point and moved further away.

"I won't risk you running off. Now go to sleep before I tie you to me, which you will like even less," he promised sleepily. Skylar made a face at his large form and sat down on the blankets Percy had laid out for her. She curled up on her side, as best she could with her bodice, and pulled the top blanket up to her chin. It smelt like Orion, and she couldn't decide if she liked it or not. She stretched slightly so she could see him. His eyes were closed, but his rigid form told her he was still awake. He would likely stay that way until he was positive she herself was asleep. He wouldn't have to wait long, she could barely keep her eyes open as it was.

She couldn't believe she was going to sleep in the woods with two men and three horses for company. Two dragons, actually. How had everything gone so wrong from this morning? She'd only been worried about her birthday party and how she was going to get through it with her dragon fighting her the entire way, but she'd been happy. She'd been content it knowing what her future held for her, even though it wasn't a pleasant outlook. She'd known what to expect from her days, from the people around her. Except for Jonathan, the way he'd kissed her.

Another tear fell. She hadn't gotten the chance to tell him that he wasn't the reason she'd pushed him away, that she wanted to kiss him again. He was her best friend, a man she knew she could grow to love, a man she could picture a future with. Even if she'd have to live in secret, she'd know that her human side could love him. And now he was even further out of her reach than before.

Skylar rested her cheek on her hands and closed her eyes. She would get home, somehow. She knew she would. She just needed to figure out how to eliminate the dangers that stood in her path. Taming her dragon seemed like a good place to start, but for now she just needed a moment's reprieve. A chance to not worry about the next few days or weeks, whatever Orion had planned for her. He was an intelligent man, but he was arrogant. He would underestimate her, eventually, and when he did, she would be ready to run. Her dragon growled in disapproval, but Skylar ignored her as she usually did. Skylar was in charge of their future, and they both knew it.