Her brows wrinkle as she looks at him. “A...crash course?”
“An overview. Summarize what I should know.”
“Ah. I see. Of course.” She faces him as she speaks, and he pushes aside thoughts of drawing her close as he focuses on her words. “Dragons are highly intelligent creatures. They are also social. Occasionally, the males will live in isolation, but once they’ve mated, most males never leave their mates except to hunt. It’s unusual for a female to be alone unless she’s guarding her eggs while her mate is hunting.”
Rominy’s head spins. “So this is a male dragon?”
“Possibly. Or...” Her voice fades, and she looks away.
“Or what?”
“Or we only saw one, and there’s another one nearby. Dragons are loyal creatures. They mate for life.”
“Two dragons? You think there might be two dragons?” The world starts to sway.
“Rominy.” Elowyn rests her hand on his chest over his leathers. “Take a deep breath and stay with me, my love.”
Her touch helps center him, and he does his best to breathe along with her.
“What do you know about dragons and their feelings about people?” Rominy asks once his panic has lessened. “Can they be domesticated?”
Elowyn tilts her head from side to side. “They’re magical creatures, similar to unicorns in many ways. Think of it less as taming and more as developing a camaraderie where the dragon is willing to let you pretend to be its master.”
“Sounds like a house cat,” Rominy mumbles, and Elowyn laughs.
“Elves consider cats untameable. You merely coexist. It’s much the same with dragons.”
Rominy sighs. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Practically speaking, dragons don’t have the best vision up close. If you don’t move, they’ll struggle to see you.”
He nods. “Good to know.”
“They also respect fire. All the most famous dragon riders throughout elven history were fire wielders.According to legend, fire magic was bestowed upon Zelovon by the last of the sentient dragons before they departed these lands, leaving only the lesser dragons living in the northern mountains. Even those are rumored to be extinct now, though.”
“Zelovon. I recognize that name.”
“The first of the Westarian kings. I’m descended from Zelovon.”
Rominy nods. “Right. Wait, back up. Did you say sentient dragons? What kind of dragon killed me?”
“A lesser dragon. I think.”
“You think?”
“I doubt there would be a dragon shifter in our heartlanding. We should be the only sentient beings here.”
Rominy lets that sink in. “Shifter. As in—”
“A man at times. Or a woman. A dragon at other times.”
“And this is the crash course?” His head is definitely spinning now.
Elowyn laughs again. “For tonight, just remember that dragons can’t see well up close, they respect fire, and our dragon may not be alone.”
“Got it.”
“And one more thing,” she says softly as she slides her hand over his shoulder to the back of his neck and pulls him toward her. “Remember you’re mine, Rominy. And there’s no one I’d rather chase dragons with than you.”
