Dragon Joined by Rebecca Royce

dared to not be impressed by her made her nuts. He knew her
type. She liked to be the center of attention.
    “Go to bed. It’s lights-out.”
    Dean walked past her toward the bedrooms. The other humans
at dinner had explained to him that until he had a dragon, he had to sleep with
the servants, the non-joined humans who lived with them. Apparently, the humans
who were joined had to go to wherever their dragons were resting. That location
was kept secret. He didn’t get to know about it. Or that was what they’d said.
    What they didn’t understand was that he’d know it by the end
of the night. Every human here would be leaving with him, dragon-fricking-free.

Chapter Five
     
    Princess lay down next to herself, snuggling against her
dragon body. She smiled. So few got to live as she did. Days spent in her human
body. Nights in her dragon. Never tired, never overwhelmed. Always in charge.
    She let her consciousness drift from Amanda’s vessel into
her own. Her dragon stood up. She stretched her front and back legs, letting
her wings flap back forth while she did so. Everything worked the way she
wanted it to. Her bodies never failed her. She’d picked well.
    Her eyes drifted down to where she’d left Amanda asleep. Her
human body would remain deep in dreamland, unable to rouse until she returned
for her. And if for some reason she didn’t come back, then Amanda Sugar would
never wake again. Damn that Dean Andrews. In all her years of existence, on
this planet and the one they’d come from, she’d never considered death. Why did
that infuriating little man have that effect on everything around him?
    If he didn’t join well, he’d be destroyed. She pushed the
doors to her room forward, letting them swing behind her as she exited. This
part of the castle, the most highly guarded in the whole of the place, worked
like that. Nothing required the use of purposeless human hands—not when her
wings could bang them and make them do as she wanted.
    With two easily taken strides, she exited through the open
window into the night sky. The wind blew under her wings, giving her lift, and
she flapped gently, letting it take her where the mood moved. She had no plans
for that evening except to enjoy it. All thoughts of Dean Andrews would fade
with the moonlight on her scales.
    She grinned. Although she’d not planned it, perhaps a
burning raid on some unprepared village would fill her up.
    * * * * *
    Amanda drifted. She sat on a white beach under a tree,
letting the warmth spread inside her. Leaning over, she took a sip of her
drink, which tasted sweet. Too sweet . She gagged and rested back against
the tree.
    This wasn’t working for her tonight. She’d never been on a
beach. Ever. All the time she’d spent on the run with the kids, they’d never
stumbled upon paradise. The dragon shoved her into these dream places to keep
her content while she flew around in her own body for the evening.
    Nice, comfortable surroundings were meant to be satisfying. Except
they weren’t. She stood up. Awareness that she was sleeping did something to
negate the restorative power of the act.
    Amanda rolled her eyes. She’d had too many years with
Princess in her head. Once she’d been able to speak her mind, plainly and
clearly. Even if the way she spoke had left something to be desired, she could tell
folks what she wanted when she wanted it. Now? She talked in riddles and used
big words meant to be impressive.
    Would there be a time soon when Princess took over
everything about her? When Amanda wouldn’t be around at all anymore?
    She couldn’t let that happen before she had a chance to help
Dean to get back to her brother and sister. Then whatever happened, she’d deal
with it. Until then she had to fight as she hadn’t in years. At what point had
she given in to Princess’ demands?
    She needed to wake up. Pacing back and forth in front of her
tree, she tried to figure out how she could accomplish such a thing. When
Princess left