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to be wary. You’ll be fine with Benmonth and Annlyss, because
they’re partnered with Tarkan and me, but you must never approach a black you
don’t know without their rider being present.”
    “Black?”
    Ari rubbed his free hand absently on Benmonth’s cheek. “What
have they been teaching you all week? Have they told you nothing of dragon
society?”
    Society? Really? Chelsea took a long, hard look at Benmonth.
Intelligence lurked in his yellow eyes but so did something else and it looked
sinister to her. “You’re telling me dragons are social?”
    “Yes. They live in large groups, they mate and care for
their young. Each dragon type has a role and position in their society.”
    Chelsea thought about Skalah and his ability to understand
the spoken word. “Are all dragons sentient?”
    “Yes.”
    Tarkan, who hadn’t released her through the exchange, kept
her held tight to his chest as he spoke. “The dragons are color-coded. The
greens are large and mostly landbound, they understand simple instructions and
are happy to be used domestically by us, as long as they are kept warm and well
fed. The reds and blues are smarter and like to stay in the air. They
voluntarily take turns supplying our transport needs, ferrying both people and
goods from settlement to settlement.” He took a deep breath and the warmth of
his exhale ghosted over her cheek. “And then there are the blacks. The smartest,
fastest, most hostile creatures in dragon society. They are fierce, territorial
and they live for battle. Every black who comes to a settlement willingly
aligns him or herself with an Enforcer and that pairing is exclusive and
permanent. They live in the dens as mated pairs and their Enforcers live with
them, sharing every aspect of their daily lives.”
    She looked at the savage, belligerent head not two meters
from her. “And Benmonth is your dragon?”
    “Yes. As I am his Enforcer.” Tarkan turned her a little to
face another dragon, storm-gray instead of the midnight black of Benmonth. “That’s
Annlyss, she and Ari are paired.”
    Chelsea thought for a moment, trying to make the right
connections. “So Benmonth and Annlyss are mated, you and Ari belong to them and
the four of you live together in a den?”
    “More or less.” Tarkan released her and placed his hand on
her lower back, urging her closer. “Benmonth wants to meet you. He promises he’ll
be on his best behavior.”
    Uh huh. Was that before or after he swallowed her
whole spat out her bones? Tarkan’s pressure on her back didn’t ease, even when
she started digging her feet into the sand. As soon as she got close enough Ari
grabbed her wrist and placed her hand palm down, right in the middle of
Benmonth’s forehead. Now this was more like the dry and scaly she’d been
expecting, but his skin was warm and there was a resilience to it that reminded
her of rubberized neoprene.
    Ari guided her hand up and down, allowing her to relax just
a bit.
    Tarkan stepped beside her and rested his hand on her
shoulder. “Benmonth wants to scent you. It’s the dragon equivalent of a
handshake and it’s nothing to be frightened about.”
    She licked her lips. “What does it involve exactly?”
    “All you have to do is stand there. Benmonth will sniff you,
maybe nuzzle a bit and then you’re done.”
    Good god, nothing to it. She took a breath, locked her knees
and clamped her mouth shut on the scream she knew was coming. Giving one short
nod to let them know she was ready, she braced herself.
    Benmonth scooted back a bit and laid his neck and head on
the ground, then he shuffled closer until his nostrils were resting almost on
her toes. He sniffed a couple of times, wriggled a bit more and sniffed again—this
time in a steady rhythm. Using the skin between his nostrils the way a person
would use their hands, he began making his way up her body. He was thorough,
slow and very, very careful.
    She got brave enough to take a full breath and as her