The Vigilante & The Dragon - Book 1 of the Guardians Saga [COMPLETED]

How To Save A Dragon Ch. 1.3

Once at her floor, Alex walked and half dragged Gabe into her dingy studio apartment. With a sigh of relief, Alex lowered him into a sitting position on her sagging bed. He looked up at her with a face that was smooth instead of scaly, detracting from the dragon imagery. Instead, she was reminded of the little lizards that climbed on her window screen. Only he was gold, not green.

What were they called...

Anolis carolinensis, a calm voice from the back of her mind told her. Also known as the green Anole or American chameleon.

Alex told that part of her mind to shut up. That calm voice really irked her. It would pop out of nowhere, deliver its message, and vanish again.

Gabe moaned and slumped backwards. He reached for her with five fingered hands with opposable thumbs. Alex held his hand to steady him and saw that he didn't have fingernails, but short, neat claws.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

Duh, he was hunted down and shot with tranquilizer guns. Maybe I can ask more obvious questions.

His answer was another moan. She lowered him down the rest of the way and inspected him. His shirt, tunic, and pants were a sturdy cloth that looked hand-woven. She unbuckled the straps on his chest and wiggled out two sheaths from underneath him. One held a staff but the other was empty.

"Let's put these to the side." Alex also gingerly removed a large dagger from its sheath on his leather belt.

Okay, dragon-chameleon guy is armed and dangerous. Why aren't I more afraid? Maybe because we're both being hunted by human men? The enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing? Or  was it because he was outnumbered and losing and I'm a sucker for a victim?

She felt the incredibly soft hide of his arms for wounds and tried not to blush. His head was human shaped except for his short muzzle. She felt along his skull for wounds or fractures, marveling again at the softness of the leathery hide.

The last time I felt leather this soft was on a five hundred dollar pair of Italian shoes in an upscale shoe store.

Gabe was the gleaming golden color of a perfect tan at the end of a long summer. Alex wiggled her fingers up his back and felt something odd. With difficulty, she rolled him on his side and pulled up his tunic. Hemmed slits opened on the sides of his shirt and his back shimmered through them. She tugged the shirt up as well and then traced a line down his back when her eyes refused to focus on it.

Maybe this will help me find out what he is. He has leathery hide, claws, and muzzle like a dragon and I guess dragons can be gold, but he's human-sized and no tail.

A translucent golden wing slowly extended out from the shimmering illusion of a muscular back. The opalescent membrane caught the light and reflected it softly. Alex traced the wing sail, marveling that it was ultra-soft in a velvety way, unlike the buttery smooth leather of his hide. She inhaled and his scent of leather and the woods settled deep into her brain, soothing her. She didn't find any wounds and carefully tucked the wing against his back. It settled along the lines of muscles and disappeared into the illusion again.

Alex rolled him onto his other side, trying to grunt in a feminine way, and repeated the procedure to check his other wing. Satisfied they were fine, she pulled his shirt back down and eased him onto his back again.

Wings like a dragon but no tail like one. Still maybe dragon, maybe not.

Gabe spasmed but then fell limp, his breathing shallow.

Alex felt his chest, the pecs that any man would kill for. No six-pack abs, though, but a flat belly like a dragon. Alex stopped at his waistband.