Addolgar stood over her, hands on his narrow hips. “How can you be comfortable all stiff like this? With your clothes on?”

“I’m cold,” she reminded him, desperate not to take her clothes off. Her human body was not something poets would ever write about, so she wasn’t about to get naked in front of Addolgar, of all dragons.

“That’s what the fur covers are for. You’ll get under them and with the fire going, you’ll be fine.”

“I’m fine as I am right now.”

“At least take your boots off.”

To appease the big ox, Braith sat up, but before she could touch the leather of her boots, Addolgar was there.

“I’ll do it,” he said cheerfully, smiling at her.

He tugged off first one boot, then the other. He then pulled off her socks and lifted her feet, studying them.

“I thought they’d be bigger.”

“How is that not an insult?”

“It’s not an insult. Or a compliment. Just an observation.” He thought a moment. “But your feet are cute, and that is a compliment.”

Laughing, Braith pulled her feet out of his grasp. “My boots are off. Can I go to sleep now?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not relaxed. Who can sleep when they’re not relaxed?”

“I’ll relax eventually.”

“At least take your leggings off.”

“I will do no such thing.”

“You’re being as silly as humans about this.”

“That’s my choice.”

“Well,” Addolgar said, “my choice is for you to be comfortable.”

And that’s when he grabbed the bottom of her leggings and began to yank them off.

“Addolgar!”

“You’ll thank me when I’m done.”

No, she wouldn’t!

Braith tried to scramble away, but she only managed to assist him in getting her leggings off while, at the same time, flipping herself off the blasted bed.

Growling, she got to her knees and rested her arms on the bed. She glowered up at the beast. “Give me back those leggings!”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’m sure there are laws about it!”

“I don’t know why you’re being so shy.” He paused a moment, then asked, “Do I make you nervous?”

“Yes!” Braith replied honestly.

“Why?”

“I just . . . look, just . . . I mean . . .” She slammed her fist against the bed. “Give me my blasted leggings!”

Addolgar studied her for a bit before he surmised, “You don’t want me to see you naked.”

“Leggings.”

“Do you think I’ve never seen a human body before?”

“Leggings.”

“Do you have a few scars you don’t want me to see?”

“Leggings!”

“Fine.” Addolgar tossed her precious leggings behind him and began to toe off his boots.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Getting naked.”

“What the hells for?”

“So you can be comfortable getting naked, too, so we can get some sleep.”

“How would that make me feel comfortable? In what universe would that make me feel comfortable?”

“You can see my scars.”

“I don’t want to see your scars!”

“There’s no shame in scars. The more scars you have, the more respect you get from the Cadwaladrs.”

“Addolgar—” she began, but her words were cut off when his chain-mail shirt hit her in the face.

“Dammit!” she barked, yanking the shirt off and tossing it to the floor. But before she could get her bearings, Addolgar’s leggings swiftly followed. They were heavier and nearly knocked her on her ass, but she managed to keep her balance and toss them away too.

“See?” he asked when she looked up at him. “I’m just like you.”

Braith could only shake her head and reply, “You have to be the biggest idiot, I’ve ever known.”

Confused, he looked down at himself, then back at her. “What?” Addolgar asked. “Is it me thighs?” He cringed a bit. “They’re too big for the rest of me, ain’t they?”

Unable to look at him a moment longer, Braith buried her head into the fur covering and sighed, long and deep.

The biggest idiot . . . ever.

Addolgar knelt on the other side of the bed and studied the top of Braith’s head. All that thick, blue hair spread around her, covering her arms, and reaching to the floor. He couldn’t help himself—his fingers were running through it before he even realized it.

That’s when Braith’s head slowly came up. He didn’t quite understand the look on her face. Was she angry? Insulted? Disgusted? He didn’t know her well enough to know what she was thinking at the moment. So Addolgar did what he always did in these situations. He asked.

“I can’t tell. Are you pissed? Or just appalled?”

“Confused,” she said softly, her expression unchanging.

“Confused about what?”

“Why did you touch me? To be kind?”

“Kind?” He thought about that word for a moment before admitting, “Braith, I’m not kind.”