“You’re… going to… get naked? There are many times to get naked, but now isn’t one of them,” Angel said.

Gideon waved his hand. He gasped a shallow breath. “Get back, get back.”

Angel hesitated, then retreated a step. “I still—I’ll go get Elly. You hold on for just a little longer—”

Gideon coughed. A glob of blood splattered up over his lips and down his chin. He shook his head. “No time.”

He stretched out his hand. Black light burst out around his ruined body. His skin churned. Pain flashed over Gideon’s face, and he grit his teeth. Black scales burst out of his skin. His limbs twisted, changing in shape, and claws curled from his fingers and toes. Wings burst out of his back. His flesh closed up, wounds healing over as he transformed.

Angel stumbled back, eyes wide, hand over her mouth. She stared up, up, as Gideon took form.

Kat shook her head and clawed her way upright. She looked around, then set eyes on the transforming Gideon and charged at him with a ferocious roar.

Quickly, almost instinctively, Angel began to dance. Magic surged into Gideon, and his transformation sped up. In an instant, a black dragon with searing golden eyes stood between Angel and the charging, small green dragon which Kat had become.

Gideon snarled and released a blast of lightning from his mouth.

Kat squealed and tumbled backward, smoking. A patch of blackened scales marked where the lightning struck. A few scales in the center fell off directly, clattering to the ground. She slumped for a moment, then climbed to her feet, wings flared.

“Eh?” Angel said, startled.

“She didn’t die because I can’t critical-cast in this form. It’s absolute nonsense. Being a mage is way better,” Gideon replied, narrowing his eyes at Kat.

Kat hissed and backed away, her head low and wings flared. Instinctively, she made herself large, blocking off the pathway ahead of them.

“Oh,” Angel said, nodding.

He coughed and shook his head, glancing over his shoulder at Angel. “Keep dancing. I’m going to kill this little traitor before she can get away.”

Angel gave him a thumbs up and continued, bangles clattering as she danced.

Kat’s eyes widened. She glanced around, then leaped upward. Her body tensed, and then she crashed directly through the ceiling and into the next floor. Her back claws scrambled at the broken edge of the ceiling for a moment before she vanished.

“You aren’t getting away!” Gideon snapped. He leaped after her, wriggling through the hole she’d made.

“Er… do I…” Angel asked awkwardly.

“Keep dancing!” Gideon shouted back.

Angel glanced after the two dragons, then shrugged. She continued to dance, sashaying closer to the hole. Occasionally, she caught a glimpse of the battle beyond. The smaller green dragon flitted in and out of her vision, while Gideon flopped around clumsily, clearly not used to this body.

He spat another bolt of lightning at Kat, but Kat hopped up and dug her claws into the wall, dodging the blast. She opened her mouth wide, and wind rushed at him, forcing him to close his eyes against the debris. He stumbled back, and in that instant, Kat jumped to his side and bit at his neck. He slapped her away. She struck the ground with a distinct thump but rolled and came up with a grin. Blood stained her lips. She spat a mouthful of black scales on the ground and wiggled her tail, taunting Gideon.

Frustrated, Gideon slammed a claw down on the floor. “Stop moving!”

Kat giggled and bounced off the wall again. She held all her limbs in close and shot through a window. Glass shattered, and the green dragon vanished.

Gideon ran to the window, then glared after her. He put a claw to the broken glass and scowled. “I can’t fit through that.”

“Can’t you break the wall, like she did?” Angel suggested.

Gideon turned back, craning his now-long neck to peer down the hole. “What, do you think I’m some kind of brute? I’m a learned mage. I don’t do such… uncivilized maneuvers.”

Angel raised her eyebrows at him.

“Also, crashing through the ceiling looked like it hurt, and this is an exterior wall. It’ll be way worse. I don’t care that much. I mean, someone will kill her, surely,” Gideon said, shrugging.

“The rest of the group… Jet and the others!” Angel shouted, remembering suddenly.

Gideon scowled. “Dammit. We can’t let that idiot get killed now. We’ve come all this way…”

He dropped back through the hole, landing heavily. A burst of dust leaped up from the rug. Angel coughed, stumbling away, hands up.

Gideon looked at her. She looked at him.

“I… could ride?” Angel suggested.

Gideon reached out a claw and snatched her up. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Oh, hey! It was a perfectly valid suggestion,” Angel shouted, annoyed.

Giving her a look, Gideon shook his head. “Would you like it if an attractive man suggested he ride you?”

“Uh… yes?” Angel said, giving him a no-duh look.

Gideon opened his mouth, then hesitated. He nodded. “Okay, yeah. But I’m not letting anyone ride me. People get… ideas when it comes to riding dragons.”

“What, you’re afraid I’ll treat you like a wyvern?” Angel laughed.

“Is there a worse fate?” Gideon replied gravely.

Angel shook her head. “People love wyverns. Wyverns are great!”

Disgusted, Gideon drew back. “No. Don’t tell me. You’re a wyvern girl, aren’t you?”

“What? What’s wrong with that? Every girl has her wyvern phase, come on. It’s the ultimate fantasy! Flying in the sky on your own dragon… Well, it’s either wyverns or pegusai. I was the wyvern kind of girl.”

Gideon tutted. “Wyvern girls. Ugh.”

“What’s wrong with that, huh?” Angel retorted again, crossing her arms.

“All about those big, sweaty, muscular beasts, wings flapping, their fearsome faces and stupid, pathetic groveling demeanor…” Gideon grumbled under his breath.

“Yeah, and? It’s like, the ideal situation. An enormous beast that answers unwaveringly to your every whim, and never asks you to do stupid things like make sandwiches or clean the house,” Angel replied, arms still crossed.

Gideon shook his head again. “Wyvern girls…”