Like lightning, one clawed hand shot out and pinned me to the hot surface of the platform. My weapon skittered across the dome, falling down in the depths of the kingdom somewhere. Dimly, Zion was yelling. The sun blinded my eyes, blocked only by the silhouette of the monster who held me down. His clawed hand seized my neck and squeezed. His snout nudged my chest and I reacted on instinct, punching it as hard as I could. He shrieked in anger. The sharp edge of the claws around my lips went limp as the heavy weight of the dragon disappeared, and soft lips descended onto mine.

