I woke to a yank on the handcuffs and I groaned.

"Get up, dragon killer." I complied and rolled out of bed. Saphir drug me behind him and out into the main room, where I spotted Julie cleaning her weapons in the corner. When she spotted us, she put her handgun back together and stood. "We'll be going to Raleigh today," Saphir announced. Both Julie and I stiffened. We were going to the capital city of North Carolina? That was suicide! Most of it was destroyed anyways.

"That's suicide!" Julie said, as if she read my thoughts. "It's insane, idiotic, and just plain stupid! That's where the dragons live, we all know that!"

"And I want you to kill them." I turned my gaze to Saphir, who was looking quite unperturbed by our outbursts. "There are three that I need you to kill, for now."

"You want us to kill your own race?" I asked, incredulously. "Aren't you guys supposed to like each other?" Julie quirked an eyebrow and I answered her unspoken question. "The dragons living in Raleigh are mainly purebloods with a hint of half-breeds strewn in between."

"They went against my clan and killed half of us. I want their leaders dead."

"Revenge is always a good motive," Julie commented. She shrugged at me. "The more dragons dead, the better. I'm in."

"Well, I've got no objections." I whipped out my handy maps and turned to Saphir. "Where are we exactly?" Instead of answering, he jabbed at a spot. "How fast can you fly?" I asked.

"Fast enough," he retorted, affronted.

"Well, judging by average dragon speeds, we can reach Raleigh in around an hour."

"We'll be walking." I did a double take.

"Why?"

"I don't want to be spotted. I'm sure you two will do just fine."

"And you're not coming?" Julie asked.

"Oh, I am. I'll be watching you two closely."

"Why?" asked Julie again.

"Because this human way of killing has its merits. I'm not above using every technique to kill."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Julie stated. Saphir gestured to the corner where our weapons were stashed. Julie and I didn't hesitate and I walked forward, only to be snapped back. Saphir then walked with me and I suited up like I always had. "I cleaned your sniper rifle. I figured we would need it."

"But we're going in blind without Hernando. He was always scouted for us."

"Consider yourself nominated," Julie retorted sarcastically. I growled my answer, preferring not to begin a swear-fest. Saphir didn't comment, only yanked my handcuffs to hurry me up. Recon was a pain in the ass and required days and sleepless nights of watching the target.

"And consider yourself my spotter. I'm not going down alone." It was Julie's turn to glare at me and I smirked at her. We walked out of the warehouse and Julie stopped and pointed at a store down the street.

"Bingo," she said. This time, I pulled Saphir along with me as we walked into the bike shop. Julie went 'shopping' and I hung back with Saphir.

"What are these contraptions?" he asked as he spun a wheel.

"Bikes. They're not mechanical but are virtually silent and don't leave any smell, really. It'll get us over rough terrain pretty easily. There are some bike trails…" I whipped out another map and studied it carefully. "Here," I said, pointing at a spot. "And we can follow them for a few days until we hit this town…" I followed and plotted the trail with my eyes. "Then if we follow this…we can hit this back road...and then go here…" Saphir toned me out and scanned the bike store once again, letting his hand hang by his side.

"Here!" Julie said, wheeling two bikes with each hand. "I got these two. Look at the shocks on these babies." I was pulled out of my musings and glanced at the bikes, nodding in agreement.

"You're right. They're mountain bikes. Look for cushioned seats though so we don't die."

"They're cushioned. See?" Julie pounded on the seats, which only gave part way and I quirked an eyebrow at her. "All right, all right. I'm going."

"Get a wrench while you're at it and I'll switch 'em." Julie nodded before disappearing once again and I pocketed the unused maps, rolling the important ones in my hand. "Want a bike?" I asked politely. Saphir's look of ultimate disdain made me regret the question.

"I'll run."

"You'll run," I stated in a mix of sarcastic and disbelief. "I'm sure you'll keep up." He threw a look my way, almost making me flinch.

"I'm not a pathetic human. I can swap between my dragon and human form."

"And…" I prompted.

"I can control the amount of change between the forms. I can manipulate my muscle and bone structure to run faster. I won't explain the details, suffice to say, I'm capable of keeping up with your pathetic form of transportation." How this man…er…dragon could put the perfect amount of disdain and sarcasm to deflate any dignity I could possibly muster is beyond me.

"Fine. Don't say I didn't try to be nice."

"I don't want you to." I rolled my eyes in exasperation, a gesture I picked up
from Julie.

"Fine." I turned my back to Saphir, a childish gesture. Instead of simply ignoring my antics, he yanked my handcuffs, turning me back to him. With that simple gesture, I reached my first epiphany about Saphir. He didn't like to be ignored, a very human emotion.

"However, we both need to work together to kill these bastards," he ground out. I recognized the truce between us and took the advantage.

"What…exactly did they do?" I asked. He stared at me, containing his emotions, but I saw the spark of anger.

"Sanglant, the unelected leader of Raleigh, found out that I was near his clan. I naively thought that we could live in harmony for one night. He ordered a hit and took out half of my clan before we pushed his force back. I want revenge." I shivered in reaction to his passionate speech. "And as much as it pains me to say it, I require your help."

"You know," I sighed. "I really didn't kill your friends out of cold blood. I'm one of the few humans who don't hate your kind. Saying that, I'm going to help you kill him. As corny as this sounds, I believe in honor. It's one of the few things Julie and I have left and Sanglant…well, I don't like him." Fortunately, Julie arrived before I could dig a deeper hole for myself.

"Here's the seats. You can uncuff her now," she hinted, glaring at Saphir. He smirked at her before whisking out the key and deftly unlocking my cuff. Julie chucked the wrench at me and I barely caught the projectile aimed for my head. She slid the bike seats over to me and I began the work on the bikes.

"So when do we leave?" Julie asked, forcing some sort of conversation.

"After the dragon killer finishes her work." I sighed as I chucked the unneeded bike seat over my shoulder and screwed on the new one.

"Why don't you call her by her name?" Julie asked.

"Because she is a dragon killer." I finished the seat and moved to the next bike, ignoring Saphir and Julie's verbal sparring. I'll give Saphir credit for knowing how to push Julie's buttons, which was becoming hilarious.

"My God, we know already! Just call her by her damn name!" I could sense the smirk Saphir threw Julie's way and she swore in annoyance. This was the first person to really get under Julie's skin and I was going to savor her reaction for eternity.

"And I have been. Don't you humans use nicknames? I've given her a special one." I finished the last seat and turned just to see Julie in mid-punch. Instead of getting pissed, Saphir blocked the punch, laughing in amusement. Julie growled and launched a roundhouse kick. Knowing that Saphir was just going to piss her off even more, I stepped in and blocked her leg.

"Enough. If we're going to kill Sanglant, we should leave. We've got enough food to last us the trip and we've got enough ammo."

"What about the 50 cal?" Julie asked, ignoring Saphir.

"I gave them to Hernando. As we get closer to Raleigh, there will be better shops on the way. Of course, that means more surveillance, but that's fine." Julie walked over and grabbed her bike while I rolled mine out of the door. Saphir followed me closely.

"If you try to run, I will kill you."

"Look, I gave you my word and I value that. It's really the only thing Julie and I have left."

"That is the corniest-"

"Oh, shut the hell up, Julie."

"Tender, are we?" I sent a loathing glare her way and she raised her right hand in surrender. "All right, I'll leave it alone." I jumped on the bike and quickly sped off, leaving Julie behind me. To my mild surprise, Saphir kept beside me easily. I heard Julie behind me and I led the way down the trail.

******************

"So where are we?" Julie asked, building her encampment. I had already finished my own and was building the roof.

"We're in the middle of nowhere."

"But where?"

"You check the damn maps," I muttered. Saphir, who was lying on a tree close to me, glanced over my way.

"Are you still mad about earlier?" I didn't say anything and just threw more needles onto my makeshift roof. Finally done, I threw down a blanket to cover myself with and another blanket for a pillow. "You know it's going to be cold tonight." I threw down another thin blanket and Julie rolled her eyes. "I mean, really cold. Can't you feel it?"

"Well that's the only blankets I got and you need yours. Hell, why don't we share a camp for the night?"

"No. I sleep alone, thank you."

"Jesus, it was Minnie that peed, not me. I'm not freaking five."

"Well, I don't sleep with anyone."

"And if I die tonight, good luck navigating."

"Will the two of you be quiet?" Saphir snapped. "I'll sleep with you, you pathetic human."

"No, I'm going to," Julie said, immediately countering Saphir. She began gathering up her blankets but had already given Saphir the ammunition he needed to harass her. He was behind me in a second, pressing his body against mine and nuzzling my neck. I immediately tensed and my eyes locked with Julie's.

"Get off of her," Julie yelled, coming towards us. Saphir launched himself into a tree branch above us, away from Julie. I grabbed his arms in self-preservation, like an idiot.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"I don't like heights. Put me doooown." I struggled at the last part...like an idiot.

"Fine." He dropped me immediately and I caught the branch as I fell. I looked to the ground, judging the distance from me to the hard, unforgiving ground. It wasn't pretty.

"Julieeeee," I called.

"Start climbing," she retorted. "And leave her the hell alone, you stupid dragon." I wrapped my legs around the tree and made my way past Saphir to the trunk of the tree. To my aggravation, he plopped down on the branch and simply watched my progress. I wriggled down the tree and sighed in relief as my feet touched the ground. Julie immediately snatched my wrist and tugged towards my finished encampment. As I stumbled forward, I was pulled back by Saphir, who held my waist. Julie yanked and I grunted at the unpleasant sensation. Saphir lowered his head to my right ear and nibbled slightly, causing me to shiver.

"Is there a problem, human?" he asked Julie.

"Wasn't she the one that killed your friends?" The reaction was immediate. Saphir froze in place and I tensed. Julie had crossed a line, one that was still fresh and raw. Unfortunately, I was in his arms. He tightened his grip to the point of pain and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Julie and Saphir were locked in a glare with one another, ignoring me and my agony. I didn't dare move from the fear of what Saphir might do to me; the truce we had formed was fragile at best. As my fear mounted for my sister and I, Saphir finally glanced down at me. I looked at him fearfully but I couldn't tell anything from his impasseveness. He let go as he saw blood on my lip and I scrambled away from the both of them.

"Julie," I heaved. "Shut the hell up and get to bed." The anger in my voice was evident and Julie, knowing she was in deep trouble, actually listened to me.

"Do you need one of my blankets?" she asked quietly. I shook my head.

"I'll live. Go." She walked to her embankment and began to finish her earlier work. I made my way over to my own little camp, totally ignoring Saphir, and patted the earth down to discourage any insects from coming inside. I grabbed the flap and began to close it but a hand stopped it halfway. As I followed the hand, I soon made eye contact with Saphir. He didn't speak, but simply dropped into my encampment and released the flap. I hesitated then closed it. As I burrowed under the covers, I was aware of Saphir doing the same. His back was to me and I burrowed my back closer to him for warmth. He didn't move or speak, which was a slight comfort. I finally closed my eyes, ready to go to sleep.

****************

I woke during the night shivering. Even with Saphir's heat, I was freezing cold. I couldn't take it anymore and flipped over, burrowing my front into his back. I kept my hands hugging my chest to save what little heat I could. He sighed and I nearly screamed.

"Are you that cold, dragon killer?"

"I…ye…maybe." With another resigned sigh, he flipped over and pulled me against his toned chest.

"If you tell anyone about this, I will rip out your innards and feed them to the ravens." I choked on a laugh.

"To ravens, huh?"

"Those are some nasty birds." I giggled softly and placed my head on his outstretched arm. He then fully enveloped me and threw his leg over mine. "But…maybe to seagulls. I don't like the ravens myself." I smiled as the heat began to thaw my frozen body.

"Seagulls…would be nice," I said softly, slowly falling asleep.

"And why is that?"

"Because then I would be near or in the sea."

"Do you like the sea?" he asked, a hint of some sort of emotion in his voice. I was too tired to peg it, however.

"I love the sea. I haven't been there in so long…"

"You've been there?"

"Once, with my family. It was beautiful. Every night, I fell asleep on the beach just listening to the sound of the ocean. But then, we had to leave because the dragons came."

"Why did you have to leave?"

"Because the purebloods kill humans. We don't want to fight them, but they killed one of my friends just because he happened to be farther down the beach than I was." I was saved by a half-breed named Ewan. I want to see him again…" As I whispered my final wish, I finally succumbed to the sleep my body was craving.