Cindy had thought she was so clever, stealing the magical artifact that was the prize of the Duke’s collection. “Gastronaut’s Symbiotic Dragonhome,” it was described as a magical mansion with every possible amenity. Climate control, gateways in and out…She had wondered why the Duke didn’t use it.

It was only after she’d stolen it that she found out: because it required dragon magic to operate, it could only be activated while inside of a dragon. What kind of crazy artificer made something like that?

And what was worse, she’d been spotted while making her getaway. She’d been surrounded by guards while the Duke ranted about the rack and Chinese water torture, but had managed to slip away when he got to boiling oil—but she knew he wasn’t far behind.

But her researches had told her about a decrepit dragon who lived in the hills nearby. Once she knew what to look for, his cave wasn’t hard to find. Now, if she could just survive his long-winded ranting about his diet…

“Are you a virgin by any chance?”