“What if I lied and said I was?” the girl asked.

“Well, then—” The dragon paused. “Wait. Lied and said you were?“

“Yeah. I’m afraid those days are long past, but I think I’d still make a tasty snack. Lot of meat on these bones,” she said proudly.

The dragon blinked. “You… want me to eat you.”

“Yeah. See, I made the local Duke look like a bit of an ass, and he’s promised to make me die slowly. I figure, it’d be better to go quickly, and getting eaten by a dragon is something nobody ever gets to do twice.”

The dragon looked dubious. “You’re not planning to try to carve me up from the inside, are you? Last time that happened, it played hell with my ulcers.”

“No, and not trying to poison you with stuff sewn into my dress either. Look, I’ll strip naked first, how will that be?” She proceeded to do so. “Just look at this body—not an ounce of gristle.”

“You’re sure you want me to eat you?”

“Are you a dragon or not?”

Taken in that light, the dragon had to admit she had a point.