Love of the Dragon (Her Dragon's Bane 4) by Harmony Raines

I never thought about it.” She looked at the Minotaur's home. Not exactly full of creature comforts, but some comforts, most definitely.
    “You’ll be surprised what people throw out.”
    “You found all this stuff?”
    “Yes.”
    “That means you leave the Labyrinth.”
    “I used to. Wearing a hood as a disguise.”
    She laughed, her voice sounding on the verge of hysterics. Damn, she was so tired. “I’m sorry. I need to lie down. May I?”
    “Certainly, Charlotte.” His voice held concern. “I will watch over you.”
    She went to the makeshift bed. Only just remembering her little dragon, who was still clinging to her back. Not wanting to squash him, she reached behind to lift him off. He climbed into her hand and she could feel him trembling. “It’s OK, Azure. He won’t hurt you.”
    The Minotaur snorted, nearly blowing Azure out of her hand. “What the hell is that?”
    “It’s a dragon. Sort of.”
    “You turned one of them into that tiny thing? No wonder they are hunting you.”
    “No. No. This isn’t a real dragon.” Azure puffed himself up and blew fire at the Minotaur. “Stop it, Azure.”
    “Azure. You named it?”
    “He is very attached to me. So he needed a name. I couldn’t very well just call him "it". The dragons had him in a big glass jar. He goes mad when I’m near. The rest, I’m not sure. They don’t know I’m here. Just let me rest and I’ll tell you all about it. I promise. Then you can help me decide what to do.” Her thoughts were no longer coherent.
    “Me? I have no idea how your human minds work.”
    “Nor do I, anymore.”
    He puffed at Azure lightly, knocking him backwards again. As Charlotte lay down on the Minotaur's bed, the small dragon made himself comfortable on her pillow. He stared, unblinking, at the Minotaur. She gave no thought to where the Minotaur was to sleep. She was past thinking.
    “Good night, Fin,” she said as she closed her eyes.
    “Who is Fin?” he asked.
    “You are,” she said sleepily. Then she slept, while the big beast watched over her as promised. Bemused by the fact that, after so many centuries, he finally had a name.
     

Chapter Twenty Seven - Zoah
    “What the hell happened to you?” Connor asked, lifting his brother onto the makeshift bed.
    “I fell from the damn sky,” he answered through gritted teeth, as pain seared through him.
    “Did something hit you?”
    “A sledgehammer.”
    Connor raised his eyebrow. “Leave out the sarcasm. This might be important. Neither of us has ever had this happen. So there must be a reason.”
    “I have no idea. One minute I was flying, the next plummeting towards the earth. I couldn’t move my wings. Couldn’t save myself.”
    “So how did you?”
    “Save myself? I hit the trees and fell through them one solid branch at a time. I swear my wings tore, but when I regained consciousness, I was like this. I couldn’t summon my dragon. Whatever happened to me ... it’s gone.”
    Connor didn’t argue with him. Instead, he went to the small fire and rekindled it. Placing the small kettle on it, he heated water. “I can’t believe this is all still here.”
    “It took a bit of clearing out. But it’s not been touched since we lived here.”
    “No one ever did climb this cliff face. I felt sure they would.”
    “Listen. I’m all for reminiscing, but I need details. Where is Charlotte?”
    Connor faced him, his face screwed up into a frown. “No one knows. She left a note. Saying she felt too pressured and needed time alone.”
    Zoah tried to shift his weight, only making himself groan in agony once more. “What happened? She was supposed to stay with you in Spellholm for the summer.”
    “I don’t know. There was a party for her at the Stronghold. At some point she left, telling Tara she felt unwell. When Serena and I got home she was gone.”
    “Why not use the tracker to find her?”
    Connor shook his head. “That’s the thing. It’s gone, too.”
    “What?” Zoah