"They want to help," she assured me. "Men don't menstruate, so they feel helpless and they hate it. It's okay to tell them, Ayla. Trust me, they probably know more about what's going on inside you than you do."

Which was a very good point. Zasen knew some medicine. Kanik taught science. Rymar? Well, I could only assume the other two had told him something in their lives, because he didn't act confused or disgusted at all. Instead, they'd spoiled me, doing their best to make sure I was comfortable.

And it was a lot.

But when I was almost asleep, I heard the front door open, then close. Since Rymar and Kanik had already headed upstairs, that means Zasen had left. Likely, he'd gone out to hunt, filling the orders he always seemed to have for meat.

The next day, I discovered where the Wyvern had actually gone.

A gorgeous pastel-green dress laid on the dresser at the end of the bed. It was made of some soft, airy fabric. With it was a set of undergarments. They were beautiful, made in a fabric like nothing I'd seen before. I checked the door again - it was still locked, which made me remember his claw in the bathroom latch. I wasn't sure what I thought about that, but I also couldn't do anything about it. So giving in, I changed.

When I unfolded the dress, I found it wasn't only that pale green shade. It had a pattern of large yellow and blue flowers on it, the colors as vivid as the Dragons themselves. It was probably the most beautiful thing I'd ever worn, and certainly the most exotic.

However, the fit of it wasn't what I expected. For a moment, I debated putting the other dress back on. But no, the Dragons showed a lot more flesh, and no one seemed to think much of it, so maybe the tops of my breasts weren't a big deal here? In the compound, this dress would've been scandalous. It hugged my body and drew the eye to my chest, but was also very pretty.

Flicking the locking mechanism, I stepped into the rest of the house. It was silent. When I reached the living room, I realized why. Pale grey toes stuck out from the end of the couch nearest me, dark fingers from the other end, and hanging off the side, a blue tail twitched gently in sleep.

I paused. I didn't want to wake Zasen, but I couldn't pull my eyes away. I'd never seen a man asleep before, regardless of his type. That his tail twitched was amusing. The talons on his digits were threatening. The way he burrowed his head into the pillow, then pulled the blankets nearly over it, was adorable, almost childlike.

Then his eyes just opened. The brilliant orange color made them hard to miss. Maybe that was why I could never look away from him? Not that it mattered. We simply stared at each other in silence for a long moment, then he smiled.

"Good morning, Wyvern," I finally said, feeling like I should be overly formal.

He rolled onto his back and stretched, yawning while he did so. The tip of his tail vibrated with the muscles, his arms nearly touched the wall, and in his mouth, I saw his fangs slide forward, resting on either side of that strangely-colored tongue. He relaxed with a pleased moan, then looked at me again.

"Ayla, why are you staring at me?"

I hadn't realized I was, and felt my cheeks growing warmer. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't ask for your sorry. I asked what I did this time that's so interesting."

"I've never seen a man sleeping."

That made him smile, and he sat up, accepting it as an answer. What he didn't do was throw off the blankets. I realized he might not be wearing anything beneath it, since both his chest and feet were bare, so I turned away. I'd been headed to the kitchen for a drink anyway.

"Ayla?" he asked.

I paused. "Yes, Zasen?"

"What have you seen of men? Back in the compound, I mean."

Oh, so he'd thought of another question? Well, I was more than happy to answer. I stood a little straighter and began to rummage through my mind for every experience I'd ever had with boys or men.

"We often shared meals. When I was younger, I would wrestle with them, but we got caught once, and I wasn't allowed to play with boys anymore."

He chuckled. "I imagine not. Tell me, do the Moles think you are a pretty girl?"

I slowly turned to face him. "I'm not sure. Beauty is a path to the Devil, you know. It wasn't something we were allowed to talk about."

In a single move, he stood, revealing that beneath the blankets was nothing more than man - and skin-hugging pants which covered only his groin and the tops of his legs. He walked right up to me, his chest close enough I wouldn't even have to reach out to touch him. Then he looked down. He stood much too close to me, the same way he had when he'd given me the first weapon lesson. Zasen's body was so close we were almost touching, and his size was definitely intimidating. Behind him, his tail flicked wickedly.

"Moles are stupid. You're a very pretty girl, and that dress doesn't hurt at all." He smiled, and then headed up the hall.

Only after he'd left did I dare to breathe. I didn't know why, but he'd just made my heart race and my hands shake, yet I didn't feel afraid. I stood there for a moment, trying to understand this new world I lived in, then gave up and hurried to get that glass of tea. My mouth was even drier than it had been when I woke.

I was still standing at the counter when Zasen walked in behind me. The click of his toes was the first hint - a clue he was still groggy from sleep too, since he was often silent - but his soft laughter was the second. That was something all the Dragons did. All my life, I'd been taught these people were evil, but they found joy in so many little things. Things the Moles would never let women enjoy.

"What is funny this time?" I asked, looking back.

"I do believe that you are no longer orin," he said. "You, Ayla, have gotten a tan, and it brought out the freckles on your shoulders." Then he looked over my head and leaned closer, his chest pressing against the side of my body.

"Zasen," I hissed, slipping away.

He pulled down a glass and filled it from the pitcher of iced tea I'd been hoarding. "So timid. Would it help if I assured you I'm not touching you?"

Decades of training fell out of my mouth. "But you're supposed to maintain a proper distance."

He set the glass down, his face no longer amused, and stepped closer. "And how far is that? Arm's length? Yours or mine?" His tail whipped behind him. "We're not in the compound, Ayla. Up here, people sometimes touch, and it's allowed."

"I'm trying!"

"I know," he promised, ducking his head to meet my eyes. "And I'm pushing. I will keep pushing, and every time you think something is improper, we are going to talk about it."

"I’m sorry…" My eyes dropped submissively.

"This." He pointed at the floor. "Is our house. Yes, I'm wearing my underwear. When we're hunting, we wear less. The leather of our loincloths don't alert the animals, while the chemicals we use to dye our fabrics often do. Our skin patterns are the best camouflage we have, and less coverage means we can get closer before being spotted." He tilted his head. "And this is my home. The one place I can be comfortable, not needing to worry about what I'm wearing. Ayla, I'm pretty comfortable with what I am and what I show off. Can you say the same?"

"No."

That made him pause. "No?"

"I never wanted to be a woman." I huffed out my breath, daring him to contradict me.

Zasen shook his head. "Why not? No." He lifted a hand. "Stupid question. Here, there's nothing wrong with it. Down there, it's a whole different story." He took a steadying breath. "Ayla, I don't know your rules. I'm trying, but you're going to have to help."

"With what?"

"Show me how to make you feel comfortable. Stop panicking and start talking. How far do I need to stay away from you?" He took one more step towards me. "Is this too close?" He took another. "How about this?" On the third, his chest was brushing against mine. "Or this?"

"That's improper." My voice was meek and breathless.

He smiled. "That doesn't tell me if you want me to step back." He bent towards me, his mouth by my ear. "Want. I'm pretty sure that word has a specific meaning in both of our languages. There are no Moles here to yell at you for being shameful. There are no husbands to beat you for acting improper. There's just you and me."

I nodded, my head bobbing quickly. "I think I'm scared."

"Why?"

My eyes flicked between his orange ones. "Because my heart is beating really fast."