The Dragon and the Thief

"Your name is Dellerton now," he told him. "You own quarters on Stumble Lane, above the pawnbrokers. There's a key hidden above the doorframe. Have a good life." He turned his tail and spread his wings for takeoff.

"Wait!" cried the new Dellerton. "You can't... please! Dellerton, be reasonable."

"It's Verititas now, not Dellerton. I am - was - a thief. I set out to steal the Infernal Eye but I've recently decided to steal something else instead."

"What?"

"You."

And the new Verititas leapt into the air and flew away without looking back, and without listening to the curses thrown up from below. He flew back to where his heart longed to be, back to the clearing in the forest where he found the dragon Fulcox sitting downcast on his own. As he landed, the larger dragon's face lit up in delight, and he ran to his mate and began licking him amorously.

"Verititas! My love, my sweet! I thought... I'm a paranoid old fool, but I woke up and you were gone, and I thought... I thought maybe it had all been a horrible trick, and you were just after my jewel, and were gone off never to be seen again..."

"Ssh, Fulcox! Silly thing! Why would I ever want to leave you? I'm yours. Yours forever."

As Verititas began to make love to his mate once again, a last, stubborn memory of his human past intruded uninvited into his mind. He pushed the unwanted memory away, and it was gone, forever.