Free Clutch of the Demon by A. P. Jensen

 
    "Form? You have other forms?" When he didn't answer, she shrugged. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but we're going to be down here for eternity so eventually I'll get it out of you."
    The dragon shifted and Cara froze when his head swooped down. Had she offended him? Was what she said disrespectful?
    You're losing your fear of me.
    She couldn't read any nuance in his voice.
    "Do you want me to be afraid of you?" she asked uncertainly.  
    No.
    She offered a weak smile. "Okay, then."
    She didn't want to be afraid anymore. She wanted to think they could be cordial. A being that provided you with whatever you wanted to eat and clothes that were comfortable couldn't be bad, right?  
    I can take on many forms. Before humans came to be, I roamed as a dragon. As humans began to populate, I spent a portion of my existence as a human.  
    Cara's eyes popped. "A human?"
    I conformed for delicate human sensibilities. Humans are so easily frightened.
    Cara ignored his jibe and demanded, "Why don't you transform into a man and get out of here?"
    I'm cursed in my true form. The Cliffs of Moher are imbued with magic. His eyes began to glow with rage and the air began to heat. A witch named Morgana tricked me.
    Cara's brows rose. The dragon turned his head to the side and released a roar that should have made the cliffs collapse around them, but they remained solid and immovable. She smelled smoke and raised a hand to block the heat from her face. When he finished his tantrum, she saw that the rocks weren't damaged in the least. When he spoke again, his voice was as neutral and cold as ever.  
    I was never satisfied with what I had. I wanted more riches, more women, more everything. Morgana told me there was treasure in here. I swam through the tunnel and when I saw her, I turned into a dragon and she cursed me in this form, imprisoning me here.  
    "Do you know how long you've been here?" she asked quietly.
    No, but I know much has changed since I walked aboveground.  
    "If you're cursed, there has to be a way to reverse it, right?"
    Neon eyes narrowed on her, but he said nothing.  
    Cara frowned and repeated, "There has to be a way to reverse it, right?"
    The dragon turned away from her and with one flap of his wings, went airborne. She watched him fly quickly across the caves and disappear from sight. His roars echoed back to her and she saw flashes of flame that lit the caves like fireworks.
    "Dramatic," Cara muttered. "It was a simple question. Is there a way to reverse the curse? Yes or no?"
    There was a loophole around every spell. If she could figure out a way to reverse the curse, they could both go free. She jiggled her foot feverishly as excitement began to banish her homesickness. He said she would be with him only as long as he was stuck in the caves. If she freed him from his curse, he could go aboveground, banish Luc and she could have a life.
    Cara paced in front of her cave and tried to remember everything she could about curses. Her mother was a child of the earth; therefore, she drew her power from nature. Cara's magic came from elsewhere. While she applied her mom's practices, they weren't always effective in Cara's line of work. She knew witches that practiced dark magic that involved sacrifices and such. Removing curses usually involved the moon, candles, herbs, hairs and other things she wasn't versed in. Damn, why hadn't she paid more attention to those witches? Answer: Because they were evil. Did the dragon know how to reverse the curse? If he did, why not tell her? If it were within her power, she would give it gladly. Instead, he threw a temper tantrum. Maybe he didn't know how to reverse it and that's why he's so pissed.  
    She lay down on the heated rock and stacked her boots one on top of the other. She had nowhere to be and nothing to do. She was going to bother the hell out of the dragon. After all, if Luc feared the dragon it could only mean that the dragon was capable of destroying