“Yes, you’re strong and clever and can fly, but you’ve mentioned male dragons. It’d be two against one.”
Sasha understood his fear. “That’s why I want to sneak around.”
“Better idea,” Max said. “Why don’t we go in the direction they’ve come from now? With humans around and broad daylight, any dragon is going to think twice about shifting. It should be safer. In theory.”
Sasha considered Max’s idea. “All right. We’ll stroll, and if I sense danger of any kind, we’ll retreat.”
“Works for me. The barrier is still present, right?” Max asked.
“Yes, it’s working.”
“Do I smell like a dragon now?”
Sasha’s eyes widened, and she leaned close enough to sniff his neck. She licked his skin, something she’d never have dared before. She or her dragon might have considered the idea, but Sasha was sure they would’ve rejected it immediately. Now, she did it because she could. At the same time, she inhaled. Max’s essence filled her lungs, along with a hint of her.
“Yep, you smell like you made love with a dragon,”her dragon informed Max.“Me.”
Max burst into laughter. “I’ll grab Noel. You start your tracking thing, and we’ll catch up.”
“I’m terrified,” Sasha confessed.
“Me too,” Max said. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“Even though we’re different?”
“It’s your differences that make you stand out, that make you special to me,” Max said. Sincerity and truth rang in his words.
Sasha jumped, and he caught her in his arms and spun them around. She was breathless and laughing by the time he kissed her. He parted their lips and released her with a pat on the bottom.
“We should hustle. You’ll want to do your tracking before the women decide to return to their cottage.”
“Yes,” Sasha agreed, her emotions more level now that Max had kissed the life out of her. “I’ll go slowly.”
She followed the footprints in the sand while scanning the beach in front of them. Max was as quick as he promised and soon caught up with her.
“Where we go, Shasha?”
“I’m showing Max how to follow a trail,” she said.
“Like you did when I was lost,” Noel said.
“That’s right, buddy,” Max said. “But we need to be quiet so Sasha can concentrate on tracking. Okay?”
Noel fell silent, and Sasha increased her speed, the tracks easy to follow. Soon, the trail headed up the beach toward a grassy bank. Sasha slowed, casting out her senses because the dragon scent was more pungent here.
“You okay?”Max asked through their mate bond.
“Still scared,”Sasha said.“Nervous about what I might find.”
“I’m here with you. The women were friendly and didn’t give off bad vibes. Their dragon lovers must treat them well, which leads me to think they should be okay.”
“Maybe,”Sasha said, but the apprehension inside her increased. She’d feel better if the dragon scent was a familiar one, but these were strangers. They might attack first and ask questions later. She’d never forgive herself if Max, or worse Noel, became injured because she’d wanted to find her way home.
“We don’t even know if we want to go home,”her dragon said on their private channel.“I mean, what will our parents do, and what happened to the arrangement with Bruceous? We’re mated with Max. Becoming forcibly parted from him won’t do us any good, and it will hurt Max and Noel, too.”
“I know. This is so hard. I’m torn, and it’s a horrid feeling.”
Max placed a hand on her shoulder.“Keep going, Sasha. No matter what, I’m here at your side. We do this together.”
