He held out his hand, and his heart did a brief blip when her fingers curled around his. His dragon purred, happier now that they’d established returning to her daughter didn’t mean leaving them.
The water was every bit as cool as he’d expected. Liza froze when it reached her knees.
“If I wasn’t so filthy and stinky, I’d flee like a scared baby girl,” she shared.
“I’ll warm you. I promised, and I never go back on my word.”
“You’re an honorable dragon, Leonidas, Champion of the Skies, and I’m glad we met.”
“Even though my appearance shocked you so much that you drove your steel box over the cliff?”
“It’s called a car. Besides, you rescued me.”
“The best decision of my life. Come on. It’s easier if we dive under.”
“I know,” she said with a grimace. “One. Two. Go!”
Liza screeched as he dragged her into the deeper water. He grinned and sank beneath the surface. When he bobbed up again, Liza’s hair was wet. He scrubbed at the soot and blood on his chest and torso. Most of the wounds inflicted by his brother had already healed. He’d been lucky, and Liza’s intervention with the rocks had helped him to win. A tiny part of him had hated hurting his brother, although that had passed when his sibling had no compunction in trying to kill him.
He wished he knew why. The why was eating at him, but now he had a list of suspects, most of them related to him. Something to worry about later.
Besides, he was with Liza, and they were alone and naked.
“Yes,” his dragon hissed, and relief stuttered through Leo at the arrival of his other half.
A few feet away, Liza was scrubbing at the black smudges on her upper body.
“Let me,” he said, his voice emerging in a husk of want.
Liza’s tinkly laugh amused him, his delighted reaction widening her grin to toothy and knowing.
“I recognize the glitter in your eyes, Leonidas, Champion of the Skies. You’re feeling amorous.”
“Copious sex,”his dragon piped up.
“Yes,” he admitted while mentally shushing his dragon. “I thought I’d lost you, but I couldn’t search while my brother was trying to kill me. Dropping you in that way scared me to death.”
“Hey.” Her teasing smile faded. “We both had jobs to do. I might be a human, but I have strengths in the same way you do. We’re a team.”
“Always?” he asked, wishing he could bite back the words that reeked of insecurity.
“Always,” she confirmed, closing the distance between them. She tugged down his head and kissed him, her hands and lips cool from the water in the stream. “Let’s finish washing and grab some rest.”
While it was an excellent plan, the last thing Leo wanted was sleep. “And if I prefer not to sleep?”
“I’m wired myself,” Liza admitted. “We’ll cuddle and kiss and do anything else that comes to mind. How does that sound?”
Leo took a step back while holding her gaze. He scrubbed his hand over his chest. “That is a fantastic plan.”
Once they were clean, they joined hands and waded from the stream.
“This way,” Leo said, leading her back into the trees. He stopped beside a green sliver of ground, a spot where the tree canopy covered their presence should anyone search for them. “This should offer comfort for rest.”
Liza waggled her eyebrows at him.
“Your name suits you,” he said. “Liza is mischievouswhile Gwenyth was more serious.”
“Because Gwenyth had dragons chucking her in jail and trying to kill her.” She paused. “Do you think Martinos made it to safety?”
