Nyx's wings beat steadily. The rhythm was hypnotic, each stroke powerful and controlled. Wind rushed past, cooler than the air inside Scalvaris but still carrying the planet's inherent heat.
I should focus on the tactical advantages of this vantage point. Should be scanning for threats, memorizing landmarks, planning contingencies.
But in his grip, I was drowning in sensation.
His scent surrounded me, intensified by proximity and the wind carrying it directly to my face. Every breath pulled it deeper into my lungs. My head felt light, dizzy with want.
His chest rose and fell against my side. I could feel each breath, the expansion of his ribs, the way his muscles shifted with the effort of flight. His arm beneath my knees adjusted occasionally, making sure I was secure. His tail tightened fractionally each time, a reflexive protection.
This was nothing like training flights.
This was intimate. Personal. His body cradling mine like I was something that mattered, something worth protecting.
My fingers traced the scales at his nape without permission. The texture fascinated me, smooth in one direction, slightly rough in the other. I found the edge where scales gave way to softer skin and followed it.
His wings stuttered. Just once, barely noticeable. But I felt it.
I was affecting him too.
The knowledge sent heat pooling low in my belly. The dreams had been bad enough, but this was worse. This wasreal. His body against mine, his strength surrounding me, the undeniable proof that whatever this thing between us was, it went both ways.
I was going to sleep with him.
The certainty settled over me even stronger than before. Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but before this journeyended, I would know what he felt like inside me. Would learn if reality matched the dreams that had been tormenting me for weeks.
The thought should terrify me. Should make me pull away, establish boundaries, protect what was left of my emotional distance.
But I relaxed into his hold. Let my head rest against his shoulder. Felt his tail shift in response, coiling tighter, pulling me closer.
Dangerous. This was so fucking dangerous.
But I was already committed to this insanity. Might as well go all the way.
The flight continued. Minutes blurred into an hour. Volcaryth's landscape passed beneath us, alien and hostile and strangely beautiful. Nyx flew with the confidence of someone who knew these skies, adjusting altitude to catch thermals, banking around rock formations that rose like teeth from the desert floor.
His tail shifted again. The movement was subtle, the appendage sliding fractionally lower on my waist. The tip pressed just above the juncture of my thighs.
My breath caught.
Did he know what he was doing? Was this intentional or just an unconscious adjustment for better security?
His wings beat steadily. His breathing remained even. But I could feel tension in the arm supporting my back, a tightness that spoke of control carefully maintained.
He knew.
Desire flooded through me.
Could he tell? Drakarn senses were sharper than human. He probably knew exactly what his proximity was doing to me.
The thought should embarrass me. It sent another surge of heat through my core.
Fuck.
I was in so much trouble.
Nyx's body went rigid.
The change was instant. One moment, he was relaxed, wings beating in steady rhythm. The next, every muscle locked. His tail constricted around my waist, pulling me tighter against his chest.
