Once we were out in the open, soaring in the cloudless sky, I lifted myself up so I could see absolutely everything. “It’s so beautiful,” I said with a sigh. “Mountains and snow and the brisk air. I’ve always loved this. I literally begged my parents every year to take me to Big Bear during the winter.”
I twisted so I could see him. “If this was where I was born, why do you think we lived so far from the mountains?”
“Probably because they were trying to stay hidden. Be in the last place that would be expected.”
Made sense, like someone from Royale hiding in the desert. The less water, the less obvious their location. Or was it more obvious … because somehow Laous had still found us. The council had said he used the energy of the four overlord minors, as I’d suspected. Still, it kind of felt like he would have needed more than that. Did someone betray the secret keepers? Tell Laous where to start looking?
Qenita banked to the right, distracting me from those heavy thoughts. I let out a low gasp as she glided down toward a range of mountains, three or four all closely linked. Unlike a lot of the ranges here, these had flat tops. I leaned over to see the sparkling aquamarine-filled craters atop them.
“These are not the sacred springs,” Lexen started to explain. “It’s forbidden to use them recreationally, but this is a sister spring to them, fed from the same underground reserve. Blessed by the dragons.”
As Qenita came to land, I pretty much sprang off her, and would have fallen flat on my face if she didn’t catch me with her wing. Damn my lack of athleticism.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, rubbing my hand across the rigid spines which lined those majestic wings.
She blew a ring of cold into my chest and I knew it was all good.
Lexen joined me, far more gracefully, and we crossed to the first of the pools. Steam rose up across the lot of them, the twinkling water even more enticing from close range. “Can we just jump right in?” I asked, already preparing myself for Lexen to see my body. Weirdly enough, I wasn’t that worried about it. He’d seen me in various states of undress anyway, and I had underwear on.
“Yep, jump in, the pools all feed into each other, so you can explore as far as you want.”
Amazing. The water literally ran for miles … on top of a mountain. Each pool broke into sections through natural rock formations, and there were even a few waterfalls in the distance. I didn’t wait a moment longer, stripping off the rag that used to be a designer gown.
“This legrato has healing properties,” Lexen said, his eyes filled with fire as he watched me. “It will help with the last of your injuries.”
I still had the bandage on my shoulder. There’d been no time to remove it, so I lifted my arm and tried to reach the end of the white gauze. But, of course, Daniel was an overachiever in bandaging, and it was too tight for me to budge.
“Let me help you.” Lexen appeared at my side, shirtless now, wearing a pair of shorts that fitted his body far too well. I was probably going to touch him because I couldn’t help myself.
His hands were gentle as he worked the end free, fingers brushing against bare skin as he unwrapped it over and over. He then dropped down lower and removed the bandages still on my legs. One at a time. Torturously teasing me as he dragged his finger across my body.
“There you go.” His voice sounded a little rougher than usual, his eyes telling me that he was definitely feeling the burn between us.
Neither of us moved as steam rose up around our half-naked bodies. “You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that, little human,” Lexen growled. “I only have so much restraint, and … we’re taking it slow.”
As much as I wanted to disagree with him, I also knew there was no need to rush our relationship. Apparently we had forever to figure it out. Sucking in a shaky breath, I turned around and jumped straight into the warm pool. I went under completely; it was deeper than I expected. The sensation of the water caressing my skin, cleaning away the remnants of the battle I’d been through, felt like the second best thing to happen today.
The first was the kiss, of course.
Lexen joined me, and together we rose to the surface, kicking our legs to stay afloat in the hot springs. Swimming over to the edge, there were seats that seemed to be naturally formed in the rocks. Lexen and I both settled back into them. I let my legs float up in front of me, moving them slowly through the water. I waited for the cuts and grazes that littered my body to sting, but instead they felt soothed, especially the one on my shoulder.
“How often do you come up here?” I asked, turning my head so I could see what Qenita was up to.
She was not where we left her. It wasn’t until a cascade of water washed over me that I realized she was bathing in the next pool over, one large enough to fit her giant form. I chuckled as she played in the water, acting very puppy-like.
“Before my time on Earth, Qenita and I would come here at least once a month,” Lexen answered me. “One of the benefits of being dragon lord.”
The urge to press myself into all of his smooth chest muscles just got too much, and as I scooted closer he draped an arm around me. “Leaving Qenita was one of the reasons you hated going to Earth, wasn’t it?” My quiet question fell on his chest, my face pressed against it as it rose and fell gently.
“Yes, it’s painful for us to be apart for extended periods of time. Plus, I missed her.”
Such a simple answer, but the emotions behind those words were not. It had been more than a little difficult for him. I sat straighter, wanting to meet his eyes. “I’m sure you can petition the council to remain behind. As long as most of the overlord minors are there, no one would know, right?”
Lexen’s lips hit mine, taking me completely by surprise. I recovered in a heartbeat, straddling him in a single movement. The going slow thing died almost instantly as the fire between us exploded. Hands were everywhere as Lexen’s tongue caressed mine and I lost all sense of reality.
The scrape of skin, the taste of him on my lips, the rumble of his chest under my hands. Lexen was beyond hot, everything about him physical perfection, but it was so much more than that which had my attraction levels soaring into the sky. His loyalty. Heart. Caring nature.
It was too much. But I definitely would not complain.
