Eyeing her lithe frame, he thought,Well, if she won’t follow me…
Ignoring Hele’s surprised grunt, Vael gently wrapped his claws around her middle and lifted her off of the ground. The surprised look on her face was absolutely priceless.
“What are youdoing?”If she had looked panicked, he would have put her down immediately, but Hele looked more delighted than afraid as he began to quickly, if not gracefully, make his way to the tall perch at the end of the street. Designed for heavy-bodied dragons in either form, public perches were legally required to be installed every four blocks in towns and cities of the Draakonriik.
Was it comfortable climbing up to the top with his mate carefully cradled in his palm? No, but if he could do it with broken limbs and bolt gun wounds, he could managethis.
It helped that he knew if she somehow fell, Hele would be fine. She could dematerialize in half a second. That didn’t mean he would risk it, though.
Vael clutched her close to his chest as he climbed the five story tower. His heartbeat thundered when he felt her tiny hands smooth over his hide, leaving trails of sparks in their wake. She could have slipped his grasp if she truly wanted to, but he guessed his Hele was too curious about what he intended to do to try it.
He would reward that curiosity and her trust later.Nowhe had to get her home.
Pulling his hulking body over the edge of the platform, Vael stopped for just a moment to run his nose over the top of her head and down her back, soothing himself, before he ambled over to the edge. He felt her shift against him, perhaps to peer out, before her fingers flexed on the corded muscles of his long neck.
A great swell of tenderness filled his chest. Wishing he could speak with her mind to mind, he thought,I have you, my fallen star. You are safe.
Holding her tight to his breast, Vael threw them off of the perch.
ChapterTwelve
Their roost was onlya fifteen minute flight from downtown De Tour, but it felt like the longest flight of his life. Longer, even, than his first painful flight after a year of recovery and physical therapy.
His mate was in his grasp, trusting him to hold her as he sailed through the crisp night air. His mate curled her arms around his neck and held on when he banked, catching a current. His mate tucked her head against his throat and curled up in his claws, mirroring the moment they met.
I have her,he repeated to himself over and over.I will fix this. She will be happy again. After, I will hunt the elf. All will be well.
He felt her sit up a little when their roost came into view. Located on a tiny island in the middle of Lake Michigan, it would have been easy to miss if he hadn’t installed the required warning lights along the roof and sturdy perch.
Built in the style of traditional dragonish architecture, it was a tall stone structure that called to mind an eclectic mix of old world cathedral and new age skyscraper. Several stories tall but narrow, it stuck out like a flint blade from the craggy rocks and lush green foliage of the island. In the heart of winter, when freezing water whipped off of the lake and gale force winds buffeted the reinforced walls, it became coated in ice — transforming it into a glittering spire.
Vael banked again, bringing them down slowly toward the perch. He felt Hele lean forward and then— “Oh! My shoe!”
He glanced down just in time to see one of her sparkly flats slip off her foot. It spiraled in the air, caught a draft, and then careened toward the frothy water. Without thinking, Vael lunged.
Wings jackknifing out to stop their descent, his back legs just skimmed the water as he snatched the shoe out of the air.
Hele squealed. “Do not drop me! I don’t understand swimming!”
Never,he thought. His claws tightened around her even as he did a quick, expert roll over the waves. Water misted them both, icy cold and sweet.
It stirred something dark and pleasurable in him when he heard Hele gasp. A peal of laughter quickly followed it. Savoring her joy as the balm it was, Vael pumped his wings, caught another updraft, and sailed around their roost once more.
He landed with athumpon the perch. Carefully, he lowered his leg and unwrapped his claws from around his mate. She staggered for a moment, her normal quick grace absent, as she found her footing on the cold platform. One wee foot was bare. Her toes peeked out from under the soft layers of her skirt as she took half a step back.
Giving her a toothy, dragon grin, he dropped her fallen shoe at her feet.
Hele looked down at it and blinked, her expression as unsure as he’d ever seen it. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, sounding unsure. “It was just a shoe.”
Magic crackled around him — hot, wild. It broke his bones, peeled his skin, bubbled up and out to tear him apart and remake him an instant. One moment he was the size of a small plane, the next he was a man standing before her.
His voice was raspy when he answered, “Of course I had to. It’s one of your favorites.”
She started. “You remember?”
“My Hele…” He swallowed hard. Cold, wet wind buffeted his bare back, but he didn’t feel it. “I remembereverything.”
“Oh.” There was so much in that soft sound, but he couldn’t decipher what any of it was. Hele’s eyes were pure black, with neither pupil nor whites, so it was often hard to pick up on her expressions if one didn’t know where to look. He had spent two years learning her cues, but at that moment, he was utterly at a loss.
