Ice trickled down my spine at the thought of returning to the scene of the crime, but she was right.
“There’s a box with first aid supplies mounted on the light pole near the boat ramp. There should be a flare gun in there too. All parks in Brentwood are supposed to keep them on hand to signal location if there’s a suspected drowning or lost hiker, that kind of thing. They’re for public use, so it should be unlocked.”
“Works for me.” She took my hand and broke into a sprint. “Let’s hurry before he gets out of range.”
No one had ever mentioned being a dragon involved so much running.
Stumbling after her, I fought against regret over my decision to den up and lick my wounds in private.
A mistake. I saw that now. Truthfully? I could claim I had fallen on bad habits and figured no one cared if I left. But thatexcuse was wearing thin. No. I had been a coward, and I couldn’t afford to indulge my fear any longer. It was time for me to step up and fix my messes rather than hiding from them.
We made it two blocks before bumping into someone, but they were too fixated on the spectacle to pay any mind to us. Sloane and I reached the park in record time and aimed straight for the light pole. Sure enough, the emergency supply box was unlocked, and I retrieved the flare gun, checking it was loaded, then passed it to Sloane.
“I’ve always wanted to shoot one of these,” she gushed, taking aim.
“Better you than me.” The way my day was going, I would shoot Rían out of the sky. “Make it quick.”
“No pressure.” She pulled the trigger, and a loud pop set my ears ringing. “Should I go again?”
“Give it a second.” I wasn’t sure if Rían would see the light when it was still bright outside. “We have two more rounds if we need them.” I chewed on my bottom lip, about to lose my patience and reload, when the massive dragon released an unholy bellow. “I think that got his attention.”
With more grace than a creature his size ought to possess, Rían banked left, tracing the hazy smoke trail straight to us. I had expected him to land, but I greatly misread his intentions. He slowed down, hovering above us, then lashed out with his long tail. I flinched, expecting the sting of a whip, but he wrapped me in a gentle but firm hold before climbing with me into the sky.
As I clutched his warm scales, I grew queasy as Sloane became ant-sized within seconds.
“I hope we’re not going far.” I rested my forehead on my arms. “I’m not cut out for this.”
A low vibration rattled through my bones, and I peeked up, certain that was a growl and not a laugh.
Unlike Liam, Rían had never lost his temper with me. I wasn’t sure what to make of my predicament, but I wasn’t afraid. He would never hurt me.
Though, to be honest, I had never imagined Carmichael raising a hand to me either.
Nope. Not going there. Rían wasnotCarmichael.
He was more likely to chew off his own arm than take a swing at me. I had nothing to fear when I was with him. I couldn’t pinpoint how I knew, not when people who had surrounded me my whole life proved so skilled at hiding their real faces. It was simply the truth.
We flew for a good thirty minutes, most of that time I spent with my eyes closed against wind and bugs, which put us well outside Brentwood.
Dragons arefast.
The area where Rían chose to end our high-flying adventure was a heavily wooded forest with an honest-to-God landing strip. A municipal airport maybe? Dragons weren’t common enough to rate these sorts of amenities. Either way, Rían was familiar with his surroundings and charted a direct path.
Near the start of the asphalt, he spread his wings to slow himself and began a careful descent, lifting me high over his head to ensure I wasn’t smooshed in the process. Except higher wasn’t always better, and I flopped over the coil around my waist, certain I was about to toss my cookies on his neck.
Trees shook when he touched down, and he carefully placed me on my feet next to him.
Usually, his transformation was fast, but this time it was a clear struggle. That, or he had yet to decide what he wanted to say and was electing to remain in a form that made talking impossible. I took it as my cue to start the conversation and met his pale gaze with a quiver in my stomach.
“This is why people think dragons steal fair maidens.” I waited to see if he would respond, but he simply watched me. “Are you mad at me? I get it if you are, but did you have to bring me so far out to eat me?”
The dragon made a choking noise and ducked his head so he could slide a scaled palm down his snout.
Magic prickled over my skin as Rían exchanged one form for another, which left him standing naked in front of me. I won’t lie and say I kept my eyes to myself. But I was too nervous to allow my gaze to dip below his navel. Mostly. Except for a quick peek. Like three seconds. Ten at the max.
“Give me a minute,” he rumbled, walking away, forcing me to watch his bare backside in action.
God, he was beautiful. And muscley. And, yes, tall. But wow. He really was the total package.
