“That was incredible.” She slid down my foreleg with the ease of someone born to fly, curls wild, cheeks flushed.
Eyes luminous with delight, she beamed up at me. Beneath her sternum, a soft light glowed.
My dragonflame.
I lowered my head and nosed the center of her chest. Sera laughed and ran her palms over my muzzle, petting me the same way she might her cat. I tried to be offended but failed.
“Thorne!”Alaric barked, the sharp sound of my name causing both Sera and me to flinch. To my disappointment, she immediately lowered her hands, tucking them behind her back. Her cheeks reddened as if she’d been caught doing something unseemly.
If only.
“Alaric,”I retorted calmly, though his interruption rankled.
“What do you think you are doing?”He curled his tail around Serafina’s back, guiding her away from the edge.
The protective gesture reeked of possession, stirring a lowgrowl that rattled the scales along my neck.“I was simply delivering your charge home as ordered. Safe and sound,”I grated.
“Safe?”my brother snarled.“Then why was she on your back? That is an honor reserved for…”he trailed off, scowling.
An honor reserved for mates. While I would likely never claim one, flying with the woman who carried my dragonflame sure as hell hadn’t felt wrong.
Serafina dared to step between us, hands raised, her stance defensive. “It was no more dangerous than flying in a dragon’s claws, Alaric. In fact, it was quite exhilarating.”
The once-mighty king ignored her as he would a bug in his path.
“And how dare you shift in broad daylight where others could see you.”Smoke rolled from his nostrils.“Do youwantthe hunters to find me?”
“Would you rather I let your little pet die?”Speaking of which, was I the only one aware his precious treasure stood between two fully shifted Draconis?
“Who are you calling a pet?” Serafina planted a fist on her hip, squaring off with us as if we were a pair of squabbling mortals.
“What are you talking about?”Alaric asked me, ignoring her outrage.
“Ghouls attacked us in Ironwood.”
The words dimmed his fiery anger to dull embers.“Serafina, return to your room. I need to speak with my brother.”
“But there are things we need to discuss. We learned Speck and the others—”
“Later,”Alaric barked, and she stiffened.
She opened her mouth as if to argue, then thought better of it. “Know what? I’m about done with both of you. Go ahead. Set each other on fire. What do I care?” Flicking her wind-tousled curls over her shoulder, she sauntered past Alaric with her head held high.
Each fall of her booted feet rocked her hips, the vision of her in those form-fitting pants a sight to behold.
“What is she wearing? Did you have something to do with this?”
Alaric’s disapproving grumble snapped me out of the daze she’d created.
“I need a drink,”I muttered, letting the shift roll through me before I throttled him. Magic tingled through my limbs, my body changing. A golden light enveloped my frame, and when it dimmed, my bare feet rested on stone.
Once inside, I selected a pair of pants from the stack I kept near the entrance and dragged them up my legs.
Alaric entered the room behind me, his massive form lumbering to his nest.“Tell me what happened at Ironwood. Leave nothing out.”
Once I’d poured myself a glass of Ambrosia, I sat in a chair at the end of the long table, propping my bare feet on the surface.
I quickly explained the events of our trip, leaving out several choice moments that were none of his business, ending with the attack.
