“Okay.” I laughed and helped her out of her dress before handing it to a Fire-Sidhe maid waiting to one side.
As soon as she was naked, Sam leapt off the ground and shifted in mid-leap. I gaped at my daughter as her cry of delight turned into a dragon's shriek and she flapped her wings wildly to gain height. The maid applauded as Sam took off.
“Don't go too far!” I called after her as I hurried out of my clothes. “Damn it,” I muttered and handed my clothes to the maid. “Thank you, Elasa.”
“You're welcome, my Queen.” She took our clothes to pack into the trunk with all the things we needed for our picnic.
And then I shifted. Instantly, I sympathized with Sam. My dragon was just as eager to get free and start flying. Age hadn't dampened the thrill of flying for us. As my body grew and lengthened, the power and freedom of a beast filled me, and I lifted my head to roar.
My mate's roar answered.
Then I was flying, circling the castle with my young while I waited for Arach to collect the trunk and join us. Pride burst in my heart at the sight of my daughter, her dragon a miniature version of mine. The joy of that was so great, it's nearly indescribable. An elation that defies words. My body trembled with it. As I had told Sam, we didn't need her to continue the race, but there was something so satisfying to know that I had done my part. I brought that beautiful dragon girl into the world. And the world was so much better for it.
Samara dove and rose. She spun and shrieked. Her wings spread and caught the warm currents rising from the cracks in the Fire Kingdom to defy winter. She glided like a princess. And below us, Fire Fey streamed out of their homes and ran out of the woods to wave and cheer. We usually got a warm reception from our people, they were Fire Fey after all, but they instantly noted the new addition to our dread and cheered louder. I heard Samara's name among the cheering.
Samara shrieked back and spun for them. She was already so adept at flying. Was it because she had waited so long to shift? Or was this a hint of the Wild Magic showing itself? Was there more to come? No, I wouldn't worry about that. We would deal with it if it ever happened. Sam was alive and healthy. That's all that mattered.
Then it occurred to me that maybe Arach hadn't forgotten about the apple thing. Maybe that was why he'd been so worried. A little Wild Magic could have shifted Samara's Dragon-Sidhe essence. It could have tipped the scales, if you'll forgive the pun. But it hadn't. Not in that way. I looked over at Arach and found his stare locked on our daughter. Pride oozed from him as expected, but with it was a great amount of relief. And I don'tthink it was only to do with the continuation of the species. If Sam had been altered, she might not have been the same child we were meant to have.
But this wasn't a day to dwell on might have beens. I focused on my family and the joy of flying beside them. We still had a lot of ground to cross, and the Tine would be frigid when we got there. But dragons aren't bothered by the cold. We would make our own heat.
Chapter Twenty-Three
As predicted, the children didn't care about the cold water. They pulled on their swimsuits, turned up their body heat, and ran for the Tine. Lunch would have to wait.
Grinning at each other, Arach and I strode to the hot springs naked. We chose one of the smaller pools and crawled over the mossy edge to slide down the smooth basin and into the bubbling water. I sighed as great clouds of steam surrounded me. It reminded me of being with Arach and Azrael in the Fire Garden at the Castle of Eight. But this steam wasn't confined to a dome. It drifted about, twining around my husband and me to conceal us from anyone nearby but also each other.
“There you are!” Arach grabbed my waist and pulled me to him, drawing us to the center of the pool.
Bubbles tickled my legs and burst on the surface of the water. Droplets clung to my husband's sleek body. My dragon purred like a cat. Freshly shifted after a flight, she was still close, right under my skin. Ready to pounce. I couldn't be sure if it was her or me who cocked my hips to cradle Arach's erection.
The sound of laughing children echoed to us through the steam. I lifted my head. It sounded eerie, as if they were lost.
“We'll be fast,” Arach promised as he lifted me.
My body spread for his automatically—arms going to his shoulders as my legs wrapped around his waist. And there, at my core, I went liquid for him. Arach speared upward, sliding in with a groan. We were still for a moment and then the water began to churn. It splashed around us, steam swirling. I clung to Arach as he moved primally, his body bowing and muscles bunching. He held me effortlessly, even moved me onto himself, lifting me, then bringing me down as his cock surged up.
“Sometimes, I miss this,” Arach panted.
“Sex?” I teased him.
“You.” He slowed, then brought me to the rim of the pool and laid me against the moss. “I miss you and me. Us. Alone.”
“Arach,” I whispered.
“I love our children.” He bent his head to kiss me. “I love them more than anything. Only my love for you exceeds my love for them. And sometimes I miss loving only you.” He slid in and out of me slowly. “I miss having you all to myself.” He sped up a little and ground against me with every thrust. “I miss fucking you whenever I wish.” Water splashed upward as he went faster. “Fucking you for days at a time. Never leaving bed.”
I pulled my legs back, then slid them up his chest to drape over his shoulders. “I miss that too.”
Arach growled and bent forward. He nipped at my lips, drawing blood before kissing me. Then he slashed his lips over my teeth, offering an exchange. Our mingled blood coated our kiss, blasting love through our minds as it saturated our bodies. Arach's thrusts became wild, the water barely getting a chance toflow back between us. And then we were cresting together, and I locked stares with him. His yellow, dragon eyes glowed through the mist. I yanked him down and kissed him to drown out our cries.
When our passion drained away at last, Arach cradled me to his chest and turned to lie against the rim of the pool with me in his arms. We sighed together, bodies languid in the hot water, and then a shriek penetrated the mist.
“Mommy!”
I grimaced at Arach. “We love them.”
“As I said.” He chuckled as I sat up.
