“She’s magnificent,” Isi said, gently stroking the dragon’s muzzle.
Helena appeared behind us. “Would you like me to saddle her, Sire?”
“I’ll take care of it. Thank you, though.”
I took the tack from her, and while she stepped back into the hall, shutting the gate behind her, I quickly climbed up and secured the saddle between the ridges marching down Kyreth’s spine.
“Have you ridden a dragon before?” I asked.
Isi shook her head. “We don’t keep an aerie. I don’t believe anyone outside of Syllavar does.”
I flashed her a grin that felt more real than any I’d worn in years, the kind that came from deep in my chest where she’d already carved out a home. “Then today, you learn with the best. Syllavar’s skies are unmatched. Wait until you see them.”
Her eyes gleamed with that fire I loved, the one that said she’d conquer this like she’d conquered me. This woman, who’d stormedinto my world with a dagger and distrust, now stood here touching me without flinching.
“First lesson,” I said, leaping off Kyreth’s back landing squarely on the sand-strewn floor.
Isi’s lips parted, that challenging spark in her eyes daring me. “And what’s that?”
“That before we fly, I need this.” I didn’t wait for permission. I didn’t need it, not with the way her body arched toward mine. I captured her mouth in a kiss that started slow, a brush of lips only. But when she sighed into me and latched onto my tunic, the thought of taking this slowly shattered.
I deepened the kiss, my tongue sweeping in to claim hers. She nipped at my bottom lip, sending a jolt straight to my cock. I slid my fingers down her sides to grip her hip, digging into the leather as I pulled her flush against me. By the fates, she fit like she was made for me. Stroking upward, I cupped the swell of her breast through her leathers, circling the hardening peak with my thumb until she gasped into my mouth.
She melted under my touch, pressing closer, grinding against the hard length of my cock.
I groaned, breaking the kiss to trail my lips down her throat, nipping the spot where her pulse raced. “You’re going to be the ruin of me, Minx. All I can think about is stripping these off and?—”
Kyreth butted my spine, her eyes fixed on us with what I swore was amusement. Sparks danced from her nostrils, singeing the air.
I laughed, pulling back enough to meet Isi’s flushed gaze. “Message received. Stop wasting time.”
Isi smoothed her leathers with a smirk, though her cheeks bloomed pink. “Jealous, is she?”
“Smart. She knows you’re the real power here.” I stole another quick kiss, my blood still humming.
At my command, Kyreth dropped to the sand. I helped Isi up first, watching as she scrambled up the dragon’s leg and across her side to settle in the saddle, straight-backed and fearless. My chest tightened.She belonged here, in my world and on the back of a dragon that could raze villages.
I climbed up behind her, my thighs bracketing hers, and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her snug against me. My other hand gripped the saddle’s pommel for balance, but really, it was an excuse to have both arms around her.
“Ready?” I whispered against her ear, my breath stirring the fine hairs at her nape.
She twisted, her hand covering mine on her belly. “As I’ll ever be. Don’t let me fall.”
“Never. Hold on to me. I’ve got you.”
Her blue eyes met mine with a spark of mischief. “You’d better. If I fall, I’m taking you with me.”
I chuckled. “Deal. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere without you anyway.”
I nudged Kyreth’s sides with my heels, and she rose, lumbering toward the big opening to the valley.
She surged out with a powerful lurch, her wings unfurling. We plummeted into the vast valley below. The wind roared up to meet us, whipping Isi’s braid across my face, carrying the clean scent of pine and open sky. My arm tightened around her as the dragon’s muscles bunched and released, her wings catching the updraft. She leveled out, and we soared in a dizzying rush, the valley unfolding beneath us in a green map.
Isi gasped, her body tensing against mine, her fingers digging into my forearm. But her laugh followed, cutting through the wind.
“This is incredible,” she shouted, leaning forward, her nervousness melting into pure exhilaration.
There were no barriers up here, just us and the endless sky. I could feel her heartbeat, a reminder that she was alive, real, and mine.
