I was grateful when Hoshiko held back his answering snarl, although I felt his frustration through our bond.
“His name is Hoshiko. It means child of the sun.”
Her smile grew, a soft curve of her full lips. It was a precious gift I cherished. It sparked a connection between our bond with a silent conversation I very much wanted to be a part of.
No, I couldn’t want any part of our bond, not if I was to survive this mission with what remained of my heart intact.
I could watch out for her and nothing else. I could be her protector, but not her friend.
“Like you,” she said.
When I angled my head in question, her smile fell, and she waved a hand nervously in front of her face.
“Because you like the sun,” she clarified. “So you’re kind of like a child of the sun, too. Unless you no longer like the sun?”
Her words were like a soft, clear melody. Knowing she remembered that from our youth ignited a glimmer of hope in my soul. Foolish, stupid hope that I had to temper down.
“You remember that?” I asked, my throat thick and dry.
She drew her attention to my boots before she met my gaze. “I remember a lot of things.”
And me? I remembered everything.
She approached Hoshiko with tentative steps, and I bit back my relief when he didn’t growl at her. I patted his side, waving my hand at her so she’d do the same. With her teeth sinking into her plump bottom lip, she reached for him. A quick flash of pink and orange glinted from the jewelry at her wrist before she tugged the sleeve back down. A pretty blush covered her cheeks as her slender throat bobbed again.
She looked back at me, a nervous laugh parting her smiling lips. “Would it be okay if I climbed his scales now?”
“Yeah, sure.” I ran my hand through my disheveled hair. It wasn’t that I didn’t practice good hygiene or comb my hair, but that it rarely did what I asked of it. “Do you want me to show you how?”
“I’ve seen Etienne climb atop Aelus before.” She gripped the first scale, ready to hoist herself up. “I think I can manage.”
I couldn’t help the way I flinched at Etienne’s name, but at least she didn’t acknowledge it.
“Have you ridden atop Aelus before?” I asked.
She stopped climbing to look down at me. “This’ll be my first time riding a dragon. I’m eager to scratch that item off my list.”
My chest tightened. “What list?”
She wavered before she hoisted herself up to Hoshiko’s back, close to his neck. Not expecting her to answer me, I made my way to my dragon’s back as well, sitting behind Finley so she could sit in front, where she could fully experience her first ride atop such a grand creature.
It wasn’t simply the wind that would play across her face, but the intoxicating view from a dragon’s back that she wouldn’t fully grasp from behind me. In the long summer days, our realm was exquisite, with tall trees sprawled across the expansive earth, pristine blue lakes, mountaintops reaching up to the fluffy clouds, and tiny pixies fluttering and playing from sunflower to sunflower. At the west end of Reignom, where Elias kept his cottage, the forest took over every inch of the land with a swathe of green, only catching glimpses of the small ponds we could see between the hammock of the treetops.
I was careful not to sit too close to Finley. The distance was good. Yet the warmth of her body called to me. Her scent was an alluring blend of earth and something sweet. But just like Finley, not too sweet. That sweetness was subtle, secretly wrapping itself around me until it held me hostage.
She peered back at me over her left shoulder with a timid smile on her lips. Her eyes, though, those mesmerizing silver eyes, shone with wonder and joy. “A couple of years ago, I started making a list of things I wanted to do, things to look forward to. Riding a dragon was at the top of that list. It was asilly thought. I knew I wouldn’t be granted a Guardian. I hoped, though”—she cleared her throat—“when Aelus approached Etienne to be his rider, I hoped a dragon would choose me as well. Obviously, none did, but I’m grateful for this experience.” She patted Hoshiko’s back before she trailed her palm across his smooth scales with a soft stroke. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Hoshiko shivered at her slight touch, and the laughter that spilled from her flooded through me.
Sama took to the sky without warning, with Nalari right behind him. When Hoshiko crouched, I set my hand at Finley’s waist and leaned in until my breath whispered across the back of her neck. She stammered, the sound breaking on a rush of air. Her heartbeat quickened.
I let my hand fall away, fingers curling against nothing, and fixed my gaze on the ridge of Hoshiko’s neck. Anything to keep from dwelling on the way mine pounded too wild, too hopeful.
“Lean into Hoshiko’s neck,” I told her, tapping her outer thigh.
Goosebumps rose along her neck while her pulse slammed harder.
“Push your legs against him to grip his sides,” I said.
