I knew that. I knew she wasn’t mine to hold. She wasn’t mine to breathe in like salvation. The only reason she’d clasped my hand or nuzzled her face against mine was because of the bond’s cruel tug, that ceaseless reminder of what we’d never have.
The bond made it too easy to forget myself, too easy to believe her warmth was something that could actually be.
It would pass, though, and once we were on land where space existed between us, she’d realize her mistake. It was why I’d drawn away first, not wanting to be on the receiving end of her rejection once again. I couldn’t keep doing this to myself. I couldn’t continue breaking myself for a hope that would never be mine.
But her tears . . . gods, I could handle her anger, even her indifference. But her tears wrecked me. I wasn’t holding her out of want. I was holding her because she needed comfort, and if Etienne couldn’t be here to give it, then I would shoulder her pain. But when she gripped my hand with hers, I was certain she’d leave permanent grooves on every spot of skin she touched.
“I know,”I told my dragon.“What would you have me do? She cried because I pulled away. I can’t be the cause of her pain.”
“But you’ll permit her to continuously cause you pain.”
Yes. Relentlessly, yes.
I ignored Hoshiko’s dissatisfaction and focused my attention on the heavy mist that clung to the air of Vistos watching it clear and give way to my first sight of the dragon realm. A sandy beach spread before an open sea of blue. Waves crashed against what looked like black rocks. Hoshiko coasted down so that his body skimmed over the restless water.
I ran a hand over my face when it sprayed me, cooling my warm skin. When I licked my lips, I laughed, taking in the taste of salt water. Hoshiko angled his body to the side, making his left wing glide through the waves. More water sprayed on my face.
The sound of Finley’s laughter caught in my throat.
With a final spray, he flew over the sandy beach. I patted his back, pointing at the sand, although he couldn’t see me.
“Is the sand pink?”I asked him.
“It is.”Through our connection, I felt his pleasure. Whether it was delight at being home or me seeing it, I wasn’t sure.
“I am pleased to be home. It’s been . . . several thousand years since I’ve been back,”he said, having heard my thoughts.“I’m also pleased to have brought you to my home.”
I shook my head at the wonder of it all.
I’d read about the ocean and sand from the many books I’d found about the human realm. The pictures in the books couldn’t do it justice.
When he lifted higher to fly us over the large island, I did my best to take in the tall trees and mountains, both of which seemed to stretch beyond the cloudless sky. Finley did the same. Birds, far smaller than our thunderbirds, but just as colorful and beautiful, flew through the heavily wooded forest.
I looked back, not ready to leave the beach behind, but the beauty of the ocean drew my gaze to the endless blue that seemed to meet the sky in the horizon. A quiet bay stretched to the east of us, where the water was still and calm.
Narrowing my eyes, I tried to see whatever was built over the water, but from this distance, I couldn’t make it out.
“When we have a free moment, I’ll take you there,”Hoshiko said.
“What is it?”I turned my head further, trying to keep it in view.
“That is where the dragon riders and their families live,”he said.
I jerked my head back while this tingling sensation flushed through me, but no one had mentioned anything other than dragons in Vistos.“You have fae living here?”
“Not fae, but humans.”
My stomach fluttered while my thoughts seemed to freeze in my mind, narrowing on only the rush of wind in my ears. “Humans?” I asked aloud.
Finley peered back at me in question. A part of me wanted to ignore her, but I’d never been any good at that, especially when the warmth from her body pressed against me while her intoxicating scent filled me.
I pointed toward what I assumed was an above-water village. “Hoshiko said humans live there.”
Although the wind carried my words away, she heard me. Her body stiffened, her breath catching before her composure slid back into place.
Only her eyes betrayed her. The dark around her pupils spread, swallowing the silver.
“The homes almost look like they’re floating on the water,” she said.
