“Did you want to talk at all?” Dirk asked as I climbed onto the back of his dragon, a pack strapped to my shoulders.
“No.” Not my story to tell,” I said, settling in at the base of his neck
My stomach twinged as I sat. I ran a hand over my lower abdomen. As far as anyone could tell I was fully healed after being impaled by Durion’s dragon claw, but the area sometimes still feltoff. There was no better way to describe it.
“You’re a good friend,” Dirk rumbled in the melodic voice of his dragon, his wings spreading wide. “And, though I may be a bit biased, a perfect mate.”
“A bit biased, you say?” I laughed. “You’re just saying that because you got to see me naked in the shower this morning.”
“Not so.”
“Dirk …”
He coughed, bouncing me slightly in my seat as his sides flexed. “What I mean is, I’m not saying thatonlybecause I saw you naked in the shower. Or because I joined you in the shower.”
“You are insatiable,” I admonished, giving a scale a friendly whack.
“Me?” Dirk’s long neck curled around until his blue-white eyes could stare down his snout at me. “Mate of mine, let us not forgetwhoinvitedwhointo said shower this morning.”
I sniffed. “My back needed washing.”
“And what happened after that?” Dirk asked, turning to face forward once more.
“Why, what happened afterthatwas I was manhandled and ravished.” I tried to act indignant.
“I did not force you onto your knees or put my cock in your m—”
“Stop!” I said, laughing, well aware my cheeks were blushing.
Dirk joined in my laughter, and I leaned forward, resting my head on his neck as we flew onward toward the distant chain of mountains. The orblight was bright and warm on my skin, and the air high above Hollow Earth was free of clouds. I stared at the ground below as it passed in a slow rolling panorama.
“Ella.”
I lifted my head, blinking. We were on the ground, next to a familiar fallen tree. “Did I fall asleep?”
“You did,” Dirk said, his wing bouncing slightly with laughter as I climbed down it.
“Oops.” I touched down into the snow-covered ground, and immediately Dirk shifted.
He was facing away from me, and my eyes naturally wandered his body, admiring the powerful lines of his muscles. “Nice butt,” I called as he turned.
“Thanks,” he rumbled, walking over to me, completely naked, my eyes drinking in every curve, ripple, and bulge of his arms,pecs, and all of his abs before finally lingering on the thick shaft of his cock. Always hard when he neared me, as it was now.
Control yourself.
“So, what did you hope to have happen here?” he asked, gesturing around. “Remind me that my head is not actually harder than a brellwood tree?”
I chuckled as he dressed, putting on the pants I handed him from my pack. “There aren’t enough brellwoods for you to learn that lesson.”
He rolled his eyes. “Walk me through what happened again. Maybe that will jog your dragon.”
“Well, I bounced over here down the slope, into the snow. You would have probably found it funny if you weren’t on the edge of dying. I was stuck, upside down in the snow, naked with only my legs exposed.”
“That’s not funny,” he growled. “You could have died.”
“Iwasdying,” I told him. “Until you managed to melt the snow for me. I fell out of it. When I climbed back up to the clearing, you were over there in a pile of blood, barely breathing. I ran to you. I wanted to do something, but what was I going to do? Right?”
“So then what?”
