And then a wave of lust so carnal it nearly brought me to my knees washed over me.
“Mating Flight!” someone shouted. “It’s a Mating Flight!”
There was a general stampede as everyone ran and then Ryse was in front of me. His dragon eyes were glowing, I noticed. I hadn’t’ seen them do that since the night of the first Mating Flight.
“Come on,” he said, grabbing me by the arm.
“What…where are we going?” I felt dizzy with lust. L’eesha was pouring her emotions into me, and I felt like I wasn’t big enough to hold them all.
“Going someplace private,” Ryse told me. “L’eesha is rising for her first Mating Flight and M’alex is rising with her.”
Then he threw me over his shoulder and ran off the stage.
74
AURORA
The world was a blur of motion and sensation. Ryse’s shoulder was hard against my stomach, his arm like an iron band around my thighs as he ran. The roaring of the crowd, the blaring of the distant horns, the thunderous beating of wings from the flight terraces above—it all melted into a chaotic symphony. But it was the internal storm that truly stole my breath.
L’eesha’s emotions were a river of molten gold flooding my mind, my veins, my very soul.
Need. Want. Fly. Mate.
The images she sent were primal and vivid—the rush of wind under her wings, the sight of M’alex’s powerful form banking ahead of her, the deep, resonant call he sent echoing through the air.
But I wasn’t just receiving her sight and sound—I also got her feelings. The dizzying, intoxicating heat pooling in her belly…the frantic, delicious ache that was growing by the minute…the overwhelming drive to fly, to be caught, to breed.
Her emotions translated directly into my own body. A deep, throbbing ache had taken root between my legs, so intense it was almost a pain. My breasts felt heavy and sensitive, my nipples tight peaks rubbing against the fabric of the jumpsuit I wore with every jolting step Ryse took. My skin was on fire, hypersensitive to the feel of his muscular body against mine, to the cool air rushing past as he ran.
A low, desperate whimper escaped my lips.
“Ryse, please!” I begged.
Ryse didn’t speak. He just ran, his own breathing ragged. I could feel the tension in the big body carrying me—a coiled spring of the same desperate need. The dragon-lust wasn’t just flowing through me—it was a circuit connecting all four of us, amplifying everything.
He shouldered open a heavy door, ducked inside, and kicked it shut behind us, plunging us into sudden, dim quiet. The room was small, smelling of dust, leather, and sweat. Mats were stacked against one wall. Seeing them, I realized where we were—this was one of the small practice chambers off the main auditorium. Sunlight filtered through a high, narrow window, painting golden stripes on the floor.
Gently, Ryse set me on my feet and my legs almost buckled. The sudden stillness made the internal cacophony even louder. I swayed, and his hands came up to steady me, sliding to my waist.
“Easy, little one,” he murmured. In the dim light, his eyes were pure, radiant gold, the pupils narrowed to slits. The dragon in him was right there, looking back at me. Clearly the Mating Flight was drawing out the true nature of his bloodline.
“Auri,” he breathed, my name a rough prayer on his lips. His voice was hoarse and strained. “Gods, little one… can you feel it?”
“All of it,” I gasped, clutching at the front of his uniform. “It’s… it’s everywhere. In me, around me…L’eesha, she’s on fire with need.”
“I know,” he groaned, resting his forehead against mine. His skin was fever-hot. “M’alex too. It’s a fire in the blood.”
“Ryse, I need you!” I moaned, looking up at him.
He shook his head.
“Auri… I don’t know if we should. The Mating Flight intensifies everything. I can try to shield you, to hold it back—I don’t want to hurt you.”
His control, even now—even drowning in this shared lust—astounded me. It made my heart swell even as my body screamed for relief.
“It’s not just the Flight,” I managed to say, my fingers fumbling with the fastenings of his uniform tunic. “It’s more than that—it’s you, it’s me, it’s us. And I want us. Please, Ryse, don’t hold back for me. I need you.”
“Gods, little one—why can’t I resist you?”
