Page 31 of Sapphire Seas

“Why do I need socks when you have a perfectly functional fireplace?” Caspian grumbled.

“Because we aren’t staying in tonight,” I declared.

“Ohhh, okay, mysterious surprise, huh? I like that,” he replied and ducked into the bathroom, while Kes eyed me skeptically.

“Since I don’t need to dress warmly, what would be your wardrobe suggestion for me?” Kes asked with a flirty little smirk. I loved how with each passing day the shell he’d hid behind chipped away.

Was he flirting with me?

Odem would know if this was flirting. He was the king of flirting. In fact, Ronan would know too, he was just as bad, though only when it came to my brother, who he was extremely possessive of. It felt good coming from Kes, who always seemed to restrain himself before fully allowing his playful side to shine through. Sometimes I worried that he was afraid of getting too comfortable here with us. Whether that was ingrained in him from years of constant travel with Upalo and Canyon, or if Kes still expected us to reject him, was impossible to determine. It might even be a mix of both. I knew trust would take time to forge but there were times when I wished I could just track down everyone who’d ever hurt him and hurl them into the furthest depths of the sea.

We just might get that wish, human.

Aye, but loss of life is never a first choice nor is polluting our beloved waters.

Hmph.

My dragon and I were quite protective of our mates.

“Wear something comfortable,” I said, trailing my fingertips down his arm, “and socks, because if you don’t, he won’t want to.”

“I heard that!” Caspian called out over the running water. “And you’re absolutely right.”

“I’ll wear them,” Kes said before surprising the hell out of me when he went up on tiptoe and brushed a tender kiss over my lips.

Was it odd to feel giddy over being kissed by one’s mate when that wasn’t the first kiss we’d shared? It was the first he’d initiated, though. To me that was better than the first time I’d kissed him.

The only thing I took with me across the hall was my robe, since I did not intend to be in human form for the first part of the date, one I couldn’t take credit for. It was my dragon who’d come up with the idea, inspired by a few of the animated movies Kes and Caspian had shared with me.

The look on my mates faces when they came downstairs to find me in that robe…my dragon’s chuckle filled the room and my mates instantly ceased protesting my request that they get dressed.

“You won’t need those,” I told them when they reached for their shoes. “The socks will be fine.”

“Works for me, I hate shoes,” Caspian muttered.

“Entirely too restricting,” Kes declared.

“I’m not fond of them myself,” I said as I led them outside.

I shifted beneath the stars and lay down, spread my wings flat, and urged them to climb on.

Allow me to be your chariot tonight, I thought to them.

“How unique,” Caspian said as he carefully climbed on my back. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this model before.”

“Definitely a classic though,” Kes said, rubbing his cheek against my side before climbing up. “Just feel these lines.”

My dragon rumbled with pleasure and waited for our mates to get settled before launching into the sky.

We promised to show you the city. The best way is from the air.

Better than a flying carpet, Kes gushed.

I loved that it had taken him no time at all to get where my dragon and I had been coming from. The last thing I expected was for him to take it one step further and start singing the song while I flew. I could feel some of the sadness that had weighed so heavily on Caspian melted away as Kes held him while I gently turned and flew toward the city.

Look, I can see lights, Caspian said as the song came to an end.

It’s beautiful at night, Kes murmured.