Page 43 of Heartflame

“You came,” he said, pushing off from the wall and moving toward me.

“I said I would,” I replied, trying to ignore the flutter in my chest at his obvious happiness.

He reached out and took my hand, threading his fingers through mine like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Come on. We need to head to the northern perimeter to get through the wards.”

I let him lead me across campus, acutely aware of his hand in mine and the way it felt like everyone was watching us. We moved quickly, staying to the shadows as much as possible. The campus felt different at night, more ominous somehow, with the security witches patrolling and the wards humming with barely contained power.

When we reached the northern perimeter, I could see the shimmering barrier of the wards stretching across the tree line. They pulsed with a soft blue light, beautiful and terrifying all at once. This was where I’d frozen during the breach. This was where Aeron had saved me.

“Just walk through,” Aeron said, squeezing my hand reassuringly. “They won’t hurt you. You’re a student.”

I took a breath and stepped forward, half expecting to feel resistance. But instead, the wards parted for me like they recognized me, like I belonged on both sides of the barrier. The sensation was strange and more intense than it had been in previous years. A tingling feeling that ran across my skin like electricity without the pain.

And then we were through, standing on the other side of the wards with nothing but forest stretching out before us. The air smelled different here, wilder somehow. Fresher. A quick glance behind me showed a soft shimmer, but Widdershins was gone, concealed by the wards.

“Ready?” Aeron asked, and there was something in his tone that made me look up at him.

“Ready for what?”

He grinned that dangerous, confident smile that always made my pulse race. “For me to show you something.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he released my hand and stepped back. His jacket fell away, and I watched in fascination as his form began to shift. His skin rippled, his body growing larger, more powerful. And then, in a burst of red-gold light, massive wings unfurled from his back.

I gasped, stumbling backward as I took in the full scope of what I was seeing. Aeron’s full dragon form was breathtaking. He was enormous, easily thirty feet from snout to tail, with scales that gleamed like molten lava in the fading twilight. His wings were massive, translucent at the edges with intricate veining that caught the light. And his eyes, those same golden eyes I knew so well, were watching me with an intensity that made my mouth go dry.

“You’re...” I started, but I couldn’t seem to find the words.

“Terrifying?” he offered, his voice a rumbling growl that I felt vibrate through my entire body.

“Beautiful,” I whispered instead, surprising even myself.

He made a sound that might have been a purr, lowering his massive head until it was level with mine. Up close, I could see the individual scales, the way they overlapped in intricate patterns. I reached out without thinking, my hand trembling as I touched the warm, smooth surface of his snout.

“I want you to ride on me,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle despite his enormous size. “Will you trust me?”

I should have said no. I should have been terrified. But as I looked into those golden eyes, I found that I did trust him. Against all logic, against every logical thought, I trusted him.

“Okay,” I said softly.

He lowered himself, creating a kind of ramp with his body. “Climb on. Hold onto my neck ridges. They’re perfect for this.”

I hesitated for only a moment before moving forward. The scales were warm beneath my hands as I pulled myself up onto his back, settling between the prominent ridges that ran along his spine. I found handholds naturally, gripping the spikes as instructed.

“Hold on tight,” Aeron said, and then his wings began to beat.

The ground fell away beneath us, and I let out a cry of surprise as we lifted into the air. My stomach lurched, but then… oh fuck… then we were flying.

The world spread out beneath us in shades of blue and black, the lights of town in the distance twinkling below like stars. The wind rushed past my face, cold and sharp, but I didn’t care. I was flying. I was actually flying on the back of a fucking dragon.

“This is incredible!” I shouted, unable to contain my excitement as Aeron climbed higher and higher. The fear that I’d expected to feel never came. Instead, there was only exhilaration, pure and undeniable.

Aeron banked left, heading toward town, and I caught glimpses of the sleeping world below. Houses with lights on in windows, cars on empty streets, the glimmer of the main road stretching out toward the horizon. It was all so small from up here, so insignificant.

“Shouldn’t we be worried that they can see us?” I called out over the wind.

Aeron just laughed. “I’m already cloaking us with my magic,” he replied. “All they see is the night sky.”

The coffee shop he’d mentioned appeared below us, its warm lights visible through the darkness. Aeron descended smoothly, landing in a pitch black empty lot behind the building with barely a sound. He lowered himself again, and I slid off his back, my legs shaking with adrenaline.