27
Ember
Take Me for a Ride
Emerging from the cool depths of the cave into the late afternoon heat felt like entering another world. I reached up to touch the mark that had magically appeared on my neck after Kieran had bitten me, sealing the claim between us.
This was a whole new world all right.
One where I was somehow linked to an apocalyptic dragon prophecy. I had more questions than answers after leaving the cave.
But I did have a sexy dragon who looked at me like I’d hung the moon. So… it was worth it.
Sweat pooled in my bra as I fanned my shirt, walking alongside Kieran in silence as I tried to process everything that had happened the past few hours. The prophecy, the marking, the sex…
“It looks like Tony headed that way.” I pointed to the trail where it veered off into fresh tracks through the brush.
Maybe I should’ve worried about him hiking injured all the way into town, but I figured I’d already paid enough to him for one lifetime .
I didn’t want to suffer for my mistakes anymore, so I decided that I wouldn’t.
Over and done.
Kieran grunted. His grip tightened slightly on my hand. And a foreign feeling of possessive need raced through me.
This mate bond thing was going to take some getting used to.
“Why did Bemouth say we needed to nurture the bond?” I asked, using my new telepathic super-power and smiling smugly when I got it right.
“Scientifically speaking?” He stopped walking, giving me a look that had the summer sun heating another ten degrees. “The mate bond in its most primitive form begins a mating dance. I don’t know how it works between a human and a dragon, but the more we connect, the more the bond solidifies. It’ll be a pressing need to strengthen and grow the connection between us for the next few weeks.”
“Connect as in…” My voice trailed off as Kieran nodded. “And what happens if we don’t… um… indulge in this carnal desire?”
He reached out to cup my chin, smirking as he lowered his face to mine. “You’ll turn me into a beast.”
“Don’t tease me with a good time.” I fanned my shirt again, needing some air to cool my skin before I fainted.
Kieran’s brow furrowed as he looked down at me, no doubt seeing the sweat stains form on my shirt. “You’re burning up. Is my venom affecting you?”
I shook my head as I touched my forehead to make sure. “Not this time. ”
“Good.” He relaxed. “You’re only able to take my venom because you’re my fated mate. It shouldn’t even bother you after the first time, but I will be able to heal you if needed.”
I dropped my hand to my side, suddenly feeling a little sick. “And what if I wasn’t your mate? Did you just inject me on a hopeful whim to see if I would heal or die?”
“Of course not.” He cocked his head to the side. If he wasn’t so cute, I might’ve slapped him. “I knew I could trust my beast’s instincts. They’ve never led me wrong before.”
I blinked. Well that’s… comforting.
“And what are your beastly instincts saying now?”
“That you’re uncomfortable.” Kieran stepped back, looking over his shoulder at the valley beyond the tree line. “I don’t suppose you’d want a ride.”
“Finally,” I muttered under my breath, blushing when he turned back to me with an eyebrow arched. “Sorry, I just thought you’d never offer. But yes, yes please, I would love to go for a ride.”
∞
There was a good chance I’d underestimated his size. Standing next to the dragon made me feel a lot smaller than I was.
My hands were sweaty and my heart thumped hard in anticipation of the flight.
His horns were golden, like his talons, and they curved above his ears, reflecting the setting sun before they disappeared from view as Kieran lowered his scaly head .
I took a step back, worried he’d miscalculate. His muzzle was the size of a bus. It was too much to focus on all at once from my position on the ground.
I moved closer as he stilled, seeming to make himself a statue for me, and ran my hands over his snout.
“Hey there, big guy,” I kept my voice calm as I pet him, wondering how much of Kieran was still him while he was in this form.
A chuff of warm air blew from his side nostril, drying my sweat-coated skin.
I smiled bigger as he made a slight motion, almost as if to nuzzle my palms. I could feel his restraint—the excitement bubbling just under his scales—and that was all Kieran.
A gentleman of a beast.
My dragon. The thought sent chills dancing over my spine.
“Then you’re my human.” He huffed haughtily.
Oops. I hadn’t meant to send that thought.
I trailed my hands along his scales, moving toward his beautiful eye that watched me with the same desire Kieran showed as a man.
“You’re magnificent,” I told him, feeling the beast preen at the compliment.
“Come to my shoulder,” he said as he lowered himself down so I had a ramp to climb.
I took a step back, tapping my finger against my lip as I tried to think this through. “It’s been a long time since I’ve swung a lasso.”
“You’re not bridling me, love.” Kieran dropped even closer to the ground. “Let’s see you ride bareback. ”
I scoffed at the challenge in his tone, hoisted myself up onto his foreleg, and then crawl-walked up to his shoulder.
Butterflies swooped in my stomach as I climbed onto his back. The scales lay in a pattern providing footholds sort of like big shingles of armor that I could slip from if I wasn’t careful.
But I’d always been surefooted.
Perks of growing up on a ranch.
Between his shoulder blades and wings was a natural concave where I could sit while clinging to the back of his neck.
“It’d be safer with reins,” I thought aloud, sending that worry to him.
My thigh strength wasn’t what it once was, but I was willing to take the risk.
“Do you trust me?” Kieran’s wings stretched out.
“Yes.” I nodded, leaning closer to his body and trying to get a firm grip.
The scales were much smoother than they looked from afar. More like stone attached firmly to his skin.
“I won’t let anything hurt you.” He started to walk as his wings extended behind us.
Each step he took came with the slow beat of his wings that began to pick up speed.
My heart thumped so hard it was trying to escape my chest and adrenaline raced through me, making me lightheaded.
Kieran lifted off the ground.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Fear threatened to choke me. What was I doing up here?
I wasn’t a kid anymore.
This was dangerous. Reckless.
“Ember? ”
“Mmm,” I moaned out loud.
“Open your eyes.” His voice was a soothing caress in my mind, coaxing me to obey.
I slowly peeled one eye open and then the other.
My thighs were clenched so tight they were screaming, but I didn’t need to bother.
The concave I sat in was a perfect shield from the wind and provided a little nest for my body to relax if I wanted.
Not yet. But when I was ready.
Slower than a trot, we drifted lazily down the mountain, heading to the valley below.
I leaned past the safety of Kieran’s neck, trying to see the world through his eyes despite the wind blurring my vision with tears.
It was beautiful.
There was my cabin and the whole stretch of the property. The creek cut ribbons through the swaying brown grass and rolling hills that made up my family’s land. Fat white clouds hung suspended in a bright blue sky, meeting the earth at the open horizon in the distance.
Real tears burned behind my eyes.
The wind whipped them away.
I’m sorry, Dad.
It ached in a bone-deep way, knowing he’d never get to see everything he worked for from the view I could see now. The grief of it all was a familiar weight. I should’ve visited him more.
He said I wasn’t like my biological mother. That she’d left us without checking the rearview mirror. That my heart was here, so I’d eventually make my way back someday .
This place was mine. Not the town or the people or the drama. This land was where I’d grown up and where all my childhood memories were made.
And with Kieran here, it actually felt like home again.
I wondered what my dad would’ve thought of Kieran. They probably would’ve gotten along. He never much liked Tony; said I was meant for better things and Tony would hold me back.
As always, Dad was right.
“What’s wrong?” Kieran asked, feeling my surge of sadness.
Stupid luteal phase making me all emotional.
We’d need to hurry and cement this bond before shark week started.
I dried my eyes, shaking my head. “Nothing.”
But despite our slow pace, the cabin and responsibilities waiting below were coming up too soon. “Can we stay out just a little longer?”
Kieran’s laughter shook his whole body, vibrating under my legs. “How fast do you want to go?”
I leaned into him, relaxing and trusting him to take the lead as I bit my lip, feeling the old thrill rush through me. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
∞
My hair was so wind-tangled I’d need to cut it off and my cheeks burned from how big I was smiling. I probably had a bug stuck in my teeth.
It’d be a good idea to find some goggles and convince him to wear reins, but even without those things, nothing was going to take the sky from me .
I slid down Kieran’s foreleg, half-drunk on endorphins from the rush of the flight.
The night in all her vast glory shone down on us, stars twinkling as the milky way cut her path across the universe.
I’d almost forgotten how beautiful desert nights could be without all the light pollution.
But nothing compared to this.
Magic seemed to shimmer all around, tingling across my skin as a soft breeze drifted to the ground.
Kieran stood naked, catching me in his strong arms as I staggered back. “How was that?”
“Amazing,” I whispered as I laced my hands behind his neck. “I’m sore in all the best ways.”
His frown made me giggle.
“If it’s sore you’re wanting—”
I pulled him close, capturing his lips with mine, and poured my gratitude into the kiss. The taste of him ignited my every nerve ending, making me ache with the need for more.
To be closer.
Deeper.
“I know what you need.” His masculine voice rumbled inside my mind.
“Stay out of my head,” I laughed.
“Never.” He broke our kiss, panting as he pressed his forehead against mine. “Your mind is my new favorite place to be.”
I smiled up at him shyly, wondering if I’d ever heard that line before. Probably not, but I’d take it.
“It’s your favorite place?” I teased, pressing a quick kiss to his bottom lip as I arched against him, feeling the hard length of his naked body respond .
Kieran’s groan was primal as he swept me off my feet. “One of my favorites. I’ll have to show my appreciation for the others.”