Page 27 of Monsters of Air

My stomach swam in that way that only Landers could make me do, all wanting and needy and horny rider. Except this time I pushed it down, his words playing through my mind.

“No thank you, you seem to have shown enough girls that already.” I knew I was teasing him, and I liked it.

He grinned and stepped closer to me, “My father is the most wealthy businessman in Fraitte. I’m sure you’ve heard of Priat’s Baking Goods, everyone has. I’m Landers Priat.” I didn’t think it was possible for his ego to drip any more.

“Preets Baking?” I purposely mispronounced it, just to drive him mad. Of course I had heard of it, Kile’s family had a lease on their land from them. It was partially what made Kile’s family so rich. The Priat’s paid well, and this arrogant bastard was going to inherit it all.

Or he would have. I didn’t know how that worked now that he was a dragon.

“Priat’s,” he corrected me with a growl.

“Gotcha,” I gave him a knowing grin and his face fell into a growl. Two can play at this game. “Shame you have to leave all that behind and join the war.”

“I don’t plan on it. I’m going to find myself a rider. I’ve heard the sex is out of the world and if I rider can take my knot then I want that.” He leaned in, his voice a low rumble on my neck, that horny rider part of me that he thrummed up was just getting louder. “Would you like to take my knot, Rayna?”

“Nice pick up line, I’m sure all the girls will line up to spread their legs.” I knew I would.

“Well, you will just have to be first in line,” Lander’s thrust his hips forward, all of that arrogance dripping off him. “Then I’ll take you away from all of this. You’re too weak to fight anyway.”

Any attraction I had to him fizzled, a hollow knot taking its place in my stomach.

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I was weak.

I had dreamed of this life for years, I desperately wanted it. A part of me knew this was my future.

But the reality was too different. It was apparent by my aching feet, my bloodied clothes and hair and face, and my dirt-stained clothes, that maybe I wasn’t good enough for this kind of adventure.

It was by far, harsher and more unforgiving than any reality I wanted.

But I still wanted it. If I was going to be part of it; I had to fight for it.

Just like the first rider.

This mountain was going to push me to my limit more than I knew.

I think, for the first time since we started this journey, I was ready.

Chapter Ten

As soon as the sun began to set, the temperatures dropped. Quickly. I dug around in my bag, finding the blanket I had used my whole life. I already knew the threadbare thing was going to be little to no use in this. For a long time, I stared at Da’s bag, knowing his big wool lined fur would be in there. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to dig it out. There would be more than the heavy striped elk fur in there. His clothes would be in there. The picture of Ma and Elodie we took with us would be in there, and everything in there would have his scent.

“The pits dug, we just need to start the fire,” Zilon said, pulling my focus as he placed the last stick and began digging around in his pack.

I perked up, I had been gathering firewood the last few nights and missed this. This was my chance. I had seen the boys in their dragon form. I had seen them shift out of their dragons. I had not seen them shift into them. I had not seen them breathe fire. Both were on my unofficial adventure checklist, and I was ready.

“I can do it.” Instead of stripping down to nothing and shifting into his dragon, Philit grabbed something from Zilon and bent over the pit, pulling out flint and steel.

“Wait.” I could already tell I was about to be very disappointed. “No blowing fire?”

“You just want to see us turn into dragons. Admit it.” Landers chuckled, throwing his hands behind his head and leaning back like he was on a chair in an inn and not sitting on a rock on a freezing mountainside. “If you want, I can take off my clothes and show you something even better.”

He jutted his pelvis forward as his eyebrows went into some weird tango.

“No. Keep your clothes on,” I said it, even though my insides were dancing alongside his eyebrows. “Unless you are going to shift. Because I would be all for that.” My heart skipped a beat.

“Not going to happen,” Philit said between clicks of flint on steel. “Even if we ignore the obvious on how noticed we’d be by the Fae if we turned into dragons, there is a much bigger issue at hand.”

“What issue?” I blinked at him, which sent Landers laughing again.

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