Page 81 of Monsters of Air

“Wrong?” I tried not to snort at the word, really I did. But it just didn’t work. Luckily, he just shrugged. “Never expected to hear you say that.”

“Well, it’s true. You were right, I was wrong.” I was all ears now. “I pushed you away because I thought I knew everything. Turns out–”

“You know nothing?” I finished for him. He laughed, Zilon turning in concern. I waved him away, even if the tension in my chest grew slightly.

“No. Yes?” He sighed, running his free hand over his closely shorn head, his hair having grown out a bit since we started this trek over a mountain range. “I know you are my mate. I know because I feel it. I know because I felt it the moment I saw you. I know because I can feel you.”

He squeezed my hand, just as a swell of joy flared over me, it smothered every other emotion. It didn’t take long for me to know who it came from.

Philit.

“I don’t know why things ended up this way, but I want to find out.”

“Not break the bond?” I asked, the tension weaving over my chest and chasing away his joy for a moment.

“No,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “I never did.”

My stomach swooped everything in me becoming fire. I wanted to lean into him, breathe in that smell of rain that always danced around him. But I resisted.

He wasn’t going to get away with apologizing and everything going to sunflowers and kisses. I wouldn’t let him, not after what he did.

“Well, as romantic as that is,” I grit my teeth, forcing myself to take a step away from him. “You’re going to need to prove it now. Seeing as you spent a few days rejecting me like a one night stand who wouldn’t leave.”

The more I spoke, the more those feelings boiled back to the surface. He winced, and I grinned, sure he could feel it.

“I know, and I would expect nothing less.” He leaned in like he was going to kiss me, but I pulled back. “Let me start by being here. I will prove it to you, Rayna. Not out of jealousy. There’s something about you, maybe that Fae was right, maybe you are going to need more protection than we thought. It’s going to take all of us.”

“Are you saying I’m high maintenance?” I laughed.

“Maybe. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

That time I let him kiss me.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Once I adjusted to the new bond, it was like a whole new world opened up before me. Their emotions were constantly flowing into me and mine into them. I stubbed my toe and all three turned, growling in expectation to fight Fae. Instead, they saw me hopping around, cursing the rock for existing.

The bad part was hearing them, being connected to them, feeling their heat move over me… it was just making that heated feeling from before grow worse. It wasn’t just a physical heat, it was a hunger that was everywhere. I couldn’t keep my eyes off them. All three had such nice firm asses. I wanted to grab them, to run my fingers over the scales on their backs and shoulders and marvel in the way the sunlight flickered off them. I wanted to run my hands over their tails, feel them wrap around me, hold me in place as they took me. Claimed me. Fucked me. Railed me.

All of them.

All at once.

By the goddess… why was I so horny?

“Rayna,” Philit said softly from beside me, his hand tightening around mine. I shuddered at the huskiness in that whisper.

Could you lick a whisper? I wanted to lick his whisper.

“Philit,” I said softly, seeing the same reaction from him.

“Careful with your thoughts. They’re distracting.”

“You can’t read my thoughts,” I said, trying to laugh it off. The sound turned into a moan as I looked at him, at those scales, at those lips that I wanted to taste.

“Rayna,” Philit said, and it was practically a moan on his lips.

Kissable lips.

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