Page 37 of Bound to the Orc Warlord

Drakonisrevener dives through the air, his wings tucked tight to his body.

And Ashley… my bride streaks through the air beside him, riding a blue birch branch, her hair blown straight out behind her in a fiery flag.

A high sound teases the edge of my hearing, resolving into her delighted laughter.

The dragon snaps out his wings with a deep whomp, catching the air and jerking his body to a halt over the pool.

“Dravarr!” Ashley changes direction, leveling out to skim across the water toward me. “Look! I’m flying just like you wanted!”

Her words cut me to the quick, all of my earlier self recriminations confirmed. She risked herself to please me. It doesn’t matter that it worked out. I should never have put her in such a position to begin with.

She pulls up on the front of the stick, coming to a halt right in front of me. My bride hovers in the air, a look of triumph brightening her face.

Her joy proves infectious, gladdening my heart. “I’m pleased you’re all right.” Never have I meant words more.

Ashley beams at me, her smile all that is bright and beautiful in my world, her hair spread around her head in a corona that catches all of the evening light.

I am a man emerging from a dark, windowless prison into sunshine.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Ashley

Flying’s the most amazing thing in the world! I grip my broomstick, using it to channel my will and hold me in place in front of Dravarr. I can’t stop smiling. The last hour or so—god, how long did I fly for? It all went by in a blur—has been life changing.

After that first glorious dash through the air, I had to figure out how to slow down. Then we moved on to changing directions, with Drake offering me a series of wing positions that did nothing to help. It didn’t matter, though. I soaked up the meaning of his words, letting them resonate with the music of the magic inside me until I couldfeelhow to turn.

God knows, I wasn’t perfect. There were quite a few unintentional stops and starts and even an accidental loop-de-loop or two. But once I got the hang of it, channeling my will through the broomstick added that bit of control I’d been missing.

We kept going until I had most of the basics down… and couldn’t wipe the wide grin off my face. The rush of the wind, the thrill of speed, and finally being able to truly enjoy being weightless—it all built into a giddy joy that bubbled inside of me until it felt like I could fly up and up and dance with the stars.

Drake eventually said we should find the others and made me practice changing altitude as we flew back, which is the only reason I could swoop down to join everyone at this pond and show Dravarr all of my success.

“You made it farther than I expected for a fae who can’t fly.” Drake lands on the ground beside Midnight.

“Don’t you worry about me, youngling.” She tosses her mane, a ripple of golden sparkles flashing across the black. “I can run all day and night if needed.”

Dravarr ignores both of them, his eyes staying on me, eating me up with an intensity that makes my skin tingle. He takes a step forward, reaching up to wrap a hand over mine. “Come down to me.”

“And that’s our cue.” Midnight wheels around and trots toward the forest. She glances over her shoulder at Drake. “Come on, youngling. Let’s leave them alone.”

“Why?”

“Ask me again in a couple of years.” She gives a neighing laugh. “But for now, come on.”

He looks back and forth between me and Dravarr, turning his head to use first one amber eye, then the next. Whatever he sees makes him launch up from the ground and fly after the unicorn.

Leaving me alone with Dravarr… at a beautiful secluded pond with a waterfall. My romantic heart gives a little skip. Allmy earlier thoughts of being careful not to dream of something with him dissolve into smoke when he looks at me like he’s stripping me naked with the power of his gaze.

“You can fly,” he says, and the note of approval in his voice only adds to my own feeling of triumph.

“I sure can!” I grin at him.

“I was wrong to ever doubt you.” His hand slides up my bare arm to my shoulder, leaving licks of fire on my skin everywhere it touches. “Can you forgive me?”

“Yes.” Everything in my body tightens, waiting in anticipation.

He pulls me closer until I float before him at head height. I twist to face him, the front end of the broomstick pressing into the side of his hip. Then both of his hands are on me, and I drop the broom, winding my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist. It’s the position we used when riding Midnight that first day.

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