Page 20 of Bitten in the Wild

“I hope you found out everything you needed to know because I’m not poisoning you again.”

“I insist that you don’t,” he grinned up at me.

Chapter Seven

Izora

As much as I wanted to sample my blood right away, I was in no condition to fly or walk all the way back to the ship. Nycto offered to let me ride on his back, but I was too woozy from considering it to take him up on his offer. It took two full days and nights of resting and hydrating as best as my mushie hangover would let before I was ready to go back to the estate. Nycto stayed by my side and acted as if I might drop dead the second he looked away. The hangover was annoying and unpleasant, but his constant worry and guilt broke my heart. I hadn’t lied when I told him I didn’t blame him. I was on an alien planet and wildlings had something unique to their digestive systems that us townies didn’t have. I tried my best to be a good patient and let him dote on me because his worried scent felt like a punishment for not feeling well.

“Are you sure you’re ready to fly?” Nycto asked, wiggling into his pants.

“Are you concerned your inner beast won’t let you back out?” I turned his question back around on him.

“Not now,” Nycto shook his head. “He’s just as concerned about you as I am.”

“I’m fine, mate,” I said, tugging my shirt over my head despite the odd look it got me from him.

Not many dragons wore shirts at all on Starscale 1. They were always flying here and there and it made sense.

“I hope my mother doesn’t see you. She even thinks pants and underwear are ridiculous. She sees you with that thing on and she’s going to think I really did try to kill you,” Nycto frowned.

“I thought wildlings didn’t care what anyone thought?” I arched a brow in his direction.

“Even wildlings don’t want a hundred questions from their mothers,” he crossed his arms.

“Well, lucky for you, once I shift, the shirt won’t be visible,” I shrugged.

“You weren’t wearing it when I first spotted you,” Nycto pointed out. “You know the townies don’t really wear them either.”

“Well, Moonscales do. I think the only ones who really adjusted to the no shirt life have been Fred and Sunny. Sometimes you’d think they were father and son instead of Fred and Teddy. I’m getting off topic. I’m not going to show up shirtless for a meeting with the captain.”

“So, you guys wear shirts when things are serious?”

“Definitely then. Other times too. It’s just the way it is,” I shrugged again.

“But do you like the way things are?” he asked, leaning one arm against the wall.

“I’ll also be checking over his hatchling and Casimir’s egg,” I told him. “I was surprised that most healers here don’t even wear shirts while they’re working.”

“Everyone knows you have nipples,” Nycto shrugged, and I laughed. “Hiding them doesn’t make you smarter.”

“Does my shirt make you uncomfortable?” I asked.

“Only because I’m sure it makes you uncomfortable. You’re recovering from being sick. You should be comfy right now.”

“I am recovered,” I reminded him and leaned over to steal a kiss.

He wasn’t wrong about Starscales and shirts, but I was a Moonscale first and clothes let us all pretend we were less emotionally involved in each other’s lives than we actually were.

***

As anxious as I was to get back and tell the others about my vision, Nycto and I still took the long way back to the estate. Waj perched on Nycto right behind his head. The little dotter leaned back against him as if the sky was merely another lake for him to float in. We flew over the nest of Nycto’s parents and stopped long enough to wave a wing at them. His mother smelled relieved to see us out and about. I wondered how much she understood about what happened to me.

“She knew you didn’t mean to act like that. She’s seen the townies do it for fun, but she knew you didn’t know it would happen from the pizza,”Nycto said over our mating link.

“I’m still getting used to you hearing so much of what goes on in my head.”

“I like it. It’s the only reason I know you actually forgave me for poisoning you.”

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