Page 41 of Burned

“Something wrong?”

He shakes his head, leveling his gaze at me. “I don’t think so. Just thought I heard something.”

“Let’s pack up and get out of here.”

“Good call.”

Neither of us says a word as we dismantle the tent and pack our bags. Once we’ve cleaned up our campsite, I lug the backpack up onto my shoulder, glancing at Lord as he does the same. We have to get on with it. It’s not like we really have a choice.

This has to end. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

Chapter

Fourteen

LORD

There’s a heaviness in my stomach as Alrick and I stare at each other for a beat of silence. It might just be wishful thinking, but it feels like he’s as reluctant to return to his real life as I am. It’s not like there’s anythingwrongwith my life back home—I love my family, and I’ve found a deep sense of purpose in running the security company—but playing at having a mate for these past few days has been… special.

My chest aches sharply and I know it’s more than just my dragon’s heart breaking, it’s my human heart too.

Alrick swallows and shifts on his feet.

“Or…” I hedge, inching a step closer.

A spark of hope lights in his blue eyes, like he’s prepared to grab any life preserver I throw him, any excuse not to hurry home and break our bond… even though he doesn’t know that’s what this is.

“Yeah?”

“It’s going to take a few days for Dahlia to mix the potion, I’m sure. I could send her the details now and we could spend the time spoiling ourselves in a private suite in Paris until it’s ready.”

I expect him to hesitate. I expect to feel the tug of his warring emotions in my chest as he vacillates between his desire to be a good son and brother and his desire to hole up together for a few more days and try to get our fill of each other. But there’s no war at all. A surge of heat and excitement floods our connection and Alrick nods immediately.

“Yes.”

Relief swells in my chest and I release it with a laugh, closing the space between us with one last step to sweep Alrick into my arms. He’s taller than I am and heavily muscled, but my dragon strength makes it easy to lift him off his feet and swallow his surprised gasp as I slam my lips into his and lick into his mouth.

My chest rumbles with a dragony purr as our tongues stroke and tangle too briefly before I set him back on his feet. Still holding him close, our noses bumping and our chests heaving from the kiss, I flash him a wicked grin.

“It’s only about six hundred miles to Paris. How would you feel about riding my dragon?”

I feel his heart thump against my chest and another swell of excitement through our bond.

“Please,” he says, nipping at my bottom lip.

I smile and reluctantly let him go before shrugging my pack off and handing it to him. He watches as I strip back out of my clothes, and his hungry attention has me preening and taking my time with every piece of clothing I shed, putting on a little show for my temporary mate. Once I’m naked, I put my clothes into one of the packs and step back from him to give my dragon a little space to stretch out.

“Ready?” I ask.

Alrick is holding his breath, his body practically vibrating with anticipation. I know I’m not the first dragon he’s seen, but I don’t want to think about the unhappy circumstances of any of that. He’s looking at me like he’s a child on Christmas and I’m the largest present under the tree that he can’t wait to unwrap.

“Ready,” he says breathlessly.

I roll my shoulders and close my eyes. It’s as easy as breathing to pull at the heat in my core, tugging my dragon to the surface. After already shifting twice this morning, there’s a hint of soreness in my muscles and joints, like I imagine humans feel after an intense workout, but I groan with relief just the same as my body expands, stretching and tugging into its larger reptilian shape.

It’s not just my body that changes when I shift—my dragon gains more control too, my human side fading into a distant voice in the back of my mind. Everything is so much simpler this way. Why do I waste so much time worrying and making things complicated? I blink down at my mate, small now in comparison. Through the sharpness of my dragon eyes, I can see the glow of the sun on his golden hair, making it look like he’s made of pure light. I can smell the heather, thyme, and ocean scent of him stronger than ever, and to my satisfaction, it’s entwined with my own scent, marking him as mine to any supernatural creature who might come sniffing around him.

I lower myself to my belly, making myself as small and unimposing as possible, but Alrick’s expression can only be described as stunned. His mouth is hanging open and his eyes won’t stop moving, like he’s trying his best to take in every massive inch of me all at once. Does he like what he sees? Is my mate pleased with me?

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