Page 32 of Dimitri

“Oh, wow. They’re gorgeous. I’ve seen them before, but it was from over there.”

We were directly over the river at the bottom of the gorge now and flying straight toward the falls.

“It is a much different view,”Caspian told me.

“This view is so much better.”One I preferred, but I was a dragon and loved being in my scales. Caspian moved around a little, but he didn’t seem to be feeling anything but happiness and contentment though our bond.

We arrived at the falls within a couple of minutes of taking off. Since we were already at the top, I did what I’d come to do:the mating flight. I got into position, then started the downward spiral. When we reached the bottom, I flew back up to the top and did it again. And again.

On the fourth spiral down, I felt it through our bond. Caspian lay forward on my neck and sighed. He was feeling the pull, the sensual flight that I was doing with him.

“This is absolutely wonderful.”

“It is. I cannot tell you how much it means that I can finally do this with you.”

“What does it mean?”Caspian sighed again.“And you never told me what that ‘lyub’ word means.”

“Darling. My darling. It is a term of endearment in my native language.”

“So it’s something like mi corazón.”

“What does that one mean?”We hadn’t started teaching each other our languages just yet, but it was probably past time that we’d done so.

“My heart. You have it, you know.”

You couldn’t tell, but my dragon was smiling.

“You have had mine since that first moment in the bakery,” I told him. “You were so handsome yet upset about something.”

“I did not expect to be the carrier. Now, I cannot imagine it any other way.”Caspian sighed again.“Do you really think I’m going to be pregnant?”

“Do you not? We made sure to spend a lot of time knotted together.”I flapped four times to take us back up to the top of the falls. When we arrived, I saw another dragon in the distance. Then, a second one came from behind him. I knew they had to either be associated with the council or one of the dragons from Treasure Ridge.

“Yes, but I’ve not detected a baby yet. I would have thought I would have by now. My fertile period was almost a week ago.”

My mate was impatient, apparently.“Would it please you if I told you that your scent has started to shift?”Immediately, I wanted to take the words back. It wasn’t that they weren’t true; Caspian’s scent had started to change. But when I said those words, he immediately sat up on my back, and it felt like he almost fell off.

“What? Why didn’t you say—who is that?”Caspian asked when he finally realized the other two dragons. I’d been watching Ferdinand and Egon approach since I had first spotted them.

“The large blue dragon is Ferdinand. The red one is his mate, Egon. They are the two that settled this mountaintop centuries ago along with their son, Aleric, and his mate, Konrad.”

“They won’t be upset we’re here, will they?”

“No. They welcome the council and especially the dragons. They have come to join us in flight, it seems,”I told him when they started circling one another on their own downward spirals.

I heard Caspian sigh as he watched Ferdinand and Egon do their own mating dance. I flapped back up one last time, spiraled down with my mate once more, and then flew off down the river with him. I felt him lie back down on my neck and hold on.

“Are you tired, lyubimyy?”

“A little. Is it possible for us to go home? I think I need to be on my own feet for a bit.”

I could understand that.“Do me a favor when we get home though. Would you use your magic to pop yourself into the house and onto the sofa? It’s said that oftentimes, a mate’s legs are a bit weak when they slide off their dragon’s back. I would hate for you to be harmed.”Not only that, but Caspian’s scent had started to change. It had already altered once right after we’d claimed one another. The fact it was changing again told me that he had most likely caught and was with child.

“I can do that. Are you going to come in too, or are you going to continue flying?”

“I will be joining you just as soon as I shift.”My dragon had no desire to fly around without our mate. Would it happen again? Of course. But we had been mated for two weeks, and he very much still desired to be with our mate at all times if possible.

I started my climb out of the gorge, and when I saw our cabin, I slowed my speed and landed as smoothly as possible.

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