Page 94 of Shifter Marked and Claimed

“Wait, what do you mean? When did you smell me?”

“The moment I returned to Uttira.”

“You yelled at me to get off your lawn. Why didn’t you just say hello like a normal person?”

His lips skimmed against my neck, and I clutched his sides, tipping my head to give him more room.

“Treasure like you often slips through the fingers of my kind, but any heart-treasure worth having is always hard to obtain. Patience is the key. The days it took for you to show your interest were nothing to me.”

“My what?” I asked, trying to keep up with the conversation while his lips slowly eroded all rational thought.

“Your interest. You told your sister you found me gorgeous when you finally used the window to look at me. Now, your eyes follow me whenever I move, proof that you are as attracted to me as I am to you.” That purring kicked up yet another notch. “When we return, we will watch each other.”

He opened his mouth and gently sucked on a bit of skin just below my ear. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.

As quickly as he’d gathered me close, he released me and opened the front door. Head spinning and neck tingling, I allowed him to lead me outside where he paused to close the door and steady me.

“Will you fly with me, my heart?” He backed away, already changing color and expanding.

“Uh, that’s the whole point, right? Do you promise not to drop me?”

“I swear it.” He eased down to his front legs and stretched his wings out. They continued to grow longer and wider.

He truly was gorgeous. In both of his forms.

“Come, climb up my leg.”

I glanced at Vedar’s home. Zoe had probably already figured out she’d been tricked. As much as I wanted to tell her what was going on and say goodbye, I knew she would never agree to being left behind. She’d be worried the entire time we were gone, but Vedar was right. It was safer for her here.

Taking a steadying breath, I gingerly stepped on his hand.

“Does this hurt?”

Laughter rumbled through him.

“No. You weigh nothing.”

“Do you have testicles in this form? I’m thinking about jumping on them and seeing if I still weigh nothing.”

His clicking rattled the nearby windows.

“Never mind,” I said quickly. “I’m not touching your testicles.”

“Yet.”

“Ever.” But, I was thinking very naughty things as I scrambled upward, boosting myself on his wing. Those thoughts evaporated when I saw he had ridges rising from his back. Deadly looking ones with sharp points.

“Where do I sit?”

“Between my spines. The pair between my body and my neck.”

I settled in the place he indicated, shifting uncomfortably against the hard plate wedged between my legs. He huffed out a great breath, a single click vibrating through him and making my eyes go wide with how it had hit all the right places.

“No clicking while I’m up here.”

He chuckled lowly, which was just as bad.

“Are we flying or what?”

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