Page 20 of Lyric

“Wh-what if Coltan shows up?”

“If you know Lyrican, you know he’s faster than any other dragon. Coltan won’t be able to keep up.”

Of course, I knew that. What good fortune I’d had to run into this particular alpha when I’d lost all hope.

Together, we figured out how the rope would fit when I climbed onto Lyrican. My heart opened at the kindness of Lyric. At his willingness to go out of his way to help. I realized I leaned toward him to fully catch his clean, river-water scent as often as I could while we were preparing to leave the roost.

The ibuprofen he’d given me was doing its job. I still limped, but the aches in my body receded to manageable levels.

The sun had fully risen but was still low on the horizon when Lyric shifted. Lyrican lowered himself flat onto his belly so I could climb onto his upper back. I situated myself between two of his large blue spikes and slipped the rope over the one in front of me. There was a noose-like knot at the end where I attached it to my wrist. I felt completely secure but in the event I slipped, or he did a sudden dive, I wouldn’t go flying off into the air.

I loved that Lyric thought of everything like that, as if he really cared about me. He had discussed all the points of keeping me from harm, like a checklist. But all the while there was a softness in his gold-green eyes that shone with worry and excitement—and something else I couldn’t quite define. Something I wanted to explore but couldn’t right now.

Later for such things.

9

Lyric

We barely felt the omega’s weight on our back as he seated himself just a couple spines down from our collarbone. I realized his bare bottom now sat straddled against our scales with nothing else between us.

Lyrican responded to my thought with a shiver. His cock moved deep in its sheath.

I’d given Jinn two blankets to wrap around his shoulders and lap. When Lyrican flew, he moved fast, even when not racing. We might encounter winds. Even in summer, the skies could be cold.

Lyrican stood and stepped over the edge of the roost, wings unfurling. For a moment we swayed on the air currents as he assessed them. Then he was gliding in the familiar path he knew, between branches and trunks, until he got to a clearing and could aim for the sky.

We felt Jinn clinging to a spike. But otherwise, his weight was insignificant. It was no different than flying wild and alone straight up into the blue.

Lyrican made a circle, scanning every horizon for danger. When he was well assured we were alone, he began to fly toward home.

The power of him could not be described. I only experienced it from within. But for Jinn, sitting on our back, able to see Lyrican move, and feel the wind, it had to be overwhelming. Lyrican had two speeds. Gliding to get oriented, then power racing. Even hunting alone, or playing in the breeze, he used all his muscles to gain speed until the air was a howl in his ears. He was addicted to moving fast with an aim that couldn’t be disputed. He’d never had a crash. He could navigate himself through obstacles that automatically slowed other dragons.

I wondered if his aches and pains would show up as we started our journey. Deep inside, I noticed small stresses and pressures in his muscles and joints, but he was focused on one thing. Protecting the omega.

I had told Jinn it would be a two-hour journey home. But that was when I thought Jinnan might fly alongside Lyrican. Now, free to go fast, Lyrican would turn this trip into an hour at most.

I wished there was a way to communicate with Jinn and see how he was doing. I was nosy. I wanted to know everything about the omega. I wanted to care for his every wound. I had just as strong of a protective instinct as Lyrican.

I focused on the sensation of the spike where Jinn had his fingers wrapped. Spines were as strong as scales, with armored skin. I couldn’t really feel his hands the way I would if I were human and he had them wrapped around my wrists or shoulders, but the pressure let me know he was holding tight. Through that, I sensed his anxiety. And maybe a little thrill. Or perhaps that was wishful thinking on my part.

But who could ever ride the fastest dragon on record and not have the smallest bit of excitement? Even injured. Jinn was safe with us. This ride was his journey to healing and freedom.

We didn’t feel the cold. Mostly. But there were areas where we could sense it. Breathing it into our lungs. Feeling it against our eyelids. And the wind’s pitch whistling in our ears was always higher in a frosty climate.

I hoped two blankets were enough for Jinn. I didn’t want to deliver him to the hospital with frostbite.

Lower your altitude a little,I said into his mind.

Lyrican glided into a slow dive. The fingers around that one spike tightened.

Home.

I want to go home, too. But you know you’re headed for the hospital, right?I asked.

Take care of him better at home. Protect.

He needs to be seen by doctors and then give a statement about Coltan to the police so they can be on the lookout.

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