Page 40 of Pierce

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Pierce

Something changed after that flight.

Not that she wanted me to know it. She continued to put up a front of being angry, sullen, put-out by the sheer fact of my existence.

I didn’t press the subject, because the dragon knew what she didn’t want to admit: she felt the connection between us. And it excited her.

She’s ours, she’s ours, take her and make sure she knows it.

Night and day, he urged me, pressing the subject every time she and I went back out for another flight.

She was an addict, admittedly, always looking for the next opportunity to take to the skies. I could hardly concentrate on flying when all he wanted was for me to pin her to the ground and take her.

“She’s lucky we’re not visible to the humans when we fly,” Gate grumbled after the fourth such flight, referencing the spell placed on us prior to our leaving for the New World.

He waited until she was back in her room, at least. I guessed I should give him credit for his discretion.

“We’re the ones who are lucky, remember,” I said with as good-natured a smile as I could muster before stretching out on one of the game room sofas. It was just long enough to hold my entire body without having to hang my legs off the end. “There’s no way we could’ve existed out here for this long if humans could see us circling the mountain while they were hunting or hiking or whatever it is they do. There’s not a bird in the modern world as large as we are. We would stick out.”

“You know what I mean.” He turned his attention to the chess game he and Smoke were in the middle of, pondering his next move.

Yes, I knew what he meant.

He was still unhappy, but at least I knew his unhappiness ran deeper than he wanted to let on. It wasn’t personal. He had nothing against Jasmine or me. He wanted his mate. It was one thing for all of us to be alone when we were all alone.

The mere fact of Jasmine’s presence reminded him of what he didn’t have.

It didn’t help that we were becoming closer, either.

The four days which had passed since that first flight had been full of more than just shifting and flying. We had sat together for long stretches of time, just in front of the cave mouth, while she soaked up the sun. I told her how old we were, and in the most general of terms why we had left Scotland. I told her about my family so she would know them better—after all, she’d be there for the rest of her life, whether she liked it or not. I wasn’t stupid, however. I didn’t bring that up anymore. For her part, neither did she.

Smoke returned from getting drinks and tossed me a bottle of water. “Any thoughts on how you’ll get out of the trap I set for you?” he asked Gate with a knowing grin.

“You set a trap for me?” Gate asked, looking at the board again.

I hid my smile.

Smoke turned his attention to me. “I was just telling the others while you were out that Mary checked back in with me. There was a big storm out where she is, and it knocked out communications for several days.”

“Is she all right?”

He nodded. “Yes, but it took time to get everything back online. She has to check again with her contacts, to see about what’s happening with the clan.”

Shit. I had forgotten all about the missing heartbeats. It was still silent. Funny how their absence didn’t matter nearly as much as it had at first.

All talk of Mary and the clan ceased when Alina entered the room.

Smoke’s posture changed, and his eyes lit up. He drew her to him like a magnet.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, turning her attention to me.

“Why? What did I do?”

“Nothing—for once,” she grinned. “I wanted you to know that I just examined Jasmine, and she’s completely healed. Like new.”

Just like that, there was a pit in my stomach. The dragon roared as I sat up. “I’m glad,” I replied.

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