Page 41 of Dragon Bodyguard
He’d never seen one before. He’d never seen any other type of dragon than green-scaled ones, himself included.
“Jesus,” he breathed.
Could Ilya have known?
What if he hadn’t brought her here to be taken?
“What if he brought her here to meet me again?” Misha murmured, eyes following her flight as she climbed higher and higher. “Because…”
Because Ilya had wanted to control when she connected with her inner dragon, and he’d known that her true mate would facilitate that connection. Would focus on it, ensure it. How could he possibly have known?
Magic…
It was possible.
Misha felt his chest constrict as he watched his beloved soar for the first time. She was stunning. And she was enjoying herself, no doubt. The power in her blood finally having free rein. Whenever a dragon got the chance to shift, to fly, it was the ultimate sense of freedom, and because the skies were so closely watched these days the opportunities to soar were rare. The airspace above the estate had something of a history, of course. The military wasn’t a concern anymore. That said, they weren’t supposed to show themselves. He needed to bring her back down.
And if there were further twists to whatever Ilya’s reason for bringing her were, then she shouldn’t fly alone. She was on track to confront her father, and if she was to do it while her inner dragon held the reins, that dangerous gleam lingering in her eyes, then she shouldn’t do it alone. If she lashed out too harshly, there was no telling what Ilya might do to her.
Misha got himself running, leaped, and shifted in the air, spreading his wings wide and flapping them once, twice to get himself above the treetops.
He began to catch up with her as she skimmed along the bottom of the low-hanging clouds which were heavy with rain. She disappeared from sight, swallowed by the dark grey, then reappears, dipping down out of the mist again. He knew what that felt like, to have the cold vapor of the clouds against one’s skin, the thrill of the world laying splayed at one’s feet. Her inner dragon had waited over a century for this moment and so had she. He didn’t want to interrupt it or intrude on it, but he needed her to see reason.
She’s all emotion at the moment, letting her impulses run away with her completely.
He growled softly, making her turn her head to him.
She swooped down through the air to turn around and greet him with a soft growl of her own, spreading her wings wide as she glided underneath him. His eyes follow her form, watching as she folded her wings against her body and does a soft loop, coming back around again. She was a natural flyer, he surmised, quiet pride in his heart.
Her father should be proud to have her for a daughter.
Besides that, she was absolutely breathtaking.
Her scales a dark blue, her wings shifting in green and purple. He had to smile when the thought came to him that her coloring was exactly like a dragonfly. She was more graceful, though.
Come on, he thought.We can’t be up here. You have to know that.
He sent another soft growl her way, signaling for her to follow him. For a moment he thought she’d reject his incentive, but when he ducked his head and began to dive for the ground, she was right on his tail.
The lake was stretching out beneath them, and he aimed for one of the larger cliffs, slowly setting himself down on the pine needle-strewn surface, tucking his wings along his sides before he shifted back to human form. He turned to watch her manage her first landing, impressed with how effortless it was. Her inner dragon wasn’t just strong and graceful, it appeared to possess a power far exceeding any he’d ever seen in someone so young. The connection was flawless, there were no signs of any glitches, only complete unity.
He couldn’t keep from staring as she tucked her wings and shifted back to human form as well. The glow in her veins faded, eyes meeting his. She stood, naked and stunning, in front of him. Straight-backed and calm.
Somehow, she looked even more dangerous than when she’d been infuriated.
“You okay?” he asked, the question completely unnecessary this time.
He knew she was beyond okay.
“Yes,” she smiled, appearing to find the question as useless as he had, but at least she wasn’t offended by it.
Did she realize she wasn’t ordinary?
“You… Your scales,” he said. “They’re blue.”
She furrowed her brow. She hadn’t realized, then.
“What?” she asked.
