Page 72 of Prince of Storms
“What?” She didn’t make a move toward me.
“The easiest way to do this is if you climb on my back now,” I explained.
“Oh. Okay.” She hesitantly jumped onto my back, holding tight with her arms and legs.
I inhaled sharply, clenching my eyes, trying to control myself. I’d thought I could handle her body pressed against mine, but I was second-guessing myself. The heat of her body was amplified, especially the fire burning between her legs. I doubted she was aroused, but it didn’t matter. I could feel it, and my body crackled with fresh power as I sought to contain my reaction.
“You good?” she asked, her voice more than a little throaty and hoarse.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one feeling some kind of way. That helped, knowing she was suffering, too. Despite her words, she couldn’t just shut off the connection between us like it was a tap. So we would have to get through it together, which was ironic enough to make me smile.
“Good enough,” I said gruffly, then reached into myself and unleashed the magic that would allow me to return to my true form.
“Whoa!” Mia yelped from my back. “Holy crap. Okay. Wow. Ahhh. Crap. This isnoteasy!”
I settled down on all four legs, my wings spread wide and high, ready to take off.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking back at her. She was seated perfectly at the base of my neck. “Everything looks fine.”
“It’s like a bucking bronco back here! When you were shifting, it went this way and that way. There’s no way this is the easiest. I nearly fell twice.”
“It’s either that or climb all the way up my wing,” I said, not giving her further room to moan. I wasn’t in the mood for it. “This is faster and easier. You did great. Now, lean forward, and hold on tight. We’re going to take off.”
“Got it,” she said, plastering herself to my neck.
Fuck. I immediately regretted my words, but there was no other way safe enough for me to risk her. Whether she wanted to split or not,Istill knew how I felt about her and what she was to me. I wouldn’t risk that any more than I absolutely had to.
Grimacing at the shock of pure desire that raced through me at her renewed contact with my scales, I launched us into the air.
Mia screamed at first but then got herself under control, the noises turning more to sounds of awe as Storm Keep shrank below us, and we joined the formation of other dragons.
The wind swept up around us as we called it, and we surged forward on the wings of a storm, propelled toward Mount Drakonus by my fury and the power of the other five dragons working together. That teamwork allowed us to reach the Rift in short order, descending through the giant tunnel with ease, not having to shrink our formation at all. The hole in the mountain swallowed us with thousands of feet to spare on either side.
Down we went, to the very depths of the mountain and the Rift itself. Surge must have issued orders ahead of time because two of his men immediately shifted and went through to scout it out before Mia and I had even landed. I didn’t waste any time following them down, though, resuming my form so that I was ready for a fight if word came back that there was trouble on the other side.
“Clear,” one of them said, popping back through and surprising me.
I started to reach out and put an arm around Mia to calm her but stopped halfway. She wouldn’t want that. Not then. So I let it awkwardly fall while I stared straight at the Rift. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her look at me, then look away, but I couldn’t tell what it was that had passed behind her eyes. Not that it mattered right then.
“Let’s go, then,” I said, urging us through.
I went first, followed by Mia, then Surge, and finally his other two men. We spread out around the circular room while the two shifters who went ahead moved deeper into the house's basement.
There was a shout from the hallway.
“Get down!” I hissed, throwing myself in front of Mia, blocking her from anything that could come from the door and summoning twin blasts in my palms.
“False alarm!” one of the scouts called. “We found Ty.”
I got to my feet but stopped rigidly. I wanted to go to Ty, but my place was there. With Mia.
“Bring him here,” I said, but there was no need. Ty was already rounding the corner.
Mia gasped, recoiling. Though we’d been gone several hours, Ty was still a mess of cuts and wounds. They were healing, he lookedmuchbetter than when I’d left him, but he was still very much in recovery mode.
“I’m glad you’re alive,” I said, accepting his brief embrace. “I’m sorry I had to leave you.”
Ty looked at Mia and grinned. “Don’t be. I’m glad you finally found something more important to you than me.”
