Page 57 of Flame it Up

Because I am hers to command from now until the very last day of my life.

TWENTY-ONE

MAZIE

Icy wind blew from the nearby peaks, whipping at Mazie’s cheeks and tossing back her long hair. The mountains reared around her, impossibly rugged, spearing the flawless sky with their jagged edges.

The sun was high, not yet sinking toward the horizon, but close. Mazie stood on the balcony of their small hut, her hands resting on the smooth wooden rail. Right below her was a drop of several hundred feet that cut between the nearby mountains.

All around her, the mountains reflected beauty from their snowy tops, the dustings of white looking like sugar on chocolate from this far away. Mazie wasn’t sure exactly where they were, but she knew they had flown by the great peak of Denali on the way here.

Straight after the ordeal with Richard, she and Pyrus had retreated into the safety of his condo and did not come out for a week. It was as if they needed to fully absorb each other without being distracted by others, and once the mate mark was made, Mazie understood Pyrus’s mind much more deeply than she had ever imagined she could.

Although lying around the condo was relaxing, Mazie didn’t like to sit still for too long. She contacted the corps and was sent out on a large boat to track whalers. Pyrus was with her the whole time, an active member of the crew and the corps.

When that mission finished, Pyrus had to attend to his business. They flew to Rome, stayed in the best hotels, and attended incredibly lavish events, and Mazie shopped to her heart’s content while Pyrus handled his business meetings.

Next, they went to Peru with the corps. Mazie was always interested in working with the children and schools, as well as improving water and food quality. There was a need for a community economic developer, and Pyrus shone in the role, only using a small amount of his own money to kick start a local market and teach the community to invest.

They stayed in Peru for a couple of months, with Pyrus taking Mazie out to see secret parts of the jungle and ruins. Pyrus returned to his earlier thoughts, that there were places in the world he’d seen before but never visited and that he wanted to get to know them up close now.

By the time they wrapped up in Peru, Pyrus’s business was screaming to have him back. They flew to New York and spent a week in a luxurious hotel suite. Pyrus took back-to-back meetings in an effort to catch up on the work he’d missed.

On the final day, he came back to the hotel looking weary. Mazie went to him immediately, concerned by the drop of his shoulders and his downcast eyes.

“My love, what’s wrong?” Mazie asked, stroking his cheeks.

He shook his head a little. “I’m tired, Mazie. I miss you. We’ve been all around the world the last few months, and it’s been amazing, believe me. I’ve had so much fun with you. But I want to just stop and be with you for a while.”

“Where would you like to go?” she asked, her eyes shining with anticipation. She’d been thinking the exact same thing.

“Somewhere no one’s ever been. Somewhere no one will ever go.”

Mazie wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him against her. “I’m ready when you are,” she said eagerly.

They left that night. They made a few calls to let people know they would be away, then Pyrus shifted and took off from the roof of the hotel. All they took with them was a small pack of camping gear.

They flew through the night with Pyrus drifting aimlessly through the dark sky. Mazie had flown with him a few times, but this was, by far, the most thrilling. The stars above glittered, so close to her that it seemed as if she could reach up and run her fingers through their clouds of incandescent dust.

The earth below was sunk in deep shadows, suggestions of land and ocean flowing beneath them. The air turned crisp, then cold, and then downright freezing. Mazie huddled close to her dragon, wrapping her legs and arms around him so she could soak up the fiery heat that ran in his blood and warmed his skin.

He flew her to a high peak not far from Alaska, and for the first night, they made camp in a small cave. Pyrus collected wood and lit a massive bonfire within seconds with a stream of flame from his nostrils.

The two of them sat by the fire, huddled in blankets and making s’mores. After the relentless luxury of Pyrus’s lifestyle, roughing it was enjoyable for them both.

The next day, Pyrus took Mazie for a flight through the ranges. They landed often to take pictures and explore, some of the locations so savage and wild that only a dragon could reach them and survive.

After a few days of camping, Pyrus revealed that he didn’t want to leave. It was the most beautiful place he had ever seen, and the wind moaning through the peaks combined with the pure hills of snow gave him clarity and peace.

Mazie was happy to stay, but they needed real shelter. To her amazement, Pyrus built a shack, flying back to civilization to collect the timber and bringing it to a suitable platform between two peaks. In less than a day, Pyrus had built the cabin working in his dragon form most of the time.

It was only a simple, one-room affair with a big bed and a fireplace, but it was very comfortable. Pyrus brought back cushions and blankets, and a bathtub. Even though there was no running water, he set it up in the back of the shed, and he melted and heated snow in it with ease so that Mazie could soak in the hot water.

Every few days, he took her back to civilization, but Mazie was needing it less and less. The longer she stayed away with Pyrus, the more she liked it. The small inconveniences … such as not having a real bathroom … became less of a bother as they were set up with camping equipment.

The cabin itself was extremely warm and comfortable. Cooking food over the open fire gave everything a rich, smokey flavor that Mazie really enjoyed.

It had been a few weeks, and they would have to leave soon. They had no choice. That made her even more determined to stay as long as they could.

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