AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No you don't.”
Nope. Definitely don't!
“Will you just get in already? We don't have all damn day,” Brenn yells, holding open Mira's jaws.
I swallow and slowly climb in, ignoring how wet it is, or how cold it is when he breathes, though he blows smoke out of his nose as I fall onto his tongue and it makes it slightly warmer.
His teeth slowly come together, his lips staying open as if he's giving me a chance to get tucked in before he turns out the light. I settle against his teeth and he lays his forked tongue across my lap like a belt.
Don't panic. This is fine. I'm fine.
Loric's lips close and I squeal. Plastering myself to his tongue and gripping it for dear life. Loric growls and the vibrations rumble around me so loud my ears scream from the onslaught.
“Sorry!” I yell. And I bite my tongue as he begins to move.
His steps are slow and leisurely at first, then everything shakes like a cat about to pounce and we blast into the air. The force is so strong I have to latch onto his teeth, a death grip on the kitten to keep from slipping. His tongue bunches against me helping to hold me there but delicate enough to not squish me and then slowly we level out, taking on a swoop and dive motion like rocking on waves.
It doesn't take long before we drop hard on all fours and Loric opens up his mouth, tips his head and discards me onto the ground. Eyes wide, I catch myself, hugging the cat to my chest. My body trembles, hard enough I fear it'll rattle something loose.
“Fuck yeah!” Brenn yells as Mira discards him in a similar fashion. He jumps up, whooping loudly before coming to check on me. “You good?”
“Define good.”
He pats me on the shoulder. “You're good. Now go say goodbye to your man before the king finds out he's here.”
I hand Brenn the cat, wide awake now, and he holds it out as far as he possibly can, like it'll give him a disease.
Mira shifts but Jesper and Loric say put. She comes to hug Brenn, letting him know she'll be back in three days. That it's all he gets. Then kisses him goodbye
I'll take Loric's current condition as a hint that he doesn't want to say bye, and honestly it might make this a little easier if we don't. Still, I set my palm on his nose.
“I wish you didn't have such big teeth,” I say, leaning back to look at him and smoke rolls from his nose. “I've been thinking what you said last night in my head all day and I realized I never said anything back. I want you to know I wasn't falling in love with you, Loric…”
His eyes squint.
A tear falls down my cheek as I lean against him. “Iamhelplessly in love with you, and that's exactly why I have to do this.” Kissing his scales, I step away, letting Brenn guide me back.
Mira, now in her dragon form again, leads them away. Loric launches into the sky, taking a piece of my heart with him. The others follow him, beating their wings as they disappear into the clouds.
“You okay?” Brenn asks, his arm slinging around my shoulders.
“Not even a little, but I will be.”
Chapter 35
Calamity
We’re on the edge of Lythanar, the largest moon that’s more like a massive floating island than anything. A forest of trees tower over us, stopping a few yards from the rocky edge. As the wind blows, their translucent leaves with vibrant orange veins catch the light, casting a mosaic across the lush green grass.
The forest itself has been carved in two by a river. It’s the Eldritch, and I can guarantee if I were to walk around the forest edge, to peer up the river, statues of dragons would stretch up on either side, nearly as tall as the trees here. It flows from the crystal castle all the way to the opposite edge, then runs off the cliff and mists into the world below.
My breath catches as I take in the realm before me, a vivid echo of Meg's stories.
I spin in place, looking off the edge of Lythanar at the two smaller moons, islands just like this one suspended high above the world. One, known as Frost Forge, is nearly white, filled with ice-capped mountains and snowy landscapes, auroras of every color sparkle above it, making it look almost abstract. The other,Wyvern, is made of moss-speckled stone and red crystal shards that seem to stick out in all directions. You’d never know by looking at it that an entire city of dragon shifters exists inside. It’s a massive cavern filled with bioluminescent life.
"Unbelievable," I murmur, cradling my kitten closer to my chest, feeling its soft purr against my makeshift sling. "It's just like Meg described."
Brenn walks beside me, his violet eyes taking in the rolling green hills. "Even though I despise this place, even I have to admit it’s beautiful."
