I snorted. “He’d be a dragon no matter who raised him. All I can do is make sure he never forgets where he came from.”
We padded back to our room, the quiet settling around us. The peace wouldn’t last. Tomorrow would bring new dangers, maybe even loss. But tonight, our son was safe and sleeping. Tonight, the world was kind. I let myself believe it, just for a little while.
Once inside our room with the door closed, Jax made a low noise that sounded like a sensual growl and took a step closer until the heat of his body made my breath catch.
This man still made all my lady parts sing with that look and that sound. He touched my shoulder, then trailed his hand down my arm. He leaned in, the green-blue of his eyes shifting with the light, the line of his jaw perfect even in shadow.
We kissed as he carried me to the bed. It was so big we had to cross it to find the center, rolling over each other, laughing the whole time. There was a point where he pinned me down, arms on either side of my head, and for a second, I forgot about the world outside, forgot about Vaelog and the court and even Flint.
His hands roamed my body, mapping out familiar territory, and I let mine wander, tracing the muscles in his back.
He murmured something against my neck, and I didn’t catch the words, but I caught the intent.I want you. I want you safe, and I want you with me. I didn’t bother to reply, just shifted my hips and let him know that I felt the same.
We moved together, not in a rush but in the careful, measured way of two people who know every inch of each other and want to learn it all over again. The bed, geez, it was huge, and let us sprawl, let us tumble, let us lose track of each other for a second only to reconnect, limbs tangled and laughter spilling over when we rolled too far and almost fell off the edge.
At some point, he was on top, and I wrapped my legs around him and dug my heels into his back, pulling him closer. He kissed me hard, then softer, then hard again. I raked my nails down his back, feeling him shudder, and when he looked at me, his eyes were wild and bright.
He slowed, then, and for a while it was just hands and mouths and sounds of pleasure. When he entered me, it was with a care that bordered on reverence, and for the first few strokes, we barely moved at all. He held himself up on his forearms, forehead pressed to mine, and I breathed in the scent of him.
We moved together, finding the rhythm without needing to talk about it. It was easy, then. Every motion lined up, every shift of his hips meeting mine, every squeeze and shudder answered in kind. I melted into it, the warmth, the friction, the sense that this was a home we’d made for ourselves, and nobody could take it away.
When I finally came, it wasn’t the crashing, desperate thing I’d sometimes expected. It was slow, building in waves, and when it broke, I clung to him and let myself be washed out to sea. He followed a heartbeat later, teeth sinking into my shoulder.
After, we stayed like that, limbs tangled, his weight pressing me into the furs. He rolled us over so I ended up on top, my head against his chest, listening to the slow drumbeat of his heart. We didn’t talk, just breathed together, the sound echoing in the cavernous room.
14
HAILEY
The sunrisein Ayrathys wasn't subtle. The light came in with a vengeance, pouring over the terrace doors of our room. That was another thing I was still getting used to. Being awake during the day and not frying in the sunlight. I chalked it up to being in another realm with suns that looked nothing like ours and the fact that Jax and I had been in dragon form more than human since we arrived. I wasn’t going to question it too much.
The only thing that could have improved the moment was coffee, but Ayrathys was aggressively uncooperative about caffeine. I’d learned to take what comfort I could from the simple act of not being deader than I already was, especially after that battle with Vaelog.
I snuggled into Jax and was just about to doze back off with a knock sounded on the door. I cracked one eye, then both, when I heard voices outside the room.
I nudged Jax. “Get up. I think our room is about to be invaded.”
Jax growled. “I hear them. I was hoping they would leave.”
A few seconds later, Jax and I were in our dragon forms, stepping out into the hallway. That was when I realized that it wasn’t our door that had been knocked on. It was Adalinda’s, across the hall from us.
A dragon I didn’t recognize, a svelte, pale-grey male with a jagged scar across his snout, stood in front of Adalinda’s door. He turned to us and gave us a nod. When the door opened, the soldier’s gaze locked on Adalinda, and he dipped his head. “Forgive the intrusion, my Queen. Tharneval has sent for you. The claw covers are complete.”
Adalinda fixed the soldier with a blank expression. “Was Solenne informed?”she sent, voice all iron and frost.
The soldier did another nod-slash-bow. “She is en route. General Corvus requests the Queen’s presence at the forge before the first council.”
Adalinda’s focus shifted to me.“You will come, Hailey. Jax as well.”
I blinked.“Field trip?”
Jax snorted, which in dragon form is mostly a dry, explosive exhale that could startle a charging bull.
Flint exited his room in dragon form and peered up at me, his wings quivering with excitement.“I want to come too.”
Adalinda turned, her gaze suddenly soft.“Not this time, little one.”
Flint’s wings drooped. His tail lashed once, hard, then settled into a low, miserable sweep. I felt for my little guy, but Adalinda was right. Besides, we could fly a lot faster without him. I wasn’t going to tell him that, though.
