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There was a question in her eye—What do you think?
Rafe had seen Nikki in dragon-form from a distance, but never so close before. “You’re beautiful.”
She lightly bumped his chest and blew out air through her nostrils. He had a feeling she doubted his words. “I’m serious, Nikki. Not only are you majestic looking, but you’re pretty badass. Show me your teeth.”
If dragons could roll their eyes, Nikki’s expression told him she would. But a few seconds later, she opened her mouth. Trusting Nikki, he gently touched the sharp point of one and pricked his fingers.
With a curse, he put the finger to his mouth. The purple dragon chuckled before standing on her hind legs and extending her wings to their full span. She beat them once and Rafe landed on his arse. “I guess these are some of the moves you talked about?”
Swiping him up gently in one of her front paws and raising him to eye-level, she grinned.
He shook his head. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.” He looked over his shoulder. “It’s beautiful from this height, although I’m sure it’s even more so when you’re flying.”
Before he could take in the hills and lakes in the distance for more than a few seconds, Nikki jumped into the air and pumped her wings. His stomach dropped as she ascended into the sky. Only when she hovered in place did his stomach catch up with the rest of him and he found his voice. “You know I’m getting you back for that, right?”
Nikki motioned with her other front paw and turned him around. Rafe followed the direction with his eyes and sucked in a breath.
Streaks of sunlight danced off the nearest lake and mountains, creating a striped pattern of light and shadow on the ground. The cottages looked as if they were tiny dollhouses. Sure, Rafe had seen houses from a height inside an airplane. But with the wind blowing through his hair and nothing separating him from the view, the sight was magical.
A rumbling sound came from behind him, breaking the spell. Looking at Nikki’s face, she nodded down and waited.
The corner of Rafe’s mouth ticked up. “Asking my permission is definitely new.” She growled and he laughed. “Let me rephrase that: I am honored that you would ask permission, oh great dragon lady.”
Amusement flickered in Nikki’s eyes.
Then she dove downward.
Rafe yelled as their speed increased. They had to be approaching terminal velocity, but he had no bloody idea how fast that would be for a dragon in full dive. He was army, not Royal Air Force.
About twenty feet from the ground, Nikki extended her wings and then surged upward. As they glided on the currents, Rafe’s heart beat hard. He was definitely getting Nikki back for her little trick.
Yet as he looked up at her face, the sun glinted off her hide, and his irritation eased a fraction. To a stranger, Nikki in dragon form might look fierce and maybe even scary. But Rafe knew the woman inside and the display of skill in dragon form only added to his fascination with the woman.
He decided then and there that he wanted to keep her.
Nikki tilted her body and wings, turning them around. As they headed back toward Stonefire, Rafe tried to think of the best way to accomplish his goal.
Chapter Eleven
Nikki had barely prevented herself from shaking as she’d shifted and watched Rafe assess her. But between him petting her snout and his teasing, her worry had eased. The worst thing for a dragon-shifter paired with a human was for that human to be afraid of them in their dragon form. Rafe, true to his character thus far, wasn’t fazed by her altered appearance.
Her beast spoke up. You should’ve known better. Rafe doesn’t scare easily.
You just say that because you think everyone wants to adore you.
For the most part, they do. We’re special, after all. You might not like all of the attention connected to being the child of Stonefire’s first sacrifice, but I enjoy it.
Not wanting to repeat the discussion they’d shared a million times before, Nikki blocked out her dragon’s voice and merely enjoyed flying. Even if her beast was in control of their body, Nikki loved the feel of the air against their wings. More than that, she loved watching the fascination on Rafe’s face play out.
Kai would scold her later for taking a human up without a basket, but Nikki had spent many an hour training with the army when it came to carrying special packages and not dropping them. Compared to supplies weighing over a thousand pounds, a 200-plus pound male was nothing. She wouldn’t drop him.
Although, maybe once they were more familiar with each other, she’d let go and catch him for fun.
Both dragon and woman looked forward to that day.
Stonefire’s most protected landing area came into view, and she angled them in for descent. However, as she prepared to gently maneuver her way down, a gold dragon and a purple one with scars on her hide were already standing in the middle of the landing area.
Finn and Arabella had arrived. No doubt, for Jack and Annabel MacLeod’s birthday celebration the next day.
