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15
EVANNA
Spontaneous and playful, raindrops fell over my lands, washing my skin and hair while I took a scouting flight around the mountains. The sky above us was a soft purplish-grey, filled with chubby clouds that bathed the kingdom they loved. Teasingly churning within their depths, lightning illuminated some of them, yet none struck the earth.
It was a day like many I had lived before, where the smell of wet grass rose with the rain, filling my nostrils with sweet flowers and the minty scent of pine. Majestic mountains rose in the distance, painted in heavy swirling hues of blues and purples as the sunset hid behind the clouds.
I loved my kingdom. I loved everything about it. The sun, the rain, the change of seasons. Its large valleys and stunning lakes. Everything that nature brought to us was a blessing, and it wasn’t hard to realize that, even in times of turmoil.
After one last sweep of the land below me, finding it safe and clear of threats, I crouched on the back of my Dragon. Slowly standing to my full height, I lifted my head to the sky, arms extending wide to feel the rain gently wash my face and cleanse my spirit.
Then, I let go. My body fell on Luna’s back, gently bouncing as her scales intuitively shifted around me, softening my landing. A bright smile captured my face, and an overwhelming wave of love rolled through my chest in response, but my eyes remained closed.
It was good to be back home. It was good to be back with my Luna.
Turning on my side, I rested my cheek on my hand, feeling the soft breeze replace the fleeting raindrops. Luna gently swerved left, beginning one more sweep of our safe haven while being careful not to disturb me. She knew how much I loved laying on her. With the soothing flight, my thoughts inevitably shifted to the recent past, one that both lightened and saddened my soul.
Braxton’s dazzling smile returned, inundating my mind as he leaned closer to kiss me again. Who smiled after being slapped in the face? It was like he enjoyed my irrational behavior, and irrational it had truly been. My lips stretched into a grin too with the memory, but I bit my lower lip trying to stop it. It was futile. Unyielding, the feeling of his arms around me spread like Dragon fire over every inch of my skin, and the sense of security it gave me was unmatched.
Why did being close to him make me feel that way?
It didn’t matter, I was no longer with him.
No, I wasn’t, but my stomach still dipped with the memory of his soft mouth on mine. The way his tongue caressed mine, and his hands gripping my back and waist. The intimate way our legs intertwined, bodies pressing closer, and the pure electricity his simple touch ignited in my every nerve-ending, made need pool in my belly even now.
Being in his arms had felt comfortable and so perfect that it astonished me. Everything about Braxton felt right.
A low and lazy rumble of content rolled through my Dragon’s chest, her body vibrating under me and making me chuckle. Apparently, Luna also relished the way Braxton made me feel. I had to admit, I had enjoyed being with him. More than I probably should have.
Sighing, my eyelids lifted to see colossal wings slowly lifting and dropping with each flap, yet only my knowing gaze could recognize them. Luna’s form was perfectly cloaked as it mimicked the colors of the sky—hiding us from prying eyes.
My chest constricted as the memories flourished, and the moments Braxton had confessed to experiencing with his father churned in my mind.
Sitting up, I folded my legs to the side on Luna’s back, glancing at the horizon. That didn’t sound like the heartless man the Harbinger of Justice had become when he turned his back on us. It sounded like a loving father taking care of his ill son, and trying to give him the best life he could, only to die in such a tragic way. My heart hurt for Braxton and everything he and his mother had to go through after his father’s traumatizing loss. Nevertheless, I felt honored to have met the man his son became in the face of adversity.
He didn’t allow the pain and troubles to devastate him; instead, he’d risen to the occasion. Braxton was kind and forgiving, strong and understanding, caring and humble. The few moments I had spent close to him had taught me that. He’d been sweet to me even when he couldn’t understand my behavior, or reasoning, or even what I was saying. He’d always given me the benefit of the doubt.
I supposed that in the end, the Harbinger had done the right thing. He’d given his life so his family would live. Nevertheless, the different versions of him didn’t match in my mind, but honestly, they never had.
With a heavy sigh, I closed the door on Braxton and whatever it was we had shared, appreciating it for what it was. Just a passing moment… one I would keep in my heart. I would never see him again, and my kin needed me to stay focused on them. On our present. On the future.
“Let’s go home, Luna,” I called to my beautiful girl, patting her neck with love.
* * *
My gaze focused on the delegation of people waiting for me the second we landed, and the weight that had temporarily lifted with my remembrance of Braxton returned to my shoulders.
The moon lit the starry sky by the time we returned. Its luminous glow filtered through the natural windows carved in the massive cavern’s roof, making my Dragon’s scales change hues of purple as it hit them. Luna’s right wing folded on her back so I could stand on one of its talons, and she lowered me to the ground.
“I swear to the gods, Evanna. If you disappear on me again, I’m going to tie you to the flagstaff!”
Repressing the smirk triggered by Willow’s whisper-hissed warning, I briefly looked to the mast holding our golden flag and stepped down from Luna’s wing. Willow had rushed ahead of the others to greet me, so they wouldn’t hear her scolding me.
“I was doing a boundary check on my kingdom,” I answered casually, turning to lift my arms to Luna in a silent request for agoodnightembrace. “I hardly see the harm in that.”
My hands caressed Luna’s jaw when she conceded, and I pressed my forehead against hers for a moment, taking a relaxing breath.
“You have no idea how much I missed you, my beautiful girl,” I whispered and felt her slightly nod. Of course she knew, she could feel the love I held for her in my heart. “Thank you for taking me out tonight and bringing me back safe. I love you.”
