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I opened my eyes a little wider. Lifted my head up from Damien’s neck. Released a bit of my death grip.
The scared little boy living inside my chest still trembled, my teeth clattering together. And not because it was cold. It actually wasn’t, not with the heat that radiated off Damien’s body. He moved like silk through the air, riding the current as though it was a track.
I sucked in another deep breath, lifted my head a little higher. It really was quite beautiful. I could look to my right and see the road underneath us, dotted by a few headlights. To my left was the ocean, stretching out for an infinity. Wind swept through my hair as I sat up straight, my thighs still gripping tight to Damien’s neck. I held on to the spike in front of me as the fear inside me slowly began easing its grip.
I began feeling safe up here. I realized that no one could get me when I was a stretch away from running my fingers through the clouds. Not that I would let go from my handhold on Damien to try touching clouds, but the thought was actually comforting. There was a freedom to flying. The anxiety about falling wasn’t there any longer. Worst came to worst, I had no doubt Damien could pluck me out of the sky before I got anywhere close to touching the ground.
Not that I wanted to test that.
I could see the horizon ahead, the hills flattening and giving way to expensive grocery stores and beachside restaurants and busy bars. Malibu wasn’t broken up into districts like Los Angeles was, so the influence between supernaturals and regular humans was much more pronounced, with magic shops bordering a church across the street from a library that was a couple feet away from a dispensary. It was even more apparent when you looked down at the city from above, the European influence from a large exodus of Spanish and French Marvels during the cullings of the 1860s making its mark in the architecture. With their mansard roofs, ornamental ironwork, and glistening windows, the buildings radiated an uncanny Parisian charm, none of them taller than five stories. From this vantage point, I could see lush rooftop gardens, like a hidden oasis tucked away for those lucky enough to afford a home in this zip code. There were street-side cafes that were still busy even at this late hour.
I couldn’t make out any faces or details, but I could spot a few people craning back in their chairs, trying to catch sight of the dragon that flew above them.
Damien started to slow down, his wings flaring as he began to engage the brakes. Their literal hillside castle grew larger and larger, its spiraling turrets crowned by menacing gargoyles. Their ruby-red eyes were trained on us as Damien gracefully landed in the center of the main courtyard, the flaps of his massive wings kicking up a few dust storms. He dipped his head and went back to flattening himself against the grass.
I hopped off and stopped myself from being dramatic and kissing the ground. The same red mist as before swirled around Damien, disappearing in less than a minute to reveal a smirking man, not a single strand of dark hair out of place. He wore the same clothes as earlier: T-shirt and jeans that fit just right. Not too tight, not too baggy.
“So?” He crossed his arms against his chest. “How’d you like your first time on dragon-back?”
“Well, it’s not as good as the time I rode a bear.”
“A what… oh.”
He must have picked up on my joke, and if he didn’t then he certainly picked up on the childish giggles I tried to swallow down.
“You’re dumb,” he said with a roll of his eyes. But he laughed. And he said it in a way that carried no teeth in it.
I winked. “You have to admit that’s a good one.”
Damien’s smile grew, his gaze locking on mine. Flames licked at my core, spreading through my legs, those bright green eyes making my briefs suddenly feel too tight. Maybe it was residual heat from sitting on him for the flight, or maybe it was something else, but my body was reacting in a way that made my cheeks blush pink. I coughed and looked away, trying to break the spell but my briefs only getting tighter.
“Flying was great,” I answered. “It felt… good being up there. I felt safe. Scared as tits at first, but I managed to calm down. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen.”
“Maybe, but I’m not entirely sure your self-preservation instincts are as sharp as they should be.”
I arched a brow. “Are you throwing shade at me for being hunted by vamps? Because that’s really not my—”
“No, it’s not that,” he said. “It’s the fact that I was trailing you for a while in the snake-way, and you didn’t have the slightest clue. I don’t exactly blend in either.” The motherfucker started to chuckle again. It was a nice sound. A really nice sound. “Don’t worry. You can take some training lessons with us. Xavier is great at detection and investigations. Maddox fights like a whirlwind and can use most weapons. War can teach you all about healing salves. Dawn is great at everything, so she can sharpen you up on whatever you need.”
