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Too soon, Cherny balked with her great wings. Our fall became a drift, then the griffon landed with three jaw-shattering leaps before coming to a standstill.
My thighs ached from clenching around her wide back while the adrenaline shook my cramped fingers. Never had I felt so worn out without actually moving.
Dimitristraightened behind me, removing his comforting weight.
“Are you going to faint, Tempest, or are you as wild as you seem?”
I twisted in the saddle, my chest brushing his, and grinned, letting him see my exhilaration. “Is that a challenge?”
“Only trying to understand who you are.”
There was admiration in his tone. He had raised his goggles and I had never seen his eyes more alive. I wanted to pull our cowls down and kiss and never let go.
He leaned forward, unbuttoning my hood.
“You wanted to see my passions. There are many things I cannot change, and growing up I would take to the sky to escape them for a moment. Up there, I find peace.” He tugged my wild hair behind my ear. “You feel like the wind among the clouds. Uncontrollable. Free. My tempest.” He sighed as if it pained him. “I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into him.
We sat like that, alone in the grass, the wind singing around us, until Cherny moved impatiently.
I slid off her back—more falling than dismounting—my legs shaking after clamping in terror and exhilaration. Dimitri followed, making it look easy, and from a saddle pocket, retrieved a leather glove with sheep wool sewn across the palm. He showed me how to brush down the great wings and ensure all feathers lay realigned.
My fingers danced over her ink-black shroud while he checked the claws. The scythe-like, gray talons still made me uneasy, no matter how docile the griffon seemed.
We worked in comfortable silence. When done, Dimitri patted Cherny’s beak and let her go, then turned to me.
“She likes you.”
I watched the griffon walk to the small arm of the Taliell that split the grass. “How can you possibly tell?”
“Because until today I was the only one, she allowed to touch her wings.”
All the blood left my face. “Did anyone else try?”
“Many, Tempest, carry scars from trying.”
There was completely inappropriate laughter in his voice. Images of Cherny’s claws digging into me flashed through my mind. “Why didn’t you stop me?”
“Had I seen anything to worry about, I would have said so. Like I said, she likes you.”
“And is she a good judge of character?”
“The best.” Dimitri’s face softened. “The only one she liked until now was me.”
The griffon and I have similar tastes,I thought but only gave him a pointed stare.
Part of me had expected us to stop challenging each other after this morning. I was glad we had not. His daring tone lit a fire in me. The animosity was gone but the thrill remained. I wanted to argue, to make him climb a wall and see how he fared, to best him in King’s Conquest and then challenge him in other ways with less clothes.
I knew the future would not be the glittering image I imagined, but for a moment, I wrapped the dream around me and pretended it could be real.
Dimitri retrieved plates and cups, a blanket, dried fruits and meat, bread, and a bottle of plum wine from another of Cherny’s bags. We both removed the fur-lined vests, hoods, and boots. Withrolled-up pants, we sat by the water, watching the giant griffon bask in the heat, the sun finding hidden colors in her black feathers.
I felt his distance return. Did he regret what we had done? Then why would he have brough me here? I would not let him pull back again.
When I leaned close to kiss away the cold, his lips and tongue moved as if he sought to devour me. With hurried fingers and caresses, we removed the remaining clothes, exploring muscles and curves. We both had scars and previous hurts, but slowly, they were healing. This time I did not think of my sister.
When breathless and momentarily satisfied—for I would never get enough of his touch—we dressed enough to protect ourselves from the sun and lounged on the blanket. He held me close, stroking everything from my earlobe to toes with an intense admiration I could not have imagined. He might not say the words, but each touch told me I was precious to him.
