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Sulat shook his head and slashed the air with his hand. “That will take too long. I’ll carry you.”
“Carry me?” She pointed toward the sky. “Up there?”
“Yes. Now come here.” Sulat pointed in front of him again.
Was there a hint of heat in his eyes when he said it? She couldn’t be certain, but her pulse leaped and a tingle of anticipation sizzled through her veins at the thought, followed immediately by a flash of guilt. Phaedra should be her focus right now. She was a doctor and could not let herself be distracted by fantasies and infatuation.
“Go with Sulat. I will follow as quickly as I can.”
Follow? Why did Tariq think he’d fall behind when Sulat was the one burdened by her weight? She left the question unasked but made a mental note to ask about it another time.
Sulat caught her hands in his and drew them up to his shoulders. “Hold on like this,” he said.
She tangled her fingers in the embroidered expanse of fabric that formed the collar of his tunic and tightened her grip. Every muscle in her body tensed as adrenaline flooded her system. “Ready.”
His lips lifted in a brief smile that made her heart race and her entire body tingle. “No, you’re not. Close your eyes and take a long, slow breath. This will be easier if you relax and trust me to take control.”
She intended to nod and stay quiet, but her fraxxing mouth didn’t get the memo. “Did you just ask me to submit to you?”
The words were out before she could stop herself. Stars-fury, she shouldn’t have had that last glass of liquor at dinner. So much for acting like a professional.
Jody braced for Sulat’s reaction. Would he be shocked? Angry? Outraged? Or all of the above? Probably the last one, she decided as she stared up at the big male while inwardly praying the ground would open up and swallow her.
For several seconds he stared at her, his expression an unreadable mask. Then he smiled so broadly she could see his fangs. She was so surprised she almost missed the way his scales tightened, making his skin’s color change to a brighter gold that seemed to glow in the soft light of the streetlamps.
His green eyes burned with a desire so intense she forgot to breathe. “Trust comes before submission, little zurya. But if that is your desire…” he bowed his head to brush the gentlest of kisses across her lips.
Tariq uttered a low snarl. “Enough of that. We have a patient to attend.”
Jody’s stomach twisted, and she jerked her head away from Sulat’s touch, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. “You two fly. I’ll call a ride.”
“No. You come with me, Jody.” Then he turned to bare his fangs at his anrik. “Some of us want more from life than endless work and solitude, Riq. You owe Jody an apology for that outburst.”
Tariq turned his back to them and launched himself into the air without another word.
Fraxx. What had she done?
“Ignore him. He is as stubborn as a mogat with a migraine. He will regret what he said soon enough. Then you will have your apology.”
“He has nothing to apologize for. He’s right. Our patient is our priority.” She sighed. “I’m embarrassed. Let’s pretend this never happened.”
“No,” he declared, “I will not forget this.” He touched one hand to his chest and then raised it in a gesture like he was offering something to the sky. “I swear by the breath in my lungs that you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Jody was stunned. The vow he’d given her was steeped in tradition and considered unbreakable. She answered the best she could, not sure if any formal response was required. “Atarflorinti,” she said, acknowledging his statement.
“Now we can go. Don’t worry, zurya. We’ll arrive first despite the delay.”
Zurya. That was the second time he’d called her that. It meant blossom in his language. Despite everything that had just happened, the endearment delighted her. Veth, she needed to have her head examined.
“How can we catch up now?” she asked.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled her in close and then swept her up into his arms, cradling her against the hard planes of his chest. She renewed her grip on his collar and shut her eyes, willing herself to relax.
She expected him to lunge into the air, wings beating hard to accommodate her extra weight. Instead, he surged upward almost effortlessly.
Heart racing, she couldn’t resist peeking down. She expected them to still be close to the ground. They weren’t. Her heart nearly stopped and her stomach dropped when all she could see of the colony were rooftops and roadways.
She squeaked and buried her head in the crook of his neck. Her fingers gripped tighter, but she managed not to freeze up. She had to trust him. She did trust him. But that trust was all tangled up with a host of other emotions she didn’t have time to address right now.
