Brightly colored rooftops marked the town amongst the trees as a final gust of air wrapped around Anna. Shun fluttered his golden wings before setting her gently on the grass.
Anna grabbed her chest and took a deep breath of the warmer air on the ground. A few minutes into the flight, her terror subsided, but the lashing cold continued to berate her. She’d shouted a few questions to Shun, but he couldn’t do much more than grunt in response.
Pijeth beat his massive wings as he set Joe beside her. He then alighted on a nearby boulder. Takata dropped Connor from a few feet up. The large man scowled, grabbing his already wounded abdomen while the dragon released a set of grunts that sounded quite a lot like laughter. If this were true, Connor was far from amused.
The two younger dragons settled on either side of their larger brother. Their muzzles angled across the small clearing and, from their vantage point, probably beyond.
Connor glared at them, rubbing his bandages before turning to Joe and Anna. “I’ll wait over here and give you two a moment to…” He waved his hand between them, as if that summed up all the possible ways to end that sentence, before he backed away.
“Connor is going to take you the rest of the way to the town.” Joe studied the dirt at his feet.
Anna’s eyes widened. “Oh. I-I thought that…” Joe would take her to town. She’d hoped they could have a drink and talk for a few minutes, somewhere far from the dragonly chaos. This guy had, after all, saved her life, and then let her go when it was completely in his power to keep her prisoner.
What would happen, she wondered, when the other dragons realized she was gone, and Joe hadn’t produced a child for them?
She took his hands in hers. “Can’t you walk with us for a bit?”
Joe tilted his head towards the three dragons behind him. “My new security detail was quite adamant about me getting back right away. Something about me being too vulnerable to hostiles stuck in this form.”
Hostiles, meaning humans. But she could understand. If they lost Joe, the grays would probably pounce and take back power. It was going to be a struggle as it was, let alone with Joe not being there to keep the peace.
“You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, huh?”
“Yeah.” His gaze rose to meet hers. He parted his lips to say more, but closed his eyes, the words lost.
Maybe because she’d stated the obvious. Maybe because right now, these few moments were theirs and theirs alone before they parted forever, and she couldn’t find something nice to say to the guy who’d risked his life to save her. You’ve got a lot of work to do. How thoughtless.
But what could she say to make things right? “This is going to sound completely trite, but I’m going to miss you.”
Joe took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I’m serious.”
He smiled. “I know.” He looked away again. “Miss isn’t a strong enough word for what I’m feeling.” His eyes were red when he turned back to her. “Do you really think things may have been different between us if we had more time to get to know each other?”
She was afraid he’d ask that again. And she was even more afraid of her answer, knowing the bond they now shared seemed to tie in to her emotions. She’d never be able to keep a secret from him, and for some reason that comforted her.
His gaze remained latched to hers, and she wondered if he was doing it now—reading her reactions, waiting for a lie.
Damn, his eyes were beautiful, the kind of beauty that dove deeper than simply their strange, icy color. The eyes were a window to the soul, as they always said. She’d never really understood what that meant until now. This boy, no—this man, now a king, would do anything for her. Her heart twisted, struggling within her chest as if fighting to stay behind.
But she wasn’t a dragon. She couldn’t fall in love that quickly. She couldn’t make decisions that would affect her entire life just because she had the right blood type.
Joe’s eyes narrowed for a moment before centering again. He could feel her struggle. She knew it. She also knew that his feelings stemmed far stronger than the need to reproduce. He wanted her mind and soul first. Everything else was secondary. And he was proving this by letting her go, giving up probably his one and only chance to have a child, and maybe even giving up the throne.
“Yes.” The word left her lips before she was aware she’d uttered it. “Yes, I think things would have been different. And I wish they were.” Her stomach knotted, joining her treasonous heart. She needed to leave before she changed her mind and did something stupid.
Joe took in another long, deep breath. “May I ask a favor?”
“Of course.”
“I’d like to kiss you, just once. I know it’s out of—”
“Yes.”
She was beginning to sound like a trained puppy, but screw it. Woof.
Kissing him, of course, was probably the most foolish thing she could do. If the kiss was bad, it would ruin her memory of him. Even worse, if it was good, she’d stew over those lost sensations for the rest of her life. But she wanted to kiss him. If for any other reason, just to say thank you.
That’s what she told herself, at least.
She hardened herself against her annoying conscience. Thank you and goodbye. That’s all this was. “Yes,” she reiterated. “I would love to give you a kiss.”
Her breath hitched as Joe closed the distance between them with startling speed. He stroked her chin, smiling, and Anna was vaguely aware of Connor approaching behind her.
Joe’s breath tickled her lips as he stared into her eyes. His gaze betrayed desires they’d never be able to share. Anna trembled, already mourning their loss as his lips touched hers. So soft. So hesitant.
Connor’s hands grasped her shoulders, and she stiffened before Joe deepened the kiss. Berries and a hint of smoke overcame her senses as she gave in, opening to him, tingling as his tongue glided over hers. A sparkle shot through her, as if he’d breathed his dragon fire through her lips and into her soul. Heat reached down through her body, stinging and biting and digging, as if Joe seated part of himself into her core.
He drew away suddenly, holding her cheeks. “I love you,” he whispered. “Always remember that, even when you’ve forgotten me.”
Anna’s world spun. Connor tightened his grip on her shoulders as her ankles buckled beneath her. The three dragons bellowed, their roars echoing through the sky. She blinked, struggling against Connor’s hold as darkness crept in on all sides.
“Joe?” She reached for him, the only thing she could still see.
“Shhhh,” he whispered. “I hope, one day, you’ll forgive me for this.”
All terror eased away, lost as if she fell into a tranquil void.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” Connor’s voice asked.
“Absolutely.”
“You do realize this could end badly.”
Anna waited for an answer that didn’t come. Her body lifted into strong arms before the last of her consciousness faded away.