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"Oh. Right." Her brows pinch together as she uses the same soft motions I did to ease any tension Drakken might be feeling. "I guess I just thought... I don't know. Maybe there was another one?"
"Most of them aren't strong enough to carry riders," I tell her. "Their bodies can't even carry the weight of their own wings half the time."
She gasps, petting Drakken more frantically as if she could comfort her from the terrible news. "That's horrible. How could nature create something so tragic?"
"Nature didn't create them," I explain, gesturing for Drakken to lower herself to the ground so we can climb on. "Man did. Centuries ago, some Zalig wanted to create a new creature, and he did so without considering what it might do to them." Now I understand why Maren said it would take considerably longer tonight. Elva won't stop asking questions until I force her to.
"Then how do they still exist? Do they live for centuries?"
"No, he made a handful and then forced them to make more the old-fashioned way." She opens her mouth, and I hold up my palm. "I promise I will tell you everything you want to know about them." She opens it again, but I continue, "And the dragons. But we need to get going, or the Fae Queen is going to be very upset with us both."
Not waiting for her approval, I wrap my hands around her waist, nearly tossing her onto Drakken's back. She yelps and then grips the horse's hair like she's going to fall off at the slightest movement.
I leap onto the magnificent creature behind Elva, instantly stiffening. We will be pressed very close together for at least the next hour while we travel. It's going to be freezing up that high, and far too loud to attempt any conversation that might keep the tension from becoming too much.
She adjusts her seat, rubbing her perfect ass against me, and I have to will myself to keep calm. Not even thirty seconds we've been seated, and already I'm fighting harder than I ever have to not get hard. Clearing her throat, she looks back at me, a little bit nervous and very aroused, if her glance at my lips before shaking her head to clear it is any indication.
I grip Drakken's mane, my hands just below Elva's, using my arms around her ribs and thighs outside of her hips to lock her into place. Clicking my tongue at Drakken, I urge her to stand and head out of the stable. Every step she takes jostles Elva against me, driving me further to madness. If she can feel my very obvious reaction to our proximity, she at least gives me the mercy of not mentioning it.
She's gripping Drakken's mane so tightly that it looks painful– for both of them. So I release Drakken as she steadily walks forward, taking Elva's hands in mine and forcing her to loosen her death grip.
"Relax," I urge her. "You are safe. You couldn't fall off right now, even if you tried. My legs and Drakken's wings will keep you right where you are." She gives me a jerky nod, not believing a word I say. I don't really have time to soothe her nerves, but if she's afraid, my pet is going to be, too. "Elva, look at me."
Hesitating, she does as told, looking up at me over her shoulder again, eyes wide but pretending to be brave. "What?" she bites out.
"You are safe with me. That I promise you."
For a moment, that sweet, inviting softness remains, watching me with tentative hope. Then, all at once, it's shuttered, and she whips back around, not looking at me. "Of course I am. You have to keep me safe, lest your country fall into war with all of Rhyma's allies."
I close my eyes, praying to whoever might listen for patience. This fucking woman. The hot and cold of her is impossible to keep up with. Without any further discussion, I use my heels to nudge Drakken into movement.
With a grace that amazes me every single time, she opens her wings, gaining speed as she does until she's in a full gallop and speeding towards the edge of a cliff. Elva's body tenses, and she leans back into me, trying to escape the inevitable fall.
Her fingers grip Drakken's mane again, less rigid but no less terrified.
When we go over the cliff's edge, Elva screams at the top of her lungs, making Drakken's ears twitch. After only a brief second's fall, her wings catch the wind, pulling us up into the sky, so far above everything that it's our own world up here. None of the issues down below could reach us up above the clouds.
Elva's eyes are pinched closed, and I nudge her with a shoulder, hoping she will see what I see when she opens them. When she finally does, her jaw drops at the sight around us. The moonlight in the fog, the whip of wind, the complete isolation. She looks in every direction, searching for something, anything, and finding nothing.
"This is incredible!" she shouts, but I barely hear her over the roar of the wind in my ears. I nod, just happy to watch her discover another new thing in this world.
As we fly out over the water, the temperature drops considerably, and she wiggles impossibly closer to me to stay warm. I bite my lips together to keep from making any untoward sounds at her rubbing her body against me. Again. But truthfully, I'm not sure I'll make it all the way to our meeting with Maren before I come in my pants.
Instead of letting my body have its way, I focus on keeping Drakken steady and watching Elva with pure appreciation rather than a carnal one. In the brief moments that we aren't surrounded by fog, she searches the water below, but what she's looking for, I can't be sure.
After a ridiculously long journey, we finally land on the beach only ten feet or so from the caves. Drakken lowers herself to the ground, ready and more than deserving of rest from that journey. Even my legs and arms are exhausted from gripping Elva and Drakken so tightly. I can't imagine how tired my sweet mare is.
I help Elva down with one hand, holding her steady while she regains her footing. Her hair is completely destroyed, and her face is red from the cold wind whipping against it. "You alright?" I ask, gripping both arms with my hands to ensure she's looking right at me. The first time I rode Drakken for this long, I was incredibly sick to my stomach and discombobulated by the time we landed.
Elva's eyes are slightly glassy, but she certainly doesn't seem nauseous. "That was amazing!" She nods her head frantically. "It was so beautiful! She's so fast! I've never seen anything like that. And the water! It goes on for miles and miles!"
That's right. I forget that Elva's new to the ocean. That was probably her first proper look at it since she arrived, and she didn't even get to really experience it. Perhaps I'll show her the hot springs if Maren doesn't keep us too late.
Once Elva is steady, I walk towards the caves, looking for the queen in question. I peek into the first one and notice that she's already seated on a large flat rock, waiting patiently for us.
"There you are," she smiles at us. "You're here far earlier than I would have guessed!"
"Took the horse," I tell her.
