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No. She’d not been contemplating that at all. Of course, his mind would jump to that conclusion. Kindred’s tale she’d spun for him had given him dreams grander than what she’d be able to give him. Meira just hadn’t known what to do next; she needed to kill time while she decided how she’d proceed and if she’d ever be able to be a scale rider again. She’d never spent this much time away from her legion and guilt was eating her alive. They couldn’t assume she was injured forever. Eventually they’d come to the conclusion that she’d abandoned them.
She shook her head and tried not to cringe when his face fell. That damn old woman had given him hope. Now she’d be the one to strip it from him. “Just get on Mrithun’s back please so I can show you how to sit in the harness.”
His tongue raced out to wet his lips again and she couldn’t help but track the movement. With one more deep inhale, Remis took the steps to Mrithun’s side. The Bold Wing rewarded him by turning her head back and huffing a cloud of steam in his face that caused him to yelp and jump backward into the tree. He rubbed at his elbow scowling.
“Mrithun,” she warned under her breath. Mrithun thankfully gave a snort that sounded almost like a laugh and hunched down for him to climb onto her back. “You can put your foot in here”—she pointed to the lower strap of the harness—“and swing your leg over to the one on the other side.”
Remis climbed on the back of the dragon with the same grace she’d had when climbing onto a horse for the first time. Only she hadn’t begun profusely sweating as he was. He settled, sitting perfectly straight. His eyes had turned to huge saucers. Her laugh was hardly muffled behind her hand as she climbed up in front of him.
“Is there a lap belt or something?” he asked.
“No. Keep your feet in the harness and hold on. I promise we won’t go upside down until you get comfortable.”
“You go upside down on this thing?!”
“No.” Her body shook with the force of her laugh and she leaned back into him, savoring his warmth. He met her with the sturdy wall of muscle and laughed softly under his breath as she tilted her head back to get a good look at him. “Hold onto me and you’ll be fine.”
His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, above her wound, and he angled himself against her. His face hovered just over her shoulder, his warm breath, cascading down her neck. Goosebumps broke out all over her body. This was a bad idea…a very bad idea. His arms were a comfort and an aphrodisiac. She was enjoying this a little too much.
Without sound, she nudged Mrithun to signal that they were ready. The Bold Wing stood and Remis’ grip tightened. Muscles rolled underneath them as Mrithun readied her wings and lumbered to a break in the canopy.
Meira couldn’t help the spread of her smile as the dragon took off into flight and Remis bellowed out a terrible scream that made her ears ring. She could even ignore the pain in her side as he clung onto her and the trio took to the sky.
28
Meira
Two hands, fingers spread, rested on Meira’s thighs. She tried not to think too hard about it or the way Remis’ thumbs would sometimes rub small circles against her legs. Occasionally, Mrithun would hit a gust of wind that would force them higher or lower and his hands would jump closer to her hips or up to her waist. Always they’d return to this relaxed position that had her heart thrumming in her throat.
Mrithun had kept them well above any hunting dragonis, and now the sky seemed close enough that they might be able to pluck a star like an apple off a branch. At this height, it reminded her of Mount Ridmond. Thinking of home made an ache bloom in her chest. She’d been gone for too long now. Bram might already think her a deserter. The scale riders would no doubt banish her, cast her and Mrithun aside, for their abandonment.
To continue forward she had to push those thoughts aside or else she might turn around and beg forgiveness from her legion and all riders. She’d leave Remis as a forgotten memory and forget about the curse on her hand. She sighed into the evening air and Remis’ fingers curled against her leg. She wouldn’t forget about Remis. She knew that was a lie, but the desperation of losing the one thing she’d worked most her life for was clawing away at her. Was the trade worth it? Was this man worth it? It was against everything she’d ever taught herself and certainly, if any other woman was willing to give up her life for some strange man she’d have laughed in their face. The issue itself was more nuanced than that though. She and Remis were connected, bonded by this twist of fate.
His chest was a warmth against her back that acted as a balm over the churning worries that riddled her mind and body. And his kiss. Dragons above, his kiss. There’d been more passion in those few seconds than she’d ever felt in Bram’s bed. She knew she’d done herself a disservice letting him kiss her, encouraging it. Because now the walls she’d built between them were crumbling. They might have been crumbling for a long while now, though she loathed to admit it.
Below them, city lights twinkled. They’d passed over several cities and smaller villages but this one outshined them all. Croughton was a massive cluster of buildings and homes that stretched far wider than any other city in the Empire. This was the hub of all things business. The market alone stretched for miles, and most any business that was able to make their way here could grow overnight. Croughton was known for being the ‘home of the merchant’ due to the vast amount of business deals made on this very land.
The mark on her hand tingled as they drew closer. She let go of the harness to flex her fingers and shake out her hand. Another rightness settled into the bond, a small confirmation that perhaps she was on the right course.
“Mine feels weird too,” Remis said, resting his cheek against her braids.
“This is Croughton.” She waved down below them, letting Mrithun circle the city to find an optimal place to land. “Do you know where to go when we enter the city?”
His hair tickled against her cheek as he lowered his face, letting his lips brush against her racing pulse in her neck. “Yes, I’m familiar with where we will be staying.”
Meira let her head fall back further. The wind caressed the press of their bodies as Mrithun began a slow descent. She closed her eyes and hummed as he pressed the lightest kiss against her skin. “You’re supposed to be afraid of me.” She hadn’t exactly meant to say it but it wasn’t untrue.
His chuckle vibrated against her. “Who says I’m not? I am quite enamored and also aware that you might choose to end me at any moment. Both things can exist at the same time. And perhaps that’s the most thrilling part of this all.”
“You’ve gone mad then.” She laughed.
“If this is madness then I wish to banish all sanity.” Those strong arms wrapped around her waist, held her tight, and despite the dull throb of her wound it made it easier to ignore problems she currently had no solution for. With everything else happening and the loss of her memories, only this, this closeness with Remis, felt so certain for her. Whatever she’d been sent back to change about this timeline, it couldn’t be this.
Or maybe it was and she just wasn’t strong enough to face it.
She let herself intertwine their fingers and squeezed his hand but only for a moment before she gripped the harness and leaned forward. The entirety of the descent, he was pressed against her and stealing her breath away as Mrithun touched the ground in the Deadwoods outside the reach of the city's cannons.
The eerie calm of the Deadwoods replaced the rush of wind from flying. Here there was only the rustle of the brush in the breeze and the mingling of their breaths. If she sat upon Mrithun much longer though, she’d turn around and pull Remis into another wicked kiss. So she pulled her feet from the harness and slid down the Bold Wing’s side before waiting for Remis to do the same.
