Page 76 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

“What is it?” Vaela said, glancing down at me with a slightly dreamy look.

I licked a path around her navel. “I feel like I could spend a lifetime studying you, and it still wouldn’t be enough to know all the things I want to know.”

“It will be,” she said. And it sounded like a promise.

I shifted further down the bed and paused by her legs, shifting the sheets aside.

“Eden?” She propped herself up and looked down at me with concern. “What are you doing?”

I smiled at her, then bent to press a gentle kiss to her residual limb. I caressed the soft skin there with my fingertips before moving back to the tops of her thighs, teasing a breathy moan from her as I located the center of her pleasure.

“Taking my time,” I whispered as she sucked in a breath, and then I set to work, making a slow, meticulous study of all the things I wanted to know.

25

VAELA

“Are you awake?” I whispered sometime later. I’d watched the sunlight and shadows shift across the room as I flitted in and out of sleep. It must have been well into the afternoon by now.

“No,” Eden murmured, burrowing further into the blankets, her head pressed against my side. I could feel the tickle of her eyelashes.

I laughed softly, delighting in the feel of her warm body against mine in the space we occupied in the bed together. The world outside was quiet, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel the need to be anywhere but exactly where I was.

I lay there, drawing patterns against the curve of Eden’s spine until she finally popped her head up from the blankets.

“Afternoon,” I said.

“What day is it?” she croaked.

I laughed. “Still the same one.” I reached my arm out for her, and she snuggled against me.

“I’m breaking all my rules,” she mused, exhaling a long breath.

“Yes. But rules are meant to be broken,” I reasoned.

Her head tilted as she studied my face. “That’s what people say when they’re trying to ignore the consequences.”

I stroked my hand along the pale expanse of her hip. “Are you still afraid of the consequences?” I hoped not. Because I wanted this. Cozy days in bed. Someone to whisper silly things to in the dark. Someone to hold when the days grew shorter. Colder. Someone to dream about a future with.

“A little,” she said, avoiding my eyes.

I jostled her a bit, not wanting her to get sheepish now. “Only a little?”

“A lot,” she admitted, looking up at me then with genuine worry creased into her features. “With the rest of the world locked away behind that door, it feels safe. But I’m worried about what happens when we let the world back in.” I watched her throat work. “When you climb back onto a dragon.”

I kissed her temple. “You’ve watched me climb onto a dragon at least a dozen times now.”

“Yes, well,” she muttered. “I haven’t always liked it.”

That was a fair point. “I also worry about things, you know? About you rushing into the middle of a dragon skirmish to triage the wounded and try to save lives.”

“It’s my job,” she said quietly.

“And climbing onto dragonback is mine.” I could see the frustration in the set of her lips. I nudged her gently. “I don’t want to lose you, Eden. So what do I have to do to keep you?”

She covered her face with her hands and shook her head. “Don’t ask me that. Don’t ask me to take away something you love. The thing that brings you such purpose and joy.”

I knew then what she would ask. For me to hang up my riding gear. To step away from the world of dragon wrangling. But I also knew she’d never really ask that, not out loud at least, because she knew how difficult it would be for me to walk away.