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“Yes.” She meets my eyes. “I want to love what you love.”

I wrap my arm around Aya and pull her into my side. I’m keeping this woman up here forever.

“I want to love what you love too, Aya. I want to support you and your passions.” I press a kiss to her temple. “That’s why I’m getting a part-time job at the Academy. I’ll teach there while you’re finishing up your university studies.”

She gives me a sideways glance. “Like a student-teacher fling?”

I huff smoke at her. “We are fated mates, Aya. That doesn’t count. Come on.”

She bumps her shoulder into mine. “Learn to laugh at my jokes a little.”

My dragon thinks she’s hilarious, the traitor. “Fine. But only because you’re cute.”

She snuggles closer. I can smell how pleased she is with herself.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” I tell her.

She pats my cheek. “You don’t have to warn me not to slap your face this time.”

I cup her face and lower my mouth to hers. There’s no chase in this one. I take my time with her until she opens up and I can slide my tongue in. I’m not about to rush years of poems and patience now that I’m finally here.

I move my hands down to her waist and draw her in closer. She sighs and wraps her arms around my neck. I’m hard all over again and don’t bother hiding it from her.

She catches my wrist and moves my hand up to her breast. “Don’t be gentle this time, Ezra.” She pants against my lips. Her eyes are dark with want. “Feel me.”

I give her a testing squeeze first. When she arches into my touch for more, that’s the end of me being a gentleman. I knead her breast and roll her nipple between my fingers until it peaks against my thumb. She moans into my mouth, and smoke rolls off my tongue in answer.

Her arousal is everywhere. I’m dragging her into my lap, desperate to feel more of her, to⁠—

She tears her mouth from mine and twists toward the trees. Then I catch their scent too. Seth and Ocran are upwind of us. I’m going to kill them.

I drop my head back against the roof. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Aya giggles and leans back to smooth her dress. “Come out, guys. Hang with us for a minute.”

They leap out of the woods at the edge of the clearing and climb up to the roof to join us. Seth sits beside Aya and kisses her cheek. Ocran plops down on Seth’s far side, and my dragon wants to set the smug bastard on fire.

These goddamn ballbusters have the worst timing on Wintermoon. Only Mother Fate knows how long they were out there sniffing around. I was so close. At least I think I was.

Ocran shrugs when I glare at him. “Seth wanted to check on Aya,” he says. “And so did I.”

I sigh and prop myself on my hands. I’m sharing my mate with her overprotective pack cousins tonight, whether I like it or not. Seth asks Aya how she’s feeling. She tells him all about her day while I glower up at the North Star and try not to sulk.

“You know,” I announce over their conversation, “Orion was the greatest hunter in Greek mythology. He was placed among the stars as a reward for his skills.” I wave a hand at the sky. “But he’s forever alone up there. Separated from the woman he loved by the gods themselves.”

No one says a word. Aya side-eyes me.

“Just something to think about,” I continue, “when you’re interrupting someone’s romantic moment under the stars.”

Ocran snorts. Seth groans.

But Aya smiles at me, so I let them live.

12

AYA

Ezra wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side. The roof stays quiet at first. Seth and Ocran can’t even look at us. They know exactly what they interrupted. Ezra’s scent is still thick with frustration and unsatisfied want. Heat pours off him through the blanket on my shoulders. I almost laugh at how hard he’s sulking. My dragon is ridiculous.