Chapter 27

Meira dreamed but it was in that hazy sort of way not in the startling clarity of a returned memory. She dreamed of Remis closing the spark-filled space between them and pressing his mouth to hers and the flick of his tongue. His arms were a sturdy safe place for her to rest and his scent surrounded her. The feel of his hands smoothing back her curls before he nipped at her ear was the last of the dream. Though she tried to fall back into the unconscious luxury of it, she felt herself coming back to consciousness. And there were arms around her. A hand continuously brushing the curls away from her face.

There was a heaviness to her eyelids still but Meira snapped her eyes open. Her body was laid between Remis’ legs and her head propped up on his chest. His eyes were closed as he leaned back onto a tree but his hand never stopped the soft caress. She lay still, afraid to move, afraid that if she did he’d stop touching her.

Hot breath fanned over Remis’ shoulder and ruffled her hair and her cloak. She tilted her head, straining to see where it had come from though she knew before her eyes actually landed on the blue-black scales. Mrithun’s red eyes narrowed on Meira as she huffed another warm breath.

“I’m not doing anything,” Remis whispered-hissed. He opened his eyes to glare at the dragon, stopping suddenly when his attention snagged on Meira.

She shouldn’t be lying on him. She shouldn’t allow this comfortable thing that could easily progress into what she’d remembered. Love. How easily this could progress into love…but to love him was to allow him to break her heart. To love was to open yourself up to loss. It was that thought that had her sitting back up and shrugging out of his touch.

Blowing out a breath, she caught a groan behind her teeth. Pain pulsed in time with her heartbeat. Right where that little bitch had stabbed her. Dragons. Her side was stiff as she touched the material wrapped tightly around her. Red came away on her fingertips and her head swam again.

The forest around them was still much the same as she remembered. They couldn’t be far from where the twins, creepy pale creatures that they were, had ambushed them. Overhead the sun was far closer to the horizon than she’d liked to have seen.

“Can you tell the Bold Wing you’re okay?” Remis asked, remaining surprisingly still. “As soon as you passed out, she nearly ate me. We’ve been here ever since but I’ve been scared shitless to do much more than wrap the wound.”

Meira laughed but the sound turned into another groan from the ache of the still fresh injury. “She wouldn’t have eaten you.”

I think, Meira thought but didn’t say so.

She extended the arm on her uninjured side and ran a hand down Mrithun’s snout. The Bold Wing leaned into the motion, poking her head farther over Remis’ shoulder. Her nose alone was practically the size of Remis’ head. Meira swore she saw sweat glistening on Remis’ forehead. The man had turned terribly pale too. That only made her smile more.

“Mrithun, this is Remis. Remis this is Mrithun,” she said quietly.

“We met before but I wasn’t corporal at the time. It’s different getting well acquainted when I’m so aware that she could eat me. I don’t think the beast likes me much.” Remis hadn’t moved, she wasn’t certain he even breathed.

In answer, her Bold Wing let out a little growl. Meira continued to stroke over her scales. “She. And don’t call her a beast.” Remis hummed but his expression remained skeptical. So she took his hand in hers and placed it on the dragon’s snout. Mrithun made another deep rumbling noise, not quite a growl but hardly friendly either. Remis tried to pull away but Meira held his hand there. “You’ll be friends in no time,” she whispered.

But Remis wasn’t looking at Mrithun, he was watching her. He let her hold his hand there but his movements were guided by hers.

“You bled a lot,” he said when she finally let him drop his hand away. Mrithun, satisfied that Remis wasn’t the cause of Meira’s injuries, sat back and turned her face to the woods around them. “How do you feel?”

A blush worked its way over her face. “That should not have happened. I”ve dealt with much worse wounds during battle before. I think I’m still just a bit weaker from the magic use before…” He nodded along as though he understood. Then she blurted, “Why did you help me? Why not take your chance and run back into Yordway?”

His mouth quirked up on one side. “And follow the Maine twins? No thank you.” He gave a small laugh. “You really think I’d leave you bleeding in the Deadwoods after you just got cut open on my behalf? If I recall correctly, you told the twins ‘you would gut them and leave them for the dragonis if they touched me.’”

She had said that. When the eerie-looking siblings had appeared and threatened Remis, she’d seen red. She shouldn’t have let them go either, she should have ended them right there for even attempting anything on Remis’ life.

The heat on her cheeks grew. “I would have understood if you took the opportunity. After all, shouldn”t I want you dead?” She held up her gloved hand.

“And do you?” His throat bobbed. “Want me dead?”

She had. That part of her that loved her Bold Wing more than life certainly did. The confusion of that recently resurrected memory came flooding back through her. He’d rode Mrithun to her death and shoved Meira right out of the harness. That should be enough for her to hate him. Yet, she couldn’t find it in herself. Why would he save her just to betray her? Everything she knew about him didn’t exactly lend itself to convincing her that he’d do what he’d done in that memory or that he’d do it again. Perhaps she was being naive. Shame was a pit in her chest.

Still, she answered, “Maybe. Maybe not,” and grinned. Dragons. She was grinning.

And he was…

Remis leaned toward her and pinched her chin between his thumb and pointer finger. Pulled her in closer until their breath mingled. His eyes were hooded, watching her, waiting. Waiting for her to say yes, she realized. He was giving her the chance to pull away again.

Damn it all. She didn’t want to pull away.

Instead, she leaned in, let her mouth brush carefully over his, closed her eyes, and tested this new closeness.

He exhaled, his hot breath fanning over her lips a half a second before he kissed her. The first touch of their lips was gentle and cautious, new territory to be explored with a careful tenderness. Then his tongue slid against her lips. She opened for him. Her body melted into his arms, his long fingers intertwining in her curls. The kiss turned damn near unlawful as it became more intense, more demanding. Remis moaned into the kiss and Meira could feel the vibration of it in her chest.

Meira broke away, sitting back, and taking in fresh air. Her lips felt swollen and the taste of him still lingered on her tongue. Her hands trembled as she pulled them away from him. She shouldn’t have done that. She wasn’t supposed to let him get this close. Yet she found herself wanting to lean in, to kiss him more.

“I’ve wanted to do that since we fought before that ruined city,” he admitted.

She didn’t want to think about when she’d first wanted to do that. Because, perhaps, she’d wanted to do that the day she’d woken and seen him looking down at that mark.

“We probably shouldn”t ever do that again,” she finally said before moving out of the circle of his arms. She stood, though it prompted her side to throb.

Remis scoffed. “What are you talking about? We should probably do that a thousand more times.”

Those stupid flutters began in her stomach again. She so badly wanted them to stop, but she couldn’t stop looking at his lips, rosied by their efforts. Hair had fallen forward over his forehead and down into his eyes. He’d always been beautiful, but now as his tongue traced his lower lip he was ethereal. Meira gave him a pathetic attempt at a smile.

He sobered at the look and got quickly to his feet. “Was it bad?”

“Unfortunately, it was very very good.” Meira patted his arm and made her way to where Mrithun was curled in the dried grass. The Bold Wing didn’t bother to lift her head as Meira came closer but her tail twitched behind her. Meira almost swore that the dragon was smirking at her.

Remis blew out a long breath. “You had me worried there for a moment.” He paused. “You know I’m quite good at other things too.”

The ribbon in her hair was so loose now it was slipping from its hold. Meira tugged it out and began splitting the mass of curls into two braids. She clenched her thighs together, knowing deep within her that he was likely incredible at other things too.

“Remis.” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe I’m still planning on killing you.”

Perhaps they just needed this kiss to get each other out of their systems.

It didn’t feel like he was out of her system at all though. No, now all she could imagine was stripping him out of his clothes and letting him pin her against a tree. She wouldn’t even mind gaining a few splinters in her back.

He smiled. “If you don’t kiss me again, I’ll die of heartbreak anyway.”

“Unlikely.” She deadpanned. “Now get on the Bold Wing.”

His brows pulled together. “Excuse me?”

“Do you want to get to Croughton or not?”

Those near black eyes darted back and forth between her and Mrithun. She did gain an ounce of joy watching his indecision. Slowly, he nodded. “Why are you taking me to Croughton?”

She let him squirm as she looked him up and down before giving him a perfect pretty smile. “Don’t you have some business to secure?”

Mrithun stood, stretching out next to her. The Bold Wing unfurled her wings, knocking bushes aside. Remis took a step back only for Meira to beckon him forward.

“Are you considering what Kindred said then? That I might explore my abilities and we could both be bonded?”

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.