Chapter Seventeen: Byron

He was flying with his mate on his back!

Something he never dreamed he would have been able to share with someone so special to him.

Please, resist the urge to go crazy and do loops, or fly upside down, or do any of those twirls you like to do when you show off, Byron told his dragon.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything that might put our mate in danger, his dragon replied as he scanned the mountain range ahead.

He’d only been to the place he wanted to show Cassie once before, having found it by chance when he was exploring the mountains a year ago. He was going to look like a prize fool if he couldn’t find his way back there now.

Great. If you can’t find it, Cassie is going to think we lied to her,Byron said. And it’s me who is going to have to do the explaining.

I’ll find it, his dragon replied. It’s… He let out a plume of dragon fire that lit up the night sky. There!

The peak loomed in the darkness, its outline jagged and sharp, like a row of looming spires silhouetted against the star-studded sky.

It looks like a dragon’s tooth, Byron said.

I guess you might be right,his dragon answered ashe descended toward the imposing formation. The wind whistled around them, and they felt Cassie tighten her grip on his scales.

Easy, easy,Byron said, remember we have a passenger.

How could I forget? his dragon answered as he stretched his wings wide and slowed their descent.

The dragon stretched out his talons and landed gently on a wide plateau, with a swirling cloud of snow kicking up around them. Then he lowered himself toward the ground, and Cassie scrambled to the ground, leaning on his forelimb for a moment as she peered out from the high vantage point.

“It sure is high.” She shivered. “And cold.”

We should have brought warm clothes, his dragon said.

Why don’t you breathe fire on that pile of boulders over there?They should hold the heat for a while, Byron replied.

The dragon gently nudged Cassie back a few steps, then turned his massive head toward the pile of large rocks. He took a deep breath and released a controlled stream of dragon fire. The rocks took on an otherworldly glow as they were heated, the snow hissing loudly around them, before finally, the flames faded, leaving the stones glowing with warmth.

Cassie watched, barely blinking, as the dragon settled back onto his haunches. “Wow,” she breathed, eyes wide as she held out her hands toward the rocks. “You sure are handy to have around.”

The dragon rumbled contently before the air fizzled and sparked, leaving Byron standing in place of the beast. He shrugged, smiling bashfully. “It’s not much, but…”

Cassie turned to look at him, her eyes still shining with wonder. “No,” she cut him off gently. “It’s incredible.” She cast another glance at the glowing stones before stepping toward them. “Thank you. Well, thank your dragon.”

“He’d do anything for you,” Byron said and then quickly added, “Shall we eat?”

“I believe you are the only man I know who would put those two statements in one breath.” Cassie unhooked the makeshift pouch containing the burgers from her shoulder and set it down on a boulder close to the super-heated rocks.

His dragon chuckled. She’s getting to know you.

I’m not sure that’s a good thing,Byron said.

Oh, it is, believe me, his dragon replied. She’ll see that we are one of a kind. Her kind.

“These could do with warming up a little. Can we place them near the rocks?” Cassie said as she handed him back his waistcoat and tie. “They smell like burgers.”

“Thanks.” He slipped his waistcoat back on, ignoring the aroma that clung to them. He then grabbed a flat rock and carefully placed it near the dragon-heated rocks, feeling the intense heat radiating from the stone. “Here, we can place the burgers on here.”

Cassie set about unwrapping the burgers and placing them next to the heated rock to warm. As they waited for their supper to heat up, Cassie turned to look out at the view. The stars above them in the clear sky were mirrored by the lights of the town far below them. “So, is this what you wanted to show me? It’s like the world is in miniature. You know, like a model village.”

“It’s beautiful. But this isn’t why I brought you here,” he said. “There’s something else. But after we’ve eaten.”

“I’m intrigued.” She cast him a sidelong look. “You’ve done a good job of building up the suspense.”

I hope it doesn’t end up being an anticlimax, Byron said to his dragon.

His dragon chuckled at his nervousness. She’ll love it, his dragon reassured him. You underestimate yourself.

“I think those burgers are probably hot enough,” Byron said as he tore himself away from her side. He should have said something light and flirty, but his mind went blank.

He truly was terrible at this.

I don’t think Cassie notices, his dragon reassured him. Or maybe she does, and that’s what she likes about you.

Byron grabbed the flat rock and offered it to Cassie as if it were a plate. “Here.”

Cassie took one of the burgers. “Thanks.” She bit into it and let out a soft moan of satisfaction. “This is fantastic.”

Byron chuckled, picking his own burger up and joining her to look out at the view. The smell of warm meat and subtle spices made his stomach rumble in anticipation. “Who knew Harry and Burt had such a talent for cooking?”

“Morwenna will have them chained to that grill once word gets out,” Cassie said lightly.

“She’s a strange one, isn’t she?” Byron said. “Just when I think I have her figured out, she…pivots.”

Cassie chuckled. “That’s Morwenna for you,” she said. “She’s like a thousand-piece puzzle. Once you think you’ve got it all put together, you realize there’s always one piece missing.”

“And once you realize that, the whole puzzle falls apart and changes to something entirely different.” Byron took a bite of his food.

They ate in silence for a few minutes and Byron found himself entranced by this simple moment—sitting side by side with Cassie, warmed by a heated rock, sharing a meal up in the mountains.

It was perfect.

“What do you think the next trial will be?” Cassie asked when she’d finished her burger.

“I have no clue. So far, the trials have been so random. I suppose a quiz or something.” He shrugged. “But then the trials so far have been more like challenges. So maybe something more physical? A race perhaps,” Byron speculated, his eyebrows drawing together in thought.

“A race?” Cassie groaned. “I don’t know how I’d feel about that.”

“I think Kengar would definitely be the winner of that one.” Byron chuckled. “How about a mental puzzle?”

“Mmm, a mental puzzle,” Cassie mused. “I can see Morwenna stumping us all with some cryptic riddle or impossible math problem. But that’s very similar to the escape room, and I don’t know if I have the mental capacity to do that again.”

“Luckily, the tavern seems to be coming up with the trials. And they do have some logic to them,” Byron said. “Another?”

“I shouldn’t.” Cassie licked her lips. “But I will. It feels like I haven’t eaten for days.”

“Using your brain uses a lot of energy,” Byron said as she went to get the last two burgers from the flat rock.

“Is that true?”

“Of course,” Byron replied, feigning a flippant tone. “It’s like a muscle; the more you use it, the more energy it consumes. Not necessarily by a lot, but I think it warrants another burger.”

Cassie let out a soft laugh. “I don’t know whether to believe you or not.”

“I would never lie to you, Cassie.” His eyes darkened, and he paused, his burger halfway to his mouth. “I could never lie to you.”

“That is quite some statement,” Cassie replied warily.

“But it’s the truth.” He swallowed hard. It felt as if the world was closing in on him as Cassie came into sharp focus. She was the only thing in the world that mattered at that moment.

Tell her,his dragon urged.

“We’re mates.” Byron winced. He should have softened the blow instead of simply blurting it out.

“Mates.” Her expression didn’t change as she sat there with her burger halfway to her mouth.

“Yes.” He winced even harder. He’d blown it by not coming clean sooner. Or perhaps by not waiting. Maybe it was just that he fumbled the delivery.

“You and me.” She spoke slowly, clearly, as if making sure she had not misheard or misunderstood. “Mates.”

“Correct,” he managed to get out, the tension in the air palpable.

Her gaze was sharp, scrutinizing. This was a moment he had been dreading.

She’ll be okay with it,his dragon told him confidently.

I don’t know. Cassie has obviously had issues with men in the past. Men like Jerome. If she thinks we have been untruthful, she might reject us.

“Why didn’t you tell me when we met?” she asked.

“Because you were so anti-couples,” he replied bluntly and winced again at his accusing tone.

Shall I get you a shovel so you can dig yourself a bigger hole?his dragon said, but his tone was light and teasing.

I wish I had your confidence,Byron replied.

“Wow.” She lowered her burger and rested her hand on her lap. “You’re right. I was so set on being single and focusing on my magic. I’m sorry you didn’t feel as if you could tell me.”

“I wasn’t trying to push the blame onto you,” Byron said quickly. “I hoped you would fall in love with me…for me. If we just spent time together.”

“Oh.” Cassie looked down at her burger. “Well, I suppose…” She locked eyes with him. “I have.”

“You have?” Byron asked.

Told you so, his dragon said smugly.

“I mean… I don’t know if I have ever been in love before. I thought I was. But I was mistaken. I got used.” She pressed her lips together. “Jerome made out we were this great love affair, when really all he wanted was for me to teach him how to use an Arcane Amulet I had in the store. It’s a really rare artifact, and he’d been told that it could amplify the magical abilities of the wearer. Unfortunately, what he didn’t know was that this one was malfunctioning, which was why it was in my store. So instead of amplifying magic, it depleted it, making spells much less potent. It took him a long time to return to the level of magic he had before.”

“I’m so sorry,” Byron said and meant it.

I’d also like to pay Jerome a visit and chew his head off, Byron’s dragon said.

“It’s not your fault,” Cassie replied.

“So he was fake dating you,” Byron said gently.

“He was.” She shrugged. “There’s some irony in there somewhere, don’t you think?”

“I do.” He nudged her gently. “Well, now you know there is nothing fake about us.”

“No.” She took a big bite of her burger and chewed thoughtfully. As she swallowed, she said, “There is not.”

“Are we good?” Byron asked.

“Together?” She arched a teasing eyebrow at him. “Yes, I think we are. We are going to trounce the competition.”

“Trounce. I like your confidence,” Byron said, relief washing over him.

“Now, shut up and eat. I want to see why you brought me up here.” She smiled at him and then bit into her burger and chewed as she stared out at the view.

I told you so,his dragon said.

You did, Byron said as he finished his burger.

This was the best night of his life. And not just for himself, but for his family. Now that he’d told Cassie they were mates, he was one step closer to saving his family’s home.

“Okay, I’m finished.” Cassie brushed the crumbs from her hands. “Do we have to fly somewhere else for the surprise?”

“No,” Byron said and stood up, offering her his hand. “It’s not much farther.”

She looked at it and then slid her hand into his. “This mates thing. Does that explain the way it feels whenever we touch?”

“It does,” Byron said as she stood before him. “It’s a physical manifestation of the connection we share.”

“You do have a romantic way of putting things,” she replied with a smile.

“Sorry.” He shook his head. “I hoped that when we met, the romantic in me might awaken. As you can tell, it has not.”

“It’s a good thing. I believe romance in the classical sense is overrated,” Cassie said. “Now, about this surprise.”

“This way.” Byron led her toward a narrow path that wound around the side of the hill. “It’s steep in some places. But it’s worth the climb.”

“I see what you mean,” Cassie said, as she scrambled up a steep incline on her hands and knees.

“I could carry you if you want,” Byron offered as he clambered up onto the next ridge.

“I’ve got it.” Cassie brushed her hands on her thighs when she finally reached the crest of the rise. “Is this it?”

“No, this way.” He led her on, climbing higher. Then he turned off the narrow trail toward a small cave mouth that sank into the mountainside. It was inconspicuous and easily missed. Looking at it now, Byron was shocked once again by how he had found it in the first place.

He took Cassie’s hand and ducked into the small maw, leading her into the darkness. “I should have brought a flashlight.”

“I can help with that,” Cassie said and whispered a spell into her cupped hands. A small flame flickered to life and then she opened her hands and blew the flame gently so that it floated away. “Oh, my.”

“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” Byron asked as Cassie lit another small flame and then another. Their flickering light gently pushed back at the darkness, turning the rock pools littered throughout the cavern a soft red.

Thin, crystalline stalactites hung overhead, catching the light and refracting it onto the cave walls. Along with the rippling reflections from the rock pools of the dancing lights, it looked as though the whole cave was shifting and moving as if the rock itself was alive.

“This is what you wanted to show me?” She walked across the cave to the water and dipped her hand in the large rock pool in the center of the cave. “It’s so cold.”

“There’s more.” He held out his hands to her. “I know you said you prefer to dance alone…but will you dance with me?”

“I think you’re the only person I wouldn’t mind dancing with, but…” She looked bemused as she slipped her hands into his. “There’s no music.”

“There will be.” He let go of one of her hands and reached up, tapping his finger on one of the stalactites.

It let out a clear note that reverberated throughout the cavern, humming as it clung to the slowly fading tone in a way similar to a tuning fork. Before the sound faded, Byron ran his finger along a row of the hanging crystals, each letting out a distinct note, yet they all seemed to harmonize. And as they rang, drips of water that had been hanging onto the ends of the formations fell into the pools of water below, letting out short, almost percussive notes that echoed pleasantly alongside the hum of the crystals, which seemed to spread, the other stalactites beginning to thrum in response.

As the sound beat, a strange rhythm emerged between the tunes of the crystals and the falling of the water droplets.

Cassie threw her head back and laughed. “Now, this is romantic.” Then she slid her arms around his neck, and with their bodies pressed together, they danced slowly and sensuously as the ethereal song of the stalactites filled the moodily lit air of the cave.

And for once, Byron felt as if he’d lived up to his name.