23. AURELIA

Chapter twenty-three

AURELIA

" W hat do you think you're doing?!" he said, cursing me under his breath. He then started screaming as he dangled from Belle's claws. I didn't blame him–especially if he was afraid of heights. However, I giggled, laughing at how he was reacting and thinking that he deserved it.

As Damian continued to roar, I couldn't help but laugh. He seemed like such a brooding dark man, but there was something about him that I understood–something that I longed to further understand. As much as he didn't show it, I knew that there was a heart beating beneath his chest. There was more to it that he refused to claim. There was something soft about him that I could see where others may not be able to. Even if it was na?ve of me, I found myself starting to trust him. He had a void that he was yearning to fill, and I could acknowledge that he was just hurt.

Maybe he wasn't as cruel as I originally had thought.

It felt so freeing up in the air. I blocked out Damian's screeching and enjoyed being up in the clouds. It was amazing. I could see everything. With the black trees, I could even see my castle far off in the distance as well as the Sardan Kingdom in the opposite direction. They were both hard to see, but they were there. The mountains peaked around us, their cliffs calling our names. Water dripped down the textured slopes, forming small pools and waterfalls crashing to the ground.

I had never really rode on a dragon before, and had dreamed of this opportunity. I couldn't believe that it was finally a reality.

We neared the edge of the mountain, and we were so close that I could feel the rocks along the sides. I could feel each jagged piece sticking out from the mountain, along with the green sticky moss that clung to its sides.

"This is fun! I rarely get to fly with friends!" Belle said in my head.

"This is," I replied.

"Why does he keep screaming?"

I laughed. "Maybe we should let him down. Let's stop near this waterfall and have him hop on your back with me. Will carrying us both be too heavy?"

"Nope! I'm strong!" She sounded strong-willed and tenacious, making me fall in love with her. It reminded me of when I was young, asking my grandmother if I could keep the stray cats and other creatures that would come in from the Forbidden Forest, but she always told me no.

We approached the mountain and there was a flat ledge formed on the outside of it. The peak was cloaked in somber shades of gray, and sizable rocks scattered the mountain. The rush of the vibrant blue waterfall cascaded nearby, the melodic splashes a magical song. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Belle perched on the ledge, gently laying Damian down. I hopped off, my legs slightly wobbly.

I whistled mine and Cora's tune loudly and held my arms up high in the air.

"That was amazing! Oh, my scales! Belle, that was amazing!" I went near her nose and nuzzled in close. Her pink skin was speckled with gold that glittered in the sun's light.

I looked over at Damian, just to find him panting with his knees and hands on the ground, like a dog. "Are you okay?" I asked half-heartedly, reaching to his side.

"You could've killed me!"

"Belle said you can join me on her back going down!"

He glared daggers at me. I could feel the swift wind bristle through my hair, with small water droplets hitting my skin from the waterfall. It roared near me, plummeting far down.

I could see every blackened tree in the Forbidden Forest and the life radiating from it. Trees and bushes would rumple in certain areas, making shivers go down my spine in curiosity about which creatures were hidden underneath.

Nerves riddled my veins as I had never been with a dragon before. Belle was a part of my kind, and I was hers.

The adrenaline continued to course through me. I wanted to ride again, feeling connected to Belle. I felt the need to protect her. It was like I'd known her forever.

I approached the waterfall, feeling its mist on my skin, and swiftly shed my bodice and pants. Standing under the cascading water, I worked to rid them of the clinging mud, wringing them out under the waterfall.

Damian came up to me and did the same. He took off his clothes bare to his undergarments. Holy scales. His body was ripped from head to toe, not a muscle missing. I had to look away before he saw me staring intensely at his fit body. My cheeks went warm and the deep gold flooded them.

I hastily yanked my clothes into place, smoothing out the deep creases and adjusting the fabric with hurried movements. The material was still a little damp in some spots, but at least it was mostly free from the mud that had a mind of its own.

"Should we try again?" I found it impossible to quell my exhilaration as I was so excited to get back on Belle's back and to soar through the sky.

"Are you crazy?" Damian emphasized, his chest heaving. I could tell that Damian felt the opposite. Why was he so nervous around Belle? Glancing at his hands, they appeared clammy, his face also white.

Belle was right next to me, and I grabbed onto one of the small horns that protruded from her back, slinging myself to saddle her as I slid to fit comfortably. Impressed with my quick mounting, I shot a look toward Damian.

"Crazy enough to leave you if I have to, yes."

"You're insane."

"Insanely excited to be with one of my kind? Absolutely. Get on."

Belle's pink wings glistened as they waved in the air, slowly flapping upward. She raised off of the ground just a tad, tempting Damian to hop on before we left him. The power of her wings was kicking up dust, sending the whirls of it into Damian's face, making him close his eyes in response.

"You getting on?" I questioned, concealing the smirk that was threatening my lips. He crossed his arms over his body, glancing at us through the flurries of dirt that covered his view.

Rolling his eyes, Belle lowered down, knowing that he was about to give in. Damian followed after my steps, grabbing onto one of her small spikes, and flipping his body over, finding the spot behind me.

He was so stubborn; it was driving me crazy.

His body was warm against my own as he wrapped his arms around the center of my stomach, clenching tightly. My body tingled from his touch, trickling up my spine. Shaking the spark away, I grabbed onto two evenly placed spikes on Belle's back, signaling to her that we were ready to go.