Chapter 16

“Okay – that should be all we need for the trip,” Kira said, checking over their packs and provisions once more. She’d done dozens of overnight hikes and camping trips in the parklands, so she was well-versed in what they’d need.

She didn’t usually do hikes like this in winter or fall though, when the mountains could get dangerously cold at night, but she knew the thermal sleeping bags and the heavy-duty tent they’d packed would be enough to protect them.

“I guess I can’t really predict what the curse will do to try to stop us,” Caleb said, looking a little apprehensive. “Like I said, it’s never done anything that could actually kill me, but there’s a first time for everything. And I couldn’t stand it if you put yourself in harm’s way for my sake.” He glanced at her. “Are you sure you can’t just draw me a map or something? If it were just me, I could probably handle it –”

“No.” Kira shook her head firmly. “It wouldn’t be responsible of me to let you run around in such a rugged part of the park by yourself. And I’m a park ranger – I can handle myself. I grew up running around this place. And believe me, this cave isn’t exactly easy to find. Even if I drew you a map, finding it would be tricky.”

Caleb sighed. “There’s really nothing I can do to talk you out of this?”

“Not a thing.”

Maybe the firmness in her voice really did convince Caleb it was a hopeless case, because he didn’t raise any more objections as they shouldered their packs, before stepping out into the bright fall sunshine.

At least the weather was perfect for the hike – cold but not too cold, the sky blue and clear. It was as if the park was trying to show off its beauty to Caleb: the deciduous trees were brilliantly orange and yellow, a stark contrast to the deep green of the cedars and pine. Kira could hear birds calling to each other as they flittered between the branches. Everything was peaceful and serene – the most perfect place she could ever imagine.

Caleb seemed just as entranced as she was, and happy to simply listen to the wind gently creaking the boughs of the trees and the sound of birdsong. Kira found herself feeling a little ashamed of having accused him of only being interested in the park because he was interested in finding his treasure – it was obvious he was genuinely enthralled by the beauty everywhere around them.

But to be fair, can you blame me for having a moment of doubt?she thought – it wasn’t every day someone told her such a fantastical story! And then showed her such fantastical things!

Kira stared at Caleb from beneath her eyelashes. It seemed impossible to believe that just an hour ago, he’d turned into… into a dragon. With scales and wings and a long neck and sweeping tail. He definitely looked like a completely regular human now.

Well… maybe not completely regular.

She honestly didn’t think regular humans came in such a degree of handsomeness. Regardless of whether Caleb turned into a dragon or a squirrel or a waffle iron, she still couldn’t seem to help being wildly attracted to him.

They’d been interrupted in their kiss by Caleb’s need to be honest with her before they went any further, which Kira appreciated. But…

But if I kissed him again now, would he still pull away? Now that I know the truth, there’s nothing keeping us apart, right?!

Perhaps he was worried about the curse – he’d said he didn’t want to risk the people close to him. And after what had happened with the tree branch, Kira found she couldn’t really blame him for that.

But if it turned out she was wrong about the aurum lacunosa and it wasn’t the key to breaking his curse after all, did that mean they wouldn’t be able to do anything about the attraction Kira knew she felt simmering between them?

Kira shook her head. No. No, I don’t care about that.

She’d never met anyone like Caleb before – no one she’d ever gotten along with so instantaneously, who she felt so comfortable with. And she’d never felt this kind of powerful attraction to anyone before in her life.

Not to mention, he was a dragon.

Kira felt a warm little shiver running down her spine at the thought.

There had to be something there, curse or not. Caleb couldn’t just come into her life, be so charming, sweet and hot, tell her Oh, by the way, I’m a dragon, and then just leave again. That just wouldn’t be fair at all.

“You’ll have to tell me more about this whole dragon thing,” she said as they walked, trying to jerk herself out of her slightly morose thoughts. “Like… have you always been a dragon? You said it was a family thing, so I’m assuming you don’t need to get bitten by a weredragon or something like that to gain its powers.”

Caleb laughed softly. “No, nothing like that. It’s definitely a family thing – dragon clans have been around since I don’t know when. Clans are just like huge extended families, and we’re pretty close-knit. It used to be the case that dragons were at each other’s throats a lot – lots of fighting and wars, and settling things with duels – but we don’t do things like that anymore. We’re a pretty civilized bunch now, I promise.”

“Huh,” Kira said, digesting that. “But you do put curses on each other?”

Caleb shook his head. “No – not anymore. Like I said, that curse has been on my family for generations, and the clan that did it doesn’t even know that kind of magic anymore. It’s why they couldn’t offer me much help in breaking it, except to show me that parchment. They have no idea how it works.”

Kira laughed. “Well, that’s a little inconvenient.”

Smiling, Caleb glanced across at her, his eyes warm. “It is, but I guess coming out here has had its benefits. If they’d just waved a magic wand or whatever and taken the curse off me, then I never would have had the chance to meet you. I guess sometimes I do have good luck.”

Kira flushed, feeling her stomach turning over. “I – I’m really glad I got to meet you too,” she managed to squeak out. Then, she gave herself a shake. What am I, a woman or a mouse?! “More than glad. I mean… I’ve never met anyone like you before. I don’t just mean the… the dragon thing, though obviously I’ve also never met a dragon before.”

Caleb gave her a curious glance, opening his mouth before closing it again. Kira wondered what he’d been going to say – she’d have to quiz him about it later. Right now, she thought she’d better just stay focused on what she wanted to say, before she lost her nerve.

“I mean… it’s been really special getting to know you over the past few days. And I’d – I’d really like the chance to keep getting to know you. I know you have your life back in the city, but – but I really think there’s something – um, something between us –”

Kira trailed off, blushing. I sound like something out of a corny movie! But she couldn’t help it – Caleb just made her feel like she was in a corny movie.

When she chanced a glance up at him, however, Caleb didn’t seem to be put off by her cheesy speech. If anything, his eyes had lit up, and he was looking at her with a kind of undisguised joy that made her heartbeat speed up.

“Then – you feel it too?” he asked, voice soft and hopeful. “You think we have a connection?”

“Um. I do, yeah,” Kira said, nodding. “I can’t really explain it. But…”

Stopping on the path next to her, Caleb caught her hand in his.

“I might be able to explain it though, Kira,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. “There’s more to being a dragon than just breathing fire and having a hoard. It comes with… with other things too.”

Kira blinked, gazing up at him. Part of her wanted to make a saucy joke about these other things, but most of her thought she probably wouldn’t be able to pull it off without wanting to die of embarrassment.

“Um. What do you mean?”

“It’s a little complicated,” Caleb told her. “But I hope it’ll also be good.”

“Well… if it’s so complicated, how about we set up camp for the day, and you can tell me all about it after we cook dinner?” Kira suggested. “It’s afternoon, and night comes on pretty early at this time of year – and believe me, you don’t want to be trying to set up a tent in the dark.”

“Yeah – I in particular don’t want that,” Caleb laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever set up a tent before, period.”

“Never?” Kira laughed. “You never went camping?”

“Hey, I’m a city dragon,” Caleb said, holding up his hands. “And need I remind you, under a bad luck curse. You think a tent won’t find a way to blow away in the wind the minute I try to stake it to the ground? Or collapse in on me no matter how well I put it together? You’re underestimating the determination of a bad luck curse here, I think.”

Kira had to laugh. “Well, that’s not going to happen to us, is it?”

“It might,” Caleb said, suddenly sounding a little more somber. “The curse can be pretty inconsistent at times. I’ve gone weeks at a time without anything happening to me, then – bam! It’s back, and I’m getting drenched by an exploding garden hose, or a seagull is stealing my lunch sixty miles inland.” He shook his head. “That’s why what I’ve got to tell you is… a little bit complicated. I don’t want you to feel like you have any obligations to me, in case this mushroom thing turns out not to work.”

Kira frowned as she unfolded the tent from her pack. It was sturdy but compact, and folded down to a carriable size. She wanted to ask more questions, but she figured Caleb would explain himself in his own time. She had to admit, however, she was curious.

The tent, thankfully, went up in record time – Caleb’s curse must have tired itself out collapsing the stairs or something, and had decided to leave him alone for the time being. On inspecting it, however, one thing Kira realized she hadn’t taken into account was just how, uh, snug the tent would be with two grown adults inside it – especially one as tall as Caleb.

Well,she thought, not quite able to swallow her smile, that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

She shouldn’t get ahead of herself, however. First, she needed to know what exactly it was Caleb wanted to tell her.

“I brought some canned soup with me,” Kira said as she crawled out of the tent. “Nothing fancy, but it’ll keep us going. But perhaps it would be better for me to be in charge of the fire and the cooking – no offense.”

“None taken,” Caleb told her with a smile.

It didn’t take long for Kira to have a little cooking fire going, and for the soup to be boiling merrily away on it. This was the kind of thing she’d done all the time as a kid, and it had been a little while since she’d had the chance. She patrolled the parklands and made sure other campers and hikers weren’t getting into trouble, but she rarely had the chance to camp or hike for her own relaxation anymore. She loved her job, but it was something she missed.

“Here you go,” she said, as she ladled some soup into a bowl for Caleb. “I can make you up some toast if you like as well – I brought some bread and a toasting fork.”

“This is fine for now,” Caleb said, blowing on the soup. “And it smells way better than canned soup has any right to smell.”

It wasn’t bad, Kira had to admit herself as she took a slurp. Or maybe she was just that hungry – they’d been hiking for a few hours, after all.

As they scraped out their bowls, she turned to Caleb. As much as she didn’t want to rush him, she really needed some answers.

“So – what was that complicated thing you wanted to tell me?”

Caleb set his bowl aside, licking his lips. “All right – I’ll tell you. But it might sound a little strange at first.”

The day had grown dark around them while they’d set up camp and cooked their dinner, and now the small fire cast long shadows across Caleb’s face, making him look serious and, somehow, even more handsome than ever.

Kira swallowed as she stared at him, unable to tear her eyes away.

“Kira…” Caleb started, turning toward her, his blue eyes dark in the low light. “You said you thought we had a connection, right?”

Kira nodded. “I did. Um. Sorry if that sounded corny or too forward. I just –”

“No, no, it didn’t at all,” Caleb rushed to reassure her. Seemingly unconsciously, he reached out to cover her hand with his, sending a delicious fizz of electricity over Kira’s skin, which settled in her belly. “What I meant to say is, that isn’t just you imagining things. We really do have a connection.”

Blinking, Kira gazed up at him. “We do?”

“It’s… hard to explain,” Caleb said. “I’ve always known, being a dragon. So it just seems a very natural thing to me. But I can understand that to a human, it might take some getting used to.”

Kira couldn’t think of a single thing to say to that, so she simply stared at him, mute. What is he even talking about?

“I’m just going to come out with it,” Caleb said. “Kira, being a dragon means I share a mate bond with someone – someone who was made just for me, just like I’m made just for them. We never know when we’re going to meet the person we were fated to be with, and no one really understands how it happens. It’s lost magic, but it’s never really faded away. It’s all part of being a dragon – though other kinds of shifters have fated mates as well. But we do always know when we find them. And Kira – my fated mate is –”

“Me?!” Kira burst out, unable to hold back. Her mouth popped open as she stared at him. “Are you – are you sure?!”

She felt like her head was spinning. First dragons existed – and now this? Kira wanted to tell Caleb he must be mistaken, but somehow, in her heart, she knew he wasn’t. Compared with the fact that just a few hours ago he’d turned into a dragon right in front of her, this seemed like kind of small potatoes.

Except it’s not,Kira thought, feeling her heartbeat thudding in her chest. It’s the most important thing anyone has ever said to me. That I’m Caleb’s fated mate.

She stared up into his eyes. There was no doubt at all in them – just something that made her stomach clench and her heart flood with warmth.

“I –” she started, before her voice cracked. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to hitch your life to someone who was under a bad luck curse,” Caleb said. “It’s not exactly the most convenient way to live your life.”

“What? No!” Kira said, shaking her head. “That’s not what I meant at all! I was just… a little stunned, that’s all. I mean, I thought we had a connection, but I wasn’t thinking it was a real, actually magical one! I just thought you were hot! And kind. And interesting. And kind of just… all-round amazing.”

She laughed, realizing she was babbling, and a moment later, Caleb joined in.

“But Kira, I can’t ask you to stick with me if – if this doesn’t work,” he said, serious again after a moment. “It wouldn’t be fair to ask that of y—” Caleb cut himself off as she lifted her hand, pressing her palm against his cheek.

Well,she thought, here goes.

If Caleb wouldn’t take her words as evidence that she didn’t care about any stupid bad luck curse, then she’d clearly have to resort to actions instead.

Leaning up, she pressed her lips against his.

Oh… oh my goodness…

Kira could pretty confidently say she’d never experienced a kiss like this before.

It felt as if warm sparks of electricity were flowing between their lips, making her skin tingle, her heart leap in her chest, and her stomach clench.

Unable to help herself, she groaned a little into Caleb’s mouth, her arms winding around his shoulders. She felt Caleb’s arms around her, warm and strong, drawing her closer as they deepened the kiss, her breasts pushing against his chest, making her gasp.

“Okay – okay –” she breathed out when at last they broke apart, her head swimming, her breath short. She felt dizzy – but it was with a delicious, warm, throbbing desire that seemed to fill every part of her, from the top of her head down to her toes.

And looking at Caleb, with his swollen lips, desire-darkened eyes, and heaving chest, Kira had a pretty good idea he felt exactly the same way.

“Okay, if I don’t take a moment, I think I may faint,” she finally managed to gasp out.

“Do you want to stop?” Caleb asked her, concern tinging his expression. “I get this might be a little fast –”

“No, I definitely do not,” Kira blurted out before she could stop herself, before laughing. “I mean… just let me catch my breath. But no – this is fine. More than fine. I mean… I’ve never felt this way before. Is this all because of the – the what did you call it?”

“The mate bond,” Caleb said, nodding. “I’ve heard it’ll make you feel… well, like this. But I wasn’t really prepared for just how much this it’d feel.”

Kira laughed again. “I guess I should be happy I’m not the only one who’s feeling a little swept off their feet right now, then.”

“No. No, you’re most definitely not.”

Kira glanced up at Caleb again from beneath her eyelashes. He looked stunning like this – flushed from the force of their kiss, his eyes filled with desire, his hair tousled.

And she knew that she was not going to survive a night in close quarters with him without touching him. She had a pretty good idea that he wouldn’t mind that in the slightest, however. Kira could feel her own throbbing desire rising within her. She wanted to press herself closer to Caleb, feel his skin against hers.

She’d never felt anything like this before – the desire for him that coursed through her veins was almost dizzying. Kira had always considered herself a little unromantic, maybe even a little staid and boring. But right now, all she could feel was heat, running through her veins, making her skin feel like it was sizzling.

“Kira –” Caleb gasped, as her hands ghosted lightly over him, and when Kira raised her eyes to his face, she found his eyes dark with lust in the low light, his cheeks flushed. “Kira, are you sure –”

“Of course I’m sure,” she said quickly. “I’ve never been more sure of anything before in my life.”

She meant it, too – she could feel it, sitting at the core of her. The rightness of this, how much Caleb had already come to mean to her, even though they’d known each other only a short time. He was unlike anyone she’d ever met before – and not just because he was a dragon.

It’s because we were made for each other,Kira thought, remembering what Caleb had told her about the mate bond. We were always meant to be.

The knowledge sent a line of fire straight through her, and Caleb’s lips were searing against hers when he leaned down to kiss her again, sending white-hot heat racing through her, all the way to her core. She could feel the hardness at the apex of his thighs pressing against her, and she groaned into his mouth.

“Come on,” she whispered, taking his hand and drawing him up with her as she stood. “I think I know what we should do next.”

“Oh?” Caleb asked her, allowing her to lead him away from the dying coals of their campfire. “And what’s that?”

Kira smiled over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow. “I think we should test out how sturdily I put up our tent.”

Caleb blinked at her, looking almost stunned, until a wide grin broke out over his face. “Well, it’s hard for me to argue with that. Safety 101, after all.”

“Exactly right,” Kira said, grinning, before together, they stumbled over to the tent.