Chapter Fifteen

We needed a special night out for the three of us. With our concerns about Rome, and his really limited time, we put our heads together to try to come up with a plan. Clay had told us of his wealth, but until he suggested we take a helicopter to a picnic, I had no idea how much money he truly had. It wasn't my first time in a whirly bird, but the first time, it wasn't strictly a business expense shouldered by a client.

Just to have fun? Okay. We could do this.

The chopper waited for us at a small, private heliport. At one point, I'd wondered if he owned the helicopter, but he laughed that off. "I gave up most of my possessions when I moved here, remember? For sure, I wouldn't have kept possession of a helicopter, if I'd owned one. But I do enjoy riding in them, and the place I have in mind for our shifting picnic can be easily accessed this way."

Rome climbed out of the car and looked around. "Is it safe?" He cast a nervous glance at where the helicopter waited, rotors turning lazily. "I've heard they can have problems with them. Flight is nothing to mess with." Our dragon, whose powerful wings could lift us all into the air, was concerned about mechanical flight. "I could fly us…"

"It's quite safe, sir." A representative of the company approached. "Your pilot flew in the military for over a decade before they came to us. He has an excellent safety record and all their information is available right in the office if you want to check it out."

"No, it's all right." Rome had the grace to flush a little. "It's not a question of trusting the pilot. I'm just more used to being under my own power. I wouldn't want them to be offended."

"Then come right this way." The rep, an older wolf shifter, waved us onward. "You'll be flying over the city a bit before heading to your destination. The lights can be quite enchanting." He continued on describing our flight path as we approached the helicopter. "Ready to board?"

It was quite the luxurious experience, at least as I imagined such things were. Comfortable seats, for sure, the entire machine sleek and expensive looking. I wondered what it cost, but when I'd asked, Clay brushed my questions away. I would have liked to pay part but had a feeling that offer would really be taken poorly. At least I'd managed to be responsible for our picnic, which had been delivered to the heliport by the caterers who'd prepared it.

The pilot who greeted us as we boarded was a female shifter, a squirrel I thought, bright and chipper. "Welcome, gentlemen. I'll be your pilot this evening, so don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions. I understand there is a flier among you?"

Rome, about to strap into a seat in the back row, lifted his hand. "Dragon, but our sugar glider does a bit as well."

Clay snorted. "I glide, but you are a true flier."

"I only ask because sometimes those who fly elsewhere like to sit up with me and see how everything works. No pressure if you'd rather not."

He was already out of the seat he'd been about to occupy and halfway to the front when she stopped speaking, and I suppressed the urge to laugh, not wanting him to feel self-conscious. By the time we lifted off, our dragon was intent on watching everything the pilot did and asking questions about it all.

I turned my attention to the promised city view below, edged by the dark waters of the Pacific to the west. "So many lights," I murmured. "The city has grown quite a lot, but it somehow doesn't feel the same as other urban areas."

"I like it here," Clay said, reaching for my hand. "Especially the company."

We left the urban and suburban areas behind before long, heading inland and landed on an open mesa where we disembarked and unloaded our picnic. "I'll be back before dawn," the pilot said before closing the door and lifting off again, leaving us just in time for the rising of a full, golden moon. I'd always loved the beach and mountains, but there was something about the desert that my bear and I loved, and spending this evening with our mates here in this wide-open space was beyond magical.

"What do you want to do first?" Rome asked, already perched near the edge of the mesa. "Eat or shift?"

Clay's grin told me he was just as aware as me of what our mate wanted. "Let's play first and eat later?" he suggested. "Unless you're hungry, Rome?"

"Uh, not terribly. It's a long way down there. I want to swoop."

"How about you fly, while we set up our dinner and have the pleasure of watching." We could shift in a bit, but my bear wanted to see him out here where he could be free and really stretch. "Is that okay with everyone?"

"Sure—" Clay said, but Rome was already stripping off his clothes and becoming the dragon I was endlessly fascinated with, leaping into the air and disappearing over the edge. Then he reappeared. He was so big that his wings cast a wide shadow over the desert floor below. We laid out the blanket in the basket that came with the cooler and took a seat near the edge where we could enjoy the show. After a while, we shifted too, but I'd never grow tired of watching Rome fly, his grace and fierce power a kind of feral beauty that made my breath catch in my throat.

Eventually we shifted back and ate the delicious sandwiches and salads and baked treats and then made love in the moonlight, then did everything all over again. It felt like no time had passed when we heard the distant clop-clop of the helicopter's rotors in the distance telling us our date was ending.

But when you were with your mates, did the date ever really end?