Dante pulled as hard as he could on the adjustable leather saddle in an attempt to extend it. It should have been able to comfortably fit all three of them. Really, it was made to accommodate five riders. But whatever Tamar—Adrina, he reminded himself—had done to it had really, truly broken it. He didn’t dare touch it with his magic; he’d likely just break it further. A novice couldn’t ride a dragon without a saddle. They’d have to continue on foot if it broke entirely. So this was as good as it was going to get. Adrina would have to wait until Pregg to have it looked at, the only place in Wassalia that catered to dragons and their riders.
Hot steam blasted Dante as Gordy twisted his neck back and chuffed. The great beast was sick of him fiddling with it. The dragon’s sky-blue scales shimmered in the morning sun as whipped his head forward--back to Bear. Dante apologized and descended his knobbly front leg, landing in the dirt of the open space the dragon had claimed for the night with a small cloud of dust circling his boots. They were on the edge of the great forest, well outside the limits of Sartu. Dante couldn’t even hear the town anymore.
Dante watched as the princess scratched at the dragon’s maw, murmuring sweet nothings at it that Dante could clearly hear. He vaguely thought he wouldn’t be opposed to her calling him a good boy when he realized he’d hit a new low.
He was jealous of a dragon.
Dante cleared his throat, wiping the sweat from his brow that fiddling with the saddle had produced. “You know a dragon can kill you quite a bit easier than a wolf can,” he observed.
Bear flicked her golden brown eyes to him, her hand still caressing the dragon. Her blond hair remained in the braided halo and knot he had fixed for her; he knew it would last several more days. “Can and will are two very different things.”
She was right. The dragon had instantly warmed to her and she’d been coddling it the entire half hour Dante had been attempting to fix the saddle. Gordy was certainly not going to harm her.
“I’m just saying, you seem to have a knack for ignoring the threat of a very dangerous predator.” The dragon twisted toward Dante and again blasted him with his hot breath. Gods, it reeked.
“Oh, do go on about how easily you can kill me. It’s been nearly twelve hours since your last lecture and I might have forgotten since then.” Bear pressed her forehead to the dragon’s maw when it turned back to her, closing her eyes in bliss.
Adrina laughed as she pushed herself off the tree she’d been leaning against and joined Dante. “I think I might like her,” she said loudly enough for Bear to hear, though the princess kept her attention--and hands--on Gordy.
“You wouldn’t if you knew who she was,” Dante said and immediately regretted it when that had Bear raising her eyes to them, looking more curious than hurt.
Adrina flicked her pale eyes between the traveling companions as if she could figure out the princess’s identity by the look they shared. When she was unsuccessful, she announced, “Now that you’ve seen for yourself the stupid thing’s broken, shall we hit the sky?”
Dante reached into his bag now full of food, supplies, and even a blanket. He pulled out his leathers before closing the bag securely to make sure nothing would be lost when they were barreling through the air. “Put these on,” he said as he held them out to Bear.
The princess looked at them apprehensively, then him.
Dante sighed, wagging the clothes. “It will be cold up there. These are made for flying. Just put them on over your clothes to help keep you safe and comfortable.”
When Bear didn't seem convinced, Adrina confirmed he was right, then brushed past the princess to climb up Gordy’s leg swiftly and nimbly, using his scales as hand and footholds.
Bear begrudgingly accepted the clothes and pulled the pants on over her own traveling pair he had picked out back in that small village. They would have landed a couple inches higher than her natural waist and were a bit baggy, but the fabric bunched around her navel without falling down, thanks to her perfect hips and ass. She inspected herself then folded the waist down a few times to secure the fit a bit more.
Good enough.
The legs, however, flowed out to the toes of her boots.
Dante dropped to one knee and grabbed her calf, lifting it up. She understood and took over holding her leg out, gripping his shoulder for support, as he rolled the cuff up to her ankle. He repeated on her other leg, all while avoiding thinking about what else he could be doing to her in this position and the feel of her fingers pressing into his shirt.
After he rose, Bear slipped on his shirt, buttoning it up to the collar and rolling up the sleeves to her wrists herself. “Won’t you be cold?”
“No,” he said simply, though he remained in his simple, I’m-definitely-not-an-assassin ensemble. He was made for the sky.
Bear gave him a look as if she didn’t believe him, then walked past him to approach Gordy’s leg. As she did so, she touched his arm. “Thank you, Con.”
Dante watched as Bear warily looked over the beast’s leg, then reached up to grip one of the jutting knobbly scales. She pulled herself up and awkwardly toed Gordy’s leg searching for a foothold. Eventually, she found one and continued in a slow and clumsy ascent. If she was his friend, Dante would be teasing her. But she wasn’t, so he kept his mouth shut.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Until she slipped. Then he cursed as he closed the distance between him and the dragon in time to catch her before she landed on her butt.
Which is exactly the body part his right hand grasped as his left hand circled around her front to grip her side. Gods, she was soft.
Dante made sure she was steady on her own two feet before releasing quickly without squeezing her like he had a sudden impulse to. What the fuck was wrong with him?
“Would you like some help?” he asked Bear as Adrina peered down at them, her face unreadable as she was already wearing her soft leather helmet with a protective covering over her eyes. “I don’t have to touch you.”
Bear looked at him quizzically. “When have I ever given you the impression that I’m afraid of you touching me?”
She hadn’t, of course. She gave him the impression that she wasn’t afraid of anything outside of wolves. And--maybe--going back to Hogard. But she had threatened to rip his balls off if he touched her. Dante merely shrugged. Apparently that was no longer the case.
“How would you help without touching me anyway?”
Dante used his magic to lift the princess off the ground slowly, gently so as not to startle her. He only lifted her a few inches, waiting for her consent to continue. “Like that. Would you like me to put you in the saddle?”
Bear stared wide-eyed at him--though she hadn’t gasped or shrieked. “How does your gift work?”
Dante considered how to explain it. Nobody had ever asked before. “It’s almost like extra hands I can use. But they don’t have to be the size of my actual hands. In this case, it’s kind of like you’re standing on the palm of a giant hand and I’m lifting it up.”
She considered for a moment. “Do it. Please.”
Dante carefully raised her over the dragon, then lowered her into the saddle right behind where Adrina sat on Gordy’s bare neck. By the time he climbed up, Adrina had already explained the straps that would keep one seated, and Bear was finishing tying them tightly in place. Dante double checked they were secure before taking his seat behind her and tying his own.
Adrina was not fucking kidding. With the saddle stuck in this position, they were sitting close. His entire frontside was pressed into Bear’s backside. Chest to back, thigh to thigh, cock to ass.
And at that thought, it twitched.
Shit. Dante immediately began thinking of the most gruesome sights he’d ever seen--of which there were many. Blood. Guts. Dismembered limbs. Sol’s greasy face.
The princess shifted her hips. Backwards. Then twisted her neck around to look at him--and show him her devious smile. “Comfy?”
“I’m sorry,” Dante blurted, flustered.
But her smile faltered and she tilted her head with furrowed brows. “For what?”
What the fuck was wrong with him? She hadn’t even felt his cock stir for her. He was a grown-ass man and he was fumbling around like a teenager who’d just realized what his dick was for. And why? Because this monster was pleasant to look at and felt good to touch? That applied to most women.
But Bear was also funny. She had manners. She was a bit chaotic, yes, but in a spunky, entertaining way. She seemed to care about Carson’s death. And she had won over a dragon--notorious for being good judges of character--in seconds.
She didn’t seem like a monster.
Dante had been quiet long enough that Adrina had also turned around to look at him, raising a knowing brow under the transparent eye shield. He couldn’t see her mouth, but he knew she’d be smirking. He knew she’d also likely realized why he had apologized to the princess.
“Ready to go, newlyweds?” the dragon whisperer purred.
She didn’t wait for an answer. Gordy launched from the ground using his powerful four legs before flapping his enormous wings to thrust himself--and his riders--high into the sky.
Before they were moving fast enough for the roaring air to drown it out, Dante heard Bear’s heart begin pounding faster and instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. He internally chastised himself and was about to pull it back when her own arm landed atop it, crushing it harder into her stomach as her other arm reached back toward him, flapping wildly until it found his other arm and pulled it forward to circle her waist as well.
She may not be afraid of much, but it seems flying might be on that list. What a shame.
Dante leaned his head down to speak directly into her ear so his words wouldn’t be carried away on the wind. “It’s okay, Princess. Gordy is a pro and he likes you. You’re safe.”
Bear responded but Dante couldn’t hear her. He attempted to raise his arm, but her fingers on his wrist dug deeper in warning, so he leaned into her again. “I won’t let go. I couldn’t hear what you said. I was just going to guide you back to me.”
She loosened her grip, keeping her head forward.
Dante had just told her what he planned to do--guide her head back so her mouth could come close to his ear. He didn’t understand why she didn’t just do it herself now that she knew that’s how you had to speak when in the air. But as her head remained in the same position, he carried on with his previous intention.
Dante raised his arm over her chest making sure not to touch them--it--and gently wrapped his hand around her neck. He focused on her soft skin and strong pulse under his fingertips, then slowly pushed her back as he leaned forward again, tilting his head to bring his ear to her mouth. When they were in position, he released her neck and brought his arm back to her waist where she promptly intertwined her fingers over his.
Bear let her lips touch Dante’s ear and his cock stirred again. “I asked if he’d let me fall to my death if he didn’t like me.”
Dante laughed. Flying had that effect on him. It was as if the cold, rushing air blasted away his inhibitions and the walls he kept up when around anyone but those few people he was closest to.
He twisted his head back so his mouth was near her ear. He returned the favor, letting his lower lip graze Bear’s earlobe as he responded. Gods, his mouth was on her skin. “Maybe. But I would catch you.”
Bear kept her head leaned back in the space between his head and shoulder, but she didn’t turn to respond. She was just resting on him. As if she was comfortable. As if his arms around her front and his chest on her back made her feel safe.
He leaned into her again. “Closing your eyes will help keep them from getting stung by the wind, but it might make you feel sick after a while. You can lean forward to let Adrina’s body block the wind from you.”
Bear didn’t respond, nor did she lean forward. She remained completely ensconced in him as the roaring wind whipped around, Gordy’s wings flapped in great booms, and the landscape below became a patchwork of greens and golds.
Dante didn’t let go.