Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
But I had no future husband here—just my Wing Leader who still thought I was a man—thank goodness—and who held me anyway and let me cry.
Ryse, who didn’t seem to mind that I was getting his chest all wet, stroked my hair and murmured something soothing. I didn’t understand what he said but I didn’t have to—it made me feel better…made me feel safe—safe in his arms.
At last the sobs tapered off and the tears dried up. Swiping at my eyes, I looked up at him.
“Feeling better now?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“A little,” I admitted. “How…how did you know to come looking for me?”
“Figured that Larson would take the opportunity to come after you, so I didn’t take my usual tea,” he said. “And I had M’alex in my head, warning me that you were in danger.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“He took time out of a Mating Flight to warn you about me?”
Ryse shook his head.
“No—M’alex didn’t rise last night. In fact, he’s never risen for a Mating Flight.”
“He hasn’t?” I shook my head. “Why not?”
Ryse shrugged.
“He says he’s waiting for the right female—for his mate. I can only imagine how much worse last night would have been if he did rise.” He shivered. “God and Goddess, I would have gone out of my fucking skull!”
“How different was last night from a regular Mating Flight?” I asked curiously. Now that I had gotten over my fear and let my feelings out, I was much more able to talk.
“It was about ten times more intense, for one thing,” Ryse growled. “Mating Flights aren’t normally like that.”
“Well, what usually happens?” I asked. “I mean, I saw…all kinds of things. People doing things I didn’t think they would want to do under, er, normal circumstances.”
“Usually it’s just a lot of fooling around,” Ryse remarked. “Mostly cadets kissing and groping some. Nothing like the fucking orgy that went on last night.” He raked a hand through his hair. “The ones who don’t like other males will generally take a sleeping draught or a calming tea when they hear the horns to help them deal with their, uh, urges.”
“Oh, so that’s why you usually take something?” I asked, looking at him from the corner of my eye. “Because you don’t, er, like other males that way?”
“That’s right,” he said, frowning, as though he was trying to convince himself as well as me. “I don’t. Last night was just…”
“Last night was an anomaly,” I finished for him, since he seemed to be groping for the right word and couldn’t find it. “It was just a one-off. Nothing to be ashamed of.”
Ryse looked relieved.
“You think so?”
“I know so,” I said firmly, though I knew nothing of the kind. I shook my head. “I just wonder what set the dragons off? I mean, what made last night’s Mating Flight so, er, intense?”
“Hell if I know.” He sighed and sank down on the side of the bed. “But I have an idea there’s a lot of cadets who aren’t going to be able to look each other in the eyes today.”
I thought of Jorn-o and Greer and had to agree with him. I hadn’t known my best friend at the Academy had those sorts of proclivities. Not that I liked him any less because of it, but still…last night had laid a lot of things bare that most people probably would have prefered to keep covered.
“You know, several people warned me about the Mating Flights, but nobody would explain what they were or what happened during them,” I said to Ryse.
He grimaced.
“Yeah, the Academy leadership doesn’t like to talk about it, but it’s one reason they only accept cadets who are over the age of consent. It’s just kind of one of those things about living with dragons—they make you crazy every once in a while. Of course, the married professors can all go to their wives but the cadets…only have each other.”
“Or a sleeping draught,” I said.
He nodded.
“Yeah, or that. But I don’t even know if taking one would have helped last night. I’ve never felt anything like that!”
“Do you think many people took something and it didn’t help?” I asked.
“Possibly.” He shrugged. “Of course, if your dragon is rising to the flight, there’s nothing you can take that will dull the need. I’ve just been lucky so far that M’alex doesn’t care to rise.”
“I wonder who he’s waiting for—who his mate is?” I asked.
Ryse shook his head.
“Whoever she is, she isn’t hatched yet. But when she finally comes along…” He made a low whistling sound. “Watch out.”
“Don’t dragons take some time to mature?” I asked.
“Not as much as you’d think. They grow at an astonishing rate.” He sighed and let himself fall back against the pillows. “God and Goddess, I’m so fucking tired.”
“Me too.” I sighed and sat on the bed beside his long legs. “Scoot over, would you?”