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)
I shifted in his embrace, not sure what to say. I wanted to hug him back. I wanted to kiss him like I had the night of the Hatching…and hadn’t ever since.
Neither of us had spoken about the “kissing lesson” or what had almost happened between us, though there was still a red mark on my neck where he’d kissed and sucked me and I had left a mark on his throat as well. I think we both knew it was dangerous and had decided by silent but mutual consent not to pursue our feelings. Also, I’d been distracted enough with L’eesha that I’d been able to push the desire I felt for Ryse to the back of my mind.
Now I felt it roaring to life again, rushing through me like dragon fire as Ryse held me close to his big, muscular body and I remembered how sweet his kisses were.
“if you want to put your mouth on Ryse’s mouth, why don’t you?” I heard L’eesha say. She was watching us with her head cocked to one side, like we were some kind of experiment she couldn’t figure out.
“Because it’s not that simple,” I sent back.
“why not? it is a want—a need—like when I need to eat, I just eat,” she pointed out. “mating is a need too—isn’t it?”
I wasn’t about to explain the facts of life to my dragon—not right then, anyway.
“It’s complicated with people,” I told her. “You can’t just mate with someone whenever you feel like it.”
“why not? here—i will help you.”
I had a bad feeling about this.
“L’eesha, no—what are you doing?” I demanded, turning to look at her.
But she had already done it.
When I turned back to look at Ryse, he had that look on his face again.
“M’alex tells me that L’eesha says I need to put my mouth on yours because you want to mate with me,” he said.
“Oh, God and Goddess!” I took a step back from him, feeling my face go hot with a blush. “I never said that!”
He laughed, a low, amused rumble that I felt all through my body.
“She’s quite a little matchmaker, your Golden Queen.”
“She’s a little meddler,” I said fiercely and frowned at her.
L’eesha was immediately contrite. Though she rarely apologized for anything she did, she felt bad if I got upset with her.
“i’m sorry, my Auri!” She pressed her soft nose against my side and looked up at me with the saddest puppy-dog eyes. “i was just trying to help you mate with Ryse. he wants to mate with you too, you know. M’alex says it’s all he thinks about.”
It was my turn to give Ryse a look.
“What? What is it? What are they saying?” he demanded. Then M’alex must have bespoken him because his face turned red. “You said what?” he exclaimed, and I knew he was talking to his dragon, not to me. “You can’t go telling people things like that!”
“see? i am not the only one who is in trouble,” L’eesha said in my mind, sounding exceedingly smug. “anyway,” she continued. “M’alex says the two of you are just being foolish. he says eventually you will mate.”
I didn’t know about that, but when I looked back at Ryse, he had a troubled look on his face.
Of course he doesn’t really want to “mate” with you—he still thinks you’re a boy! Another male cadet! I told myself, being careful to keep that little nugget of information to myself and not pass it on to L’eesha. I loved my little golden dragon with all my heart, but she couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. I didn’t need her telling Ryse or anyone else that I was hiding my true identity.
“Well…” Ryse said and cleared his throat.
“I guess you’d better teach me how to swim,” I said brightly, doing my level best to change the subject. “Since the ‘Golden Queen’ commands it.”
“You laugh but the dragons really do listen to her and obey her,” he said seriously. “At least, M’alex does. And he’s the biggest and most powerful dragon at the Academy.”
I frowned.
“Does that ever happen? I mean, a hatchling telling a full-grown dragon what to do?”
He shook his head.
“Not that I’ve ever heard of. They mostly treat the hatchlings the way you or I would treat a baby or a toddler. But M’alex takes everything L’eesha says seriously.”
“that is because i am smart and i am the Queen,” L’eesha said, butting in as usual.
I had to laugh as I turned to scratch behind her eye-ridges again.
“You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
“i know you love me,” was her answer. “and that is all that matters, my Auri.”
And for that moment, she was right—the love we had was all that mattered…but I had a feeling that there were more problems coming soon.
I wasn’t wrong.
52
AURORA
I expected the trouble to come from my head-strong, opinionated, and downright bossy golden dragon. And some of it did.