In a heartbeat, Kiril rolled her onto her back and covered her body with his. “It’s no’ a dream, nor is Balladyn in your head. You’re here with me. It’s where I want you to remain always.”
“A Fae and a Dragon King. That didn’t work the first time around.” She didn’t want to bring up Rhi’s involvement with the Kings, but she had to for her own peace of mind.
“You’re no’ Rhi, and I’m no’ …” His voice trailed off as he briefly looked past her. “We’re no’ them.”
“Even now you won’t tell me who her lover was?”
“It’ll be the only thing I keep from you from here on out.”
“Why is it so important that Rhi’s lover be kept secret?”
He kissed her leisurely, carnally. “I’d rather talk about us.”
“What about?” She let him change the subject. There was a reason the Kings felt the need to hide the name of whoever Rhi’s lover was, and though she was intrigued, Shara respected that privacy.
“I want to show you every inch of Dreagan.” His shamrock green eyes held hers. “I want you beside me. Eternally.”
Shara’s heart jumped in her throat. She was afraid to talk, afraid to even hope. It was enough that he loved her. She didn’t expect more, though she wanted it with every fiber of her being.
And yet, she was a Fae.
“You were meant to be mine,” Kiril continued. “And I was meant to be yours. I doona care what you are or what you were. You hold my heart, and that’s enough for me.”
“Even the one King who dared to take a Fae as his lover didn’t remain with her. I’d rather know that this can’t go anywhere than to get my hopes up for more.”
Kiril jumped to his feet and held out his hand. “Come.”
“Where?” she asked, gathering her clothes before grabbing his hand.
He pulled her to her feet. “Dawn is here.”
She looked at the sky to see the clouds drenched in deep red and the same burnt orange as Kiril’s scales. Shara finished dressing and turned to him, only to find a dragon before her once more.
“Oh, you did that on purpose,” she said with her hands on her hips. “You can’t tell me anything now. We’re going to have to discuss some rules, you know.”
She could’ve sworn he smiled. Even then she couldn’t stay irritated at him. Dragons began to fly closer to them, as if dawn signaled the end to their freedom.
Shara gazed at the huge hand with glossy talons that Kiril held out palm down. She understood what he was asking and didn’t hesitate to go to him. Her hands slid along his shiny scales to find them warm to the touch.
She glanced at his head to find his dragon eyes watching her. Shara hurried up his arm and shoulder to settle at the end of his neck where it met his back. He rose, causing her to laugh as she quickly grabbed onto his scales. A moment later he leapt into the air, his enormous wings spreading wide to catch the air current.
Her smile was wide, her laughter loud as the wind whipped around her. Shara wasn’t afraid of falling, because she knew Kiril would keep her safe. He soared among the clouds, sailed over the land showing her a world she would never have been able to imagine.
She spread her arms wide and threw back her head with her eyes closed. This was heaven, nirvana. How she wished she could’ve seen the world when the dragons still ruled.
Kiril dove down, causing Shara to grab hold of him once more. She saw he was headed toward a mountain that had an opening large enough to fit a jumbo jet inside it. One by one the dragons disappeared into the mountain the higher the sun rose. Kiril circled the mountain twice, gliding lower and lower each time.
Shara spotted a man standing at the entrance. He wore a pair of faded jeans and nothing else. His gaze was locked on her as Kiril flew straight at the opening.
The euphoria vanished when Kiril flew through the mountain entrance and alighted softly upon the ground. The dragons she had admired in the sky were once more in human form and staring at her.
“He willna shift until you’ve gotten down,” said a voice to her left.
Shara looked down to find a man with a dragon tattoo on his chest and long, wavy, dark brown hair and aqua eyes. His smile was kind, if not a little reserved, as he held out his hand for her.
“I’m Rhys, by the way,” he said, waiting for her to accept his help.
Kiril turned his head to look at her over his shoulder and gave a single nod. Shara knew Kiril, but she also knew the stories of Dragon Kings and their power. With a healthy dose of respect, she threw a leg over Kiril’s neck and took Rhys’s hand. He helped her slide to the ground.
“You looked to be enjoying yourself,” Rhys said.
Was that approval she saw in his eyes? “I did, though I enjoyed watching all the dragons fly as well.”
“She more than enjoyed herself,” Kiril said as he came to stand beside her.
Shara had been so worried about the other Dragon Kings that she hadn’t even seen Kiril shift to human form. Relief eased her tight muscles when he reached her side.
“Were you concerned?” he asked with a frown.