Queen Among Dragons (Dragon Series #1)

Chapter Three

Despite all of the worry she felt festering inside Shiloh couldn’t help but enjoy flying with Ramsey. Anytime she was up in the air she lost herself to the beauty of it all. The way the wind curled through her hair and caressed her skin, the sweet, crisp scent of the sky racing through her blood, the solid warm scales of Ramsey’s back and his muscles tensing beneath her. All of it put her in a place of calm she couldn’t otherwise achieve.

Whenever she was up in the air she could always smell the earth below and the weather to come. It was as if the sky had its own unique scent that called out to her. When a storm was brewing she could not only smell the dampness in the air, but she could feel the electricity across her skin. The promise of snow was always a little sweeter in scent and took her breath away, and sunshine warmed her from the tips of her toes to her fingers. It was a heady scent and reminded her of Elwood.

She would never tell the dragons, but each one reminded her of a different weather phenomenon. Even though dragons were a magic of their own, they would just laugh at her and say that her silly human brain was imagining things. But she knew better. Ramsey, much like Elwood, smelled like a warm summer day. Ciaran reminded her of a windy day, a little dry, and somehow a mixture of smells all pulled into one. Rhys was most definitely snow; silent, stunning, and a bit humbling in his power. His scent was clean and sharp, almost a biting scent. Murdoch and McKenna were similar, both brooding storms, but McKenna was the rain and thunder, refreshing and simultaneously abrasive, powerful yet soothing, washing her senses with the smell of the earth and vegetation. Murdoch, on the other hand, was lighting. Crackling energy snapping along every nerve, flashes of danger, all wrapped up with the ability to destroy with a single blow. How they couldn’t see it, Shiloh didn’t know.

“Hey princess, are you daydreaming up there?” Ramsey teased.

Shiloh took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill her lungs. “I’m just taking all the beauty in,” she smiled.

“I won’t disturb you then, I know I’m gorgeous. Take in your fill of me,” he bragged, fluttering his wings with pride.

She laughed and patted the blood red scales beneath her hand, “You’re incorrigible.”

“And yet you still love me,” Ramsey countered. “Don’t daydream about me too long, we’re nearly there.” He flew quickly over the forest below them, turning the evergreen trees into a blur of green and brown.

“Make sure you drop me off at Murdoch’s cave,” she reminded him.

“Why?” Ramsey said suspiciously. “He’s supposed to be getting ready to meet with McKenna and the others of the High Court.”

“I know,” Shiloh said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, “I need to talk to him before he does!”

She could almost hear the frown that Ramsey was no doubt sporting. “I don’t think that’s wise. Am I right in thinking that you’re going to try and convince him that retaliating against the humans is the wrong idea?”

“And here I thought you were just a pretty face,” Shiloh sighed. “I just want to talk to him. That’s all.”

“Shi-”

“Ram, since when has anyone been able to make Murdoch do anything other than what he wanted? All I’m doing is talking, not forcing him at sword point to do my bidding.”

Ramsey started his descent, thankfully heading for Murdoch’s cave, despite his protests otherwise. “You have a point,” he conceded. “Murdoch always has his own secret agenda. Talking to him certainly couldn’t hurt. But,” he added quickly, “maybe we could refrain from mentioning to McKenna that I brought you to Murdoch. He’s already mad at me as it is. Let’s not add any more fuel to the dragon fire.”