Burning Key

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Their plans had changed, but Corliss couldn't say she minded. Watching as Meron crouched forward in the saddle on Ollyn's back, she tried to hide her grin and failed. Her mate, sensing which direction her thoughts had shifted, glanced back at her, met her smile with his own, and then maneuvered his bloodrite bonded dragon into a dive. Laughter dancing on the wind as it whipped around her, she followed.

They'd been high above the clouds, but the wide expanse of the grasslands of Aarden soon stretched out below them as soon as they broke through. Even though they'd planned on flying straight to Eld, Corliss didn't want to be home quite yet. She needed more time alone with Meron and the dragons before word spread about the two of them. So far, her sister Bridget had kept her word about their mating bond and even Meron's subsequent question of her to marry him.

What she was hesitant about was telling her parents and his. Not to mention her brother Gaven. Gods, that was one she wasn't looking forward to knowing.

Odanth and Ollyn landed heavily, making the ground quake beneath them. Even for being just a few months old, they were huge and still growing, maturing into identical twin dragons that had everyone doing a double take as soon as they caught sight of them. For those who hadn't been around them, which had been basically everyone, they were intimidating. Little did they know, though, was they were two of the most lovable dragons ever.

As Corliss and Meron unfastened themselves from their saddles and jumped down, Meron gave her a bright smile.

"Are you not wanting to get home so soon? What happened to this being a straight flight to Eld?" he asked her with one brow raised as he stretched his arms over his head. Closing the short distance between them, he dropped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to kiss her forehead. "Or are you wanting to have some alone time and ravish me wholly."

Corliss snorted out a laugh. "The former, actually. I'm not looking forward to the rest of the family finding out, especially my brother."

Meron's face paled, having obviously not thought of him. He let out a groan, dropping his forehead to hers. "Well, then, I guess I'll have to say my goodbyes to you now and spend one more night with you before I get sent to the land of light and shadows by him and Ruvyn."

"You would have thought finally being together with his mate would have mellowed him out, right?"

"And it only made him more overprotective of you because now Ruvyn's just as bad as he is!"

"I'll take care of both of them if they even utter a threat, got it? And good thing you're mated to the future Lady of Eld, Commander, since they have to listen to me and ask no questions."

"Don't know about that. They'd probably call my death an unfortunate training accident."

Corliss's grin widened even more, making her cheeks hurt. "Then I guess I will have to ravish you tonight since it'll be the last time, huh?"

Meron threw back his head and tightened his hold on her. "I shall suffer through it all...so let's start now, shall we?"

Her laughter rang out around them, but he was quick to silence it as he moved to kiss her. Even Odanth and Ollyn were snorting at their bloodrite bonds, rolling their silvery eyes before blowing smoke out of their nostrils in annoyance. You would have thought they'd be used to it by now.

After taking out their things from the saddlebags and then taking them and the saddles off the dragons, Odanth and Ollyn were free to go hunting for their own dinner, taking flight once more while roaring at and trying to bite each other on takeoff. Corliss just shook her head as she dug around in the magically extended bag, pulling out the neatly folded square of fabric that was to be their lodgings for the night. Bridget had always been a big help with the extension spells themselves. Of course, she taught Corliss, but there was nothing like having your big sister do it for you.