Dragons of Arreous (The Dwarf Princess' Dragon Prince)

Ride the Dragon

"Breathe," she commanded herself, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She touched the top of her head, remembering his hand there, and couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach.

A goofy grin met her from the reflected surface then slowly faded. "Don't do this to yourself. He's not interested in you that way. He sees you as a..." she didn't really know what. Whatever she was to him, though, she was an adorable version of it.

The smile returned.

Giving up, she exited her room and made her way to the kitchen, prepping the breakfast foods that would be carried into the dining room. Very few things needed replaced, most of the foods being shelf-stable (or in this case, table-stable), but there were always a few. She would need to bake more bread, for example, probably tomorrow.

She didn't notice Ailashiel watching her from the doorway until she caught a glimpse of his shimmer against the stone counter.

She turned, a smile already on her lips, only for her mouth to go slack then dry. Eyes growing large, she stared for a full thirteen seconds before turning away with a gasp, "What are you wearing?!"

"My riding outfit," he said with a chuckle. "Is it that odd?"

"It looks to be little more than paint!"

"Tighter clothing melts into the shift more easily. Do you find it distasteful?"

"No, I--It's um, some may see it as indecent," she purposefully kept her gaze on the counter and refused to turn, no matter how much she wished to.

He chuckled, "This is considered tame by my people's standards. Many don't bother with clothes at all when they know they'll be shifting soon."

Heat swept through her, though she wasn't sure if it was more from embarrassment or... something else.

"Which, if you'd be more comfortable with that—"

She turned, horrified, "No! Absolutely not! My neighbors do not need to see—"

His perfection.

She glanced away again, heart hammering, thoughts spinning, body doing unusual things.

"Oh, so it's the neighbors you're worried about. You don't object to it personally?" he teased in a crooning voice that made her stomach flip.

"I—of course I don't—I mean, you shouldn't—I—" her voice cracked, unable to lie, unable to explain coherently why that would be a very bad idea while all the while desperately wanting it with an intensity that confused her.

"And my outfit, do you object to it for the same reason?"

"Yes," she agreed, trying to find something to keep her mind, eyes, and hands busy. Especially her hands. Because they wanted to—

She squeezed her eyes shut. "You should change before my brother awakens."

"Perhaps I'll add a robe. For now. But this is necessary for our activity today."

"Activity?"

"We're visiting the mountain so you can plan out the tunnel and I can begin planning the fortifications. Once you've seen the land and studied the ground, you'll have a better understanding of what manner of creature you need to create."

It was a logical plan, but—

"Why the clothing?"

"I swore to your brother I would not take you farther than we can travel in ten minutes. It'd take us over an hour to walk to the hill. My dragon form will get us there in seven, maybe eight, minutes."