I texted Ethan to let him know, then we joined up at the main gates around four. I hadn’t been sure what to wear— a dinner party with high-born fae seemed important, so I’d chosen a long-sleeved blue dress that had a skirt that fell to the ground, with a wool coat over top. I’d made sure to curl my hair and put on a bit of makeup as well. I feared overdoing it, but at the same time, I didn’t wish to offend Stefan’s family by showing up looking inappropriate.
I chose well, because Ethan was dressed in a dark navy suit with a matching tie. His face lit up as I drew near, letting his eyes roam up and down my figure. “You look ravishing, Miss Sosna.”
“Thank you.” I gave him a small curtsy— because really, why not— and Ethan smiled. He liked that.
“Where do Stefan’s parents live?” I asked.
“In the mountains, in the dragon village,” he said. “The Slasky family mansion is at the very top. You’ll have to ride on my back to get there.”
“I didn’t know there was a dragon village,” I said in surprise.
“Each Faction has their own small town,” Ethan said. “Most Arcanea live in Dolinska, but others prefer the countryside and quietness of their village. It’s not far— merely a few miles.”
Ethan changed into a wolven and knelt to the ground. I made a face as I lifted my dress and straddled his back.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’m worried about getting fur on my dress.”
“I make sure to bathe my wolf form, Emma.” Ethan’s tone was brisk. “Besides, as my Marked, that’s your job to comb out my coat. I can’t do it myself.”
I loved the idea of running a brush through Ethan’s long, silky fur, but I couldn’t let him know that. “Maybe if you’re a good boy,” I said, and I patted his shoulder.
Ethan gave a bark. I laughed.
Ethan bounded forward. I hung onto his scruff as we ran off campus and through the streets of Dolinska. When we got to the middle of town, he took a left turn and padded down a winding dirt path that led upward into the mountains.
“Most dragons fly to their village. It’s difficult for sorceresses to get up there unless they have a shifter,” Ethan said. “Hold on tight.”
Ethan increased his strides, and the terrain beneath his paws became rocky and unsteady. We went vertical as Ethan jogged up the rocks. A few times, his grip slipped. I gasped, but Ethan caught his footing every time.
“I will never let you fall, onawilke,” Ethan said. “Trust in me.”
I did. I trusted Ethan with all my heart. It was easy for me— like the feeling of jumping off a cliff and knowing he’d be there to catch me at the bottom. I didn’t know what could destroy this deep bond we had between us.
A bond I wished we both could acknowledge, instead of pretending like it wasn’t there. Destiny had brought us together, and fate sealed our love. Would we ever admit it to each other?
The surrounding landscape changed, and the dirt became gravel underneath our feet. The mountains loomed overhead, monstrous and tall. Snow capped their tops, while cedars and other trees grew in spurts around small areas of land. I felt the air grow thinner, and was glad I’d brought my inhaler just in case.
Ethan rounded a large mountain, and I gasped. In the middle of the mountain range was a small village. The houses themselves were built into the side of the mountains, carved out within the rock. The other remaining buildings in the center of the clearing were made of stone. Huge cauldrons bubbled with thick magma— the source of a dragon’s inner fire. Shifters occasionally stopped by to drink magma from the cauldrons before spreading their leathery wings and taking off into the sky.
“Do dragons have to drink magma to sustain their breath?” I asked as we passed the largest cauldron, which was more or less a fountain gushing lava in the center of the square.
“No, but it makes their breath stronger,” Ethan said. “The dragon sorceresses created a sort of funnel that reaches down to the mantle of the earth, so it’ll bubble up into the cauldrons for the dragons to drink from. A dragon that drinks from the mantle can hold their fire breath for minutes instead of seconds. There’s a rumor some dragons can even sustain a flame for hours, but I don’t believe that.