To Love a Dragon - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,42

the other tribe and connect with other humans, but at the same time he could not fully resist his desire to spend as much time with her and Serek as possible.

It helped him justify that pace when he thought of this as a test. This was his first time out and traveling in his human shape, his first time traveling any significant distance with his two humans. Would he tire faster in this form than he would have in his old one? If he pushed to a more natural speed, would it be too much for Leyloni to easily keep up with?

He doubted she’d have trouble keeping pace with him, regardless. Whenever he looked back to check on her after navigating a particularly troublesome obstacle, it was to see her overcoming that obstacle with practiced ease. She’d been traversing the forest like this for her entire life—it was natural to her. And it only served to highlight her inherent grace and strength, offering him glimpses of the toned muscles beneath her pale, speckled skin.

Serek remained content as they walked, one of his little hands opening and closing against Arysteon’s scales while he sucked on his other fist. His attention roamed all around, often attracted by movement and bright colors, both of which were in abundance.

“You said the males of your clan left to seek mates,” Leyloni said. “Why did you never seek your own after you were alone?”

Arysteon glanced at her over his shoulder, flashing a smile. “Ah, but I have found a mate, my heartsong. The most beautiful mate for whom a dragon could ever hope.”

She ducked her head, but not before he caught a glimpse of the pleasure in her eyes and the smile that curled on her lips. Her cheeks took on that lush pink he had come to find so endearing.

His smile fell as he looked forward again. “I did search. It took time to overcome my grief when I first arrived in this area, but when loneliness began to settle on me with all the weight of a mountain, I looked for companionship, for a mate. That is where the benefits of the place I had chosen to make my lair became hindrances.

“It is a sanctuary in part because it is territory that was not claimed by any other dragons. That meant safety, but it also meant there were no females nearby. There were no dragons at all. I pressed out farther and farther, but I could not sever what ties I had already formed to my lair. I was bound by what it could have been for my people, unable to see it for what it was.”

Arysteon stroked his hand down Serek’s back, and his heart clenched as the baby nestled his cheek against Arysteon’s shoulder.

“I cannot deny a certain desperation in those years,” he continued. “Finding my lair should have meant the end to my searching, but the goal had simply changed. The worst was when the red comet appeared in the sky. As a clan, we had largely been able to resist the worst of its effects. The Heat it instilled in us was not enough to drive us to ravage our own kin, though it was enough to drive some of the males away in search of females to claim. By myself, however…I was little more than an animal for most of the time the comet stained the sky red.

“The comet’s last appearance was many years ago. I gave up seeking a mate afterward…until I scented you.”

“But it was not a dragoness you found,” Leyloni said.

“Certainly not,” he replied with a chuckle. “I could never have known what I had found when I first saw you, could never have known what I would gain. I only knew that you were female, and that I wanted you.”

“What if the stories had not been true? What if…I had touched you, and you remained a dragon?”

Arysteon halted and turned to face her. She came to an abrupt stop and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. He lifted his hand off Serek’s back and slid it along his mate’s jaw, delving his fingers into her soft, curly hair as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. She covered his hand with her own and smiled. The sunlight shining through the leafy canopy brightened her green eyes and made her coppery hair glow.

“I would have desired you regardless, Leyloni. Whatever my form was, I would not have let you leave my lair alone. You