To Love a Dragon - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,56

to you shortly.”

Wordlessly, Leyloni turned and hugged Arysteon’s snout, pressing her cheek against his scales. Despite the myriad of sensations coursing through him, he clearly felt the flow of her warm breath and the feathery tickle of her curly hair. He leaned into her embrace gratefully until, too soon, she withdrew.

Leyloni turned and walked toward Serek, supporting herself by placing her hands against the nearby trees as she passed.

“Shh. You are all right, little one,” she whispered soothingly.

Arysteon pivoted and hurried in the opposite direction, his spark intensifying with his every step—because he was moving away from Leyloni, because there was work yet to be done, a hunt to conclude.

He plunged into the forest, tongue flicking out repeatedly to seek any trace of his fleeing enemies. There was a hint of human sweat on the air—just enough to follow.

Something skittered down his spine, something hot and unsettlingly familiar. That insidious heat pooled uncomfortably in his loins and pulsed through his veins with each thump of his heart.

Gritting his teeth, he shoved the sensation aside and quickened his pace.

He needed to complete this hunt and return to his mate with all possible haste. Leyloni required tending. There was no time yet to contemplate what had happened, to wonder at his second change, to determine whether this lingering flash of heat was a phantom or a memory.

15

Leyloni cradled Serek against her chest, smoothing his hair back with her palm and rocking him gently. His cries had subsided shortly after Arysteon had left and she’d pulled him from the hole, but she found herself unable to cease her ministrations—they were more to calm herself now than the baby. She couldn’t stop trembling.

I nearly lost them.

Even as she’d lain upon the ground with the Bone Wraiths surrounding her, she had thought only of Serek and Arysteon.

Arysteon.

He…he changed back.

She closed her eyes, pressed her face into Serek’s hair, and breathed in his scent. His smell had become so familiar in her time with him—it seemed in some ways to be the only reminder she had of home. But he also smelled of sunfruit, earth, and Arysteon.

My mate.

Leyloni squeezed her eyes tighter shut against the sting of her tears. Her heart clenched. It was far more painful than anything the Bone Wraiths had done to her, though that pain was growing as the poison’s effects faded and feeling returned throughout her body.

Serek wriggled, seeming to have had enough of her coddling, and Leyloni loosened her hold on him. Drawing back, she opened her eyes and looked down at his sweet little face. It was streaked with dirt and tears, as was the rest of him. She wiped at his cheek with her finger, but the dirt there was mixed with sticky sunfruit juice and refused to come off easily.

“You were so brave, little one,” she said softly.

He grabbed her fingers and attempted to bring them to his mouth. She gently tugged them out of his grasp and smiled.

Her smile died and her heart skipped a beat when she heard distant branches breaking. Instinctively, she tightened her arms around Serek and twisted her torso to shield him. More branches cracked, and foliage rustled, the sounds drawing steadily nearer.

Her initial fear should’ve held, but she felt that little crackle of lightning in her chest—her gift from her mate, her bond with him—leap and dance. Arysteon was returning. His presence was drawing nearer.

Serek announced his displeasure with a frustrated cry and a fresh bout of squirming, pushing at Leyloni’s arms.

Leyloni relaxed her hold on him a little, dipped her head to kiss his hair, and slowly stood up. Her side ached, and her legs wobbled. For a few moments, it seemed her own weight was too much to support, even without taking Serek’s into account—and his continued struggles certainly didn’t help.

Fortunately, she found new strength through that dancing spark. Arysteon’s strength.

She turned toward the sounds of his approach, toward his lightning charged presence, and her stomach fluttered with a blend of anticipation and relief.

Despite the large trees, uneven terrain, and wild undergrowth, despite much of his body being blocked from her view by those obstacles, Leyloni’s eyes fell immediately upon Arysteon.

Serek finally stilled, and he made a happy coo. Leyloni knew without looking that the baby was also staring at Arysteon.

She was in awe of Arysteon despite having been around him for days while he’d been in his natural state. She would’ve been in awe of him even had he not changed from dragon to man and back again.

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