and she produced a soft, satisfied moan, snuggling against him even more closely.
Though he was not inside her, the heat of her flesh against his stem was like holding his hand in fire—but it was the most delicious agony he’d ever endured. With a few quick motions, he could be inside her again, could be mating with her again, could be soothing some of his already building Heat.
Once again, he forced those urges down. Despite its strengthening influence, the comet was not Arysteon’s master, and he would not submit to its every command.
He shifted his position again, drawing his hips back to break some of the contact between his aching stem and Leyloni’s heated skin. The bit of friction caused by that movement amplified the pulses that had been coursing through his shaft, spawning a wave of pleasure that made him shudder and suck in a sharp breath through his teeth.
“Arysteon?” Leyloni asked, settling her fingers upon his cheek.
He covered her hand with his own, willing his body toward calm. “All is well, my heartsong. Let us take a lesson from the youngling and rest.”
She responded with an approving hum and brushed her lips across his.
Arysteon returned the kiss and was both relieved and disappointed when she ended it mere moments later. He loved that contact between their lips—something dragons had never done, considering the shape of their mouths—but knew it would have made his cravings impossible to resist before long.
As she settled her head down, Arysteon turned his attention toward their surroundings. Bestial and avian mating calls were sounding from all around the forest in much greater frequency than normal. The latter had become intricate and beautiful music —if a bit frantic—that made everything in the woods seem just a little brighter.
The first notes of his heartsong, his song for Leyloni, built within him. He made no effort to hold them back, allowing the song to rise freely in a gentle hum. It came as naturally to him as breathing.
Leyloni added her own voice to it, humming along in bits and pieces in her own pitch, her own tone, weaving her notes with his to create something even lovelier, even more moving. When their humming ceased, he felt that song resonating in his heart, in his spark—and he knew it was in hers, as well.
The wind picked up, making the sound of rustling leaves overhead reminiscent of the sound of the sea against the shore.
Breathing slow and steady, Arysteon cast his memory back over the long years, over the many things he’d witnessed during his travels with his kin. He’d not seen the ocean in centuries—not since he’d been considered a youngling himself—and his mate had never laid eyes upon it.
Perhaps, if the Snow Tree tribe truly dwelled near the coast…
“I shall take you to the sea someday, Leyloni,” he said softly, “that we may walk—”
A roar boomed across the heavens and reverberated between the trees, bristling with fury, hunger, and challenge.
Arysteon’s spark flared and buzzed, pouring crackling energy into his limbs, and his heart quickened anew. He sat up abruptly, drawing Leyloni along with him. She clung to him, her blunt fingernails scraping his scales.
In his little nest nearby, Serek awoke with a startled cry. The sound seemed pathetic and insignificant compared to that roar.
“What was that?” Leyloni asked in a small voice, her words tinged with concern and fear.
Pressure built in Arysteon’s chest, charged by his spark, threatening to tear him apart from within. His instincts—all stained red by the accursed Heat—were just as wild and overwhelming as his spark and even more demanding than the comet’s influence.
Protect my mate and our youngling.
Face this challenge.
Destroy this rival.
“Another dragon,” he replied as he stood up, hauling Leyloni onto her feet.
Serek’s continued cries were groggy, confused, and frightened.
Leyloni glanced at the baby and back at Arysteon, brow creased with worry. “There is another dragon?”
Arysteon clenched his jaw against another surge in his spark, which was already roiling like a bolt of lightning ready to strike. It tingled just beneath his scales, thrummed in his bones, sizzled through his veins. He would not be able to contain it.
He would not be able to prevent the change.
“Gather our things. We must leave immediately.” Just speaking those words felt like it was enough to shred his mind; he needed to fight, to eliminate the threat. To assert his dominance over anything in his path.
Leyloni nodded and stepped away from him. Arysteon did not miss the slight trembling in her hands as she