Page 85 of Midnight of Ashes
I smiled at him. “Can I meet your dragons?”
43
HAYDEN
Birds sang overhead as we all made our way into the massive clearing. Everyone but Maddox. He’d made an excuse about needing to get to campus to grade papers, but I couldn’t help but feel like he was pushing me away. Or at least setting a boundary. He wasn’t ready for me to meet his dragon.
I tried not to let that sting. I knew things were complicated for him. But I wondered if his faculty position was just a convenient excuse.
I turned around, taking in the woods around us. “It’s beautiful out here.”
Cillian grinned. “One of our favorite spots. There’s a swimming hole not too far that way once it gets warmer.”
That sounded amazing. I couldn’t wait to explore their territory. I bet there were countless treasures hidden away.
Knox moved in next to me. “You sure about this?”
I nodded, a smile pulling at my lips. “I want to meet them.”
“We won’t be able to communicate with you, just with each other.”
“How?” I asked.
One corner of Knox’s mouth kicked up. “We can mind-speak when we’re in dragon form.”
My jaw went slack. “Seriously? Will I be able to do that?”
“That and more,” Cillian assured me.
“This is so freaking cool.”
Cáel chuckled, dropping a kiss to my head. “I can’t wait to meet your dragon.”
“You and me both,” I muttered. I was getting more and more antsy for her to surface. I wanted to know what it felt like to shift. To fly.
“Okay,” Cillian called. “Everyone ready?”
The guys nodded. Easton had been mostly quiet through breakfast, but he’d been present. Every now and then, he’d ask a question that told me he was paying attention.
He was the first to tug his tee over his head. I gaped at the defined planes of muscle. Silver barbells glinted in his nipples. Their presence had heat pooling low in my belly. Along his side was a large yet intricate tattoo. It read Teaghlach in a script that looked like art.
Easton shot me a grin that had my cheeks heating, and I quickly averted my eyes. But everywhere I looked, there were muscled bodies on display. I finally ducked my head to stare at the ground.
“Holy hell,” I muttered to myself. These guys were going to kill me.
A second later, I heard a cracking and popping sound. Then another. And another.
My gaze lifted just in time to see Cillian transform into a massive pitch-black dragon with white eyes. He was both terrifying and enchanting.
He let out a huff of air but didn’t move. I realized then that he was waiting for me. I didn’t hesitate.
Crossing the clearing, I approached him slowly. I held out a hand just shy of his snout. Cillian closed the distance, bumping it with his head the way a dog would when it wanted pets.
A laugh bubbled out of me as I stroked his head. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but Cillian’s scales were as smooth as silk. But warm, too. Warmer than a human’s skin. Was that because they had the ability to breathe fire?
“You’re so soft,” I whispered.
Cillian let out a sound that resembled a sort of purr. But because he was so large, it made the ground around us tremble.
