Page 53 of Firebird
“Be sure Kara sees to her,” he ordered.
Ivo grunted and strode on. Then I felt the air crackle, and the distinct sound of bones cracking pulled me out of my stupor. I knew that sound.
“Stop,Ivo,” I hissed. “Turn around.”
Ivo turned just in time for me to see a giant red dragon lift off into the air, beating his black-tipped wings, his regal horned head tilted toward the afternoon sky. His powerful frame knocked the breath out of me, even as he flew farther away.
“Gods,” I whispered, staring as he rose higher and higher, my entire soul going with him.
Ivo turned and continued on toward home, but my gaze was fixed over his shoulder on the dragon growing smaller in the sky. I suddenly felt bereft, realizing that perhaps he was going on his campaign without me. That I’d pushed him away.
Maybe it’s for the better,I told myself, wishing I believed it.
XIV
MALINA
I awoke in the dark to a hand on my shoulder shaking me gently. When I opened my eyes, I expected Kara or Stefanos, not Julian. But there he was, shirtless and squatting next to my bed, his expression back to cool passivity.
“You didn’t leave me?” I blurted, my sluggish brain from sleep not yet allowing me to think clearly and keep my feelings hidden.
His expression softened, a line pinching between his brow. But all he said was, “No.” Then he stood, revealing he wore only a cloth wrapped around his waist. “It’s time to go.”
I pushed out of bed, dressed only in a thin, short tunic for sleeping. He turned toward the window, moonlight still peeking through the shutters, silhouetting his large, lovely frame.
Quickly, I jerked the thicker tunic hanging on the screen to me and slipped it on, shapeless as all the others, and tied a rope-like belt around my waist. Then I slid into my sandals and secured my hair back with a strip of cloth.
I grabbed the small bag I’d packed yesterday. I didn’t think overlong why I was so eager to join a war campaign.
“Ready,” I whispered.
He turned, his form barely visible in the dim light. Even so, I couldfeelhim, his presence large and imposing and dominant. The tether shivered between us, but I ignored it and dutifully followed him through the darkened house.
He didn’t head toward his bedchamber as I expected. Rather, he walked straight out to the larger terrace, the one where he’d first landed when he took me from Gaul and the one where we’d said goodbye to Enid.
“Why are we leaving in the middle of the night?” I asked.
“It’s morning, actually. A few hours from dawn.” He stopped in the middle of the terrace and faced me. “But there is a reason I wanted to leave under the cover of night.”
“And that is?” I could hardly force the words from my mouth, my gaze flicking over his broad chest and the stack of tight muscles down his abdomen.
“Because,” he said in that deep rumbly voice, “I don’t want to carry you the way I did before.” His scowl deepened. “That hurt you, and I can’t”—he cleared his throat—“I don’t want to injure you.”
I blinked up at him, my heart fluttering at his admission. I shouldn’t be so pleased to know he was concerned about my welfare, but I couldn’t help the overwhelming sensation of pleasure. Then I realized what he intended.
“Wait. You want me to ride on top of your dragon?”
He erased the small space between us, those golden eyes glittering in the semidarkness. “Yes, Malina. I want you to ride my dragon.”
We stood intimately close, my chin tilted up, staring into those hypnotizing eyes, trying not to hear his voice in my head telling me toride his dragon. But it was hopeless. That simple sentence conjured a sudden, jarring image in my mind that I couldn’t wipe away quickly enough.
I bit my lip and closed my eyes, squeezing my thighs together as well. Heat already pooled low in my belly.
Julian dipped his head low, still not touching me, but I felt his body heat and his warm breath at my ear. He inhaled deep, a growl vibrating in his chest.
“You’ll let me know when you’re ready. Won’t you, firebird?”
I snapped open my eyes. He held my startled gaze, for he knew what I’d been thinking. Of course he did. Dragons had heightened senses. He could smell my arousal.
