Page 3 of Claim the Light
His eyes slowly close and his head lowers, but his hand remains outstretched toward me.
“Come with me, Sophia,” he says. “Come into the light.”
Every inch of my skin is tingling and my heart is pounding. Simply standing near him is shaking me to my core.
When I hesitate another heartbeat, he opens his eyes and lifts his other hand, turning it palm up. At the same time, a shiver passes through his scales and I sense the nearness of his wings, the burst of energy that he’s constraining.
“These hands will never harm you, Sophia,” he says, his focus steady and calm. “No part of me will ever hurt you. Not by words or actions. I will be the solid ground beneath your feet. I’ll lift you up when you need me.” He pauses. “I don’t have much to offer you except my heart and my home. But they’re yours if you want them.”
It’s enough for me. It’s everything.
I don’t hesitate another second.
I step from the shadows into the moonlight and into the circle of his arms.
The breath catches in my chest as the moonlight falls across me, a waterfall of magic immersing me in its rays.
Cerulean-blue scales ripple across my forearms and the backs of my hands where I press them against Micah’s chest. I sense the scales forming around my torso beneath my loose shirt, across my shoulders where my light-brown hair rests, up my neck, and over my cheeks. They shiver down my legs beneath my jeans and all the way to my toes.
At the same time, I’m aware of every droplet of moisture in the air. The slight sheen of sweat on his brow. And the need to explore his lips.
I exhale softly. I can’t help my smile. “I’m still a water dragon.”
He lifts his left hand to cup my cheek, but only lightly, the barest contact of skin on skin.
I choose to breach the gap, leaning in to his hand, sensing the roughness of the scales across his callouses and the smoothness across the center of his palm.
I lift myself up on tiptoes, slipping away from his hand and leaning into him, aware of the way his breathing hitches, the stilling of his chest where I press my palms.
The bond I want to give him carries more power even than a kiss, and I hesitate. “May I?”
“If you’ll have me,” he replies.
I bite my lip. Here I am asking if I can bond with him when he already asked me if I would. But in the past, I didn’t have a choice about where I placed my love. Asking for his permission gives me the reassurance I need to be sure his bond is willingly given. That I will never take by force the same things that were once taken from me.
My nose touches his before I slip my face to the side and press my cheek to his.
His arms slide around my waist, supporting my back as I remain there, my eyes closed.
His breathing deepens.
So does mine.
I never thought I could feel peace like this.
It makes my eyes burn with hot tears but I don’t feel vulnerable letting them fall. Rather, my dragon nature seems to welcome the tears.
Micah tugs me gently downward, our cheeks still pressed to each other’s as we settle, kneeling side by side on the rooftop.
There’s a softthumpand a rush of air as his wings finally release and then I’m enveloped in a silver-gray cocoon that folds around my back, open at the top to allow the light to radiate around us.
I haven’t released my wings, and I don’t feel the need to. Not yet.
Very slowly, I withdraw my cheek just a little, my lips brushing his jaw as I move and then stop. So close to his mouth that the corners of our lips touch.
This time, he whispers against my lips. “May I?”
After a lifetime of not controlling when I was kissed, his question is more valuable to me than dragon’s gold could ever be.
