“This place is huge.” She shaded her eyes and scanned the expanse.
“My lair is only a portion of the House of Smoke,” Lucian explained. “Each dragon has their own. Mine and my brothers are the most expansive, but every dragon who pledges fidelity to the House of Smoke is given permission to build his own within the protection of the keep.”
“How do you keep this place secret?” She peered curiously at the edge of his lair. It was truly perched atop the mountain, and the drop was a good thousand feet. He was unconcerned about her getting too close to the edge. If she fell, he would catch her before she dashed her life out on the rocks.
“The entire keep is cloaked,” he said. “Each dragon possesses the ability to cloak as part of their elemental magic. You will never see a dragon unless he wants to be seen.”
She nodded, looking impressed. “Make sense.”
“The keep itself is cloaked by magical wards conjured by the king and queen.”
“Your parents, right? You know this whole royalty thing is a pretty good selling point, I would think. Does it come with perks?”
He couldn’t help but smile at that. “A few. Dragons live a long time, and the treasure we amass, both through the normal human markets and through magic, is substantial. A mate of mine will want for nothing in the physical realm.”
“Good to know.” She had backed away from the edge, nodding thoughtfully. “What other advantages do you have to offer?”
She was treating this as a business transaction, which actually calmed him. Maybe her cool, analytical mind would see the benefits in the end. Maybe he wouldn’t have to resort to trickery and wonder and other things that would only twist the guilt deeper.
He took a step back from her inquiring expression and shifted into his dragon form.
She startled a little, taking a half step back toward the edge. “You really need to warn me when you’re going to do that!” She shook a finger at him.
He laughed a little, which came out as wisps of blue dragon fire. He huffed harder to blow it away, then the wind took it. He bent down and dipped his head, waiting for her to figure out the unspoken invitation for her to climb aboard.
She hesitated, frozen in her spot. “Are you kidding me?”
He picked up his head and shook it, waiting for her to choose. He wouldn’t speak to her until she was aboard, to lessen the shock. One step at a time.
“I’m not sure that riding a dragon is exactly a selling point here.” She edged toward him, slowly. After a long stretch of agonizing seconds, she touched the edge of his wing—so lightly—then she slid her fingers up to his shoulder. The feel of her soft skin against his scales sent a shudder running through his entire body. She damn well better get on soon, or he was going to shift back to human form and touch her a little more strongly. And with the kind of intent that would end up with them back in his bedroom.
“I’m not sure how to…” She grabbed the edge of his wing with one hand and the smooth scales of his neck with the other. He ducked down closer to the ground. She managed to hoist herself aboard, grabbing hold of his shoulders, tucking her legs back and bracing her feet on the leading edges of his wings. He could feel every curve of her body with hypersensation. Her breasts crushing against the back of his neck. Her legs straddling him. The flaming heat of her sex against his back. Holy mother of magic, why did he think this was a good idea? The feel of her readying to ride him made him picture her riding him an entirely different way. In his bed, straddled over his cock.
Another shudder ran through him. He focused on reaching for her mind instead of being hyper-aware of her body. Hold on tight, my treasure.
“What the fuck?” she screeched, clinging harder to him. “Were you just… did you just… holy fuck!”
That made him laugh… and cooled his surging lust a little. The telepathy only works in dragon form. And I can’t read your thoughts, my treasure. I can only send you these words, planting them in your mind, sort of like a suggestion. Or a dream.
“Well, I really don’t like it—get the fuck out of my head!”
As you wish. Then he leaped into the air, and she screeched again, startled by the sudden movement. Her hold tightened, but the smoothness of his scales didn’t allow much purchase. He was careful to fly straight and level and not too fast, just gently soaring around the keep to give her a better view of the place. After he had circled twice, he glided a little further away, allowing her to see how the mountain fell from the glass castle down to jagged chunks of rock, which were mixed with the brilliant greenery of the forest. The wind was cool and crisp this morning, and after a minute or two, her death hold on him relaxed.