I shivered at the feel of the gentle bite he gave me. All I could do was hold on to him, knowing that my life had forever changed when Azar came into it.
And I wasn’t mad about that at all.
14
Emma
Several days later
I listened to the steady breathing of Azar as he slept deeply beside me. But I knew at a moment's notice he’d be alert, ready to battle for me. I turned my head and looked at him, the pallet we lay upon so very big, yet he managed to make it seem tiny.
I couldn’t help but stare at him, to get lost in his dark features, at the way the short strands of his thick hair haphazardly lay on his head, at the way some of the dark locks lay against his horns. My fingers twitched to touch them, and I didn’t deny myself, hadn’t ever taken the liberty before now.
But I felt braver when he was asleep, without the penetrating look he gave me, as if he was getting lost in everything about me. It made my brain all mushy in the best of ways.
I reached out and ran my fingertip along one of the dark arches, marveling at how smooth it was. I didn’t know what I expected, but it was like nothing I’d ever felt before, and I continued my exploration.
I wanted to touch more of his hard, defined body, but I didn’t want to wake him. I knew he hadn’t been sleeping very much, knew he stayed awake because he felt the need to constantly protect me.
How strange life can be and change so drastically for the better.
I let my fingertips trail along the arch of his dark eyebrow before finally pulling my hand away. I pushed up slowly, quietly, looking down at him. The furs were pulled up to his waist, and I shamelessly let my gaze linger along his pectorals, down the six slabs that made up his abdomen, and appreciated that sexy V of defined muscles that framed either side of his hips.
I let out a slow gust, picturing him hovering over me, his shoulders and chest blocking out everything else as he slowly pressed into me and pulled back out. It would hurt—that I had no doubt of—but I looked forward to him claiming me. I knew it would be one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
I wanted him, yet he was intent on taking his time and making sure I was completely ready. Did he know I was ready now?
But I didn’t act on my impulses and instead slipped out of bed. I grabbed one of the tunics Azar had made for me just yesterday. The material hung to my knees, made from the same hide we used to wash ourselves with.
I grabbed a fur at the end of the pallet and found myself walking toward the mouth of the cave, wrapping the hide around my shoulders as I crept quietly. It was warm enough I didn’t need the fur, but I had this chill in my body, this feeling that raced up my spine that had goose bumps forming along my arms and legs. I didn’t know what it was, maybe nervousness, hesitation, because I didn’t know what the future held. Or maybe it was something else. A warning.
I found myself at the entrance of the cave, not foolish enough to step out any farther. I didn’t know if there were any other dragons in the area, didn’t know if that Draco was still close by. It wasn’t as if I could scent him like Azar could. So I stayed close to the entrance, enough that I could run back to the safety of the cavern if something were to happen.
For long moments I just stood there, never having seen much beauty in this world that I called home, but being high up in the mountains and taking in the vast distance, the red upon red that was sporadically broken up by the black, gnarly shaped trees and the towering mountains, showed me a different side of this world. It was beautiful in its own frightening, destroyed way.
I looked in the distance I thought the Pit was and felt that longing sensation return. I missed Tilly. I’d been too afraid to speak to Azar about going and seeing her, not because of fear of him, but because I knew how dangerous it was to go back to the Pit. But my worry was for Azar. They’d try to kill him. So as much as I missed my friend, I wouldn’t risk Azar’s life.
I wasn’t sure how long I stayed out there, but the warm breeze teased my hair and helped get rid of my turbulent thoughts. I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, not smelling the stench of humans crammed into an underground network of caves and tunnels. Not smelling their unwashed bodies. There was no suffocating thickness invading my nose of the red dirt that was kicked up from the fields as the wind blew.