My cheeks stretch wide with a grin as I head around Gabriel’s huge body. He offers a claw to help me swing up and settle on his shoulders. I flatten my body to his scaly neck, my skin soaking in the heat and spice of him.
His wings pump, and we’re aloft. As we clear the trees, the dragon scales shimmer and reflect the blue of the sky.
The wind tugs at my hair. Below us, dust billows around the clearing, and my friends retreat to the treeline where they watch, shading their eyes.
The invisible wings pump around me, and Gabriel wheels away from the brown patch of earth that’s the cleared flight pad. Our shadow races below us, sweeping over the pines. We’re flying higher and higher. Behind us, the lodge is a tiny Tinker toy. Thrills run up my spine. We swoop over the summit, gliding over the rocky face.
The world falls away. There’s nothing but the high mesa before me, an endless blue sky around me, the dragon under me, and my laughter rippling over the wind.