As if on command, she heard her stomach growl.
How long had it been since she'd last eaten? She felt like she'd run for hours before she'd even met Braeden. And with everything that had happened since their meeting, it was no wonder she was utterly exhausted and ravenous.
Soon, she told herself, her fingers still pressed to his neck.
He really was very warm. Which was no wonder, because he was a fire dragon.
Still, it was nice. Like crawling into her bed in winter with the electric blanket already turned on...
She must have dozed off. When she startled awake, they were still in the air.
For a moment, shock made her tighten her arms around Braeden's neck. Then she realized that she was completely safe. They were still in the air, but she hadn't fallen off while asleep.
He wouldn't have let me fall.
&nbs
p; It was weird that she'd begun to trust him so. But then, why shouldn’t she? He'd proved himself a hundred times since they'd met.
Perhaps she really was lucky enough to have met the only honest fire dragon in the entire world.
Aren't I lucky.
There was a small smile on her face. She was lucky. And she'd tell Braeden so, as soon as he'd shifted back.
She'd never have escaped without him, she could see that now. There was no way she'd have made it out through the old volcano vent without wings.
A moment later, she realized that they were flying much lower now. She could make out trees below them.
When she craned her head, she couldn't see the volcano anymore—but a part of the sky was still noticeably darker.
We escaped. They won't find us here—if they even got out in time.
Elation filled her. For the first time in weeks, she was really, truly free.
It was incredible. There was blue sky over her, and a lush, green landscape stretching below.
She stretched out her arms, laughing as the wind tugged on the strands of her hair. Everything she wore still smelled like smoke, but she didn’t care.
And then she realized that Braeden was no longer a source of steady, comforting warmth.
She narrowed her eyes, pressing her hand to his neck again. “Is everything all right? Are you hurt?”
Braeden didn’t answer, but through the touch, she now felt a deep, aching pull.
It was a feeling like sore muscles stretched beyond what they were capable of. Of bone-deep exhaustion—and a darkness looming like an abyss before them.
“Oh, shit. We're going to crash!”
As soon as she spoke the words, she knew it was true.
The trees below were close not because Braeden had prepared to land, but because he was barely able to keep them in the air anymore.
She could feel it now, the burning pain every time he raised his wings.
“Shit, shit, shit. Okay, listen to me. Stay awake. I'm here, all right? Just stay awake and listen.”
It was sort of like a plane that had lost its engines—only she didn't have a helpful control tower voice talking her through landing a burning plane, the way it happened in movies.