The Dragon Legion Collection(80)

Even if Thad was nearly irresistible.

She resisted by changing form. It was the only thing she could do to save herself from making what had to be a mistake. She couldn’t figure out how he could be so sure that there would be a son, yet she couldn’t see a child in her future.

Aura had to think—and when Thad kissed her, she couldn’t think responsibly. She could only think of seducing him completely and worrying about the consequences later.

Was that part of a dragon’s spell?

Aura did her best thinking when she was a breeze. Her thoughts flew then and associations were quickly made. Her intuition was stronger and she was more creative. When she shifted to a breeze, a part of her loved that Thad was not surprised.

Even more than not being surprised, he was seeking her. She saw his eyes narrow and heard him take a deep breath. It was exciting not to be certain she could disappear completely from his perception, to imagine that they had a kind of understanding because they were both different from others.

Aura soared out of the glade and through the protective fog that sheltered its secrets. She heard Thad roar behind her and knew he must have shifted shape: she could feel the sparks of the firestorm blaze hotter as she swept over the summit of the peaks. It was wonderful to race across the sky, and even more exciting to be pursued by a dragon nearly as fast as she was.

“I like him,” Nephele whispered, her admiration feeding Aura’s confidence in her impulse to trust Thad. “And I believe him.” Aura looked back. She saw that one of the clouds had trailed behind her but that a black dragon had flown past it and was closing fast.

It wasn’t Nephele who Thad was determined to seduce.

Aura tumbled down the side of the mountain slope, a zephyr of fresh air or a sigh from the mountain top. The trees swayed with her passing, and their leaves rustled. Thad was so close behind her that she could feel the beat of his wings through the air. She turned hard when she reached the green pastures and raced through the flowers, making them wave with her passing like the surface of the ocean.

“Give him to me,” whispered the flower nymph.

Aura didn’t think so. She might not be certain she would take the risk to be with Thad, but she wasn’t going to give him up just yet either. He probably would have insisted that the firestorm marked their partnership as a destined one.

Was he right? Did he mean it?

She liked that Thad didn’t give up the chase. That was a good sign. She thought of all he’d said, and all he’d promised, and felt an answering yearning within herself. She wasn’t young and she wasn’t old, but Aura had been alone long enough to find the idea of a partner appealing. Like the Pyr, nymphs lived long but weren’t immortal. She was pleased that they had that longevity in common.


That was when she knew. The golden apples of the Hesperides. If he would follow her to Hera’s garden, one bite of a golden apple would compel him to speak the truth to her. Then Aura would know, without doubt, the truth in his heart.

Perfect.

She soared over a river that was splashing down from the peaks of Mount Olympus and followed it, racing just above its surface. She spun and spiraled, knowing her dragon was right behind her. She made the water froth and the spray splash high, even as the sparks of the firestorm glowed in her wake.

Thad roared, and she looked back to see his eyes glowing as he pursued her.

“Remember she-who-should-not-be-named,” whispered Arethusa. “It might not be his choice to abandon you.”

Tisiphone. Arethusa had been confident to say the name of the Erinye while they were on Mount Olympus, in the domain of the gods, but here in the land of mortals, she showed more care. That made sense, since Tisiphone was supposed to occupy this realm until she avenged herself upon the Pyr.

Could Tisiphone kill Thad?

She could, without doubt. The Erinyes were merciless and horrible, and never forgot a grudge. Would she kill Thad? Aura couldn’t bear the possibility, no matter what future was between her and Thad. She stilled, a wind falling idle, and he swept around and through her, like a bird soaring through the leaves of a tree. Aura felt a wonderful shiver of heat in the instant that he was closest to her.

The firestorm’s glow faded to a pale light and Thad halted. The change in its light alerted him that he had missed something. He turned with grace and headed back toward her, his eyes bright with resolve.

“You can protect him,” Nephele whispered, her voice distant but clear.

And Aura yearned to do so.

So long as his intentions were true.

Her decision was made.

Aura swirled in the sky before Thad, waiting for him to fly closer. When he drew near her again, she rose beneath his wings, bearing him higher in the sky with the current she could create. He was startled, then eyed the radiance beneath his wings and laughed.

“Aura! It’s you!” he cried. “Let’s fly together.” He beat his wings hard and Aura became a faster wind, pushing him out over the Mediterranean. They swept high in the sky together, higher than Aura had ever flown alone. It was easy to be bold in the company of a dragon, and easy to believe anything was possible in the face of Thad’s optimism and conviction. He made her feel buoyant—and she could buoy him up. Thad’s wings moved so slowly that his flight looked effortless. Even if there was never any more than this, Aura knew she’d never forget this shared moment.

“I’ve never flown so high or so far from shore,” he murmured, his low voice sending a shiver through her. She could have shivered again that his thoughts were such a close echo of her own. “I’ve always wanted to be sure I could land.”