Save the Sea (Saved by Pirates #3)(14)

“It’s not that, it’s not even the flying. My father’s dragon . . .” Hunter starts to say, but pauses, shaking his head. I give him a sympathetic look, and try to let my love shine through it. “The king used make me ride her. She would drop me, then catch me with her claws. It was a game to them,” he explains to me.

“Vivo would never do that, and we don’t play games like him. I understand if you don’t want to come, Hunter. You have nothing to prove to me . . . I don’t think I could be near a fire again after what happened,” I say quietly, but I know he can hear me.

“Look at us both, fearful of things that happened in our pasts . . . we are better than this. We are stronger than him,” Hunter says, his voice strong as he walks over and climbs up Vivo, sliding in-between the spikes behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

“I love you,” Hunter whispers in my ear, his voice ever so light. I turn to face him, keeping my hands on the spike in front of me.

“And I love you, my moody pirate,” I say, and he kisses me, a harsh and demanding kiss that leaves me wanting more when he pulls away.

“I can’t wait to get you alone, then it won’t just be stolen kisses,” he whispers against my lips. I gently run my lips across his and turn around, a massive smile on my face as I continue to stroke Vivo’s neck.

“Let’s go,” I say, and she turns around, walking to the edge of the cliff and peering down. I feel Hunter's hands tighten on my waist, and she steps off the edge, diving down as I hold onto the spike in front of me for dear life. She suddenly opens her wings, and the wind shoots us up in the air as she glides around the mountain. When she evens herself out, I look around and notice her flying us in-between the mountains.

“Look,” Hunter says behind me, letting go with one hand to quickly point to my left. I look over to see dozens of dragons flying around and baby dragons in nests on the other mountains. The dragons dive into the mountains from the top, so it must be their home in there.

“This is your home, isn’t it?” I ask Vivo, who roars. I look back at the dragons, the red, yellow, and a few brown ones I can see. None of them look like Vivo, none of them are water or ice dragons.

“Not exactly your home then . . .,” I say, and she whines a little.

“Water and ice dragons are usually born in the water, which is where those dragons typically live,” he says.

“Then we will find her home somehow,” I respond.

“Her home is with you; can’t you see that? You are her rider, and where you go, so will she,” he chuckles near my ear as I shiver. “It’s a good thing you belong to pirates and the sea, isn’t it?”





7





Chapter Seven





Cassandra





“You got Hunter on a dragon? I’m impressed, Cass,” Jacob says, as Vivo flies off. He walks out from one of the arches, coming to stand next to me and Hunter. I watch Vivo until she is out of sight before turning to face Jacob. His hair is messier than when I first met him, longer, but it looks good on him. The scar just adds to his looks in a way, but I regret that he had to lose sight in one of his eyes. He still smiles at me the same way he always has, like nothing has changed. He is my pirate that jumped off a ship for me, saved me, and with the help of his friends, showed me what it was like to actually live. In some ways, I owe all my happiness, my reason to fight for this world, to Jacob.

“Hunter bought her for me, so he had to fly with her,” I reply, with a grin when Hunter glares down at me.

“I was trying to impress you. I guess I didn’t think it through at the time,” he tells me, and I wrap an arm around his waist, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

“I was impressed,” I whisper.

“I did come to find you for a reason,” Jacob says, and I smile as I let go of Hunter and turn to him.

“So . . . you didn’t just miss me?” I ask, teasing him a little. He steps closer, until his whole body is pressed to the front of mine as he speaks.

“You know I missed you, Cass,” he whispers, and Hunter steps behind me, both of them keeping me tightly in between them.

“We both missed you, all of your pirates did,” Hunter whispers next to my ear, before gently grazing his teeth on the outer shell, sending goose bumps through me.

“Sorry to interrupt, boys, but Cassy promised me some alone time. So, you will have to get in line,” Everly’s voice floats over to us, and she steps out of the shadows of the archway. Jacob leans down, kissing my forehead before stepping away.

“Hunter and I have new recruits to train, in fact, all of us are training today. Come to us when you can,” Jacob says, and Hunter kisses my cheek, whispering to me before he moves back.

“My bed tonight, little bird.” I watch him as he walks around me and past Everly. She has her arms crossed and an amused look on her face as she waits for my attention

“Glad to have some time alone with your pirates?” she asks me when I get to her, and she pulls me into a hug. I lean back, admiring her blonde hair that falls to her waist in perfect blonde curls and her big blue eyes.

“Yes, you could say that,” I laugh, “you look amazing, so much better than when–” I stop talking when her face drops a little.