Lucas scrambled off Aria as she backed against the wall, her lips pulled back from her Dragon teeth in a snarl.
“S’okay,” Dani stated. She was already diminishing, shifting back to human. “S’just Tyrez.”
Lucas’s heart was slamming against his breastbone as though it wanted to beat itself silly. The size alone of the beast above them spoke volumes. “That’s a Legion Dragon. Don’t tell me it isn’t.”
Dani’s face had assumed its human shape. Scales so black they reflected blue popped up all over her slim form to create a shape-hugging bodysuit. “He was a Legion Dragon. Now he’s my mate.”
Her mate? But wasn’t Ash her mate?
His confusion must have been obvious. “We are part of a triad,” Dani explained. “Ash, Tyrez, and me.”
Lucas’s mind spun.
“Dragons don’t form triads,” was Aria’s comment.
Dani shrugged. “Well,wedo.”
Aria glanced upward to the behemoth patiently circling, waiting for them to clear the ledge, and then her face started to change. Despite his intent not to stare, Lucas couldn’t help himself. There were a few seconds of smooth, naked skin revealed before her bodysuit of scales chased across them.
His mouth went slack.
She regarded him with raised brows, and he ripped his eyes away, clamping his lips together.
“Come on in.” Dani gestured to the cave entrance. “He kinda needs the entire ledge. You don’t want to get squished.”
Aria followed the slim woman inside, and Lucas was hot on their heels. Not getting squished was a priority. The interior surprised him—he caught a glimpse of tapestries hung on the stone walls and rugs underfoot, before he turned to see the giant Dragon land. In spite of his size, Tyrez set himself down as lightly as a butterfly, every move carefully controlled. He clutched something in one enormous taloned hand.
“He—” Lucas swallowed and tried again. “HewasLegion?”
A spasm crossed Dani’s face. “Yes. He isn’t with them anymore.”
No longer a Legion Dragon? Lucas had never heard of a Dragon leaving the elite troops. But Dani’s expression discouraged questions, and as the Dragon crouched on his powerful hind legs, Lucas spotted what he clutched in his talons—two buckets of fried chicken, along with a bag of what was likely side dishes, considering the label.
“Broughts snacks,” the deep voice rumbled. And then the Dragon shifted form. Faster than Lucas had ever seen anyone shift, the huge beast gave way to an equally huge man.
Lucas swallowed. A Legion-sized Dragon could easily lift a Dragona into the stratosphere. And now this guy—a perfectly chiseled specimen standing pretty damned close to seven feet with inky black hair hanging to his waist—only emphasized how futile Lucas’s dreams were. A skinny Morph was about the furthest thing from a male Dragon that ever was.
This was likely what flew through Aria’s dreams. Even if Lucas morphed to a male Dragon, he’d never be able to achieve this. It would take more crystal dust than he could physically consume.
Lucas’s heart hurt as though it were being ripped apart. What had he expected? Why did he keep beating himself up over this Dragona?
But when she turned, and smiled at him, his entire body trembled. He’d do anything for another smile like that.
He was such a fool.
35
Aria’s skin tingled as she followed Dani to the kitchen.
Having Lucas ride her here had been more of an erotic experience than she’d counted on. His strong legs wrapped around her neck, and the warmth of his body... her heart had pounded so hard she’d been sure he could feel it through her scales. The sense ofrightnessto his presence had stolen her ability to breathe.
But there was a sense of wrongness, too. Not in Lucas’s presence, but the form of it. Wings the color of ink kept drifting through her mind, and her body craved to be chased. Not just chased, butcaught.
How long did it take those sharding herbs to work? She’d only had a few doses so far. Hormones were tricky things, not easily dissuaded.
The cave wasn’t as humid as she’d expected. It was warm, but not as dry as she’d prefer. The other Dragons lived here, so they’d learned to cope with it, and so could she.
For now.
