Just tired after this morning.He grumbled.It is no big deal.
The anger, as well as the finality, in his tone discouraged further comment. When a hand stroked my glossy black side. I flattened my ears and snapped at Nar.
The Sea Krayt’s eyes glowed icy green. “So pretty.”
My hind hoof stopped just short of his crotch. Riggs pushed between him and me, and Nar’s mouth twisted in disappointment as he backed away.
“Believe this is my ride?” Riggs rumbled.
Nar eyed him. “There’s room up there for me, too.”
Adilyn flitted around our heads in her two-inch form. “Off to the lake, kiddos. Time for us adults to run.”
Before I could kneel for him, Riggs grabbed my mane and vaulted onto me. He adjusted the tip of the sword’s scabbard so that it fell to one side and didn’t stick into my back.
Having his powerful legs wrap around my ribs reminded me of sitting in the tub with him, and it sent a pulse of heat surging through me.
Caliel’s growl grumbled in my mind.
Adilyn hovered just above the Anisau’s shoulder as we watched Team Phoenix get ready to leave.
They had one smaller Dragon with dark blonde scales—Matt, who had acquired the Dragon virus from his mates. He carried the female rider, Anna, while Talakai carried their Bellati warrior. Their fifth teammate was the huge Dorinthian ogress, Mari. Once her teammates took off at the starting line, Mari waded into the water.
Team Centaur had gone fully winged for the run. Riley’s Dragon, also acquired rather than born, was a fraction the size of Havoc. Havoc carried Rafael, while their final team member, a Satyr female, climbed up on Marcus’s Gryphon.
We watched them all take flight, and then it was our turn.
I wondered, to even up the odds, just how long was the flying course. My equine could cover ground quickly, but it couldn’t fly.
When Eli released us, Nar and Leah ran for the water, sprouting scales and short dense fur as they went. Sid took off like a sprinter, and Riggs’s legs clamped hard as we launched forward.
It felt so good to stretch out. My worries about Caliel faded as Riggs leaned over my neck.
“Run, Breana!” he encouraged me.
My equine form was created to do exactly that. My body sucked in air from expansive lungs as I extended, and pushed it out as I coiled. Powerful muscles drove the long legs, each one touching down almost one at a time, efficiently driving me forward. My hooves drummed rhythmically upon the hard path and formed the beat for the music that started up within me.
Centaurs galloped to it all the time, and although I lacked human lips to sing, it ran through my mind. And after a moment, Caliel wove his song through it, lightening both my heart and my stride.
With Riggs clinging to my back, and Caliel in my mind, I was seized with a sudden sense ofrightness. Of belonging. Like this was meant to be.
Caliel’s song faltered, and died. I reached for him, but he’d pulled away.
An ache pulsed through my heart. Why had he withdrawn?
We now ran in silence along the path, with Sid pacing us. The Anisau’s long legs ate up the ground, and we passed a few of the other teams. The Dires snapped the air as we went by—they could have kept up with no issue, but were bound to the speed of their more human teammates.
Sid and I were flying. With his face split by an enormous grin, Riggs had begun to softly chant a war song from my back, pitching it to my ears only and matching it to my strides. His hips moved easily with me, as if he’d been riding me all his life. I was caught up with the sensation of his strong legs wrapped around my ribs…
Leah was clearly rubbing off on me. If I’d still been human, my face would have been beet red.
The finish loomed much faster than I thought it should. Looking ahead, I saw both Phoenix and Centaur teams cross the line with their winged members—Phoenix had to hover for a few moments while Mari climbed out of the water.
We slid to a halt near Cas, watching. Where were Leah and Nar? Then a sleek, furred form vaulted from the water—Leah, who shifted to human with the maximum possible exposure of curvy flesh. Behind her, a swirl of icy-green scales. A moment later, Nar jogged out of the waves.
They joined us, and we crossed the finish together.
Adilyn flitted around our heads. “Were you swimming out there, or boinking?” she demanded of the mated pair.
