Drake
"No," Smoky snapped, her surprisingly strong hand curling around my arm, yanking backward, forcing me to stop.
"What the fuck do you mean, no? I have to find her," I snapped, yanking my arm free, charging forward only to have Sal step in my way.
"Listen. This is not the way. What do you think you are going to do? Charge into the Dark Court all by yourself, and demand to have her back? Think here. You aren't going to do Amy any favors by getting yourself killed."
They weren't wrong.
I needed to be smart, to be rational.
The problem being, it was impossible to be smart and rational when the woman you loved was in the grips of Dark trackers.
When my feet had hit the ground to find her gone, I knew immediately what had happened. I had smelled them all around.
Smoky had come upon me first, swinging down from a tree while I frantically, irrationally called out Amy's name, hoping for some kind of response, a direction to go in.
Sal had come upon us just a few moments later, demanding details.
"The only way you are getting her back is with force," Smoky declared, shrugging.
"We aren't exactly a fearsome threesome," Sal shot back, shaking his head.
"I didn't mean us. I meant them," she declared, meaning heavy in her words.
My kind.
More specifically, my kind in Draca form.
Talk about force.
Dozens of fire-breathing, winged creatures storming into Dark land.
It would be enough of a shock to have the guards shocked inactive. For just long enough, I'd hope, for me to find Amy, get her out, and get her back behind the veil before anyone knew our intentions.
The problem being, I would need them to agree.
And for them to agree, I would need the counsel's permission to even ask them.
"They'll never agree."
"Make them," Smoky demanded, waving an arm out back toward my land. "You are wasting time here that is better spent hauling ass back to your land to at the very least try to get them to agree. If that fails, we will think of something else. But if you don't ask, the answer will always be no."
Not needing more than that, I turned and ran, aware of their feet pounding the ground behind me, somehow keeping pace even though it seemed like I was running at warp speed.
I reached the veil hours later, night already weighing darkly on the woods.
Without giving it any thought, I grabbed Smoky and Sal's wrists, dragging them through with me at a dead run.
I was only somewhat aware of the shock and worry on the faces as I tore through the square, focused on the building before me, where one of my oldest friends and my biggest foes would be sitting, talking about silly, mundane, unimportant things while who-knew-what was happening to Amy at the hands of the Dark Court.
"What is..." Foren's voice called as we stormed in.
His old, weak voice was drowned out by the strong, worried one of Kieran.
"What happened?" he demanded, chair scraping then tumbling to the floor with how fast he stood.
"They took Amy," I forced out, finally remembering to release Smoky and Sal's wrists.
"Who?" Drayven asked, voice surprisingly strong. Worried, even.
It was no surprise to me that Amy had managed to win over almost all the members of my clan in record time. Borena, Foren, and a few stubborn, old tribe members had been the holdouts.
But the majority of the Draca had managed to see what I did in Amy. Her sweetness, her loyalty, her willingness to adapt, pull her own weight. She'd pitched in on every tribe activity she could, all the while doing so with a smile on her face.
She was light and goodness and warmth.
Everyone leaned into it.
Except, of course, for two of the elders before me.
"Dark trackers," I supplied, heart squeezing tighter in my chest.
"How do you know?"
"We could smell them," Sal declared, fearless in front of so many unfriendly faces.
"And you are?"
"This is Sal. And Smoky. I've told you about them."
"And you just brought it upon yourself to bring them here without permission?" Foren asked, grouchy, tone sharp.
"I'm sorry if I am not thinking straight because my woman has been fucking kidnapped!" I roared, the sound ear-piercing even when it bounced back at us off the empty walls.
"You are understandably upset," Aurelia's voice consoled, holding a hand out. "But we need you to try to remain calm. Not doing so is only going to drag this out. What did you come here for?"
"Help," I snapped. "Reinforcements."
"You can't possibly think we would allow you to take our men and women to the Dark Court," Borena said, rolling her eyes at the very idea.
"Actually, that is exactly what he thinks," Smoky snapped. "And if you dusty old fucks would get your head out of your own asses for two minutes and see what spineless shits you are being, maybe you would nut-up and help."
To my other side, Sal snorted.
But in front of me, Foren and Borena went almost purple with outrage as Aurelia ducked her head, embarrassed.
It was Drayven who held Smoky's gaze for a long moment before turning it to me.
"This is a member of our clan," he said, voice strong. "We are obligated to hear out his plan before we put it to a vote."
So they heard me out.
And they forced us out of the building, wasting precious fucking time debating things when we should have been storming out of there, getting Amy out before something happened to her.
"Breathe, Drake," my mother demanded, always having the uncanny ability to be calm in chaos. "You won't help the situation by passing out from lack of oxygen. I am sure the elders will make the smart decision."
Judging by the raised voices I could hear even from outside, I wasn't quite as confident as she was.
Above all of them I could hear Kieran's roar of rage, determined, it seemed, not to be outvoted again, not to keep the tribe in their stubborn old ways.
"I'm not saying to force anyone, but if some of us want to volunteer, that should be our right!" Kieran's voice was still roaring what seemed like hours later, the owls already nestled silently in trees, suggesting morning was almost upon us.
"Damn straight," Smoky agreed, pacing back and forth in front of me, oblivious, it seemed, to the way everyone was staring at her, wondering about her.
Sal was easy.
Sal was something they understood.
But this wild woman who screamed at the elders and had weapons strapped to her thigh, she was a mystery. And if there was one thing that was fascinating to those used to the same old thing day in and day out, it was a mystery.
"What?" she snapped, clearly having enough of being looked at - this woman who always wanted to be left alone.
"It's nice to see a new face," Tsar told her, shrugging, leaning back against the side of one of the houses, unabashedly raking his eyes over her.
"Keep eye-fucking me like that and I'll rip them out of your skull," she shot back with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Are you seriously going to stand here gawking at me when Drake's woman is stuck in the Dark court having fuck-knows-what done to her? That's the kind of men you are?" she asked, directing her anger at Tsar simply because he had been the one speaking to her.
"There are rules," he shot back, but lost some of his usual bravado.
"Rules," she snorted, pacing a few feet, mumbling to herself like a madwoman. "Rules. You're fucking fire-breathing hell beasts of lore, but you are being held back by some antiquated rules set up by some noodle-spined elders?"
"Easy," Drayven's voice called, loud and close. He'd managed to sneak up on us.
They all had, I realized as I turned to find them standing there, all various forms of angry or embarrassed.
"Easy? Now is hardly the time to be easy, elder-man," Smoky shot back.
I felt my lips tip up humorlessly, glad that she was on my side rather than against me.
My eyes sought Kieran, finding a muscle ticking in his jaw, but unable to determine if it was because he was pissed, or just remnants of his anger from the argument.
"We will not force anyone to do anything they do not wish to do," Drayven said, tone raising so those around us could hear. "Many of you do not understand the risks of leaving our land, going out beyond the veil. We have survived because no one knew we even existed, because no one can find us. Leaving here could be a suicide mission. It could put you at risk. It could put all of us at risk. But," he added when both mine and Smoky's voice opened to object. "We have also come to recognize that not everyone here continues to support the ideals our society agree to many years ago. That is an issue for another day. Many other days," he specified.
"What are you saying, Drayven?" I asked, voice hardly more than a growl, frustrated, antsy, sick to my stomach.
"I am saying that if you have some men or women who would like to help you, they are free to do so. With the understanding that if trouble follows you, you may not lead it back here."
As if anyone would want to put the whole clan at risk, all the innocent children.
"If you go out there, you are on your own," Foren added, defeated, but too prideful to admit it. "We will not come for you. We will not save you from whatever fate might befall you."
"Like your dusty old ass can save anyone," Smoky mumbled under her breath, making Sal knock his hip into hers to tell her to behave even as he fought the smile on his face.
"We ask that mothers of small offspring do not volunteer," Aurelia's voice rose up. "Or sole caregivers to someone elderly. And, of course, elders will be forbidden."
My gaze went to Kieran, understanding the ticking in his jaw.
"Otherwise," Drayven concluded, "you are free to go with Drake should you wish." With that, he, Aurelia, Borena, and Foren turned and left.
"I'm coming," Kieran declared immediately after they were out of earshot. "Fuck my position on the council."
"You have no idea what that might mean for you when you get back," I reminded him.
"Some things are worth the possible consequences."
One.
That was one.
Smoky turned, pinning her focus on Tsar. "You. With all the testosterone and posturing. Are you coming?"
"You gonna ride on my back, babe?"
Two.
Even if she wouldn't, he was coming. If for no other reason than the bragging rights he would use to get women into bed when we got back.
"Been dying to get into the outside world," another voice raised, someone I didn't know, young, but old enough.
Three.
"I don't have any small children," my mother declared, stepping forward.
"No, me," my father decided. "The girls still need you," he added, giving her a warm smile.
Four.
A trio of chest-puffing young men were next.
Seven.
"Eh, fuck it, sounds like fun," a woman declared, stepping forward, her fire-red hair making me momentarily wonder how I had missed her before. Younger than me, surely, but definitely old enough.
Tsar's eyes lit up, making it clear there was at least one woman in the clan who had resisted his charms.
Eight.
"Could use a story to tell my grandkids," an older man decided, shrugging as he stepped forward.
Nine.
With me, ten.
Ten dragons storming the Dark Court.
We could block out the sky.
It would be just the distraction we needed.
"Cowardly lot," Smoky decided quietly, just loudly enough for me and Sal to hear.
"They're used to their ways," Sal defended them.
"Shit excuse," she stubbornly declared.
"When do we leave?" the redhead asked, moving closer, the orange in her brown eyes bright with the idea of the Change.
"Raisa here wants to know if she has enough time to do a bikini trimming before everyone gets to see her goodies," Tsar declared.
Raisa's brow rose, her chin lifting, not the least bit embarrassed by Tsar's declaration. "Tsar has clearly failed in his attempts to bed me, otherwise he'd know that my goodies are always in perfect order."
"I like you," Smoky declared, nodding. "If I have to ride with anyone, I'd prefer you."
"Come on. Taking the only chick," Sal declared, shaking his head. "You really don't want other women touching me, do you babe?"
Smoky's eyes slitted as he grinned, knowing he had her.
"Take her. I'll ride with him," she decided, linking her arm with Tsar.
"Do we go now?" One of the kids asked.
"Yes."
"You're going to have to lead the way, son," my dad told us. "None of us have been to the Dark Court. And we need to know the plan."
"Massive distraction," Smoky declared. "Just enough so that Drake can locate Amy, and get her out of there."
"Can we burn things?" another of the kids asked.
"Just not fae," Kieran specified. "We can go and create havoc, but we do not kill. We don't need the weight of the whole Dark Court on our backs. Just fly through, set a tree or cart or two on fire, and get out of there."
"Got it," Tsar declared.
"We go now?" my father asked even as the young guys started stripping out of their clothes casually. Because the Change was natural, common, nothing to be embarrassed about.
For them.
It had been so long for me.
I was half worried I wouldn't even know how to do it anymore.
"It will come back to you," Kieran told me, voice low. "The Change," he clarified. "I know you have been fighting it all this time. But it will come."
Uncertainty flooded my system as I watched the guys crack their necks, then fall forward toward the ground as the plates erupted from their skin seamlessly, overtaking them completely as their forms twisted, contorted, became something else entirely, beasts large enough to overshadow all the houses, twice as wide, three times as long, in brilliant, blinding colors. Green, blue, gray, brown, purple. There was a flash of orange and then Raisa was in Draca form, sending a look over her shoulder at Tsar who was still slowly removing his clothes.
"Ah, I get it now," Smoky declared, nodding her head as Kieran suddenly burst into form, a striking silver with blue - the only one of our kind who was multi-colored in Draca form.
"Get what?" Sal asked, head cocked to the side, trying not to seem impressed although it was impossible not to be. Hell, even I was. And I was one of them.
"The eye thing."
"what eye thing?"
"Those flecks in their eyes," she started, nodding at those around her. "They match the color of their dragon. Which means you are going to be red," she declared, nodding with certainty at me.
A memory of the red-capped gnome flashed before my eyes, knowing my Draca color because the knobby old thing had likely been around back when we had flown freely, when our secrets weren't secrets.
"Yeah," I agreed, reaching to start removing my coat, reminding myself of how many times I had done this in the past, how it had never been a problem before.
My body would remember.
Kieran's tail whipped the back of one of my legs, spurring me on, reassuring me.
"Amy's waiting," Smoky told me, chin defiantly lifted, almost daring me to Change.
And, well, she was the only one using the right ammunition, the type strong enough to pierce through my insecurity.
Amy.
This was the only way to save Amy.
I could feel the buzzing sensation on my skin, a prickling that grew stronger, that forced my body forward, my hands hitting the dirt even as I felt the plates start breaking through my skin, achy like unused muscles, but doing what they were designed to do regardless.
I felt the stretch as my body elongated, widened, became what it always was underneath it all.
And with one last surge of energy, every last bit of my fae form was gone.
Draca.
Something deep within me thrilled at the word, at the realization of my true form, at the power to be found in my talons, in my teeth, in the impenetrable plates covering me. In the heat that burned a literal fire deep inside.
"Shit," Sal said, nodding as my head swiveled to find him watching me. A Changing fae himself, he shouldn't have been impressed, but it wasn't every day that you saw a myth come to life.
My foot pounded the ground as a roar erupted from me, heat - but no fire - filling the air around me.
There were no words.
Not in Draca form.
Just feelings and connections.
My tribe could sense my intentions.
But Sal and Smoky were in the dark.
My head whacked into the side of Raisa, swinging to indicate Sal.
As she bent low for him, Tsar moved to Smoky's side as well, bending low, letting her climb on, tentatively grabbing the larger plates covering his shoulders, digging in when he started to run.
Confident she was in good hands, that Tsar would take care of her, and Raisa Sal, I charged ahead of them all at a run that thundered the ground, made small babes fall on their diapered bums, clapping and squealing with joy.
It wasn't until we neared the veil that the urge overtook me, my wings starting to rustle against my back, begging to be stretched.
There was a momentary surge of uncertainty that I would be able to fly before I simply... did.
We burst through the veil as a flock instead of a pack, all of us swooping up at a steep incline to rise up over the trees, something that made Smoky shriek and Sal let out a string of panicked curses, making me crane my neck back to make sure they had a good grip, only to find Smoky had hooked her legs under Tsar's wings for stability, and Raisa's tail had curled up to clamp over Sal's back.
Safe.
If they survived the ascent, they were as secure as they could possibly be.
I didn't know how long it had been since I had flown, had never had an occasion to fly from my homelands to the Dark Court before, so I didn't know how long it would take.
But I did know that it would take about half the time it would take us on foot, that our massive wingspans allowed us to cover more ground per minute than even a dead run could in fae form.
The Draca part of me was battling for dominance, longing to feel all the wonders of the Change that had been denied for so long. The way the wind rushed over my plates like a warm, sweet caress, the way flying closer to the sun warmed me from the outside in, the way my eyes could see so much clearer, so much further, the way my hearing was so acute that I could hear the gnomes burrowing in the ground, could eavesdrop on conversations from a mile away.
But the other part of me reigned supreme, pushed all that aside. Or, more accurately, used that information in a way that was focused, useful.
In finding Amy.
I would be able, even before the castle came into view, to hear the conversations going on inside, sifting through them, trying to find the soft lilt of Amy's voice if she was speaking. If she was allowed to speak.
My stomach twisted at all the atrocious possibilities, the fates that could await her.
Panic would do me no good, so I tried to think of other things.
Like how Jet had tried to save her, even if it was maybe for his own advancement.
Maybe he could find some kindness in his heart. To save her again. Or, at least, to prevent the worst kinds of harm from happening.
Maybe there would still be a marriage plan.
Sickening, atrocious, horrifying for Amy. But also a way to ensure she wouldn't be down in the dungeons being prodded with iron rods too.
And she hadn't been gone that long. Even if Cass' plan was still to force that marriage, it wasn't likely it had happened yet.
And I was pretty sure all Courts did away with the antiquated ritual of having their consummation rights watched by all who may choose to see.
From what Amy had said of Jet, he had no interest in bedding her.
So maybe she would be saved that injustice.
Maybe she would be able to sit in a room and simply wait for her rescue.
Maybe she wasn't hurt or humiliated.
I could only hope.
The road to putting this behind us would be easier to travel if her fate was tied in with the marriage plan still.
My gaze lifted, looking over toward Smoky who was glancing my way, trying to get my attention. Seeing my eyes, she hooked her legs tighter, allowing her to lift an arm, hold it out, point.
To the right.
Where the Dark Court was.
I had a vague understanding of its location, but Smoky clearly knew more than I did, unsurprisingly.
I curved toward the right, watching as everyone effortlessly did the same, a few of the younger ones rolling in the air, showing off.
I soared forward a bit, sidling in beside Tsar and Smoky, figuring she could subtly guide me if I fell off course. I still had a vague memory of the way to the Dark Court, even if I hadn't been there myself. Everyone knew where it was. It was the only way to make sure you didn't accidentally end up there.
We flew for an hour before around us, the birds started to disappear, the trees got more gnarly, more prone to diseases of the bark without the tree fae to care for them, take care of them. Most Earth fae being of the Light realm.
In my head, I could feel this odd nose-wrinkling sensation that wasn't my own, but instead a collection from all the Draca around me.
With heightened senses, they were all experiencing the acrid stench of the Dark realm, the way the air smelled always of ash and death.
I tried pushing a message through, unsure if that muscle was one I could still stretch, trying to tell them that we were getting close.
Close, though, was a relative term.
The Dark was as vast as the Light, as massive a trek to get through it to find the deepest, most protected of areas.
Where the Court would be.
It took another few hours, even with out massive wingspans, to get to where the scent was almost overwhelming, making you want to hold your breath instead of take it in.
"We're almost there," Smoky's voice called. "Just beyond those trees," she added, holding an arm out to where the tree line thickened, then thinned out, likely to accommodate the massive area that was the Court.
I looked over at Sal, suddenly realizing we hadn't discussed what they might be in charge of, what they were to do.
Too late now, I decided, trying to shrug that off.
We didn't have time to stop, to Change, to regroup.
Amy was in that Court.
Amy was having who-knew what happen to her in that Court.
I wasn't going to waste a second when we were this close.
It was about then that I heard Smoky's voice, raised to be heard over the rush of air whipped over our - and her - bodies.
"Swoop down by the windows,so I can look inside. See if I can find her," she suggested, making me nod.
I took a slow, deep breath as we flew over the thick part of the forest, breaking into the clearing.
The Court was massive, as one would expect. The castle itself was bigger than the Winters' compound - a giant structure in its own right - by at least four times over, sprawling, dark, but kept.
The gates were opened, Dark fae allowed to come and go, trade wares, seek asylum, settle disputes, wait to speak to the King.
It was maybe ten seconds before heads started to twist, turn up, wondering what was banking the sun out of the sky.
Expecting, I imagine, a storm, the shocked awe on their faces was enough to bring a smirk to my face before all thoughts of them drifted away, pushed beneath the bone-deep need to find Amy.
We all seemed to break apart at once, some drifting up, some going to swing around the castle. Me, Tsar/Smoky, and Raisa/Sal swooped downward, low enough that my tale scraped the top of the guard wall, making a few nearby fae squeal as my gaze went to the windows, trying to get close enough as I sailed to sniff, to see if her scent was around, trying to hear past all the chaos below us, trying to find her voice.
A growing dread filled me when I smelled, saw, heard nothing of her, wondering if she was below ground, in a cell somewhere.
What the fuck were we supposed to do then? I wasn't leaving her.
I didn't care if it came down to staying behind on my own, and burning the entire fucking place down to find her.
She was coming back with me.
No matter the wreckage.
Something happened even as the thought formed, as the fire within raged, begging to be used, to burst forth like it was meant to.
A window opened.
And I smelled her.
I whipped around so fast that I knocked a row of bricks off the front of the building with the edge of my stomach, making it crumble downward, fae running and screaming to get out of the way.
But I barely registered it.
All that could break through my mind was her.
Amy.
The Draca part of me screamed something the other part of me had known for a long time.
Mine.
She was mine.
And she was close.
I followed the track I had lead even as I saw an empty cart set ablaze, making the nearest guards run for their lives.
And there was a window wedged open that hadn't been before.
And a woman hanging halfway out, her mouth open wide. A familiar mouth. A mouth I had kissed countless times, had felt moving all over me, had curved into brilliant smiles for me.
Her eyes were just as round, taking in the spectacle of it all, not seeming to understand the reason behind it, too overtaken with awe to realize we were here for her.
I was here for her.
I swooped low, just below the window, watching as she shocked back a bit, surprised, not recognizing me.
It wasn't until she moved forward a step again, gaze fixed on my eye that a slow, relieved smile split her face.
"Drake," she exhaled, eyes filling a bit.
"No fucking shit," another voice said from behind her. A male voice. The Draca in me, possessive and jealous as it was, let out a growl, my mouth parting to let out a small burst of fire as my gaze sought the source.
He was standing there behind Amy, head shaking.
I didn't have to know him to know him.
The Dark Prince.
In all his royal glory.
"The fuck are you waiting for?" Jet's voice called to Amy, making her head swivel over her shoulder to him. "You were waiting for your out, Amethyst. It doesn't get any better than this. Go. You," he added, moving behind Amy to talk to me. "You need to burn me."
My head shook, remembering my promise to the elders. I had Amy. There was no need for damage, for anyone to get hurt. Least of all the Dark Prince. "It can't look like I let her go," he growled, making his honey-brown eyes flash violently.
My head shook again, making Amy look between us, seeming lost before suddenly closing her hands over a chair situated beside the window.
"Don't change, Jet. Be better than your father," she demanded before she lifted the chair, swung, and fucking knocked the damned Dark Prince unconscious before clamoring up onto the windowsill, hands trying to grab a hold of me.
I tilted, tipped, let her climb on, her barely-there weight taking all the boulders off my shoulders as I swung upward, whipping around, blowing fire for a long moment, getting all my clan's attention, letting them know it was over before turning and barreling off.
They'd come for us.
Quickly.
As soon as Cass could get control over his guards.
We had to be as far gone as possible.
We had to be untraceable.
In my mind, I shot off an image of all of us splitting up, getting out scent all over The Green, making it impossible for them to figure out where we came from, where we were going.
As soon as everyone got the message, they all took off, leaving just me and Amy taking the direct path back to the veil.
Like Smoky, her legs hooked under my winds even as her hands held a death grip on my shoulders.
But unlike Smoky, she leaned forward, pressing her soft cheek to my plates, planting a sweet kiss there.
She said nothing, just held on as I pushed my body to its limits, forcing it forward with a determination that made my lungs ache, made my wings scream, every thought that was able to penetrate only focusing on getting her home, getting her safe, making sure she was okay.
It was a good few hours shorter than it had been on the way from the veil to get back to it.
The pull was even stronger in Draca form, pulling us inward, begging us forward like a warm embrace.
I flew through it without stopping, not slowing as I tore through the common square where people cheered.
I could hear another Draca behind me.
Tsar.
He could land.
He could tell them.
I didn't.
I flew right past our little home, taking her to the waterfall I kept promising to show her.
I slowed, dipping low, curling down, urging her off.
She slid off my side, tripping, dropping down on a soft moss-covered rock.
I lifted up again, did a lap around the waterfall, searching for the Change back.
I felt it as my gaze found her again, watching me with fascinated eyes.
Mine the dragon called.
Mine, I agreed as the Change burst through me as my feet met the ground, shrinking me back down into my usual form in a blink, faster than normal, the urge inside so strong to get back to my woman, to talk to her, to wrap my arms around her.
"You're beautiful," she called as I moved toward her.
I bent low, swooping her up, crushing her small body to mine, the relief overwhelming, making my stomach feel wobbly, my heart slamming against my ribcage.
"It's okay," her voice said, sounding small, choked. Because I was squeezing the air from her lungs. "I'm okay. It's okay."
Searching a moment for the strength to do so, I finally set her back down on the rock, my hands roving over her body, looking for bruises, cuts, anything.
She was paler than usual, but clean, freshly dressed.
Okay.
She was okay.
"Ah!" she shrieked when my hand slid down her leg.
Brows furrowed, my fingers dragged up the leg of her pants, finding the skin raw, eaten up, singed at the edges.
I knew that look too well.
I knew that pain too well.
Iron.
"That mother fucker," I roared, fingers somehow gentle as the rage surged through me, making me momentarily worry the Change would overtake me without meaning for it to before I managed to bank down the worst of the anger. "Chair to the head. He deserved his cock cut off and shoved up his own... what?" I asked when Amy let out a strange snort.
"This wasn't Jet," she said, shaking her head. "This was Cass. And the guards. They put me in a cellar. It was Jet who came to get me, had them cut the iron off, brought me upstairs to bathe, eat, change. I even put some salve on that. It's better than it was."
She was trying to reassure me.
But if this was better, then it must have been horrific before.
That should have never happened to her.
Not on my watch.
I'd let her down.
"Hey," she tried again, small hands framing my face, forcing my gaze up. "Stop. I'm okay. A little sore. Kinda in shock still. But fine. I'm here. You got me. My ankle will heal. It doesn't matter." She leaned forward, pressing her lips to mine before resting her forehead against mine. "You were magnificent," she added. "So red. Like... perfectly red. Just like your eyes. Can we ride like that again?"
"Anytime you want," I promised. "But here. Behind the veil. I never want you to go out there again."
"You know, I am more than okay with that," she agreed, arms going around me, pushing and pulling at the same time, urging me to sit, climbing onto my lap, relief and need overtaking us both.
We kissed for what felt like hours, until she finally ripped her lips from mine, resting her forehead to my shoulder.
"Take me home, Drake," she demanded softly.
I stood, holding her close to me.
And I took her home.