Contained in Dragon’s strong embrace, Jade looked over his shoulder. Behind them, Maarlo halted his wings, realization etched on his face as the water engulfed him, rendering his clockwork equipment useless and transforming its gear into a hazard in the span of a breath. The current swept him under, dragging him backward.

Now completely underwater, Dragon pressed his mouth against hers and ensured she breathed through him. She was freezing already, but his body was warm enough for the two of them.

The propellers held under duress, moving the vehicle forward. Meter by meter, the van floated toward the other end of the tunnel, illuminating the way with its frontal lights that cut a visible path through the dark water. Still holding her and without stopping their kiss, he turned to the dashboard and freed one hand to guide the van away from the wall when the current pushed it to the side.

When he leaned away, Jade’s body temperature dropped. Dragon focused on her, stroking her arms and back. He pumped air into her lungs and kept her awake when she was close to going into thermal shock.

The van dragged forward, fighting the strong current under Dragon’s guidance as he alternated driving the aircar—now turned into a submarine—and keeping Jade conscious. Several long minutes passed before natural light shone ahead. The last moments felt interminable, but she forced her mind into a state of calm, because she didn’t want to work herself into a panic and consume too much oxygen, putting him in danger.

The light from outside became brighter, and a moment later, the water level began lowering until the channel emptied. The fuel engines sputtered but propelled the van along until they reached the mouth of the tunnel.

Dragon’s mouth lingered longer than necessary on hers, his lips curving into a smile against hers. “We made it,” he said, as she resumed breathing on her own.

She hugged him tightly, not ready to let go, shivering so much her teeth clattered against her tongue.

“I wish I had time to warm you up properly, but we need to get going, my love.” He nudged her nose before leaving a small peck on its point.

My love.

Her heart broke anew and tears filled her eyes before she could do anything to stop them.

He had called her my love. Jade might have had a pet name when she was little, but the few good memories of her youth were buried deep in her mind. She couldn’t recall anyone ever having termed her with an endearing title.

She was tired of checking her reactions around him and let her emotions play freely on her face.

“What’s wrong?” His worried frown made her smile.

“Nothing’s wrong.” She wiped her tears away as she leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heart, synching her heartbeats with his. “I’ve never been as happy as I am now.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that true?”

“On my Master Assassin’s honor.”

Dragon rewarded her attempt at humor with a shake of his head, but his mouth twitched in a grin. “But you are still going to leave me.”

“But I’m still going to leave you.”

“I won’t fight your decision.”

She moved on her seat. “Why?” It was what she wanted, but it didn’t feel right that he would accept her will when he had been opposed until now.

“Because I didn’t realize earlier that I put you in danger.”

“How?”

“I’m still the Academy’s target, and assassins will be sent after me until I obtain a meeting and successfully negotiate the price for our lives.” He kissed her, a tender brush of her lips. “So, I let you go.” His forehead leaned against hers. “For now.” He smiled. “But we must get to my spaceport as soon as possible,” he added with a sigh.

Dragon launched the aircar from the ledge jutting a few meters out of the mouth of the tunnel. The propellers smoothed the freefall into a downward glide until the wings fully deployed, and the van jerked forward and up. Finally, they were sailing away from the canyon.

Frigid wind engulfed the car, and lacking the protection from the windows, her wet clothes stiffened against her skin. Dragon pushed his seat backward, and pulled her into his lap, creating a warm cocoon with his body that ran almost feverish. It was uncanny how he could cater to her without the need for words.

The rest of the flight was blissfully boring, only clouds and the occasional wild draglet competing for the right of way. No assassin jumped out at them.

Jade had a lot on her mind and didn’t contribute to the few attempts at conversation that Dragon made, not because she didn’t want to talk to him. On the contrary, she had many questions for him, many things she wanted to say before she left Solaria, and didn’t know where to start. The solid presence of his large body around her was also distraction enough, and made her thoughts wander toward a completely different way to spend their last moments together.

Then the idea that she would never see him again hit her.

“Land there.” She pointed at a dome fast approaching on their right. The top was flat and spacious enough for a safe landing.

Dragon didn’t ask why but immediately veered toward the mountaintop. Before he shut off the engine, Jade turned in his arms, seeking his mouth. His response was heated, his arms snaking to her back, stroking her with possessive caresses, meandering under her shirt. Her hands made short work of his shirt, tearing apart the buttons, then she moved down to the flap on his pants. She couldn’t curb her eagerness to see him naked, but steadied her fingers before she hurt him.

Possessed by a hunger that would never be sated, Jade took him in her hand, his hardness pushing against her touch. She kissed his mouth hard before lowering her lips to his throat, then his chest, and lower to the blond trail of soft hair leading down. Finally, she ended her path between his legs, replacing her hand with her mouth, pleasuring him. She worried she wouldn’t be good enough for him, but he soon started cooing words of encouragement to her, caressing her head as he subtly guided her tempo. Jade listened to his soft groans, hoping to fill her mind with enough memories of Dragon to last her a lifetime.

“I need you now,” he said, pulling her up, reaching for her lips for a furious kiss as he pushed her pants down to her thighs.

Frantic with need, she helped him get rid of her clothes until she sat naked on his legs, shivering. He grabbed her by her waist and placed her on top of him. Kissing him, she lowered herself onto him, relishing the feel of his hardness filling her completely. A moan escaped her lips that were still mating with his. His hand cupped her breast, teasing her nipple to a rigid peak. Soft fingers reached down between them, skimming her flesh with circular motions that drove her to the brink of pleasure, only to pause and start again a few seconds later.

Nothing had ever felt as good as Dragon inside her. She wanted the magic of the moment to stretch forever, until her last breath. Her world had been dark, harsh, and cruel, but Dragon’s light was brilliant and dissipated the shadows creeping into her battered heart.

“Look at me,” he panted, his voice hoarse.

Jade opened her eyes to find him staring at her with a hunger that matched hers. Aquamarine pools of bright light captured her as his hands played her like a musical instrument, coaxing from her lips a crescendo of moans and cries until she reached her finale, screaming his name. He reached his release a heartbeat later, roaring his pleasure before kissing her for a long while.

When she made to move, Dragon pinned her down. “I can’t let you go, not yet.”

He started moving again, slowly, caressing her breasts, kissing her, and as sweet pleasure awakened her senses once again, Jade understood what making love meant. It was heartbreakingly beautiful.

A generous lover, Dragon ensured she crested twice more before he let himself spend. Afterward, they remained embraced, breathing hard and sated.