***
The clouds were dark and ripe with thunder as they circled over her head, threatening to open up at any moment. She was caught up in her big lie, and had no idea how to extricate herself from it. Asher had welcomed her into his home, fed her, clothed her, and even promised to help her search for her missing mother.
How the hell was she supposed to tell him that it was all a lie, and that she had just wanted some pictures of his kind for a photography contest? She doubted he would take kindly to being thought of as a wild creature, little more than a prop for her world. Those notions had been dispelled from her, but she couldn’t hide the truth. That had been her motive for coming to Cadia, regardless of what she felt now.
Asher stood up suddenly and moved to the window, pulling back the curtain. She noticed nothing but dark sky and wondered what he saw.
“What is it?” she asked, growing a little nervous.
He looked at her mischievously. “Come on.” His hand stretched out toward her, expecting her to take it.
“Why?” She wasn’t in the mood for any shenanigans.
The hunky dragon shifter’s eyes narrowed. “Trust me,” he said, jerking his head toward the door.
Quinn rolled her eyes, but she knew she couldn’t say no to that phrase. Not right then. So she got up and took his hand as he pulled her outside. The sun had long since set and the sky was dark, with only the faint glow of stars overhead, though they were mostly shrouded by the light from his house and nearby “downtown” Cadia.
“What is it?” she asked once they were outside. “I’m really not feeling another escape attempt tonight.”
Asher looked back at her. “I promise, that’s not what this is.”
“What is it then?” Why was he taking her outside?
“I want to show you something.”
He then darted away to the middle of the stone circle and a chilled mist enveloped him, spraying her in a shower of ice. She wasn’t positive, but it looked like a more controlled storm of frozen snow this time.
“Climb on,” the dragon said, dipping its brilliant white neck down so that she could once again climb on.
“Asher,” she started to protest, but he held up one of his front paws and shook a single talon at her.
“Nope, no saying no. Come on,” he said. “Dragon’s orders.”
Quinn rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help it. His suddenly brightened and chipper attitude was infectious. She smiled and shook her head, but it didn’t matter. Her feet were already carrying her across the frost-covered stone to his side.
“Okay, but can we do without the aerial fighting this time?” she asked as she settled herself around his neck, finding her handholds.
“If I can, you better believe I will. I’d really prefer not to do that again either.” He paused. “Too much effort, and I’m tired.”
She laughed. “Okay macho guy. Just show me what it is you wanted to show me.”
With a flurry of wings and movement they became airborne. As he slowly gained height, Quinn allowed herself to look down and truly admire the landscape. Her previous flight had been so wrapped up in secrecy in attempting to get her out of Cadia, that she hadn’t been able to properly appreciate it. The vistas stretched out before her in all directions, her line of sight increasing as they went up into the sky.
“It truly is beautiful from up here,” she said at one point as Asher simply coasted, his wings silent for the moment as they cut through the air.
“I thought I’d get used to it, and I would forget the joy of flying,” came the answering voice. “But it hasn’t happened. There isn’t one time that I come up here and I’m not like, ‘This is amazing, incredible.’ Not one flight where I’m left in awe. Flight is truly something remarkable that I have been blessed with.”
Quinn could only nod.
“But that’s not what I wanted you to see,” he said, banking left fast enough that she had to grab ahold of his scales again.
His turn took them toward a solitary mountain, set apart from the chain that formed the border of Cadia to the west. Asher began to descend as she watched, and it quickly became apparent that he was headed for somewhere on the mountain. His massive wings flapped as he let his rear end drop, using the motion of his wings to slow their forward flight, beating them hard against the wind.
There was a bump, followed by a bigger jump, the sound of talons scrabbling on rock, and then they slid to a halt.
“Air Asher Flight 002 has reached its destination,” he said. “Please disembark to the left. Thank you for flying with us, and we hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Who do I complain to about the turbulence and its effect on my stomach?” she teased, clambering down onto the ledge.
Asher snorted, the dragon version of a laugh. “Very funny.”
“No, I’m serious.”
The big dragon just shook its head and settled down onto the ledge.
“What are you doing? Are you not shifting back?” she asked.
“Not yet. Here, lean back,” he said, extending his wing to her.
Quinn frowned, trying to understand what he was going for. When she didn’t move, he used the tip of his wing to throw her feet out from under her, until she fell back onto the strong but thin membrane. It curled around her like a hammock and moved back against his side. Asher curled his head around so that he could keep one eye on her as she rested in the surprisingly comfortable seat.
“Look up,” he said to her confused face, and put motion to his words.
She took her focus off of him and turned it to the sky.
“Oh, Asher,” she said softly.
The sky glittered with thousands of bright stars like diamonds twinkling way out of reach.
A brilliant shooting star tore across the sky before she could say any more, finishing off the picturesque view in a way that she doubted would ever be topped.
Then another one. And another. Suddenly they were coming fast and furious, one every minute or two, some of them moving across half the sky before they faded out. The meteor shower went on for several hours, and she lay there, warmed by his wing and simply enjoying the view.
The simplicity of it all served to relax Quinn. It washed away much of her sour mood, and increased her confidence that her feelings for Asher, whatever they were, were not one-sided. He kept her close the entire night as they watched the sky continue to light up.
She was startled then, when he began to shift back. Because of the way the wing enveloped her, she actually ended up inside his cloud of frost. There was a momentary burst of coldness, but the heat from his body overwhelmed it almost immediately. As the transition finished, she found herself lying on the ground with his arm around her instead of his wing, and his face next to hers.
“That was impressive,” she managed to whisper, her voice catching as she realized there was mere inches between them.
“If I’m honest, that went way better than I had hoped,” he said, flashing her a smile.
Quinn licked her lips, not sure what to say in reply, her wit fleeing her at the sudden intimacy of the moment.
Asher didn’t flinch, but she could tell he was working up his nerve for something.
“Quinn, I was wondering if I could do something.”
She looked at him suspiciously, but wasn’t able to articulate any words, her voice having decided just then to stop working.
“I’d like to kiss you. Is that okay?”
It was so quaint. The notion that he had to ask for her permission. Most men simply took a chance after having been on a date or three, and hoped for the best. Quinn couldn’t blame them. Often the world of flirting and dating was confusing as all hell, and neither side knew when the other was ready to do something. But to flat out ask her if he could do so? That was charming.
That wasn’t the biggest surprise of the evening though. That came when she felt herself nod, giving him the okay.
Asher didn’t hesitate. His free arm came up, warm fingers running across her cheek with the faintest of touches as he leaned in, his short stubble brushing against her tender skin. She tensed as the moment drew near, unsure of what to expect, and still in shock that it was happening.
Then Asher’s lips met hers and the world exploded, electricity running through her lips and into her spine as he kissed her fully, his fingers sliding under her ear and around the back of her neck. She inhaled sharply as they pushed up into her hair, holding her tightly to him.
Quinn felt her resistance fade then, and she gave herself fully to the moment. She allowed her body to mold itself to his as they locked lips, enjoying their first taste of each other high up on the mountainside under a meteor shower. It was damned romantic, she had to give him that. And the trick with turning his wing into an arm? Smooth.
A smile spread across her face. Asher pulled back slightly with a questioning look, but she just shook her head and took action, her own hands locking in on his face and pulling it back to her. She flung her arms around his back and held him tight, her lips exploring his for several long minutes before they needed air.
Although she slept alone in her bed later that night, the smile didn’t leave her face until well into the following day.
At which point everything went sideways.