“You look like a mermaid,” Timothy murmured, gently trailing his fingers up her side. “Like a siren.”
She laughed softly, her eyes filled by tenderness and growing heat as she looked at him.
“Not a siren. I couldn’t care less about luring sailors to their death. After all, I’ve already got all I want.”
“So have I,” he said hoarsely, tumbling her back onto the cool moss.
Her soft body relaxed against his own, her lips parting as he kissed her hungrily. Need rose inside him, as if a part of him still couldn’t believe that she was truly his...
And then the light in the cave began to slowly pulsate. When he reluctantly drew back and looked at the water, he saw that with every pulse, the blue light grew dimmer.
The crystals that filled the cave were losing their luster as well. The luminance slowly faded away, as if the cave was saying goodbye.
“Is something wrong?” Liana asked when she breathlessly sat up again.
Timothy chuckled, more amused than annoyed.
“Nothing’s wrong. But I think the river that rescued us believes it’s time for us to leave now. And it’s probably right. It has protected us well.”
“And it saved your life.” Liana moved forward until she reached the water. She lowered her hand into it.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
For a moment, blue light ran up her arm, enveloping her until she shone with it.
Timothy felt his breath catch in his throat. He’d joked about the mermaid earlier—but at that moment, she truly looked like an ocean goddess, or perhaps a nymph guarding a spring.
She was more beautiful than anything he’d ever seen—and the water was singing for her, as it was singing for his dragon, the melody full of joy.
“The Lady of the Water,” he whispered as he looked at her in proud amazement. “That’s who you are.”
Liana laughed and got up, holding out her hand to him.
“I don’t know about that,” she said, “but I know that this river was good to us. And I also hope that it still remembers where it found us—because that’s where our clothes are.”
Timothy chuckled and moved closer, until he could wrap his arms around her. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
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***
Fortunately, their clothes were still by the side of the stream, and the river carried them right back to that spot.
Timothy couldn’t feel any sign of fire dragons in the area—but then, the fire dragons had surprised them before. This time, he was determined that wouldn’t happen again.
After hastily dressing, he shifted and they took off together.
He was fully recovered; his right wing moved without the slightest twinge of pain. Pleased by that discovery, he quickly gained height until at last they broke through the clouds. Then, they soared through golden sunlight.
Timothy breathed in the air, his dragon delighting in the freedom of being aloft once more. This was where his dragon was meant to be.
Moreover, his dragon had come into his full power at last. With the mate bond pulsing between them, his dragon was more powerful than ever before. Even though he flew as fast as he could, he didn’t tire at all.
And the tiny molecules of water in the clouds beneath them sang out to him, ready to follow his every command.
Any other day, he might have shown off for Liana. He could make it rain; he could even pull the raindrops towards them until rainbows would spread around them in the light of the sun.
But today, they had to be careful, and so Timothy focused on carrying Liana as quickly and as safely towards Sky Home as possible.