Of course, it also meant that Jared wouldn’t be able to fly over it either. But he didn’t mind that if it meant that they were safe from dragon attacks from above.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jared said softly.
It was true: Sky Home, the seat of the council and the home of the chimera Gareth, was a beautiful, magical place. And Mountain View, the shifter town where he’d grown up, was a gorgeous small town high up in the mountains.
Both were magical. Both were secret shifter places unknown to humans.
But they were nothing like this.
They’d definitely come to the right spot. Jared still had no idea what exactly they’d find, but there was something here. Something—or someone.
Hopefully someone powerful enough to deal with our dragon friend out there...
They had to backtrack several times. Even though Chiara had memorized the map, making their way through a real labyrinth of crystal was different.
Every now and then, they heard a distant, dull roar. Once or twice, the crystal around them chimed as the ground trembled slightly.
Zane had to be attacking the door.
Jared clenched his jaw and tightened his fingers around Chiara’s hand.
She looked at him. The worry in her eyes told him that she’d come to the same conclusion. But she didn’t speak. Instead, she raised her chin, determination in her eyes.
“Not far now.” In the light of the crystals, her hair seemed to shine as well. “Let’s hope our secret magical artifact comes with an exit, or we’ll be in trouble.”
“We’ll get out of here, no matter what.” It was hard to resist the temptation to pull her close, to bury his fingers in her hair and kiss her breathless. But there’d be time for that. After they’d made it out alive. “I promise.”
She gave him a small smile that fanned the need in him. “I know I shouldn’t believe you, but I do. Weird, isn’t it? I don’t even know you. But then, I guess not every guy would put up with aliens and dragons and secret caves.”
He felt an answering smile tug on his lips and pulled her to a stop after all.
To hell with carefulness. A second or two would make no difference.
“You’re worth absolutely any amount of aliens, dragons, and weird servants of Darkness,” he said earnestly—and then he did wh
at he’d been longing for all this time.
He buried his hands in her hair, feeling the straight, pastel-colored hair fall over his fingers like a silken veil, shining pink and blue and green just like the crystal.
Her mouth was soft and yielding beneath his as he tasted her with all the hunger he’d tried to keep buried.
She fit perfectly into his arms, as if she’d been made for this. For a long moment he allowed himself to simply hold her.
Her scent surrounded him, sweet and floral with something warm beneath—something that made him want to kiss every inch of her skin until she was flushed and trembling all over.
They couldn’t—not now. Not here, trapped in a maze with a homicidal dragon on the loose.
But soon—as soon as he’d gotten them out of this place.
“A good-luck kiss,” he said when their lips finally parted, smiling at her flushed face. “Can’t hurt to use some magic of our own, can it?”
“That was quite some good luck.” She smiled back, looking dazed and happy, her eyes warm and full of overwhelmed joy.
She looked good like that. He’d never known this feeling before—but now he knew why all the dragons had gone crazy for their mates almost immediately.
It was because he’d never felt anything like the golden warmth that was now spreading through him at the sight of her smile. Kissing her, tasting her—that was better than the finest wine.
And claiming her as his own... He could barely think of it. Even imagining her gorgeous, soft limbs spread out on white sheets was enough to send heat surging through his body.