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"I'm sore. Maybe we should have flown."

“You’d be sore flying for that long too, but we couldn’t risk it.” He crouched next to the fire, turning the makeshift spit he’d constructed to cook the rabbit he’d caught earlier in the day. It was fascinating with this side to him. In the palace, where everything was provided, it didn’t occur to me he would have the skills to survive like this. Like we had in our village where everything was so scarce.

He realized I was watching and stilled, his hands almost in the flames.

"You're going to burn yourself," I warned.

He dropped his attention back to what he was doing. "Not likely. Dragons are fireproof. Even in our fae form, we have a high tolerance to heat."

I shuddered. "Does your magic do that?"

"I guess so. I've never thought about it." He sat back, leaving the rabbit to cook.

“Your scales protect you when you’re in your dragon form, but you don’t have those like this.”

“That you can see.” He smiled, and his wings flickered.

I rolled my eyes. “That does not convince me.”

“You'll have it, too. At least you should be protected from my fire once we meld.”

I studied his features as they flickered in the light. "Let's not test that one until we have melded.”

Once again, it all rested on the meld. Just the mention brought the heaviness down on our little camp.

"Let's get a few rounds of practice in while the food heats to work out your stiffness." He got to his feet, changing the subject.

"Are you serious?"

He had both our swords. Not practice ones—our real ones, which we’d started using in training. But he left them with our packs and came to me. "You didn't think this would be a vacation from your training, did you?"

"I did think, after riding since dawn, I would get a bit of a break." I grunted as I moved, pretty sure my legs would give out if I tried to stand.

"You misjudged my dedication to getting you ready for the field." He offered a hand.

I took it, and he pulled me to my feet, but then without warning, he put his shoulder into my chest, lifting me. I gasped, caught off guard by the move, but my training was second nature now, and I hooked my leg around his back, using the leverage to break his hold.

He laughed as I regained my footing and stumbled out of his grasp so he couldn't surprise me again. I thought I had a moment to catch my breath, but I was wrong. He dove, catching me around the middle to tackle me into a pile of leaves. I grunted as we collided, only the cushion of the leaves preventing me from losing my breath. I didn't have a second to think, because he went for my arms to pin them. I dodged, bringing my knee into his chest to prevent him from trapping me against the ground.

We scuffled, rolling around, each trying to gain the upper hand, ending up deadlocked at an impasse. He'd win if I let it go on too long, though, as he was stronger than me.

"Where in the Twelve Kingdoms did you find this energy after riding all day?" I shoved against him.

“I haven’t flown in days, so I have pent up energy to burn." He pressed harder as he spoke, and I was weakening. It was only a matter of time before he had the upper hand.

Then an idea hit me. It was cruel, but it would work.

I lifted my hips into his. He blanched, his eyes widening as they met mine. I used his distraction to flip us, coming up on top of him in a pin.

"Evil, Sol."

I dragged my teeth over my lower lip, releasing his arms as I sat back on him to celebrate my victory. "You told me I need to use any advantage I can find."

He groaned, eyes closing as I sat just above his pelvis. His breath hitched. "I can see how well you learned the lesson." He didn't even try to throw me off.

"Is the game over?"

"Which one?"