May

A muscle jumps in Aldronn’s jaw, and his lips press into a thin line like he’s about three seconds away from exploding.

I brace. A million other incidents from my past tell me that’s the look someone gets right when they’re about to lay into me for something I did wrong.

Surprisingly, his expression smooths, and he asks a neutral tone, “How was it?”

Pleased surprise flutters in my chest.

“It was great,” I say. “Naomi teleported us to the clearing and then took us to the top of the standing stone. Without an ogre tugging on my ankle, I finally got a chance to look around.”

“It’s quite the view,” Naomi says. “It gave me an idea I’d like to discuss with the group.”

“Everyone.” Aldronn’s deep voice carries through the clearing effortlessly, as if he’s practiced a lot of public speaking. “If we can gather around.”

Naomi asks Wranth to get out the map they brought, and he pulls it from his pack and spreads it open across the mossy ground.

Everyone gathers around him, a feeling of expectation hanging in the air. Rune and Shadow edge in close, ringed by the orc guards and unicorns.

Naomi lifts onto her toes, neck craning as she looks around. “Sheevora the Magnificent, may I speak with you?”

The unicorns and orcs of the guard part to let the dragon through. She’s been writing all morning and still carries paper and quill. “I am here.”

“Wranth, can you tell me again how long it will take to get to the Northern Wastes if we ride?”

“Well over a week.” His finger traces a line across the map, sliding from green to an area left white. “And that’s just to reach the border. Once there, we have no idea how far into the Wastes our destination lies.” He glances at me to confirm.

“Yeah, I have no clue where I’m supposed to go.” I shrug. “The only thing I know for certain is not south.”

“I have an idea for how to get to the Northern Wastes a lot more quickly,” Naomi says. “Or actually May had the idea.”

I take over. “We were looking north from the standing stone, and Naomi mentioned using it to spot a place to teleport to. So I said it was too bad she couldn’t fly up and get an even better view.” I crouch down beside Wranth and glance at Sheevora. “Which is when I thought of you. If you could fly Naomi up high enough to get a lock on each teleportation site, we could skip across the landscape.” I tap my hand against the map in a series of jumps, like a rock skipping across the surface of a pond.

“Even with the help of the red crystals, that would be too much teleporting for Naomi,” Wranth growls, his lips pulled down into a scowl. “Twenty people are too many for her to take on multiple trips a day.”

“He’s not wrong,” my friend says. “I can do maybe fifty trips total a day.”

“Right.” I nod. “Which is why you don’t take all of us. We go as a smaller, faster party.”

Aldronn looks at everyone gathered around, his gaze assessing. “We could leave my guard behind.”

“My king, I must protest,” an orc says, the rest of the guard nodding in agreement.

“I am not a child, to be coddled, Kronn.”

“No, you’re not.” The guard glances at me and quickly away. “But you also have yet to produce an heir, and with both you and your moon bound bride headed into danger, along with your royal cousin and his bride…” Kronn trails off at Aldronn’s sharp look, then rallies enough to add, “And you need the extra people to keep watch on the door to Avalon.”

Aldronn’s grim expression doesn’t shift, but after a few moments he nods, and a ripple of relief runs through the guards.

“I can run the shadow roads. That will be one less person Naomi has to take,” Shadow says, the end of his tail flicking. “And if anyone wants to run them with me, I can take one other as well.”

“I will do it.” Rune steps forward.

“It’s not going to be pleasant.”

“Do you think a little hardship will deter me, cat?” Rune’s ears go back.

“Fuck no.” Shadow laughs. “I just want to be able to say, ‘I told you so,’ when you complain later.”

“That will never happen.”

“Thank you,” Aldronn says, cutting across their bickering. “Your assistance will be appreciated. A reduction of two, however, still won’t ease the burden on Naomi enough.”

“Then let me make a counterproposal,” Sheevora says. “I will take my true form and fly Naomi north for the better part of each day. We will find a suitable camping site, and she can return and bring all of you. That way, our entire party will move at the speed of a dragon.”

“I will go, too,” Wranth says, wrapping a protective arm around Naomi.

“That will be fine.” Sheevora sounds amused. “You will not slow me any, orc.”

“What are the rest of us supposed to do all day?” Shadow asks.

“Hunt and prepare food for travel. The name Northern Wastes should be taken somewhat literally. The dragons who’ve flown over it reported that there’s little plant life and no major game animals,” she says. “By the time we reach the border, we should plan to take enough food to feed everyone for several days. That way, Naomi will not have to use her powers on extraneous trips.”

“You are correct,” Aldronn says. “We must ensure Naomi never reaches the edge of her abilities. She is our safety net. We need her able to teleport everyone away if any emergencies arise.”

“It is decided.” Sheevora shoves her writing implements into her hidden pocket and stalks off toward the pond. “Let’s be on our way.”

Starfall and Zephyr trot over, and Zephyr says, “There’s no real forage here for the unicorns. We’re going to gallop north along the same path as you. We’ll stop in the first meadow we find. Keep a lookout as you fly over so you can find us this evening.”

“I will,” Naomi says.

“And do a better job of picking our next campsite, if you can,” Starfall says. “Try to find somewhere that can accommodate all of us, unicorns included.”

“We’ll look for a meadow,” Wranth says.

I elbow Naomi. “You’re going to ride a freaking dragon!”

“I know, right?” Her pretty brown eyes sparkle. She pulls a satin sleep cap from her pocket and bends forward to lower her curls into it. After tucking in a few stray pieces, she straightens and ties the sash into a bow at the back of her neck, all of her hair now protected from the wind. “How cool is that?”

“The coolest!” I give her a hug.

The middle of the pond is the only place large enough for Sheevora to shift. She does so in a blink, her dragon body so large it causes a mini-tidal wave that rushes over the bank.

Shadow lets out a startled mrrr and dances back out of the way, while Rune laughs. “Water won’t kill you, cat.”

“Water most certainly will, hound,” Shadow hisses. “Or haven’t you heard of drowning?”

“Not from wet feet, I haven’t.” The werewolf grins, showing off an impressive set of fangs.

Sheevora moves close enough to the bank that she can extend one green arm to make a living gangplank leading up to her back.

Wranth takes one look, scoops Naomi into his arms, and runs up it.

They settle in a dip right above the dragon’s shoulders. Then a burst of magic pulses through the glen, and Sheevora rises into the air without beating her wings.

Awe ripples through me. “How the hell is she doing that?”

“Magic,” Aldronn says. “Dragons are the strongest magic users of all fae. It’s what allows them to fly.”

“I guess they’d have to be. That is a lot of dragon to lift.” Sheevora looked huge in the air yesterday evening, but down on the ground, she’s closer and even larger. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’ve lived in smaller apartments.

She finally gains enough height that she unfurls her wings, and the massive green sails beat at the air, the downdraft almost knocking me off my feet.

Aldronn’s arm locks around me, pulling me close.

My crystal flares to life, and Aldronn’s voice fills my mind. “By the goddess, I know what I want to do today. If there weren’t so many damned people around, I’d put May on her knees. I’m ready to see that pretty little mouth of hers wrapped around my cock.”