Page 35 of Brushed By Moonlight

Let everyone see,my dragon side thundered.Let them cower.

I hurtled over the forest, pursued by a dozen twisted emotions.

For years, my soul had been buried under a heap of mistakes and regrets, and peace was an abstract term. But Mina had reached into that mess on day one, like it needed to be mended along with her crumbling château. She’d been reeling me in ever since, and holding her last night…

I’d never, ever felt so at peace.

I’d only meant to carry her to bed and let her rest alone. But I hadn’t been able to resist sliding in beside her.

Just for a second,my dragon had promised.

Liar, liar.

I’d closed my eyes, but I couldn’t close my nose, and soon, I was drunk on her heavenly scent. So drunk, I’d fallen asleep.

My dragon side snorted.Real sleep. Real peace. That’s not drunk. That’s what normal feels like.

How the beast could claim to recognizenormal, I didn’t know. I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in years.

Which was pretty fucked up, because Mina had been hurt. But fucked up was my normal — and the number one reason I had no right to dream about her. Even if I wanted someone in my life, she wouldn’t want me.

Oh, she wants, all right,my dragon side rumbled.

I huffed. Even if she did, she knew better. She deserved better too.

Leaves blurred as I skimmed over the trees, trying to outrun…what exactly?

Outrunning inner demons was futile. Outrunning what Mina did to me was downright impossible. The faster I flew, the more she stuck with me.

She’s the one,something deep in my soul rumbled.

Well, I didn’t wantone. I didn’t need one. I was fine on my own, keeping things simple and under control.

Sure. So under control,my dragon side scoffed.And so wonderfully peaceful.

The treetops formed a lumpy green carpet under a blanket of gray clouds, and soon, I spotted the spire of the town’s church ahead. I’d flown over it several times since my first day here, but only at night and at a great height.

Dipping a wing, I swung into a turn to stay over the forest. Really thick, unbroken forest, except for a razor-straight line to my right. With a flick of my tail, I turned toward it, then adjusted course to fly directly over the tree-lined avenue leading to the château. The woods had been trimmed back on either side to let those century-old oaks stand out — a single line of order in a world of chaos.

Beautiful,my dragon side sighed.

The road, trees, and forest were like one of those perspective paintings where all the elements converged on one point — the château. I flapped my wings a few more times, then angled them to glide silently over the château. No need to draw Mina’s attention now.

But my stupid heart thumped at the thought of it, and my dragon side preened.

Let her see. Let her admire.

The roofline of the château was broken up by windows and towers topped with spires. My heart rose a little at the sight, and a thrill went through me as I shot overhead. Then came a split second of open lawn with its cool updraft, andwhoosh!Thick, leafy forest reclaimed the view under my wings.

Far to my right, the woods gave way to vineyards with parallel lines of grapes. But I remained over the forest and circled through that loop again — over the trees, toward the church, then along the tree alley and over the château. That time, however, I banked hard and flew over the entire length of the building.

Nice place,my dragon sighed, taking it in.

But man, did it need work. Roof tiles lay askew, gutters drooped, and paint peeled. I didn’t know whether to admire Mina for trying to manage it all or laugh her off as a fool.

She’s no fool,my dragon grumbled.

In terms of pure brains, definitely not. But when it came to common sense, I wasn’t so sure. After all, she’d let three shifters and a vampire into her home.