Page 319 of Cursed Evermore

I glanced back at Arielle. She waved, and I lifted my hand in return before lowering my gaze to Hedion's massive head.

The first time I'd ridden him had been wild and life-changing. I'd ached to fly again and taste the freedom that came with it. Having Wolfe at my side now was an added bonus.

Both dragons shifted, muscles rippling beneath their scaled hides, wings stretching wide to claim the sky. The air quivered with their power. Hedion's great body tensed beneath me, his low growl vibrating through the saddle and into my bones. Then, with a single mighty sweep of his wings, the ground dropped away. The courtyard blurred into stone and silver light as the world fell beneath us.

My stomach lurched as we surged upward, air tearing past me, sharp and cold against my face. The earth below dissolved into shadows and silver, swallowed by distance until only sky remained.

A cross between a shriek and a laugh broke from my lips. Hedion answered with a roar that rattled through my bones.

Hold fast, my Lady,his voice rumbled through my mind.

"I will," I cried back.

Pyrion roared across from us, the sound splitting the heavens, and Wolfe's figure was a dark silhouette against the sun, his eyes locked on me even as his dragon climbed higher.

The wind whipped my hair, tugged at my cloak, but I laughed anyway, basking in the sheer exhilaration of the flight.

For a moment, it felt as though my soul broke loose and joined the sky. Hedion's wings beat in a steady rhythm, each stroke a thunderclap of power that hurled us higher, faster, farther.

The world below shrank to a tapestry of emerald forests, winding rivers, and jagged mountains. Villages scattered across the land looked no bigger than toys, smoke curling fromchimneys that blurred into the distance. The horizon stretched on forever, endless and unyielding, as if daring me to chase it.

Sunlight spilled over everything, fierce and golden, painting Hedion's dark scales with a copper sheen. The clouds above loomed like citadels of white, and when we pierced them, cool mist kissed my cheeks. My laughter came again, edged with awe.

Beside me, Pyrion soared, wings cutting through the sky in perfect synchronicity with Hedion's. Wolfe rode like he was born of the storm, but his gaze never strayed far from me. Even with space between us, I felt him. The bond tethered us like a thread woven through the air, pulling tight no matter how high or far we climbed.

Gods, this…it was amazing. I truly, truly felt like I’d been born to do this. Like flying through the skies on the back of a magnificent dragon had been encoded in my blood and was as vital to me as breathing. I could only wonder what it would be like to have my own dragon.

The higher we rose, the lighter I felt. The curse, the fear, the weight of what waited below, all of it fell away with the earth, swallowed by distance. For these precious heartbeats, there was nothing but the sky, the wind, the dragon beneath me, and Wolfe's presence burning across the space between us.

I pressed a hand to Hedion's scales, steady and alive under my palm. "This is freedom," I whispered into the wind, and Hedion's answering roar made it feel like a vow.

But the real freedom was being with Wolfe. Across the sky, his eyes found mine. He lifted a hand in silent promise, and my heart leapt to meet it. We rose higher still, two dragons cutting across the vault of heaven, two souls bound together in defiance of the darkness waiting below.

We flew for hours, chasing the sun across the sky. The world unspooled beneath us in shifting landscapes. By the time the forests thinned and the land dropped away to the sea, the sun had arced high overhead, gilding everything in its path.

The dragons skimmed the clouds until the ocean unfurled below, glittering and endless, and then the sight of an exotic villa nestled on a curve of land stole my breath away.

Arched windows caught the light like jewels, and the terracotta roof glowed warm against the lush green spilling around it. The garden stretched wide in a riot of color, blossoms and fruit trees climbing marble arches, fountains spilling crystal water into pools alive with lilies. It was too perfect, too dreamlike.

Hedion dipped lower, wings stirring the air in sweeping currents that bent the garden trees. I leaned into the descent, my pulse racing with every drop.

The ground shuddered as Hedion touched down, claws biting into the earth with controlled grace. Pyrion followed, his wings kicking up a storm of petals from the flowerbeds, scattering them across the courtyard in a shower of crimson and gold.

I slid from Hedion's back into Wolfe's waiting arms. His hands found my waist instantly, steadying me as my boots met the stone. In his arms, I turned and drank in the beauty around us.

"Wolfe..." I sighed, unable to tear my eyes away from the serene beauty. "This place..."

His lips curved faintly, his gaze fixed on me instead of the garden. "Oasis," he said softly. "That's what my mother called it. A refuge from everything else."

Refuge indeed. The place looked like a slice of paradise carved just for us. I smiled up at him. "That sounds amazing."

"It is. And it's all ours. Imagine all the trouble we can get into." He gave me a seductive wink.

I laughed. "I think I have an idea."

His grin turned wicked, shadows darkening his gaze. "I have several. And every single one ends with me feasting on that body of yours."

Wolfe leaned in and kissed me, and then the next chapter of our adventure began.