Page 68 of Exquisite Monster

I shivered as we passed through a thin cloud, the water in it clinging to my skin. But now I could see the island’s details. Sirrus was right. The tower was there, but there was a sprawling home behind it. A courtyard similar to the one in Doro Eche and further outbuildings.

The island was larger than it appeared. Pale sand lined the edges, and large trees grew densely away from the main structures.

Endre, Zovai, and the rest of them descended to the ground as Sirrus banked to circle above. We saw the island from every angle. It was beautiful.

“What is the tower for?”

Us.

I smiled immediately. Dragons and their need to be up high.

More than hearing it, I felt Sirrus’s laughter.I suppose we do like being elevated. But we will be theonlydragons in the tower. No one else can even enter the tower but us.And now, you.

“Why an island?”

The island was once the home of Endre’s savan. Because of that, the Elders, and Cieso in particular, have an aversion to it. The three of us wanted a place that could be ours. If it’s not to your liking, we’ll find something else after this is all over.

I laughed. “I’m sure I will love it. I just thought you might prefer the mountains.”

They are close enough to visit. But all three of us prefer how much open sky there is here.

That was true. Looking east, nothing blocked the sky until it disappeared.

Zovai’s voice sounded distant but clear. We are alone.

My stomach flipped again as Sirrus dropped, heading straight for the tower. Just like in Skalisméra, there were open spaces for the dragons to enter and exit. He shifted and caught me on the platform before fear could even take hold, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to it.

“Welcome to the island of Syrsi,” he whispered. “Varí?”

The little dragon chirped.

A deep, guttural sound came from my mate. The dragons’ native tongue, more thought than word.Varíshook out his wings once more and nudged me under my chin before leaping off my shoulder and flying out the window.

“Where is he going?”

“I asked him to go explore or spend time with the others so we could have some privacy with our mate. He was happy to oblige.”

Nerves flipped in my stomach. There was so much to say and so much to feel, and I still wasn’t used to it all. I very much needed to bathe and rest and?—

Sirrus set me on my feet and turned me toward him. “Lena.” He tilted my face up to his. “It is all right. We areallall right.”

“No, we’re not,” I murmured.

All he did was pull me in and embrace me. Wrapping me up in the rumble of his purr. I leaned my head on his chest and looked around. The room wasn’t unlike the others I’d seen. But this onefeltmore like them. Deeper colors and things on shelves that looked personal. I hadn’t noticed how bare their other residences seemed until now. There was a shelf filled with books and scrolls, art on the walls, and a large bed on the other side of the space.

“Do you all share a room here?”

“We haven’t,” he admitted. “But we will now. And no, there is no problem. While we didn’t share, neither did we have assigned rooms. Endre did not want it to belong solely to him even though it was his mother’s, and we all like change and newness enough that we never bothered with permanent spaces. Basically,” he said. “There are beds all over the place that we can andwilluse. With you.”

I smiled, but I was still hesitant. I wanted them, but I still couldn’t breathe past the tightness in my chest. When you’d lived with so much fear for so long, it was hard to let it go. We were safe. But I didn’tfeelsafe.

“The hot springs are wonderful, but I think the baths up here will be just fine for now,” he said.

“Yes.”

Sirrus slid his hands down my spine. “Will you let me help you? I promise I’m not going to pin you to the bed.”

He wore no clothes because of the shift, and I’d barely noticed because it felt natural. “Yes, please. How long will we have to wait for the bath?”