Page 21

ACE

I stretched my arms up, then folded my hands and rested them on top of my head to feel the stretch in my waist. It was mid-morning, and the sun glittered off the lake.

Dylan was inside, getting dressed. Mia had started prepping lunch, and Harley was working at the dining room table.

Harley. There had been something different about her this morning.

My dragon had noticed it first—the flush on her round cheek, the heat of her skin.

Her blue eyes had been restless, dancing around the room, never lingering on me for too long.

It was really fucking cute. It reminded me of the younger Harley, the one I’d met ten years ago.

Back then, it was easy to make her flustered.

All it took was my hand trailing across her lower back or a whispered promise in her ear, and her cheeks would turn cherry red.

She’d pull away, blushing and stammering, but then keep drifting closer to me on instinct.

That’s how she was acting this morning. Maybe it had been wrong of me to tease her, but I couldn’t help pressing my body to hers for a moment, just to feel her heart rate spike.

If I couldn’t be with her, I needed those little moments to sustain me. If it was all I was going to get, I needed to savor it.

“I’m ready,” Dylan called as he raced out of the back door with a huge smile on his face.

My dragon thrummed with excitement. He was excited to meet his son—excited to show off a little. We both wanted to show Dylan what it was like to be a dragon. We wanted to welcome him into this life and make it a little less scary.

“You sure?” I said with a grin. “You haven’t met a dragon before, have you?”

Dylan nudged the dirt with his toe. “Yeah, I have.”

“You met a dragon in Atlanta?”

“Uh-huh. Mom’s friend, Suri, is a dragon. I’ve seen him a couple times, when I was a kid.”

My dragon roared with jealousy. We should’ve been the first dragon Dylan met. We should’ve been there. I felt the weight of the years more than ever. I’d missed so much time with Dylan, so many experiences I should’ve shared with him.

Not to mention that his mother knew another dragon.

“Suri?” I echoed. “Is he your mom’s… special friend?”

Dylan laughed and rolled his eyes. “Dad, I know what boyfriends and girlfriends are. Suri is Mom’s boss .”

“Her boss, huh?”

“Yeah, at the bank. Mom doesn’t have a boyfriend. She says she works too much.” Dylan shrugged. “He tries to help me but my dragon doesn’t like him anymore.”

“I guess Suri’s not an alpha, huh?” It made sense. As Dylan’s shift approached, his dragon wanted his sire, another alpha—not a stranger. My dragon hummed in satisfaction.

“I dunno,” Dylan said. “But your dragon is definitely bigger.”

“And how would you know that, Dyl?”

“I saw you flying. You looked huge.” Dylan spread his arms demonstratively.

That pleased my dragon even more. Not only did Dylan want to spend his first shift with me, he also knew my dragon was the bigger and stronger of the two.

Maybe it was petty, but it pleased us. I’d missed a lot of time with him.

I couldn’t turn back the clock. All I could do now was try to make up for it.

“All right.” I knelt to Dylan’s eye-level. “After I shift, I’m still myself, okay? You’re as safe with me in my dragon form as you are with me now.”

Dylan nodded eagerly. “I know that, Dad. I won’t be scared, I promise.”

He trusted me so easily. I wasn’t going to let him down. Not anymore. Standing, I backed up a few steps. I grinned at Dylan, then took a deep breath.

Let’s get this show on the road.

My dragon surged forward.

I loved shifting, but I knew it could be strange to watch.

It happened fast: a ripple of sage-green scales dotted with gold cascaded over my skin.

My body thrummed with power as my muscles and bones cracked, grew, and re-aligned.

It was a weird sensation, like a really strong massage, but painless.

I felt it in both my body and my soul. My dragon’s senses rocketed to the forefront of my consciousness, sharp and intense.

Four clawed feet dug into the earth. I stretched my wings out luxuriously. In this form, the wind carried scents like stories toward me: the foxes in the nearby woods, the crisp fresh lake water, exhaust from the distant cars. I shook my head, clearing my mind.

Below me, Dylan stood with his eyes wide and his jaw slack.

He looked so small. Fragile. I hummed, low in my throat, as my protective instincts surged forward.

I’d do anything for this kid. I knew that in my human form, too, but in my dragon form my emotions grew in size and power.

It was like a fire surging inside me. This was my blood .

My son. I would never be absent from his life again.

“Whoa,” Dylan whispered. “You really are big.”

I chuffed and lowered my head so it was right above the ground.

Dylan took a cautious but confident step forward.

I let my eyes fall half-lidded in a show of calm—though I hardly felt it.

Dylan smiled as he reached out and set his hand on my snout.

I exhaled two small columns of smoke from my nostrils, which made Dylan giggle with delight.

“Hey, Dyl,” Hawk called as he came around the side of the house, smiling. “You ready to go for a ride?”

“Yes.” Dylan was nearly vibrating with excitement. “Let’s go!”

“Looking good, Ace.” Hawk thumped my shoulder.

I huffed in response, then dropped down so my belly was flat against the ground. I couldn’t remember the last time Hawk had climbed onto my back—it wasn’t really a thing we did as adults. But if there was anyone I trusted to keep an eye on Dylan while we flew, it was Hawk.

Hawk picked Dylan up and swung him onto my back.

Dylan settled down right by the base of my neck, then Hawk hopped up behind him.

I craned my head back and watched them settle in place.

Hawk wrapped his arms around Dylan to keep him in place, then dug his heels into my sides. “Ready when you are, Ace.”

I stood up. Dylan squeaked in excitement, and I sensed the smallest amount of fear from him. I stretched out my long wings, relishing the lush feeling of their full extension, then raised my head and took off.

Flight.

Every time felt like the first time.

I beat my wings a few times until the wind picked me up like a wave under a surfboard.

I soared up, not too high, but high enough for Dylan to start whooping and hollering.

The wind was cool against my scales, bringing with it a symphony of scents.

I soared over the lake, banking this way and that.

Okay, I was showing off a little, but I couldn’t get enough of Dylan’s giddy laughter.

It was easy to lose track of time while I was flying. I took Dylan all around the lake, then close to the mountains, but never too high. I’d promised Harley I wouldn’t. Next time I’d take him up into the clouds. Maybe we’d fly through them together.

The sun was high in the sky by the time I soared back toward the house. I landed with a gentle thump on the soft grass.

Harley was standing barefoot on the grass, in denim shorts and a plain T-shirt, her auburn hair hanging loose around her shoulders.

Desire burned through my whole body, more powerful than ever.

This was where we were supposed to be. At home with our mate and our son, protecting them both, making them both happy.

God, I wanted to mate with her. I wanted more. I wanted her to be mine.

“Mom!” Dylan slid off my back. He charged over to her, bouncing with glee. “Mom, did you see us flying? How cool is that? We were so high up. And the lake is so pretty! And the wind! And Dad is huge!”

Laughing, Harley knelt and listened attentively while Dylan gesticulated wildly and told her all about the ride. Her gaze flickered over his shoulder and caught mine, and her smile widened a little, like she couldn’t help it.

I loved it when she looked at me like that. I wanted her to look at me like that all the time.

“Good flying, Ace,” Hawk said as he hopped off and shot me a knowing grin. “I’ll take Dylan inside.”

I nodded in thanks.

“Come on, kiddo, let’s help Mia with lunch,” Hawk said. “Wanna see a different kind of dragon riding?”

“Huh?” Dylan asked.

“Like this.” Hawk swooped down, grabbed Dylan, and lifted him up and onto his shoulders. Dylan laughed wildly as Hawk marched across the backyard and up the stairs back to the house.

Harley laughed as she watched him go into the house, then she turned those blue eyes back to me, her expression softening. She walked toward me, and I caught her scent—sweat and musk with a slightly sweet edge. I lowered my head to her level, so I was close enough to touch.

She ran her hand over my snout, then my forehead. “I always thought your dragon was so pretty,” she murmured as if she was speaking to herself.

I huffed and narrowed my eyes.

She laughed. “Sorry, sorry. I meant handsome.”

I pushed my head into her hand, and she giggled at the gesture. I wondered if she was remembering the same thing I was—how she used to call me a big cat. A low rumbling sound escaped my throat. It wasn’t a purr—definitely not—but I never minded when Harley called it that.

“Thanks for taking him flying,” she said. “You’re really good with him.”

Pride swelled within me. That’s all I wanted. To make her happy. To do right by our son. I lifted my head up and nodded toward the lake, then flapped my wings once.

“Do I want to go?” Harley asked.

I nodded. Even after all this time, she could still read my body language as easy as anything.

“I don’t think so,” she said, laughing. “Let’s not take the spotlight off Dylan. Mia’s making lunch, are you joining us?”