Northern Wilderness

Talon tried to ignore the swoop of his stomach as he led Claire away from their camp. They'd flown all day, resting several times to stretch and see to their needs. It felt good to step away and simply walk, especially with her beside him.

It was almost cruel, being near her all day, and yet, being deprived of her. She had made her discomfort clear, that she wasn't ready to fly with him yet. He tried not to take it personally. Especially when going without her touch, even for the period of a day, frayed his mood.

The prairie was alight with sounds of insects, the grass high enough to skim his thighs.

Gods, it was good to be back in Dragonwall. He'd felt a weight lift the moment he set foot on the other side of the gate. It didn't feel like home, per se, but close.

Claire walked with her shoulders back, chin lifted. She looked every inch the queen, with a backdrop of stars above him. "It's beautiful here," she mused. "I almost didn't want to believe this existed. Despite everything, your story, your proof. It's really...real."

"Seeing the truth always makes it easier," he said. She hummed in agreement.

"This was our tradition, you know," he found himself saying, draping her hand through his elbow. He craved the contact. He often found himself looking for every excuse to touch her, even if it was the brush of a knuckle here, or the trail of a fingertip there. "You and I took walks every day. It was one of my conditions for forgiveness, after you risked your life to fight the vodar." His lips twitched, fighting against a smile. Gods, she'd never been good at following rules. "One hundred walks together, to get to know each other better. That was before you touched my scales."

"Before we became mated," she mused, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Yes. Although, after we discovered our bond, we often preferred flying together, instead."

Her eyes darted to his, and then away. She cleared her throat. "I admit, it's challenging, piecing together the bits of our lives."

"I know," he said, hating that she was forced to take this beautiful thing between them and make it make sense. Perhaps they would be better for it. Stronger. Perhaps their love would only bloom deeper.

"So..." she said, filling the silence. "Am I the only one who thinks something is going on between Leah and Jovari?"

His steps faltered. "Something is going on between Leah and Jovari?"

"Yeah. Haven't you noticed?" She lifted her brows.

He opened is mouth, then snapped it shut. To be fair, he didn't notice much beyond her these days. A mixture of fear over losing her and relief over finding her had turned him into something unrecognizable. He spent nearly all his waking moments either thinking about how to help her, or gazing wistfully at her.

She huffed. "Well, there's all this tension between them. He tried to keep her from coming with us, you know. He wouldn't have done unless he felt very strongly towards her. Do your shields make it a point of striking up romances?"

He rubbed a hand over his face. "You have no idea..."

He'd have to pay better attention from now on. The last thing he needed was Jovari, the kingdom's biggest flirt, engaging in some dalliance with his mate's best friend. When he inevitably broke her heart, that would only make things tense between all of them. "I'll have a talk with him."

Claire merely shrugged. "They're both adults."

"Even still..."

"So..." she said again. Probably because he was terrible at filling the silences between them. Before, it had been so easy. While she wasn't a different person, it still felt unknown and frightening, this thing between them. "I haven't had anymore of my memories resurface. Here I thought..."

He frowned, glancing down at her. Inevitably, his eyes fell to her lips. "Were you expecting them to come back?"

"Well." Her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "I guess I was expecting...something."

Oh. Oh! For all that he'd teased her about kisses, this was their first time alone since the start of their journey. There hadn't been time before.

A low growl rose in his chest. Her eyes widened at the sound. He didn't give her time to pull away. Instead, he grabbed her face and brought their lips together.

Mate his brain screamed. Mate!!

She melted into him, returning his kiss with a hunger he hadn't expected. Then again, perhaps she'd spent the past few days replaying their first kiss in her mind. He certainly he had. Over and over and over. But that wasn't the only thing he replayed. The night of their bonding was unforgettable. He could enjoy those memories, while she couldn't. Not until she got them back.

As if the fates could hear him, she gasped and pulled away, her eyes wide. "Oh. Oh, my god."

Even in the darkness, he saw the hot flush of her skin. It wasn't from the kiss. "What did you see?" he rasped. A pleased smile spread over his lips.

"I...we...our mating ceremony. Did you really...you started calling me mih cralla. After we..." She cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck. Despite not having access to her mind, mih cralla wasn't an endearment he'd forgotten. He'd simply been waiting.

"Did you really tell me you would willingly worship me on your knees?" she asked. A delighted laugh burst from her lips.

"Yes," he growled. "I will gladly do so now, if you'll let me."

She squealed as he pulled her against him and caught her mouth again. He bent over her, forcing her back to arch, holding her as he ravaged her mouth. He took and took, delving deep with his tongue, willing her to remember more.

They were breathless as he pulled away, chests rising and falling in tandem. His hips pressed against hers and he groaned, the sensation of her sending sparks shooting up his back. Gods, she felt like heaven against him. "Fly with me tomorrow," he breathed. "Please." His voice all but cracked on that last word.

He didn't beg. Not unless it was his queen he was begging to. "Please—"

Thunk.

Claire's soft intake of breath made him freeze. He whirled in the direction of her gaze. Then he balked.

"Did that just...fall out of the sky?" she asked. His mouth opened several times but he couldn't quite form words. "It's so pretty." Before he could stop her, she bent over and lifted the spriten staff into her hands. Her eyes widened. "Is this...is it mine?"

His heart took off in a gallop. This was it—the moment she'd regain her memories. Surely whatever magic the staff had would fix everything.

"Your memories," he breathed. "Your magic. It's back?"

"I..." She frowned. "No. It just...called to me. Somehow I knew. Is it really mine? But, where did it come from?" She looked up, as if some answer would come from the sky. It was cloudless. There was nothing there.

"The king tree," he answered, trying to ignore the empty sinking feeling in his stomach. "It must have sent it to you, somehow. But yes. It's really yours. I left it in the castle for safekeeping before coming to find you."

She held the staff, turning it over. "It's...I think it's trying to tell me something." He held his breath. "It wants me to come."

"Is that what it's saying?" He knew that the king tree had often spoken to her, using the staff as a conduit.

"No. There aren't any words. Maybe the spell—or whatever is binding me—is keeping that from happening. But there's a feeling, like an emotion? I don't know. I can't quite...I need to go somewhere. The forest. There's something in the forest that will help me."

He exhaled. It felt like all his worry fled with his breath. "The king tree. Of course. I bet it can heal you."

"You think?"

"Why not? I was already planning to take us through the forest. I had hoped that the sprites might be able to do something—counteract Kane's magic somehow."

"Oh. That's...that's good then. Now we have even more reason to go."

***

The following morning, Talon didn't bring up his offer. Claire would either choose to fly with him, or she wouldn't. He prepared himself for disappointment, but that didn't make it any easier when she climbed onto Jovari's back.

"I'm sorry," Jovari said, the thought quiet in his mind. "She just needs time."

"I am aware."

"So, the staff? What do you think it means?"

He fell into the therapeutic motion of his wing beats. Below, the landscape was a blur of spring colors, the snow freshly melted. "It means that the king tree cannot get through to her after what Kane did." He tried to hide his fury. Kane's magic was so powerful, the binding blocked even the highest power in the world. "I think the tree sent the staff to get her attention. Or mine. I'm not sure which."

"So, Esterpine, then?"

"Esterpine." They were still a couple of days from reaching the trees. But the sight of them appeared on the horizon later that afternoon. Little smudges of green, just discernible to his keen gaze. Claire wouldn't be able to see it for some time yet. When she did, would she feel the connection?

Would she remember?

They landed for a short break. He kept a careful watch on Jovari. The females went off on their own in search of privacy. Once they were airborne again, he said, "Is something going on between you and Leah?"

Jovari sent him a mental snort. "No."

"Good. Keep it that way."

"As if I had planned otherwise." Jovari scoffed. "Have you ever seen me get serious over a woman, Your Majesty?"

"No, and that's the problem."

There was a long silence and then, "There is nothing between us."

And yet, even if Jovari couldn't sense the lie in his words, it was there.

"Make sure it stays that way."

"Is that a command, my king?"

He blew out a plume of smoke. "Yes. If you must take it as such. We all know you leave a trail of broken hearts wherever you go."

"Can you blame me?" Jovari teased, though he didn't miss the narrowly disguised hurt in his voice.

Talon almost apologized, then stopped himself. "Fine," Jovari begrudgingly said at last. "Message received loud and clear. I'll spare her my wiles and let her keep her heart."

"Thank you."

"Where's this coming from, anyway?" When he didn't answer, Jovari added, "Did she say something about me? Oh, did she tell Claire something? What was it?"

"You sound far too curious. Which reinforces my suspicions."

"Forgive me if I like to know when others talk about me."

"She didn't say anything," he said, probably dashing Jovari's hopes. "Claire only thought there was something going on between the two of you and casually mentioned it."

"Ah." Silence, and then, "Our queen has nothing to worry about. I have absolutely no interest in the pink-haired human. I merely tolerate her presence because she is Claire's friend."

They fell silent after that.

Jovari was the youngest of them—or, had been, until Dallin—but he was still a shield. His word carried weight. Talon would just have to trust that he'd keep it. 

💕❤️💕Don't forget to heart this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Hi Bookdragons!

Poor Talon. Pining after his mate. I feel bad for the guy, I really do. 

Our next chapter, we are heading back to the capital. This one is from Mikkin's POV. And since this last one was a little short, I'm going to make it a bonus chapter. It will post on Monday (because Mondays suck and it will make it better). See you soon!

--Mel

PS. Don't forget that Monday September 1st is the LAST day to order the special edition of Talon the black on my website. Also, the special editions of Reyr the Gold will go up for preorder at the start of October! Wooo!!!