Page 74 of Feathers and Scales

“I’ll demonstrate what I did in the angel military unit.”

Izzy’s human body resisted splitting into her spirit at first until she yanked herself free.That was odd…

Tipsiness followed Izzy into her spirit form as she wobbled by the waterfall. Daxton set her human body down carefully. She couldn’t resist the exhilaration thrumming through her.

In the Angelic military, she acted as a portable backup battery for the angels with stronger colors. And she hypothesized she could share power with Daxton, if only for demonstration purposes.

She flung her hands out for dramatic effect and focused on their link. His gaze widened—a sense of knowing trickled along the link. He yelled out, but she punched the air with her mind, sending energy to him. She had meant to give him only a jolt, like a static shock, but her concentration slipped, and she threw a gigantic beam of power at him.

The dragon absorbed it and turned ravenous. She felt fire race over Daxton’s skin, burning vigorously as he fought for control.

Shit.

He rolled backward off the boulder as if she’d hit him. He scrambled away, tensely hunching. Her heart slammed against her ribcage.

He was going to shift.

She hustled her spirit back into her body and sprinted from the rock to get away from him. The beast broke free with a throaty, savage roar. Out of breath, she twisted toward him.

A tail swept around, demolishing a patch of full-grown trees. She ducked and covered her head as debris clanged against her arms. The ground rumbled beneath her feet.

Wings shadowed her from the sun in an intimidating display of bronze-colored feathers. The wings were the same length as hers but were attached to his front legs instead of different appendages. The hair on her arms rose. His wings folded back as he stood, almost touching her. The dark scales covering his body reflected bronze in the sunlight. Spiked scutes lined his tail.

Izzy couldn’t breathe. The dragon was smaller than she had expected. Large enough to carry two humans, but small enough to squeeze into a typical apartment hallway. His entire being rippled with muscle. It was one thing to interact with the creature hiding in someone’s Spirit Cavity, but something vastly different to experience it in the flesh. He stood tall like a wild stallion—tense, twitching, ready to bolt. Waves flowed to her, whispering of freedom and hunting.

She stepped forward, drawn to his raw power. His head turned, and his eyes met hers. The vertical slits shone like obsidian daggers among coppery brown metal.

She gasped and wiped her hand across her damp forehead. Enthralled, she continued forward. He lowered his clawed wings to the earth like a bat. Izzy hesitated. His neck arched above her, doubling his size. He paced around her, his talons digging at the soil. With each movement, the scales shimmered with iridescence. His hypnotic gaze penetrated her. He was beautiful. He rose onto his hind legs and waved his wings restlessly, gusting air. Dust billowed into a swirling cloud. She blocked her eyes with her arm.

The brush of wind against her skin incited a longing for flight—one so strong, she fought the urge to climb onto his back.

She licked her dry lips, tasting dirt. “The one thing about yellow light is…I can create wings, but they’re not powerful enough to fly.”

He huffed. Dust whirled at her feet, and her ponytail lifted wildly. His head tipped toward her. He breathed in, and she shakily did the same. It was Daxton who stood before her, but that didn’t block out what he’d done to the trees. The dragon was an instinctive animal.

He bowed. His feathered wings lay flat against the ground. Her heart soared.This is a gift of a lifetime.

He didn’t move, eyes transfixed on her. With a deep breath, she forced her limbs to respond. She walked past his neck and placed her hand on his collarbone, feeling the warm, strong scales beneath her palm.

“Will you take this human flying?” she asked.

A snort from behind made her glance backward. Amusement lit his elliptical eyes.

I’ll take that as a yes.She swung her leg over and hauled herself up.

He didn’t give her time to get comfortable before he stood. With a yelp, she wrapped her arms around his neck, barely able to connect her hands. She slid against his smooth skin but clung on with her whole body. His overlapping dollar-coin-sized scales made it difficult to tell the depth of the layers. Did dragons molt like snakes? And if they did, was it corporeal? What happened to the skin?

The ripple of his pectoral muscles shuddered through her thighs. He flapped his wings a couple of times as if judging the weight for takeoff. She closed her eyes, concentrating on his physique undulating beneath her, learning how he moved. Without warning, he leaned parallel to the earth and ran.

The world blurred.

Daxton sprinted toward the stream and flapped his wings. Weightlessness hit her like the moment an airplane’s wheels first left theground. With another powerful surge, he gained altitude and crested the waterfall. The wind caressed her skin, and the joy in her heart swelled to unbelievable heights.

Below her, the deciduous and coniferous trees appeared as small gray blurs atop the mountain ridges. The sky stretched like a blue sea, not a cloud in sight. The sun’s welcoming warmth graced her pale skin. As she leaned into the breeze, something stirred in her consciousness.

The link between them had grown stronger after their spirit energies connected again. She could sense his presence as if he lay within her Spirit Cavity. It should have been invasive or abrupt. Instead, it comforted her.

While they flew, she received a mental image of her tightening her arms, as if he told her,“Hold on tight.”She did as he asked, and they soared into an acrobatic ride, banking left and right at thrilling speeds.