The moment Serena stepped out in the fitted training suit, Dex stopped mid-step, mid-breath, mid-thought.
The fabric clung with merciless precision, every seam molded to her.
He grinned, unable to help himself, and pulled her into a possessive kiss before they even made it out of their quarters.
"You are the most stunning woman," he murmured, lips brushing her ear, teeth grazing it playfully. "You steal my breath every time I look at you."
"Thank you," she said, flushing immediately. The sheer frequency of his compliments was something she wouldn't get used to.
"You're about to be tackled," he warned lightly, eyes gleaming. "Consider this your only notice."
Serena barely had time to gasp before he swept her off her feet.
She screamed, high-pitched and shocked—then immediately burst into laughter.
Dex's grin softened at the sound, something warm and unspoken settling behind his eyes.
They walked with fingers intertwined as they made their way to the field where Velkaris waited.
Heads turned. Whispers followed. Serena ignored all of it.
Dex felt the flicker of her discomfort through their matebond.
A reflex she had learned long before Drakenfell.
He picked her up with one arm, catching her off guard.
"You almost tripped there," he said lightly, putting her down. "I'd hate to see you fall for me in public."
She groaned audibly. "That was horrible."
Dex beamed. "Too late. You're already falling."
He kissed her hand once.
They made it down another corridor before he leaned in and nipped her shoulder just enough to pull a startled laugh from her.
He couldn't help it.
By the time they reached Velkaris, he had kissed her hand three more times, nearly tripped her again purely for the sound of her laughter, and swung her over his shoulder, entirely too pleased with himself.
With her, everything felt like it was supposed to be. Like breathing.
Velkaris lifted his head the instant Serena stepped into view, massive eyes locking onto her. A low sound rumbled from his chest. Relief.
Serena felt it immediately. Somehow, instinctively, she knew. He had been worried about her.
Her eyes flashed gold at the same moment his did.
Velkaris took a step forward.
Dex moved instantly alert, placing himself between Serena and the dragon, breaking their line of sight.
Her eyes flickered back to green.
Velkaris roared in sharp irritation, wings twitching.
"Don't look at him yet," Dex said firmly.
The dragon snorted, clearly unimpressed.
Dex mindlinked his father and Hyran.
Dex:I'm on the training field with Serena. Her eyes keep flashing gold when she looks at Velkaris.
The reply from his father came first.
King Tiberon:That is… surprising. Especially given that a Truebond Veil was performed.
Hyran's voice came next, unalarmed.
Hyran:Let nature take its course. She'll be fine.
Dex's jaw tightened, already knowing what would happen if he let 'nature take its course.'
She would be flying on Velkaris. And she had no memory of flying on him the first time.
No.
Absolutely not.
Velkaris let out an annoyed roar.
Dex sighed. "I hear you."
He stepped aside.
The moment the line of sight cleared, Serena's eyes flared gold again.
Dex moved in a blur climbing onto Velkaris before Serena reached him.
She pressed her hand between Velkaris's eyes. Gold light flashed as soon as they made contact.
Dex jolted as images flooded his mind. He realized he was seeing what she saw, through the dragon bond or matebond, or perhaps both. He wasn't sure.
The images were sharp, urgent, pulled straight from her vision.
She moved her hand off Velkaris, and her eyes flickered back to green.
She felt urgency in her chest, but beneath it was confusion.
The images were already slipping away, dissolving into fragments she could not quite recall.
She moved to Dex without thought.
And that hit Dex harder than he expected. Her first instinct in the face of uncertainty was to reach for him.
She trusted his knowledge. His experience. Him.
Gods, he loved it.
He reached down and pulled her up in front of him, a smooth, effortless motion.
She settled between his legs with her back against his chest. His arms closed around her.
She fit.
Perfectly.
Because she belonged there.
Velkaris took off in an instant, wasting no time.
The sudden rush of air hit them, but Dex felt her through the matebond immediately.
Just like his own first flight, there was no fear. No panic. Only awe and exhilaration.
It stunned him. He had never seen that before, not with anyone he had trained.
His arms tightened around her as a grin spread across his face, impossible to stop. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, warm and proud.
Her thick hair immediately went everywhere.
"Well," he laughed, sputtering slightly as a mouthful of it whipped across his face, "that explains why all our girl riders keep their hair braided."
He accidentally inhaled another strand and coughed. "Yeah. Definitely explains it."
Dex gathered her hair quickly, twisting it back. He partially unzipped the back of her training suit just enough to tuck it in securely, neat and efficient.
He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, lingering a heartbeat longer than necessary, already tempted to keep going—
Velkaris let out an irritated huff.
Dex froze.
"…Right," he muttered. "You can read my thoughts. Sorry, buddy."
Serena heard him and burst out laughing, the sound bright and unrestrained, and Dex laughed with her, kissing her cheek.
Velkaris landed on a narrow cliffside halfway up the mountain, stone scraping beneath his claws.
Dex jumped down first and immediately turned back, scooping Serena up and placing her on the ground as if she were made of glass.
She grinned at him, clearly amused, and gave him a shy kiss.
"Careful," Dex said with a smug smile. "If you keep rewarding my overprotective behavior, I'll never recover."
"Dex," she laughed, giving him a playful smack on the arm.
He caught her hand instantly, fingers lacing with hers as if it was second nature.
"I saw where Velkaris needs us to go," he said, pulling her along.
They moved toward the mouth of a cave Velkaris had indicated and entered.
A few steps inside, Dex stopped.
Nestled in a cradle of black stone sat an egg. One half was pale, veined with frost, mist curling faintly from its surface.
The other half glowed with deep ember-red, heat rippling the air around it. Ice and fire, fused into a single impossible whole.
"Dragon eggs are rare," Dex said, reverence threading his voice. His eyes never left it. "I've never seen an egg like this. Dual-aspected. Ice and fire in one shell."
The mountain groaned.
Velkaris shrieked a warning.
Stone shuddered beneath their feet. Dex looked up.
They were still at the entrance, the egg twenty paces away. Lava burst from a crack in the cavern wall, flowing molten orange between them and the egg.
If any more came, the channel would overflow.
The egg would be gone.
Gold magic flared from Serena's hands. Somehow, she knew what to do and instinct took over. She knelt and touched the cave floor. Magic spread in golden veins, and the rumbling eased.
"On it," Dex said sharply, already moving.
He sprinted forward and grabbed the egg. The moment he lifted it, the mountain screamed.
Heat seared his right palm, frost burned his left, the opposing forces warring against his skin.
For a second, he couldn't tell which hurt worse.
Cracks split the cavern walls.
The gold magic began flickering.
"I got you," Dex said, pulling her up quickly.
They reached Velkaris at a dead sprint, Dex hauling himself up with the egg. He pulled Serena up by her arm, right as Velkaris launched himself into the air.
The volcano erupted behind them.
Fire and ash tore through the cavern mouth. Velkaris cleared the cliff by a heartbeat.
The dragon let out a long, deeply annoyed sound.
"What?" Dex said, breathless.
Velkaris huffed again, sharper this time, wings beating hard.
Serena laughed weakly. "I think he's saying if we'd just gotten on his back immediately, that whole near-death experience could have been avoided."
Velkaris snorted in agreement.
✦✦✦
Serena and Dex gave the dragon egg to Hyran and King Tiberon.
Serena was on her way to meet Elara.
Dex reluctantly let her go, not wanting to smother her.
She was almost to Elara's quarters when Queen Bellatrix's voice found her.
"There she is. Skeletor Silver-Whore," she called. "What's with the covered neck? Hoping people will think you have a mark? Pathetic."
Serena did not stop walking. Her hair was still tucked into her training suit, covering her neck and Dex's mark.
She wasn't hiding it intentionally, but she also wasn't thinking about it.
She kept her spine straight and her pace steady. She'd learned long ago that reacting only fed people like Bellatrix.
Still, her words stuck. The marking comment bothered her. Deeper than the deadly flowers. Deeper than being called a whore.
The matemark was too new. Everything had happened so fast.
She stepped out onto the open terrace, hoping the fresh air would clear her head. Hoping Bellatrix would continue down the corridor.
Naturally, Bellatrix followed her outside. Of course she did.
"You ignore me now?" Bellatrix said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "How bold."
Serena still made no reaction. Did not turn her head.
"Tell me something, Skeletor," Bellatrix continued, her tone sharpening. "How does it feel knowing the entire castle calls you a mistress? That you'll never be more than a warm body?"
Serena's jaw tightened, but she kept her eyes forward.
"If my son put his mark on you I swear to the gods I'm castrating him," Bellatrix snarled.
Wrong thing to say.
A shadow fell without warning.
The ground vibrated as Velkaris descended in a rush of wind and gold, landing far closer than he ever did unannounced.
His wings snapped open, dust and loose stone scattering.
Gasps rippled through the terrace.
Serena spun, startled. "Velkaris—?"
She did not finish the word.
A sharp, indignant shriek cut through the air.
Velkaris's massive head had already turned.
One enormous claw reached out with infuriating precision and closed gently—but firmly—around Queen Bellatrix's midsection.