Page 91 of To Match A Dragon's Fire

I slowly peeled one eye open and then the other.

My thighs were clenched so tight they were screaming, but I didn’t need to bother.

The concave I sat in was a perfect shield from the wind and provided a little nest for my body to relax if I wanted.

Not yet. But when I was ready.

Slower than a trot, we drifted lazily down the mountain, heading to the valley below.

I leaned past the safety of Kieran’s neck, trying to see the world through his eyes despite the wind blurring my vision with tears.

It was beautiful.

There was my cabin and the whole stretch of the property. The creek cut ribbons through the swaying brown grass and rolling hills that made up my family’s land. Fat white clouds hung suspended in a bright blue sky, meeting the earth at the open horizon in the distance.

Real tears burned behind my eyes.

The wind whipped them away.

I’m sorry, Dad.

It ached in a bone-deep way, knowing he’d never get to see everything he worked for from the view I could see now. The grief of it all was a familiar weight. I should’ve visited him more.

He said I wasn’t like my biological mother. That she’d left us without checking the rearview mirror. That my heart was here, so I’d eventually make my way back someday.

This place was mine. Not the town or the people or the drama. This land was where I’d grown up and where all my childhood memories were made.

And with Kieran here, it actually felt like home again.

I wondered what my dad would’ve thought of Kieran. They probably would’ve gotten along. He never much liked Tony; said I was meant for better things and Tony would hold me back.

As always, Dad was right.

“What’s wrong?”Kieran asked, feeling my surge of sadness.

Stupid luteal phase making me all emotional.

We’d need to hurry and cement this bond before shark week started.

I dried my eyes, shaking my head.“Nothing.”

But despite our slow pace, the cabin and responsibilities waiting below were coming up too soon.“Can we stay out just a little longer?”

Kieran’s laughter shook his whole body, vibrating under my legs.“How fast do you want to go?”

I leaned into him, relaxing and trusting him to take the lead as I bit my lip, feeling the old thrill rush through me.“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

∞

My hair was so wind-tangled I’d need to cut it off and my cheeks burned from how big I was smiling. I probably had a bug stuck in my teeth.

It’d be a good idea to find some goggles and convince him to wear reins, but even without those things, nothing was going to take the sky from me.

I slid down Kieran’s foreleg, half-drunk on endorphins from the rush of the flight.

The night in all her vast glory shone down on us, stars twinkling as the milky way cut her path across the universe.

I’d almost forgotten how beautiful desert nights could be without all the light pollution.

---