Page 120 of Phoenix Rise

He looked like hell.

Yeah.

Matt’s arms squeezed again.We have to find him soon.

It wasn’t as easy as finding just Sebastian. We also had to find his horn. Unicorn horns and Dragon wings... I looked over my shoulder at him. “No wings?” I asked aloud.

A flash of gold from behind him. His eyes gleamed at me. “Just smaller. They aren’t my preferred version of morning wood.”

“Well, if we want to eat, we need to get a move on,” I said. The sounds from the hall indicated that our fellow students were already on their way.

I tried to pull loose from Matt, but his arms held me fast. “I have another confession to make,” he said.

“Other than being bitten by a Dragon and sprouting wings?” I asked.

A tremor ran through his arms. He still wasn’t sold on becoming a flying-Dire-thing. “I’m talking in my head to the bleeding biter.”

I grew still. “You mean—”

“Yeah. We seem to be mindbonded. He’s not stonkin’ keen on it, though. Me neither.”

Maybe that explained the wings beating through my dreams. My heart leaped. “How is he? Is he okay?”

“Seems to be. We argued, mostly.” He hesitated. “Was asking him about the wings. Didn’t ask him how he was.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled free from him. “That is—somale.”

“Well, we’re not big on mental hugs.” He sounded a bit defensive. “But he seemed as ornery as usual.”

I climbed to my feet, and swayed.

“Hey, easy there. Did you pump energy to Sebastian?”

“He needed it. Did you see his eyes?”

“Yeah.” Before I could move, he took my hand. “Pull some from me.”

“No, Matt, I’m fine.”

“Just a bit. Consider it practice”

My beast was hungry for it now that I was depleted. When I hesitated, he offered his trademark grin. So I sat down and allowed a few tendrils to unfold to him...

He groaned and pulled me down to the bed. His wings expanded, arching over us. “That is just rooting sinful,” he said, pushing his hips into me.

His energy rushing into me was euphoric, and I lifted my pelvis in invitation...

A fist hammered on the door. “Hey!” Mari’s voice carried through it. “You two joining us for first meal? Trix is hungry, and so am I.”

“We’ll be right out, Mari,” I answered her, yanking back on the tendrils and pulling free from Matt.

Have I mentioned how annoying ogresses can be?He straightened, his brows lowering as his wings shrank once again.

We need to get a move on.The tendrils didn’t want to disengage, but I forced them to while tugging my bra straight, and pulling on my tee shirt and leggings. Then I leaned over and kissed him.Although just another few minutes would have been heaven.

His gaze fastened on the bounce of my boobs, but he spoke. “Talakai said he thought he was close to finding Galeran.”

I froze, staring at him while my heart constricted painfully. Sebastian had seemed so—sureof his fate.

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