Page 175 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Graeson grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her hands landed on his chest, her eyes widening slightly. Then he kissed her. It was shorter than he would have liked, but she was right. They needed to get going. But he would be damned if he didn’t feel her lips on his one more time.
When he pulled away, he swept his thumb across her cheek. "Stand back, all right?"
She nodded and walked away. But before she made it back to Moris' side, she spun around and called out, "Wait, your?—"
Graeson threw his trousers to her, and she caught them in her hands with a gasp. He winked and turned. He didn’t need any other distractions, or they would never make it out of here. Then Moris would really have something to complain about.
Graeson tilted his head back and stared at the sky. Heat filled his core and spread throughout his chest and limbs. His body vibrated with a volcanic energy. His bones shifted, snapping and cracking. But this time, Graeson was ready. This time he was expecting the tearing of his muscles, the burning of his flesh as silver and black scales emerged across his flesh. A shudder ran through his entire body, and he trembled. Smoke billowed from his nose, and the monster within breathed to life.
Time seemed to warp as his limbs grew and his body contorted into his new form. In the blink of an eye, his hand turned into a massive paw. He lifted it, inspecting the sharp, deadly claws. A deep growl ripped through his throat and morphed into a screech.
Graeson swung his head around, the movement awkward as he adjusted to his new skin. When he spotted Moris, fear shone in the man’s eyes. Even though Moris had seen Graeson change before, it was still terrifying to experience.
Yet a few yards away from him, Kalisandre stood tall. Not a single drop of panic shone on her countenance. Instead, something akin to admiration and pride sparkled in her blue eyes.
Carefully, Graeson lowered his head, approaching Kalisandre with caution.
She smiled, wide and bright. She lifted her hand but paused, halting it in midair. "Can I?"
Graeson gave her a small nod.
With his permission, she stepped forward and ran her palm over the scales that ran across his cheek. His eyes shuttered shut at the contact. When her hand fell from his face, he looked at her, curious.
"Ready?" she asked.
Instead of nodding, he turned around, careful not to step on either of them. Then he laid his tail out beside Kal and looked back at her, waiting.
Her eyes widened. "You want me to fly upthere?" she asked, pointing to his back.
Graeson chortled, the sound strange on his tongue. He shrugged haphazardly.
Kal had said she was up for the challenge. He wasn’t sure if she would prefer riding astride rather than inside his hand, but he was curious to see if she would take the offer. He started to turn, but she called out to him.
"Fine," she said. "But if I fall, you better catch me."
As if Graeson would let her fall.
Kal crawled up his tail, the climb slow and laborious. When she was more than half-way up, Graeson sighed and flicked his tail. Kalisandre released a high-pitched yelp, but a second later, he felt her land near the base of his neck. Then he felt her strike him—or at least he assumed that was what the light jab was.
He glanced back, his neck long enough for him to spot Kalisandre seated between two spikes as if the spot had been created just for her.
She closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep, shuddering breath. When she exhaled, she said, "I’m trusting you here."
He huffed again and looked away.
"Are you…smiling?" Moris asked him, scratching his head.
Graeson glared at him.
"Ha! You were!" Moris shivered. "Gods, that’s terrifying."
He began walking towards Graeson’s tail, but before he reached it, Graeson launched into the air.
Moris shouted after him, but Graeson ignored him. He peered at Kalisandre as they rose above the farmhouse. She held onto the spike in front of her with a white-knuckle grip. As ifsensing his attention on her, Kal peeled her eyes open. When her gaze locked onto his, a huge smile spread across her face. Graeson bristled at the overwhelming joy spilling from her.
"That’s fine!" Moris yelled. "I have wings, too, you know."
Graeson snorted as Moris flew toward them, his wings beating rapidly to catch up. Meanwhile, Graeson glided through the air, his wings flapping at a fifth of the speed.
