His smile lit his eyes, making them sparkle with mischief. “What do you think?”
“You get your wings back?”
Bond nodded. “And return to the celestial realm again.”
There was disappointment in his tone, which she hadn’t expected. “Aren’t you looking forward to that?”
“Yes, and no.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know anything about sensation until I surrendered my wings, and then I learned about pain. I didn’t know anything about solitude or loneliness or even the notion of myself as an individual, not until I fell and took flesh. I have yearned to return to everything I knew.”
“But?”
Bond smiled. “But there is something marvelous about mortals, the hunger for life, the need to make the most of moments before they’re gone, the urgency, the danger, the passion, the pleasure—and even the pain, that I will miss.” He shook his head. “If I remember any of it.”
“What do you mean?”
He met her gaze again and she knew he was telling her the truth. “They say we forget it all. I hope it isn’t true, but I’m resigned to the possibility.” His expression turned wistful as he surveyed her, his gaze roving over her. “If I could remember just one thing, I would like to remember this,” he murmured.
“This?” she echoed.
“This place. This view.” He turned to consider her again and his smile broadened. “This dragon princess,” he murmured, his eyes dark with intent.
She knew then that he’d decided to surrender the Seed.
She knew and she was thrilled. She smiled and held his gaze as Bond leaned closer, cupped her chin in his hand, and kissed her.
It would be the last time.
It would be his gift to Percipia.
Bond wanted to make it last.
He led Percipia back into the cavern and was almost overwhelmed by his desire for her. Her eyes were shining with anticipation and she had that alluring flush on her cheeks. She was glowing just a little and he just stood for a moment, drinking in the sum of her beauty.
“Don’t say it again,” she teased.
“But it’s true. You are beautiful.”
“I’m the logical one. Peri is the pretty one.”
“You’re more than pretty.” He wondered then what she’d do after she conceived. Would she just have the child on her own? He expected that her royal status would give her that option as there would be no financial considerations. He couldn’t believe she’d remain friends with Sansor, much less marry the apothecary’s son, given what Sansor had done. He thought it possible that she would be compelled to make a diplomatic marriage, but didn’t want to think about it, much less talk about it.
He wanted this moment to be about the two of them.
Percipia spun in front of him, clearly enjoying his admiration. “I feel beautiful when I’m with you,” she said, then circled the chamber, touching a point below each of the sconces in turn. They lit, one after the other, filling the chamber with golden light. When they were all burning, she ran her hand over another place on the wall and dark metal slid over the clear ceiling overhead. They were plunged into shadows that he found intimate and reminiscent of the night they’d met, at Ambrosia.
She smiled and walked toward him, unfastening her tunic, pushing it over her shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. She removed her boots, casting them aside, then eased out of her pants, her gaze never swerving from his. She unfastened the braid in her hair and shook it out, so that it fell in dark waves over her shoulders. Her nipples were taut, her body was trim, and her eyes shone with the clarity of the midday sky. She walked toward him, hips swinging with grace, and reached for him with one hand. The fiery glow that surrounded her was more vivid in the darkness, reminding him of what she was and what she could do, filling him with wonder that this woman would have his child.
He planted a kiss in her palm, then undressed quickly himself, setting his lazes aside with more care. He was well aware of the way she watched him, the avidity in her gaze that hinted at her nature, and watched her take a deep breath. She seemed to glitter then and he was intrigued.
“Tell me about the Seed,” he said, lifting a hand to her cheek.
“The scent is incredibly powerful,” she said, then shook her head. “I’ve never been so aware of my body, of sensation, of every detail of the world.” Bond lifted her hair and kissed her neck below her ear very gently. She sighed. “Everything is amplified,” she whispered, then shivered when he kissed her again. “Everything is more potent.” She pulled back slightly to meet his gaze. “And everything leads my attention back to you.”
“Sounds distracting,” he said, then lifted a hand to cup her breast. He ran his thumb over the tight nipple, teasing it in an effort to be distracting himself.
“It is.” She gasped and closed her eyes in pleasure. “You are.”
“Dangerous, too,” he whispered in her ear, then kissed her there so very slowly. He rolled her nipple between his finger and thumb, and she arched her back, tipping her head back in surrender. There was only an increment of space between them, and it was so hot that Bond halfway thought flames might erupt. He felt as if her shimmer touched him, changed him, seared him, but he couldn’t step away. He slid his other hand into her hair and drew her lips to his for a kiss.
“You’re dangerous,” she murmured, just before their lips touched. “And I love it,” she breathed and he swallowed her words, slanting his mouth over hers to deepen his kiss. She turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and making their kiss more passionate. She feasted upon him and Bond let her, holding her tightly against his chest. He could feel the pounding of her heart against his own, smell the heat of her desire, and felt as if that golden shimmer was consuming him.
He was afire with need.
He broke their kiss and bent to take her nipple into his mouth, remembering how vehemently she’d responded the last time. Percipia shuddered and gasped, arching back again and locking her fingers into his hair. “I want more,” she confessed, her words husky. “But I never want this to end.”
Bond could understand that feeling, for he shared it. Even as he kissed and suckled her, he cupped her other breast in his hand and caressed her nipple with his fingers. His free hand slid down, easing between her thighs to the slick feast that awaited him there, the heat of her desire making his heart skip. He caressed her and she moaned, taking a step to one side to grant him better access and gripping his shoulders. She swayed slightly as he coaxed her desire higher with his fingertips, then he kissed her other breast. She was trembling and her heart was racing when he trailed kisses over her belly, caught her hips in his hands and flicked his tongue against her.
Percipia groaned and her knees shook. They fell onto the thick rug together and Bond feasted upon her, driving her wild with his lips and tongue and teeth. When she was writhing on the rug, her hair tangled beneath her and her fingers digging into his shoulders, he eased into her slick heat.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him, her gaze filled with fire. He stared at her, wanting to hold this memory forever but fearing he wouldn’t be able to do it.
Then she rolled him to his back, moving with the athletic power he associated with her. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder and her smile turned wicked. “I’m the one claiming the Seed,” she whispered and Bond had time to chuckle before she rolled her hips. She stretched her hands high over her head and rocked against him, rubbing against him, giving him a spectacular view. They moved together as if they’d made love a thousand times, finding the ways to feed each other’s passion, coaxing the flames higher then pausing before continuing their mutual seduction.
Bond was dizzy with desire. He’d never wanted a woman more. He’d never savored a mating more. He could only think of Percipia, of the mysteries in her gaze, of all the things he wanted to know about her but probably never would.
It seemed as if he’d been wanting her forever, as if he’d been waiting for
her forever. Bond had the fleeting thought that he had taken flesh to find her, and the Seed certainly appeared to support that notion.
It was glorious to have found her and to be with her, especially like this, alone in a sanctuary where neither of them had to worry about pursuit. It was also bittersweet, for his time was at an end in this sphere.
Bond averted his gaze from her, his throat tight with the fear that he would forget her, that he would forget this. It was unjust. It was unfair.
It was a sacrifice far beyond the surrender of his wings.
He felt a tear on his cheek, then Percipia bent over him, her breasts colliding with his chest, her hair surrounding them like a dark cloud. “I will remember,” she said fiercely, clearly having guessed his thoughts. “I will remember enough for both of us.” She was glowing with an inner radiance, ferocious in her conviction, and he devoured the sight of her. “I love you, Bond,” she whispered and he felt his heart break that he couldn’t give her more.
Then her eyes glittered and she bent lower, capturing his mouth in a hungry kiss. They moved together more quickly, their desire sharpening to an inferno. The golden light she emanated grew so bright that Bond couldn’t see beyond his radiant dragon princess.
She was everything.
She was his.
And he would love her for all time.
He rolled her over and buried himself deep within her, moving so that she found her own pleasure. She gasped, then cried out, her entire body clenching with the power of her release. Bond welcomed her cry and waited for her eyes to open, waited for the sight of that sapphire glitter, before he surrendered to his own release. He bellowed loudly enough to make the cavern echo with the sound of pleasure.
Percipia lay entangled with Bond, unwilling to move. He dozed on her shoulder, his hair tousled and his features relaxed. She pressed a kiss to his temple and ran her hands over him, wanting to remember every second of their time together.
She had claimed the Seed. She knew because she couldn’t smell it anymore. She didn’t feel enticed and filled with desire anymore. But she wasn’t her normal self, either. Sensation remained heightened.
It was curious. She watched Bond’s dark hair slide through her fingers and felt its silky curl more keenly than she’d ever noticed her sense of touch before. She noticed its inky darkness against the pale hue of her skin and found the sight pleasing. The weight of him upon her was a welcome one, his hard strength pressed against her from shoulder to toe.
She considered the wound that had been on his upper arm and was amazed by how quickly it had healed. There was only a red mark on the flesh now, as if the injury had been sustained months ago instead of less than a day before.
She eased from beneath his weight, wanting to look at another scar. Bond sighed, his eyelids flickered, then he dozed again on his stomach on the rug. Percipia went to the controls and let the sunlight shine into the cavern again. She extinguished the lights, watching Bond sleep as she did so.
She liked the flames in the darkness but Bond, she suspected, preferred silvery starlight, clouds, and the expanse of sky. She knelt beside him and examined the scars from his wings. The sight pained her as the notion of losing her own was so horrifying. She compelled herself to look, to see that the flesh was healed, to notice that it looked as if it had been seared.
As if the wings had been sliced free and the wound cauterized.
It must have been incredibly painful.
It would have made anyone hate taking flesh.
But Bond had found pleasure and made it his own. She doubted that anyone had been loved as sweetly and thoroughly as she had been. She bent and touched her lips to the base of one scar and then the other, realizing too late that her hair swept over his skin.
He stirred and braced himself on one elbow, looking at her with a smile. “So?”
“The Seed is claimed. I can’t smell it anymore.”
His smile turned mischievous, just the way she liked it best. “Don’t you think we should make sure?” he murmured, offering his hand to her.
It wasn’t logical, but Percipia was only too glad to surrender to sensation all over again.
Six
Percipia was checking the stores to put together a meal for herself and Bond. They’d spent the day making love, over and over again, laughing and teasing each other, snared in a warm glow of intimacy.
She loved the light in the Aerie at this time of day, when the sun was setting and the shadows were drawing long. The sky above the glass panel was streaked with a thousand colors and she could see the first stars coming out.
“Will they be missing you at the palace?” Bond asked, coming up behind her and planting a kiss on the back of her neck.
Percipia smiled at the gesture. “Probably not. Enigma will tell them about the Seed.”
“How long does it usually take to claim the Seed?”
“It depends on the participants.”
He nodded, his gaze sliding around the cavern. “So, what do dragon shifter princesses do? Other than train to become excellent shots, and train to be able to run quickly?” He raised a hand. “Or captain star freighters?”
“Only Anguissa does that.”
“Were they really all your sisters?”
“They were all my sisters, but not all of my sisters,” Percipia clarified. Bond turned to look at her. “There are four more of us.”
“Anguissa.”
“Drakina, Gemma, and Thalina.” She frowned. “Thalina must be on the Archangel with Anguissa and Thalina’s Carrier of the Seed.”
Bond scowled and turned away to pace, his agitation feeding Percipia’s suspicions.
“They’re in danger, aren’t they?” Percipia asked quietly. Bond didn’t reply. “Callida said you have a reputation of being able to break any code.”
He turned to give her a steady look. “I managed the nav system of the Archangel. That was my responsibility as co-pilot.”
Percipia saw no reason to be coy. “What’s wrong with the ship? Did you hamper it in some way? And why?”
Bond heaved a sigh and pushed a hand through his hair. “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you now. No one can overhear us.”
Percipia nodded agreement. “It’s unlikely the triped could reach the Aerie.”
“Do you think the man you shot in the passageway is dead?”
“It’s always possible that any of the three of them could have been revived, but I think it would take longer than a day.” She eyed his shoulder and bit his lip. “Who were they?”
“Gloria Furore.” He said this calmly, as if it wasn’t a terrifying fact.
Percipia gasped. “Well, if you’re going to have enemies, they might as well be powerful ones. The four who pursued you could be of any kind. The Gloria Furore captures recruits in all systems.”
“Not my kind,” Bond said. “I would have known.”
Percipia recalled the flutter of feathers she’d heard in pursuit.
“Would you?” she asked. “Couldn’t there be other angels on missions like yours?”
He gave her a sharp look. “Why?”
“I heard wings. Feathered wings. Someone followed us when we left the city.”
“Couldn’t you see who it was?”
“No, there was a shield of some kind, cloaking its presence, but it had to have been as big as me in my dragon form because it kept up.”
Bond appeared to be alarmed.
“I thought it was an angel.”
“Impossible,” he said flatly. “The wings don’t manifest in the physical realm. Are you sure there’s no other kind of bird it could have been?”
Percipia shook her head.
“Are you sure we haven’t been followed here?”
“Positive.”
“Humor me,” he said, and she went to the opening, feeling a measure of his concern. But all she could see was the range of mountains, reflecting the last of the light. There wasn’t a hint of motion anywhere—she checked—and
no sound of any approach.
“Nothing,” she said when she returned to the cavern. The soup was warm and Bond was serving it.
He wasn’t particularly reassured, she could see.
They sat down together to eat, his agitation tangible.
“Tell me,” Percipia urged. “I might be able to help.”
“You might.” Bond tasted the soup and appeared to be surprised that it was good.
“We’re fussy about pleasures of the flesh,” she said and he smiled for a moment.
Then he put the bowl aside. “You know Anguissa, which means you know how she is.” He widened his eyes and Percipia nodded.
“Daring, reckless, impulsive,” she supplied. “Loyal, smart, sometimes funny.”
He shook his head. “All of that and more. The details are unimportant, but I was compelled to add a worm to the nav system of the Archangel.”
“What kind of worm?” Percipia asked, her hunger dismissed.
“This worm was very elegant. It was designed to sit quietly in the bowels of the computing system and count the number of jumps taken by the ship.”
“Why?”
“Because it was set to trigger after a certain number of jumps had occurred, then intervene and override the settings to take the vessel to a specific location in a specific quadrant.”
“Why?”
He raised his gaze to hers. “Because an old enemy of Anguissa’s would be there, waiting to destroy the Archangel.”
Percipia was concerned. “How many jumps?”
“That’s the interesting thing. The worm was linked to a random number generator. The number of jumps was determined by the generator after the worm’s installation, and there was no way to know what the setting was.”
“Until it was activated.”
Bond nodded.
Percipia got up to pace. “Did you create it?”
“No. I installed it.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t have a choice. I had to install it to prove that I was on the same side as the Gloria Furore.”