“I have no idea. You are my first.” She clung to his hand as they traversed a part of the trail which had been swept away in a storm. After he fixed the house, he would need to come and fix the trail so that their children could come and explore the mountains safely.
He swallowed down that thought, he was rushing ahead. What if Amber didn’t want a family? Although, she spoke with affection when she talked about her niece and nephew.
“I am your first dragon,” he whispered. “But you are my only love.”
“That’s some pressure,” she murmured as she placed butterfly kisses along his jawline.
“No pressure. Except that you never leave.”
“That, I think I can do.” She broke away from him and pulled him onwards up the trail. “Of course, part of that is the house and part of it is you.”
“Are you teasing me?” He’d always struggled with human humor.
“No. I mean it.” She stopped as the trail grew steep once more. Kelos squeezed past her and then helped her conquer the next section. “I love it here. I love everything about Bear Creek and the house and you.”
“There’s a but coming…”
“The only but is that I can’t fully commit to this,” she waved her hand around, “or us, until Margie and the children are safe.”
“Then it is my sworn duty to make them safe.”
Chapter Ten – Amber
“How much further?” Amber looked back along the trail. “I’m worried, we left Margie and the kids asleep alone.”
“I can sense them,” Kelos assured her.
“Even from this distance?” Amber asked incredulously.
“Yes.” He stopped and put his hands on his hips. Looking back down the mountain, he stared into the distance, his eyes a little out of focus. “They are still in the house. And there is no one else around.” He scanned the area, but Amber suspected he was not using his sight to figure out if there was anyone close by.
“How does that work?” She turned her back on the cabin and continued along the trail, intrigued as to what Kelos planned to show her.
Kelos shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s just a part of me.”
“Do all shifters have the same kind of senses?” Amber wiped her forehead. She was sweaty and her legs ached, but she wasn’t about to turn back now.
“Yes. Although I don’t know if all shifters have the same extra senses. Bears and wolves might have different senses. And dragons…well, dragons are probably the best out of all shifters.” He grinned as he looked down at her. “We’re nearly there.”
“Good, because I did not come prepared for a hike in the mountains.” Her feet ached, she wore flat pumps that did nothing to cushion her soles from the sharp stones that jutted up along the trail. “And I need a drink.”
“Not much farther,” he assured her.
“I trust you, Kelos. You said you will never hurt me.” She gasped as she reached the summit of a steep slope.
“And I will never lie to you. We are nearly there.” He pulled her after him when she wanted to stop and catch her breath. “Can you hear it?”
“Hear what?” She turned her head from side to side but all she could hear was the wind skimming the tips of the short mountain grass that grew on the level plateau they had reached and the occasional cry of an eagle in the distance.
“This way.” He led her across the plateau heading for a clump of short stubby trees that gathered at the base of a steep cliff.
“Wow.” She saw the waterfall before she heard it. “That is amazing.”
The water cascaded down the steep cliff like a curtain, sparkling and glimmering as the sun caught the droplets that hung in the air. Kelos followed a trail through the short springy grass which led to a low gap in the trees. They had to duck down to get under the trees, Kelos practically had to crawl on his hands and knees to get under one of the lower branches that had broken away from the main trunk.
“The waterfall is at its best right now as the winter snows melt on the higher peaks.” He stood tall as they reached the other side of the small copse of trees and followed the edge of the tree line.
“Oh, my…” She had no words for the sight that met them. The water fell from hundreds of feet above, a never-ending cascade that dropped into the pool beneath it. The edges of the pool were made of hard rock that had been slowly eroded over time to form a bowl shape.
“Do you like it?” Kelos asked.
“I love it.” She went closer, standing near the edge and leaning forward so that the spray from the water hitting the pool covered and cooled her face.
“I thought you might.” He grinned as he stuck his face into the water vapor and then stuck out his tongue.
Amber did the same, the water condensing on her tongue to quench her thirst. When she finally pulled back, her face was soaked, and her hair hung around her face in damp tendrils. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked as he moved closer to her and threaded his arm around her waist. “For sharing this with me?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“I should be thanking you. This is one of my favorite places but it’s…more when you share it with another person.” He looked down at her. “There is so much I want to share with you. So many things I’ve seen, so many places I have visited. Remote places where only a dragon can fly.”
“When this is over, we’ll go,” she promised. “There are places I’d like to show you, too.” She bumped her hip into his. “We’re alike, you and I.”
“Fate usually does well at matching mates.” Kelos dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. “And I think we are no exception.”
“I just need to make sure everything is good with my brother and his family first.
