And as she approached, a ramp was rolled out of the dirigible’s belly, human figures pattering down the expanse to set foot at last on solid earth. The new arrivals were backlit by the sun and should have been impossible to identify from such a distance anyway. But a cold, hard lump in Sabrina’s chest softened as she recognized them nonetheless.
There was Charlotte with her baby cradled against her breast. Gangly-legged Zach standing taller and prouder than he’d been even the day before. Six strong sailors appearing far more crew-like than when she’d seen them last working as common laborers in the Aerie’s lofty towers. And an additional female figure too, this one with a cat-sized dragonet clambering across her slender frame.
Every member of Sabrina’s former crew had traveled aboard this ship to meet her at the trader’s festival. The gesture didn’t quite make sense...or rather it made far too much sense for the sake of Sabrina’s pounding heart.
But the captain didn’t let herself believe what she was seeing until the most glorious sight of all sparked from man to beast atop the airship’s upper deck.
Her heart recognized Nicholas before her eyes were able to pick out the color of his glistening scales. She could feel him even across the distance that separated them, a lodestone settling her fickle magic and teasing out secrets she’d thought too dangerous to air.
Nicholas hadn’t lost interest over the preceding winter. He’d merely been intent upon a task that hadn’t yet been tangible enough to share.
Now, the red-scaled dragon swooped toward her on graceful wings. He landed midway between ship and festival, far enough away from the latter that his fire wouldn’t risk burning human skin but close enough that Sabrina could see the wide grin plastered across his draconic face.
Flames receded at last to leave a human man standing tall and poised in the open expanse. “I brought your ship,” Nicholas mouthed, the words whipped away in a rising wind...but not before they softened and danced into Sabrina’s waiting ears.
Vaguely, the captain noticed Amber jiggling with excitement by her side. Heard cries of welcome from her crew and enthusiastic cheers from the traders located behind her back.
But then she’d forgotten her dignity, forgotten her audience, forgotten everything except the gut-deep understanding that her mate hadn’t been evasive for the last few weeks because he was tiring of her. Nicholas had merely been busy creating the draconic equivalent of a bouquet of bright red roses.
I love you, said the gesture and the ship and the tall, strong shifter standing alone on the burnt earth before her.
Not bothering to put her own reaction into words, Sabrina ran forward as fast as her feet and breezes would carry her.
She ran toward her airship. She ran toward her future.
But, most of all, she ran toward her heart.
***
I hope you enjoyed Cerulean Magic! If so, please vote with your fingertips by leaving a review, lending this book to a friend, or spreading the word. Your help is invaluable in getting a book off to a good start, and I’ll be eternally grateful for any assistance you feel comfortable providing.
Next, why not dive into my backlist? My first werewolf novel, Shiftless, is FREE on all retailers, and you can download a free copy of The Complete Bloodling Serial as well if you sign up for my email list.
Or perhaps you only enjoy dragon shifters? If so, don’t despair. There are two more tales in the Dragon Mage universe, and you can also check out exclusive extras including short stories and worldbuilding details once you run out of full-length books.
Thank you for reading. You are why I write.
Cerulean Magic: A Dragon Mage Novel Page 24
