Breath of Innocence Read Online Free PDF Page A

brief night alone together hadn’t been enough to resolve things between them.
    “Rowan is a young dragon and just learned her true nature. When I was her age my parents had already released the binding on my magic so I could shift. I spent the first year after I came of age simply stretching my wings like all young dragons do. There are places we go when we do so.”
    “Dragon teen hangouts?” Camille said with a smile. “Did you hook up with girl dragons and make out and stuff?”
    “That wasn’t encouraged, but it did happen. Not to me. I was more focused on the challenge of flying as far and fast as I could. Learning what I could do with my new body—I was already well acquainted with my human body.”
    Eben finally showed an interest in the topic. “Where are these places and how do you know where to go first?”
    “They’re scattered around the globe. Remote, unpopulated areas. Mostly mountaintops that have been imbued with magic over several millennia. It’s become a custom for every new dragon to leave a bit of their magic behind, and the power has built up. Humans can’t sense it, but it acts as a beacon to young dragons. We’ll backtrack to where Rafe lost her and find the closest location from there. With luck the two of us will be fast enough to catch up with her before it’s too late.”
    Camille whooped in excitement and bounced out of her chair. Her ebullient nature always amazed Roka and the enthusiasm she showed now reaffirmed that he had made the right decision. Even Eben’s mood seemed vastly improved—he smiled at Camille, watching her dance her way to the kitchen with her dishes. She danced back, hopped into Roka’s lap and kissed him soundly.
    “I’m going to miss you so much,” she said, cupping his cheeks between both her hands.
    Roka briefly considered urging them back down to the bedroom and spending the rest of the day making love before he and Rafe had to leave. He sensed that Eben would be happy with the idea, too, but not for the same reason Roka wanted to do it. He absently brushed his palm across her belly and she gripped it and held it over her glowing mark.
    Camille leaned her head close to his and whispered in his ear. “You do what needs doing. We have all the time in the world for this.”
    With that she was dancing over to Eben, singing a song about expeditions and swaying her hips to her own little beat. She straddled Eben’s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. The kiss lingered a bit longer than the one she’d given Roka and a brief sense of triumph washed through Roka—a feeling he knew didn’t originate from inside himself.
    Yes, my loves, you will have each other alone for a time, while I ensure my love-sick friend doesn’t self-destruct. Take care of each other.

Chapter 3
    T he pair of dragons shifted at sunset. Their gleaming scales caught the orange glow to the west. The boat listed dangerously under their combined weight until Rafe lumbered to the opposite side of the helipad. They stretched their wings, testing the air currents, which were strong that evening.
    They had already said their farewells, but Camille walked over to Roka again, struggling to hold back tears. He lowered his head and exhaled, encompassing her in a cloud of pale, calming breath. She wrapped her hands around his horns and rested her cheek against the smooth dip between his heavy ridged brows.
    “You two take care of each other, all right? We’ll meet you at the Monastery in a few weeks, hopefully.”
    She could feel the words rumbling forth from his chest when he spoke, the sounds resonating around her. “Take care of Eben. He needs you.”
    “We both need you,” she said softly.
    He let out a soft gust of breath, the warm cloud brushed up against her back. “I will be back with you soon.”
    She stepped back and watched, mesmerized by his magnificence as he spread his wings. With only a couple strokes he was airborne and flying, his white scales catching