"And yet you keep letting me kiss you," he pointed out.
She grabbed another pinecone.
"Alright, alright," he said, hands raised in surrender though he was still grinning. "I'll be a gentleman. Scout's honor."
"You were never a scout."
"Minor detail." He turned, golden light beginning to shimmer around him again. "Come on. The stream's too far to walk, and we're wasting daylight."
His body shifted, growing, transforming back into his massive lion form. He lowered himself to the ground, one wing extending slightly to make it easier for her to climb onto his back.
Wish hesitated only a moment before approaching. She'd ridden on his back before, but somehow this felt different. More intimate. Maybe because of everything that had happened between them.
She climbed onto his back carefully, settling between his powerful shoulder blades. His fur was warm and impossibly soft beneath her, and the moment she was secure, he stood.
"Hold on," his voice rumbled, deeper in this form.
