"Kael."
Riley shifted slightly within the golden dragon's embrace before quietly saying, "I'm alive. We're alive."
It was actually the third time he'd said it.
The first had been for himself after making sure he was still in one piece. The second had been for his mate. The third was because Kael still didn't seem to believe him.
The dragon lord continued holding him tightly against his chest as though he was still trying to protect him from an attack that had already ended.
But Riley didn't complain about nearly being squeezed to death. Instead, he simply adjusted himself until he was comfortably resting against Kael, listening to the frantic pounding of his mate's heart while absentmindedly rubbing slow circles across his chest in the hope that the familiar contact would eventually convince the golden dragon that they really had escaped.
