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She burrows deeper into my chest, her arms hugging me tight. Crooking a finger under her chin, I try to lift her face, but she shakes her head, resisting my pull.
“What’s wrong, Tatha?”
Her back expands with a great inhale, and her fingers dig into my skin with her exhale. “The Challenge.”
Ah. My hands rub small circles on her back, and I kiss the top of her head. Taking a deep breath, our mingled scents float down my nose, settling in my soul. “Heilsi, I have fought and won over thirty Challenges, and Inchel is nowhere near the strength of some of my past opponents. I appreciate the concern, but please, try not to worry.”
She nods, but I feel the tension in her back. “I just found you.”
“And that”—I press another kiss to the top of her head—“is why you shouldn’t worry. I have always fought for the kingdom, for the people, but now … now I have you.”
This time she allows me to lift her chin. Her bright amethyst eyes swim with tears, but they don’t fall. As I apply more pressure under her chin, she crawls up my body, pressing her lips to mine. My heart stutters, and the heavy space in the center of my chest expands, filling with her.
“There’s nothing and no one, Tatha, that has the power to keep me from you. You don’t have to decide now, but know, if you want to continue to live in the Mountain, then that is where I’ll be.” She pulls back slightly, staring at my face. “It will take some work, but I can rule from anywhere. I can come down to the valley for council meetings and other such matters, and?—”
“Kem.” Her eyes dance back and forth between mine, her teeth biting her bottom lip before she continues, “Now that my father is gone, the Mountain won’t be the same. I’m … afraid to go back. He won’t be there, and it hurts. It’s silly because I knew this day was coming, and I thought I’d be prepared, but …” Her head tilts down, her hair falling around her face as she stares at my chest. “If the clan agrees to appoint my brother as the new leader, maybe I’d like to try, you know, living here?”
I smile as I brush a hand down her hair then rub her back. “You don’t sound so sure.”
Her teeth worry at her lower lip again, and I’m tempted to kiss that swollen mouth. But my smile fades as she rolls off me. Propping myself on an elbow, I frown as she paces back and forth several times. Her fingers comb through her vibrant purple waves. Her gaze darts from the floor, to the walls, to the windows, back to the floor … everywhere but me.
I wait her out, feeling her unease and frustration through our building bond.
Finally, she pauses her pacing, looking at me. “I just … it’s that …” I remain silent through her long pause until finally she huffs, planting her hands on her hips. “At the Mountain, why didn’t you claim me?”
I’m so taken aback, I can’t get out a single word before she barrels on. “Because, Kemremir, I’m a dragon. We are dragons. No matter the bond between us, no matter what Fate has to say about us, I need someone who wants my dragon.” She turns, pacing again, and I slowly stand, opening my mouth to correct her, but she talks over me. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being with you in this form. It’s … beyond what I thought it could be, but Kemremir?—”
Her squeak of surprise cuts off her words as my shadows snap away from me, engulfing the room in darkness, wrapping their tendrils around her body. They yank her to me, and I catch her, tightening my arms to the point I’m afraid I’m bruising her. She wraps her legs around my waist, and I hug her. The thought that she believed for one second I didn’t want her dragon nearly tears my heart from my chest.
“Oh, Heilsi. I’m so sorry. You were grieving, and my dragon … well, you’ve seen him. He’s … more than other dragons. I was … afraid.”
“Afraid? That I wouldn’t want your dragon?”
I shake my head. “No. I was afraid I’d hurt you.”
With a quick jerk of movement, she pushes her palms into my shoulders. Her eyes are narrow, spearing into me, and she pokes a finger into my chest. “I’ve been in my dragon form all my life. I do love sex with you in this form.” A smirk crawls across my face as I run my hands down her back and squeeze her ass. She chuckles, but grinds into me with the movement. “But my dragon craves you. She … needs you.” Her nails grow and lengthen once again, and she drags them down my chest, a thin line of blood trailing the marks. I grow hard, and my hands tighten on her ass as her whispered words float through my shadows. “I can’t really complain, since you were only being kind”—she kisses my cheek—“and considerate”—her lips press to my other cheek—“and caring”—she kisses my mouth and fire boils through my veins. When she pulls back slightly, her teasing smile nearly drives me to my knees. “But my dragon needs you, Mate.”
A knock at the door out in the receiving room of my chambers stalls my response, and we both groan as her talons shrink down. I let her slide down my body until her feet hit the floor.
I turn and pause. Soft, pale light spills through the windows. Morning already? Where did the night go?
Tatha moves behind me, trailing a hand across my back, lighting up every nerve ending in my body. “I’m going to grab another shower.”
I nod with a smile, crossing the room into my large walk-in wardrobe. Thoughts tumble through my mind as I dress quickly, imagining my dragon claiming hers, my claws sinking into her amethyst scales and riding her through our ecstasy.
As I leave the wardrobe, the soft sound of running water comes from the bathing room, and it takes all my strength to walk in the opposite direction toward the sitting room in the receiving area. A second knock sounds just as I close the bedroom door behind me.
“Enter.”
Fynola enters, her lilac hair pulled back into a tight tail. Her strong arms flex slightly as she balances a large silver tray in her hands. “Breakfast, your Majesty?”
I nod over my shoulder to the table by the window. “None for me, but I’m sure Tatha is hungry.”
Fynola crosses the room, setting the tray down with a gentle clink. Turning, her thumb and forefinger rub together, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her make that nervous gesture before.
“What is it, Fynola?”
“Um, your Majesty, Kudrer requests your presence in the council chambers.”
