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"It's the bloom festival," Loric explains. "They celebrate it every year after the blackout.”
Jesper jogs up to us, his chest heaving from the effort. I look over my shoulder, seeing that the horses are gone, along with theothers. They must've taken them to be returned to whoever they borrowed them from.
“I've never been so glad to see streamers,” Jesper says, trying to catch his breath. “It's been decades since we attended the bloom festival. We have to stay.”
“What's so special about it?” I ask, curiosity piqued.
Loric narrows his eyes at Jesper as if he opened the door for something he'd intended to keep locked away. Then he shakes his head. “It's mostly for unclaimed and unmarried maidens. They dance in flower crowns and white dresses, hoping to catch someone's eye."
Intrigued, I look over the street before us again. "Can we see it?"
Loric hesitates, then concedes. "Since we're no longer planning to head south to the Asgardian docks, we're ahead of schedule, even with the blackout. So, it wouldn't hurt to stay one night.”
My eyes light up as I smile wide. “Really?”
“There's one rule, though. You're not participating, and we only stay if we find rooms,” Loric says, a smirk playing on his lips as he takes in the sight of me. It's like it brings him joy to see me excited.
Jesper slings an arm around my shoulders and chuckles. "Let her have a bit of fun. She's been cooped up her whole life. The worst that can happen is getting poked by a thorn in her flower crown."
Loric relents, muttering something under his breath as he leads the way. Jesper shoots me a wink before dropping his arm and I mouth a silent 'thank you,' following after them through the town.
We venture down the cobblestone streets to a marketplace teeming with merchants. My eyes widen in awe at the vibrant life around us, and Loric keeps me close, moving to my side, hishand against my lower back as we work through the crowded streets.
A table catches my eyes, covered in flowers, and I start to veer toward it, but Loric's fingers catch the ties of the corset on the back of my dress, pulling me back with a gentle tug. "Stay close. If you're far enough that I can't yank you back, then you're too far."
Puzzled, I ask, "Why? You can see me."
Loric sweeps my hair to one side, his voice low and urgent. "Because you smell delicious, and there are creatures here that would be overwhelmed by you."
“I'm not defenseless. I do have magic, you know. Besides, I'm pretty certain that all I'd have to do is yell and you'd be there in seconds, either sword drawn or knocking an arrow.”
His response is a protective tightening of his hold. My back presses to his chest as his hand trails so tantalizingly slow, up my arm, over my shoulder until he can stop my chin up, forcing me to look him in the eye.
"For starters," Loric begins, his tone grave, "there's a mate trade in this region and this festival is like their goldmine. They prey on the women who participate and auction them off to the highest bidder. People assume the girls run off, or found someone and took interest enough to leave, except they end up in cages in Solaria, their blood bound to a deed by elven magic."
“That's awful,” I breathe.
“I know, but unfortunately, when families sell off their own children to the bastards, it doesn't matter how many times you disrupt their trade routes, it continues to happen.”
It makes me wonder how he knows that, if he had a hand in disrupting them before he was imprisoned. I could see him playing vigilante, and the way his jaw ticks at the very thought of what could happen tells me it’s something he feels strongly about.
"Not to mention," he continues, "every unmated shifter here will be drawn to you. You're beautiful, so powerful that I can feel how strong your creature is just by entering a room.”
My brow crinkles. “But my beast stopped. I’m not in heat anymore.” I’m not sure I could get myself to saydragonyet casually, and there are too many ears moving around us to risk being overheard.
“Doesn’t matter. You're unmated, and a lot of creatures in this realm could care less if you’re the same species as them or not. They see a shifter woman without a mark, a piece of property to claim and command, that looks pretty beneath them. There are a lot more bad people in this realm than good. They don’t care about your consent, or whether you scream, because they know once they sink their teeth into your throat, the magic will make you submit to them.” His words send a chill down my spine, but I nod in understanding.
Loric cared. He gave me a chance to say no–promised to obey it if I had. He fought the urge to bite me, because he didn’t want to chain me to him, to keep me from discovering a part of my heritage, knowing full well he’d never stay in the dragon realm with me.
I’m not sure what his reasons are for not wanting to stay there longer than to escort me to the moons, but the simple fact he thought of me enough to put my feelings, wants, and needs before his own desires means something to me. It sets him apart. Especially when he’s made it clear that most men in this realm, and likely others too, wouldn’t think about me at all.
His lips press just behind my ear, then against my pulse, his teeth nipping me there. My knees nearly give out. Perhaps they would've if his arms weren't around me possessively.
“Why would you do that?” I squeal, unprepared for the euphoric feeling that slipped over me without warning. Whirlingon him, ready to level him with a glare, everything fades into oblivion the moment I see his face.
He's biting his lower lip, trying to hide that obnoxiously sexy smirk, his silver eyes so dark they look like he could swallow me while, andfuck, I'd let him.I'd beg him to do it if he asked me to, and that alone is far more frightening than learning I'm a dragon. Realizing that you'd happily get to your knees and bow at someone's feet, to put yourself completely and wholeheartedly at their mercy when you barely know anything about them should be profoundly terrifying.
Yet I don't feel the least bit scared. It's a thrill that snakes down my spine, that bows it, that urges me to get closer to him, to ignore the fact he looks like he could possess me at any moment.
