Instantly, my eyes were drawn to her as I neared the edge of the bed. Her dark tresses were strewn about the soft sheets haphazardly now, as if she’d been tossing and turning since I’d left.
A rumble of appreciation for the thought ran through me. Purely because it meant she was regaining strength if she was able to do so, not because I liked the thought of her wanting me close.
A heavy knock echoed through the room before Lucius cracked the large door open. “I’m turning in for the night, but I wanted to check in on our new queen. How is she?”
My dragon warred within my chest to take control as an overwhelming desire to protect her surged forth. His inquiry into her well-being felt like a slight to my ability to nurture her back to health.
I summed his large frame up, feeling like my chest puffed in response to his words. Would she find his dark hair more appealing, as it was similar to her own? Perhaps the shadow of his beard would draw her in, compared to my clean shaven jaw.
My chest began to rise rapidly as my breathing turned shallow.
I needed to calm down.
Logically, I knew I hadn’t displayed the best ability to keep her safe today, so his inquiry made sense, but the animalistic need to fight off other candidates that could be vying to care for her needs…It was shocking.
It’s because of your dragon’s desires, not your own.
“Get out,” I managed to say between clenched teeth. “Don’t come back.”
I needed to eat and sleep to restore my control over the beast. Never before had I been so at war with him, feeling like we were separate entities for the very first time.
Lucius’ silver eyes widened in understanding before he lowered them to the ground in subservience. The pale blue scales on his forehead shimmered from the fire in the room as he retreated and closed the door behind him.
She’s mine to take care of.
Apparently, I would need to keep all unmated drackya from being remotely near her, until I managed to regain my control. It was just a muscle I needed to train, considering the only women in our kingdom were older, mated pairs from before the curse set in. They only had eyes for their drackya, still.
I’d never known the touch of a woman, or felt the curve of their body beneath my own. It would be an adjustment to have Siyana in my personal chambers, as if she was already my mate. The beast within thought that was the case, having her scent in our domain.
I took a deep breath, noting the citrus, woody, yet floral aroma that had consumed the room despite the crackling embers of the fire also being present. My eyes closed as my dragon rumbled in contentment, knowing we were alone with her once more.
“This is going to be a fucking problem,” I breathed out, still feeling the slight strain from the urge to go to her and mark her.
As my nervous system settled, I reopened my eyes once more and found her eyes–the very ones that reminded me of the glaciers my magic could create–trained on me.
Quickly, I took note of her tanned skin on display when the furs slipped from her shoulders as she pushed to sit and the swells of her breast peaked out. Her head tilted to the side as she took me in.
“Theo, is it?”
She was strong enough to talk—that was an excellent sign.
“You heard my name before passing out, I presume.”
Her hair flew around her as she glanced around, taking in her surroundings. I found I much preferred it down around her like this, after I’d pulled the pins from it. As her gaze turned back to me and roamed my bare chest, a slender eyebrow raised. “Where are my clothes?”
There was a warning in her tone, and I understood the implication.
Folding my arms across my chest, I huffed. “I would never touch you.”
Unbridled fury sparked within her eyes as she glowered and spat, “I’m glad to know you find me as equally disgusting as I do you. Now that that’s settled, where are my clothes?”
The last part was a question, yet the strength in them made the demand clear.
I was too busy fixating on her calling me disgusting, with her misunderstanding of my words. I guess I should have added, without your consent, to my words, yet here we were.
Shoving down the rejection, I found my composure once more. It was of no matter, the marriage was for political gain and the betterment of my kingdom, not for me to lose myself in her flesh.
“They made great kindling,” I offered with a nod to the fireplace they had been tossed into, smiling as her cheeks reddened.
