“You’re so fucking brave.” Marek kisses Sei again, then sits back so he can get a better look at him.
Sei’s face is streaked with dirt, his hair matted and sticking up at odd angles. His dark brown eyes have never been so intense. “When I saw those two monsters circling above you…” Sei shudders. “Do you fight those things all the time?”
“Yeah.” Marek gives a lopsided grin. “Don’t judge by today, but usually I’m pretty good at it.”
“They’re terrifying.” Sei takes a deep breath. “I want in.”
Marek would give his soul for the stubborn light in Sei’s eyes. But he can’t, because he already has. “What do you mean?”
“I want to help protect everyone too,” Sei says. “Whether or not you want to use my power again. I know you only needed me today because Loska left you to fetch me.”
Marek exhales. “Today taught me something I’m not happy knowing. It would be difficult to burn out a grail by accident.”
Sei grimaces. “I tried to tell you.”
Maybe it’s possible. Maybe past dragon corps grails really were burned out by accident. But Marek has a feeling the danger to dragon corps grails has always been intentional ruthlessness, not earnest mistakes.
Marek won’t permit that under his command. He doesn’t intend to recruit more grails—but he can design a safer framework just in case.
That’s a question for another day. Right now, only one grail needs Marek’s attention.
“I’m sorry,” Marek says. “I listened to my own fear instead of listening to you. I was wrong. Even if I wasn’t wrong, I owed you a conversation first.”
“Thank you.” Sei twists his fingers in the hem of Marek’s shirt. “But please don’t agree with me out of guilt or something. I came into this arrangement with a lot of expectations. It wasn’t fair to expect you to just go along with everything.”
“I’m not agreeing out of guilt.” Marek covers Sei’s fingers. “We’re going to practice. A lot. But if you want to fight? I’d be honored to share the sky with you.”
Sei flings himself into another kiss. Marek catches him gladly, and this time manages to unbuckle the rest of the harness. The tether around Sei’s waist, the straps around his thighs. Sei lies back against the saddle, and Marek’s ribs barely hurt as he follows. His lips skate Sei’s jaw.
Throwing a leg around Marek’s hip, Sei grinds them closer. Marek’s blood surges as if fueled by Sei’s magic. He nearly loses himself in arousal—
Loska rumbles his amusement beneath them.
Marek freezes. The interruption reminds him of the other question he needs to ask. “Wait. What happened to you?” Marek forces himself to sit up. “Loska sensed you moving away from the valley.”
Sei looks utterly debauched, sprawled atop the saddle and harness, thighs spread wide for balance. Blinking slowly, he props himself up with his hands on Loska’s scales.
“Don’t panic,” Sei begins. The reassurance injects fresh anxiety into Marek’s veins. “I’m completely fine, and there’s no need to worry.”
“What happened?” Marek growls.
“No need to worry,” Sei repeats. “Radovan was worried the king would kill him for some experiment. He wanted to disappear, so he summoned the wraiths as a distraction.”
I broke the summoning devices, by the way,Loska adds.You’re welcome.
Sei continues. “Radovan wanted more power to hide himself. So, after you left, he abducted me.”
As the calm, rational explanation marches on, pure rage whitens Marek’s vision. Darkness pulses through the sky. “Where is he?”
Loska shifts beneath them. Pebbles scatter from the sweep of his tail.Like your mate said. No need to worry about him.
Marek scowls at his dragon. “I’ll be the judge of that. Where is Radovan?”
Sei pats Marek’s knee. “Loska sort of…” Sei pauses, then responds to whatever Loska says privately. “No, I think we have to tell him.”
Pleasedon’tbemad, Loska says in a rush.
Marek pinches the bridge of his nose. All his aches and pains rush back, along with a sense of dread. “I’ll decide what I’m mad about too. Just tell me.”
