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Forgive my touch. I opened my mouth to tell Laszlo he could touch if he wanted to—I was feeling exceptional after a real night's rest and a fresh dose of pleasure for my soul to feast on—but he rushed on.
"Asterion's returned. He and Conall are going mad looking for you. Hywel hid the passageway from them."
It'd been almost two weeks since Asterion had disappeared while I slept, and my wobbling legs as I leapt off Hywel's head had more to do with nerves than weakness.
"He can do that?"
"Dragons know how to guard their treasure," Laszlo said, and his arms had slackened slightly, his gaze roving greedily over me.
Touch me, I thought, stepping over Hywel's leg to stand in front of Laszlo. He studied me, his arms drawn out between us, cotton dangling to the floor. He blinked and then stepped forward, shaking out the nightgown and drawing it over my head. I sighed and slipped my arms into the wide open sleeves. The garment was loose, the collar lace, and it sank low on my chest, my nipples visible through sheer, delicate flowers.
Laszlo cleared his throat and leaned around me, digging into the tangle of fabric. He pulled a long blue tunic out of the bundle, shaking the dust out, brushing the feathered backs of his hands over the embroidery of vines.
"Here. This is…this is one of mine," he said, and he helped me dress in the sheath too, which clung a little around my hips and breasts. A brief flash of smug pride brightened his still features, and he turned away from me.
Behind us, Hywel let out a low, soft growl.
Laszlo snorted. "You can have her back when you wake, you lazy beast," he said, but the words were so tenderly spoken it was clear what he meant.Wake up. Wake up for me. Wake up for her.
I recalled Hywel's request too, as he'd returned to dreaming.Take care of him. So I slid my arm around Laszlo's, snuggling into his side and the shelter of his wing that stretched, rustling in surprise.
Laszlo led us to the staircase, and this time they curved in a different direction. I'd noticed new doors and branching off halls appear on my path down from the kitchens, knew that Hywel gave the castle and its routes a changeable nature. Perhaps Laszlo had some influence over them too, because as we ascended the twisting staircase, I heard the urgent mutters of two familiar voices.
"You know shortcuts," I said to Laszlo, and I smiled as we passed by a lit torch that offered me the glimpse of him preening.
"It is my home, after all," he said.
The stairs narrowed and Laszlo ushered me ahead of him until we stopped on a small landing, a threadbare tapestry hanging over a narrow opening, daylight pricking through the weave of fabric. Laszlo pulled it aside, and I paused at the sight of Asterion and Conall's pacing figures at the far end of the room. We'd arrived back in the great hall, the fastest and most direct route out of Hywel's hoard.
I slipped out of the opening, Laszlo following and shrouding the secret passage once more.
"You have to make up your mind, Asterion," Conall snapped. "Is she under lock and key, or is she—"
"Of course not, but she's under ourprotection! Which involves knowing where she is!"
"I'm sure, had youbeen here—"
"I'm right here," I called, interrupting the rising voices.
Asterion's knees buckled as he spun, the whites showing around his dark eyes. He still had dust from the road on his trousers, and his collar was pulled open, a tantalizing glimpse of carved muscle swelling against the fabric as he heaved in a sudden breath.
Conall's shoulders sagged and he swept tangled red strands back from his sharp features, offering me a crooked, weary smile. Asterion took one lurching step toward me and then froze as I approached.
"I was napping with Hywel," I said.
Asterion straightened, his gaze lifting over my head to find Laszlo. "He's awake?"
"Not yet," Laszlo answered.
I'd crossed half the hall, but both Asterion and Conall's gaze sharpened on me at the same moment. Asterion's nostrils flared, and Conall's smirk stretched.
Asterion's steps fell backward, inching away from me. "I'm glad to see you well,théa. I should…clean up from the road." He bowed, sharp and stiff, and then turned, hooves beating an urgent path toward the stairs.
Conall huffed and shook his head, combing his hand through his hair once more, eyes sliding over me with a thorough curiosity. "Napping, were you?" he asked, flashing fangs in his grin.
My face warmed. "You can both smell him on me, can't you?"
Conall nodded, reaching me, his hands cupping my hips. I glanced over my shoulder and frowned as I found Laszlo missing from the room.
