Page 92 of The Artist and the Dragon

“I like having your mark on me.”

Bronwyn swallowed thickly, a flush rising to her cheeks. “Malik…”

Slowly, he ran his hands through her hair to untangle some of the snarls, his nails grazing her scalp in a way meant to soothe. When a few knots loosened, he started at the top of her head and worked his way down again.

“Whatareyou doing?” She stared at him in bewilderment.

“Trying to fix your hair.” He worked another tangle free.

She scowled. “Have much practice with that, do you?”

He chuckled at the obvious show of jealousy. Not that she’d likely admit it. “Helpingmy motherwith her hair, yes.”

“Oh.” Her crossed arms loosened along with the tightness in her features.

“She liked having her hair loose, and she loved riding. And the two together?” He clicked his tongue. “Her maids always made a fuss about it, so when we went riding together, I would always help her comb some of it out before we went in.” Talking about her was hard, but somehow less so with Bronwyn.

“I think I would have liked her,” she replied after a moment.

He withdrew his fingers and tipped her chin up. “She would have loved you.”

She blinked at him, her features soft and doleful. “Malik.”

He’d never tire of the sound of his name on her lips. But right now, there was something else he needed to hear. “What’s troubling you?” It was something, that much was certain.

“Nothing,” she said quickly, pulling her chin away and glancing at the floor.

But when he cocked his head, she relented and said with a sigh, “My sister. The opera house disaster. Charlotte.” She hunched forward, head in her hands. “Just about everything.”

Malik knelt before her and pulled her hands back from her face. “We will save your sister,” he said slowly, making sure each word hit its mark.

“Will we? Mr. Davies seemed to know whothe Dragonwas. We were close. But now he’s…”

Dead.And by his hand. Malik’s lips thinned.

“We’re running out of time,” Bronwyn continued. “What if we don’t find another lead? What if they get spooked and vanish? We have precious few days…”

A week. Maybe.

Seeing his brave woman doubting and troubled stirred him like nothing else.

With care, he brushed her hair out of her face. “We have more leads, and we’ll track them down. I will make sure your sister is saved.”

Losing Ceridwen would destroy her, and that was the one thing beyond all others that he could not allow. He knew what must be done, but doing it … doing it could cost him everything.

Bronwyn almost seemed not to hear him as she continued to share her worries. “And Charlotte… Damn it, Malik, I had convinced myself again that she was innocent, and now? How could she not know about her brother? I need to talk to her. Find out what she knows.” She started to rise.

“Not now.” Malik urged her back down.

“But—”

“You’re going to storm off like this?” He raked his gaze up her form.

She looked down at herself, blinked, and managed to flush even deeper. She gnawed her bottom lip again before glancing at him from beneath her thick lashes. “You did destroy my dress.”

“You told me to.” Though he might have done it anyway in his eagerness to be with her.

“I did,” she conceded. “I suppose I’ll have to get a new one first, unless you happen to have one lying around somewhere?” Her gaze darkened. “Actually, don’t answer that. I’m going to hope you don’t.”

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