Page 38 of Guardian's Dilemma

When he’d healed one wrist, he dropped his hand and his chest was rising and falling as though he’d done a work-out. Healing wasn’t his biggest talent.

“I can give you more blood,” I said.

“No!” He actually shouted it and took a half-step back. I blinked in surprise. “I mean, no. I don’t want that. Not that I’m not grateful- look, I just don’t like the idea.”

Damn, I knew Fate couldn’t have messed up that badly. My mate might be aridire, but he was a decent man. He understood. I could smell his aversion to the idea, along with a bitter tang of anger and a whirl of confusion.

He asked, “Is there a shower upstairs?”

“Yes. It’s small.”

“I’m going to wash.”

He was half-way up the stairs before I could reply. That was fine. I just wanted to sit still for a while and let my body do what it needed to do. I held in a groan as I eased my right leg out and my muscles cramped. Thoseridirespells really packed a punch.

Now that we were safely out and theridirewere dead, I allowed myself a grim smile of satisfaction. Despite their power, we’d won. We’d defended our clan and our mate.

Kingsley came downstairs again quickly, dressed in some of the clean clothes I’d left for Seren. They were tight on him because he was larger than the averageuasal, particularly his chest and broad shoulders. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at the sight of the t-shirt he’d somehow squeezed himself into. It stretched across his pecks almost to breaking point.

“You should wash that blood off.”

I was so busy staring at my mate that it was a surprise to look down and see myself covered in blood.

Ah, yeah. Probably should wash that away.

Dragons got twitchy about people being able to touch our blood (see the whole power thing), not to mention I didn’t want to go and see Lord Somerville with so much evidence of my failure on my body. If I wanted to stand a chance of surviving and even, maybe, getting this all to work in my favour, then I needed to look strong. Tobestrong.

Standing, I tried not to wince or let my discomfort show. The trouble was, I didn’t want to leave my mate alone downstairs.

I didn’t think many people would get through the protections I’d layered up. I’d been satisfied with them when I’d put them up for Seren, and he was one of my greatest treasures.

It was more that I didn’t want to let Kingsley out of my sight in case he left those protections, and then who would keep him safe?

He surprised me by suddenly saying, “I won’t leave. Not yet.”

His face was serious and I couldn’t smell any deception coming off him. He smelled tired and confused, mostly, with a nasty tang of sickness, but that might be because he was looking at the blood smeared all over me. He might not love me yet but he didn’t like to see me hurt.

I’d take that as a positive sign.

Nodding, I went upstairs to the tiny bathroom and stepped into the shower. The water was lukewarm and I scrubbed myself with soap to get as much blood and grime off me as quickly as possible.

At least I fit into the clothes I’d left behind. I barely dried myself before I was yanking them on and hurrying downstairs again, and my chest eased when I saw Kingsley sitting on the sofa, just staring ahead. Not that I’d thought he would leave after he’d told me he would stay, but… it had been a possibility. I didn’t know him well enough yet to understand when he was making a promise, and he didn’t love me well enough to think he owed me those promises.

As I entered the room, he looked up. He didn’t stand up, though, which meant he was sitting while I stood over him. Aridirewould never willingly allow a dragon that kind of advantage. It was a small thing but it demonstrated trust. Baby steps, I reminded myself. My mate was still adjusting to the fact that he wasn’t aridireany longer.

“I need to report to my elder,” I said.

Kingsley nodded. “I’ll wait here.”

“Not to be suspicious or anything, but do you really mean that?”

“I need to think. It’ll take me hours to walk to my car and even then I couldn’t out-drive a dragon in flight, not down these shitty country roads. I’d be vulnerable to attack out there even more than in here, and I no longer have my armour or my sword. I’ll stay here.”

The smile pulled at my cheeks, even when I tried to school my features. He was sharing more with me.

Also, I couldn’t help but notice how hot it was when he strategized like that.

I cleared my throat, hoping he hadn’t noticed. “I’ll be as quick as I can but I don’t know how long it will take.”

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