Page 91 of Vows of Sacrifice

With that, he simply turned away from me and walked back inside the house with a gait that was surprisingly graceful for a man of his size.

“What a handsome man,” sighed Luanda.

I pivoted towards her.

“I find Dovah much more attractive.”

My chambermaid winked at me.

“A soft spot for brooding brunettes? I understand, Lady Ashana.”

When Dovah returned, he had a slight wound on his temple that was bleeding a little. He kissed me abruptly and with unbridled passion for all to see, leaving me as panting as I was perplexed. Kynnen and Paivrin approached, but only after their brother had hoisted himself onto Vulcan’s back.

“What happened?” I asked, worried.

I found that Dovah was having increasing difficulty controlling his outbursts, and deep down, I thought this was a bad omen.

“He jumped at Tylbis’s throat. Who fought back,” Kynnen described flatly.

“Tylbis is also injured, which is even more bizarre,” added Paivrin.

He was obviously addressing his younger brother rather than me. Kynnen raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Did he let Dovah hit him?”

Paivrin shrugged as if to say “maybe.”

“Should I be worried?” I asked, looking at each of them in turn before letting my attention slide towards Dovah.

He was giving instructions to his men and Massim.

“He will always be jealous and suspicious. Betrayal undoubtedly still poisons his soul. I know that nothing will ever happen between you and our brother Tylbis. Never,” asserted Paivrin.

“Even if it turns out that Tylbis has feelings for you that he shouldn’t, he’d rather kill himself than try to seduce you,” said the youngest of the dragons. “It’s you that I’m concerned about.”

I held his gaze. It’s good that that’s clear, I mused bitterly.

* * *

Oddly, I found the return journey much longer, as the atmosphere was undeniably much more tense. My horse rode alongside my husband’s horse. His frustration was clearly visible on his face, and I didn’t know how to soothe him.

“Dovah,” I began, not really knowing what to say.

He froze for a moment, then let out a long, weary sigh.

“It’s nothing. These are my demons, not yours.”

“I am still at the origin of it.”

He gave me a sidelong glance.

“Yes, but you’re not quite the same person. You’ve grown up in a different environment. Lived a different life. Faced different trials. You won’t make the same mistakes again.”

It wasn’t untrue, and in a way, it made me want to cry that he could be so willing to trust me after all that he’d suffered because of me.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

When he heard the raspy, emotional timbre of my voice, he ordered Vulcan to come closer to my mare, who didn’t appreciate it very much and whinnied to let him know.

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