Page 212 of Nine-Tenths

"Laura," I say softly into Dav's ruined ear. Laura Secord, Dav's only human friend besides me, is going to grow old anddie.Quickly.

Dav twists his neck around, Simcoe's blood still painting the side of his maw. She offers him a subservient curtsy that looks so abjectly slavish that my blood boils.

"No," I tell him. "You can't take her like aprize.Dav, you can't—"

"She'll have no protection if I don't claim her for my hoard," Dav rumbles back, nosing at my neck, at what I am sure is already a necklace of developing bruises. "I need to—" Dav starts, but stops, making a frustrated noise. His tail is wrapped around my waist now, and he's sucking in lungfuls of my scent,bloody nose in my hair, wuffling under my arm. "Colin, you smell so—"

"I'll ensure she's secure," the guard says. "The withdrawing chambers are at your disposal, my Lord."

They point at a door to the side of the royal box, and then have the cheek towink.

Getting duel-horny mustbe normal, because the 'withdrawing chamber' is built for fucking and nothing else. There's a big ass bed, a sofa, a bathroom, and, wow, abasketof lube and condoms. While Simcoe is fighting for his life and the queen is reading our research, Dav and I aretotallyexpected to be getting it on. Strangely, knowing that every peer of the realm is entirely aware of the fact that I am about to have Dav's dick in me does not make me want to have his dick in me any less.

Shaky and parched, I let go of Dav's wing (the only part of him I could hold onto as we walked here) and make my way to a minifridge against the far wall. I drain a bottle of water all in one go. My skin feels too tight for my body, my nerves electrified. I shimmy out of my ruined jacket.

"Water?" I ask, turning back to Dav.

I expect him to be standing in the middle of the room, humanshape and covered in blood and shyly admitting that he feels disgusting and wants to freshen up. Alternately, I expect him to straight-up tackle me to the bed and start ripping at my clothes.

Either is fine.

I don't get either, though.

Dav is still in dragonshape. He's curled up on the floor, wings arched around himself like a tent. Sunflower eyes peer at me from the gap between them.

"Uh." I crouch in front of him. When he doesn't move, I tap the leathery membrane of his wing. "Hey, you okay in there?"

Dav rumbles but doesn't reply.

"Okay, so… have I done something wrong, then?" I ask.

"No!" Dav says, wings snapping back. He presses the side of his head to mine, knocking me on my ass.

At least the carpet is plush.

"Then what is it?" I pet up the bridge of his nose, pausing short of touching his torn ear. It's stopped bleeding, but if we're not gonna fuck, then I want to get some disinfectant on it.

Dav huffs and lays his head in my lap, eyes squeezed closed. "You're not disgusted?"

"The blood is kind of a turn off, I'm not gonna lie. I'd be happy to wait until you've showered. But humping has been more-or-less promised and I—you don't mean the blood."

The tip of his tail lashes back and forth nervously.

"Dav. Babe. Mine Own.Fy Nhrysor." That last one gets him to open his eyes. "Don't look at me like that, I know how to use Google Translate." I keep petting his face, brushing off the flaking blood, straightening crooked scales, gently working loose the ones that have been ripped out. Soothing. Calm. "What's going on in that big lizard brain of yours, huh?"

"I'm mortified." Dav licks his lips, then grimaces when he catches some of the gore from the corner of his mouth. "You must find me so revolting. To be led so easily to suchviolence."

"I knew you were a soldier," I remind him.

"Knowing and watching me half-kill a man are two entirely different things."

"And you're afraid that I'm…?" I leave space for him to answer.

"Frightened. I'm so much stronger than you, and I… Iknowyou told me you never wanted me to hold you down, that you feared what I could do if I lose my head, and I was soenragedColin, I lost myself to the fight so completely—"

"Whoa, wait up," I interrupt, tugging on his little armored ruff. I'm not strong enough to actually move him, not if he doesn't want to be moved, but he raises his head obligingly to let me meet his eyes. "First, you're being a self-pitying dumbass."

"Colin!"

---