Page 14 of Dragon Valley
“You need to carry out your trials, Azel. We can’t wait any longer. In a few weeks’ time, you may need to be making decisions in my stead.” His eyes shifted in the direction of the central bonfire, where Nadi’s musical voice carried over on the warm breeze.
“Find your first wife and let her know your intentions,” he said pointedly.
“Father—” I began but he threw up a hand to stop me.
“The choice is yours as well as hers, son. She has every right to refuse you. Better make sure you don’t drive her to that point.” He slapped me on the back and returned to the hut for the night.
I stood there for a moment, wondering if that conversation really happened. Just when I thought I had my father figured out, he pulled out pockets of wisdom and willingness to be flexible like just now. But his memory was also deteriorating. Would he remember making this decision tomorrow?
He all but told me he would approve of me choosing Nadi. That was a huge surprise I never expected. My father loved our tradition, our heritage, and the old ways. As a child, I remembered how angry he was when Azaria refused every marriage proposal and chose to be a Rider instead. Would Nadi do the same?
I only had one way of knowing.
She was alone at the fire when I approached, legs and toes stretched out to soak up the warmth of the flames. The nights were growing cooler recently. Most of the clan was bundled up and inside their huts, either with their spouses or alone.
“Where’d your new friend run off to?” I dropped onto the log next to her and ruffled her wild mane of hair like I usually did.
“He went with the captain to tell the army the good news,” she grinned smugly up at me. “Looks like the chief agreed with my idea after all.”
“One thing at a time,” I muttered, dropping my hands to her shoulders. “Let’s see how they behave in our home.”
“Fair enough,” she replied, leaning against me. “I meant what I said earlier and I don’t care if you storm off again. Caden said he would draw me a map of the villages most in need. I’ll start with those.”
I stiffened next to her, absentmindedly pulling her tighter against my side. “I can’t stop you. I know that well by now. When are you going?”
“I’ll talk to Azaria in the morning. She’ll help me break it to the chief. And then as soon as possible after that.”
Damn it all. The time was now or never.
“I just talked to him,” I said, my throat tightening up. “He wants me to go on my trials as soon as possible, in case he’s not able to make sound decisions in the next few weeks.”
She looked at me with those eyes, green with a hint of blue like the ocean. The seriousness in them told me everything. I’d be gone for weeks, and that wasifI came back at all. Many sons of chiefs didn’t survive their trials. In that event, others who wanted the role would volunteer to go on their own trials. Unlike the outsiders, we weren’t strictly a dynasty. We had to prove we could lead and endure.
“When?” she asked.
“As soon as I’ve chosen a wife,” I replied.
Her lower lip trembled in a way that made me want to soothe it with my own lips.
“Well, have you chosen?” Her eyes darted away as she tried to make the question sound casual.
“I already told you I have,” I said in a low voice.
“Azel—”
I cut her off with a kiss, no longer fighting the magnetic connection between us that burned in my chest for years. At this point, I was tired of fighting it. My mouth without words told her all she needed to know. She could accept or refuse it.
To my surprise, her mouth opened up to me like a blossoming flower. Her hands wrapped around my neck and pulled me closer as her hot tongue surged into my mouth. I pulled her legs into my lap and wrapped my arms around her back. She tasted like honey and berries, no doubt the drink let down the walls of her desires. I silently thanked the Dragon God for showing she desired me as much as I her.
Securing her against me, I stood, carrying her to my own hut where the fire had burned low to glowing embers. She began lifting my shirt up before I even laid her down on the bed of luxuriously soft furs.
“I don’t want you to go,” she confessed in a soft whisper, her lips against my chest and moving lower.
“I don’t want you to go, either,” I groaned, helping her unlace my leather trousers.
She looked up, her green eyes meeting mine in the moonlight.
“Why do we do this to each other?”
