Page 58 of Dragon Valley
Slowly and with care, he raised his hands to brush hair out of my face.
“What if he still wants you to marry him?”
“We’ll figure that out when it happens,” I murmured. “But I promise you, Caden Fraise, this bond we have now goes deeper than any marriage. We have something that truly cannot be severed and I won’t let you feel pain like that again.”
“I won’t let you suffer a fraction of this for me either, Nadi.” Our mouths came together again but he jerked and pulled away before our kiss could deepen. Blood smeared his bottom lip and chin where we aggravated his stitches, but I just laughed and licked it away.
“It seems we’re being watched,” Caden murmured as he nuzzled my neck.
“Mm, does that bother you?” I licked his ear playfully.
“No, but I don’t trust him yet. Not as much as you do.”
“Jealous?” I teased. Ignazio was clearly intelligent and had inside connections we would need to win this war. He was also a good looking man and the polar opposite of Caden. While Caden was a warrior, Zio was an academic. And while his body was lean and willowy unlike Caden’s vessel of brute strength, he still looked fit and attractive.
“No,” he scoffed, then hesitated. “It’s funny. When I stop to focus on it, I can feel your emotions for Azel.”
“You can?”
He nodded. “I can feel how much you love him and how close you two have always been. And I’m not jealous. If anything, it makes me feel better knowing how you feel about him.” He stroked my cheek tenderly. “Because now I know how you feel about me too. It all feels very… harmonious.”
“Good.” I leaned carefully against his shoulder to not disturb his injuries. “I don’t want to keep anything from you. This bond leaves us completely open to each other.”
He wrapped an arm around my waist and dropped a kiss to my forehead.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way, my love.”
* * *
Two days later, Ignazio deemed Caden fit to fly. We didn’t talk much in that time. He gave me and Caden plenty of space, only getting between us to to check Caden’s injuries. When not being a healer, he spent most of his time with his nose in a book or talking to his men.
“Keep the bandage on for another week and don’t exert yourself,” he instructed as we prepared to leave. “Maybe fly low so the air isn’t too thin. High altitude will make your lungs work harder.”
Caden agreed to the instructions and the two of them clasped forearms like old comrades.
“I can’t thank you enough for saving my life.” Caden’s voice was full of genuine gratitude. “If you need anything from me personally, just say it and it’s yours.”
I stared at him in surprise. His suspicion and lack of trust in Zio all but disappeared.
“I appreciate that, Lieutenant,” Zio replied. “If it weren’t for these two ladies here, I wouldn’t have been any help at all.”
“Still, you could have just let me die,” Caden said solemnly. “It’s good to know we have you on our side.”
“The right side,” Zio agreed before turning to Dusa with a smile. “Have a good flight, beautiful. It was lovely to meet you.”
She let out a series of short huffs that was essentially a dragon stuttering. Caden and I grinned broadly at the warmth and bashfulness that flowed from our connection to her. No human man had ever called her beautiful before.
Zio’s eyes widened momentarily as she pushed her broad, spikey head against his chest in an aggressive dragon nuzzle.
“Oh, ow! Um, good girl,” he laughed, stroking her head.
“If she doesn’t leave bruises when she headbutts you, she doesn’t like you all that much,” Caden grinned.
“Oh, there’s definitely something,” Zio winced as he rubbed his chest. “That’s gonna be hard to explain to my favorite whore.”
He laughed as he said it, like it was a joke, but a flash of jealousy burned through me quickly before I swallowed it down. Then, knowing Caden and Dusa could feel it too, my face grew hot with shame.
“Nadiyah, can I talk to you for a moment before you leave?” Zio turned his green-eyed gaze to me.
