Page 63 of Dragon Valley
He inhaled deeply, lifting his chin skyward.
“You have no idea how badly I want to open that bond, Nadi. More than anything else in the world, I want to feel you in my soul.” He stopped and stood in front of me, eyes blazing. “But I couldn’t do that without your informed consent. I bonded you to Caden to save his life, because I knew you would be heartbroken without him. But there is more todragalmathan just sharing emotional and physical sensations.”
“Like what?”
He seemed reluctant to tell me but did so anyway.
“Innate talents and abilities are also shared. Some are instantly noticeable, others take time. You have a way with Dusa, which made her like Caden and trust him enough to ride her. When you join the others in battle, you may find you have a talent for fighting you didn’t have before.”
“And if I were to bond with you…”
He nodded. “You’d most likely See, like I do. On a smaller scale, since it’s not native to you but regardless,” he stroked my cheek affectionately, “I could never put that burden on you without giving you the choice first. And trust me, Nadi, it’s a heavy burden. There’s a reason no one has been a Dragon Seer for centuries.”
I turned my head to kiss into his palm. “Thank you for telling me.”
He smiled and I felt the barrier between us slowly melt away. We continued walking in silence and reached the stream a few minutes later to find a nearly-naked Caden sunbathing in what little sunlight remained.
It felt like so long ago that Azel and I were here, when he first told me I was beautiful. Life was so much simpler then, before I ever knew Dragon Valley was a beautiful cage. Before I knew Caden existed, but I’d never go back to a life without loving that strong, gorgeous warrior of mine.
He lifted his golden-haired head at the sound of our approaching footsteps. I fought back the quick flash of guilt as his eyes fell upon my fingers laced together with Azel’s. I focused on the warmth and affection from him instead. He wanted to see me happy and I needed to remember that.
“Getting a bit dark to work on your tan,” Azel joked as we came up next to him.
“I forgot that I’m not supposed to get this bandage wet.” Caden gave an adorable, sheepish grin. “Thought I’d try to dry off quickly.”
I plopped down on the soft, grassy bank next to him, drinking in the sight of his muscular chest and arms.
“So you’re really okay with…this?” I gestured to the three of us.
He answered by taking my hand and placing it over his heart. “You tell me.”
I felt it constantly, but the skin-to-skin contact made sensing his emotions so much more intense. And all I felt was light and warmth, as comforting as gentle sunlight. Despite his lingering injury, I got nothing but utter contentment from him. He had me, and I was happy. He saw how deep my feelings went for Azel and was glad I had that connection with someone. Captain Aron and the army were in better shape than ever. And Dusa was such a good girl, she deserved nothing but charred rabbit treats for life.
I pulled my hand off him only to smack him playfully on the chest again.
“Don’t even think about that! A spoiled dragon is a useless dragon.”
“I just wanted to see if you would pick up on that,” he laughed, lacing his fingers through mine. My other hand remained in Azel’s. The two best men I knew, both connected through me.
“Azel just told me the meaning of his other prophecy,” I said, looking up at him then back to Caden. “Apparently I’m going to have one more man.”
“Is that so?” Caden’s eyebrows lifted as he glanced up to Azel. “Do we know who?”
“No, I only know that we make a total of four. Time is fluid. That potential person can change, or it may not happen at all, depending on other factors.” I felt those red eyes burning into my face as he lowered himself to the grass next to me. “Nadi may have an idea of who he is, though.”
I shook my head. The thought came and went as quickly as a gust of air. It wasn’t fair to rope an unsuspecting person into this. I had a hard enough time wrapping my head around having both Caden and Azel. I’d be splashing and jumping naked in the stream if I wasn’t so shocked.
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes,” I said dismissively, glancing between the two of them. “Even if you two are absolutely content to share me, I’m still reeling from it.”
A throaty chuckle escaped Azel’s throat as he leaned toward my ear, his fingertips drawing seductively across my back.
“You might as well get used to it, beautiful.”
His kiss came to my jaw slowly but deliberately. My lips parted as my nerves ignited from the heat and the contact. He continued to make a slow, sensual trail of kisses along my jawline until he reached my mouth, which he captured savagely.
His hot tongue probed my lips apart, demanding entry. With a firm but gentle hand, he cupped my face to steer my focus toward his seductive invasion of my mouth. I closed my eyes and relented, tasting the smoky, dark deliciousness of him. But a small part of me couldn’t fully give in. I didn’t want to leave Caden out.
“I’m right here.” Another pair of lips kissed my palm and my blood heated to an insatiable degree. “Don’t stop kissing him, love. You look so sexy.”
