Page 31 of To Spark a Dragon's Love
“That was beautiful!” Ember dabbed at her eyes before wrapping me in a tight hug. There were still a few stragglers in line behind her, but it seemed like she couldn’t wait anymore to talk to me.
She lowered her voice as she whispered in my ear, “I told you it would all work out.”
“You were right.” I kissed her cheek. I’d done my job well if even my best friend was convinced that everything had gone fine. I might’ve felt bad for lying to her if I wasn’t sure the truth would crush her romantic little heart. “Can you make sure Harper is still in the kitchen? And where the heck did Riley go?”
We’d been standing so long in the hallway as everyone in attendance came to pay their respects to Malachy that my feet were bruised and my back ached. Harper had given up on this hours ago.
“Actually Harper fell asleep and Miss Grace brought her back to the cabin. And Riley…” Ember glanced over at the beefy dudes giving Malachy a wood box with a golden clasp, making sure they weren’t listening, “She’s busy working up an appetite.”
Malachy tensed beside me and I got the feeling that he heard every word despite Ember trying to be quiet.
“There you are.” Kieran stepped into the hall. “What are you doing?”
“I had to wait in line to talk to my friend.” Ember had already kicked off her shoes and I envied her bare feet as she sauntered over to her mate.
That wasn’t the only thing I was jealous of. Kieran openly smiled for her. His face filled with a youthful warmth as he gathered Ember under his arm.
“We’ll see them at dinner in a little bit,” he said.
Malachy coughed to clear his throat and I returned my attention to the last of the line. Everyone had brought something. It wasn’t like wedding gifts, more like tokens of appreciation that formed a pile at Malachy’s feet.
Through it all he’d stood robotic and detached. His face could’ve been carved by stone. I tried to balance his rough exterior by smiling more and giving hugs when I could, but I was tired now and I’m sure it showed.
And my stomach was growling.
At least with Harper being in bed—seriously, Miss Grace was a godsend—I could fill my belly and enjoy a glass of wine before getting back to the cabin. I didn’t like to be too far away for too long in case Harper woke up needing me.
“That’s all of them.” Malachy’s deep voice rumbled through the empty hall.
“You got a lot of… trinkets,” I decided to call them as I stepped away from the pile beside him.
“Is there one you want?” He motioned to the gifts like they were nothing.
Crazy to think that all that expense was probably useless now anyway.
“No thank you.” I folded my arms across my chest. “They were presents for you. It’d be rude of you to give them away.”
“Noted.” Something light flashed across his eyes before that darkened look settled in again.
Throughout the evening, I’d tried paying more attention to this bond thing of ours. Being right next to him helped. If he showed an ounce of emotion, it was followed by a shutdown shortly after and then that simmering rage began.
Once I knew what it was, it was easier to ignore. And, like clockwork, he smoothed out his expression.
“I’m hungry.” I sighed, ready to move things along so we could stop with this game.
“And I promised to feed you.” He held out his arm.
Dang it.It was a lot harder to keep my guard up when we were physically touching.
But the show must go on.
I slid my hand into the crook of his elbow and tried not to melt into him. Especially when he stopped walking, taking a deep breath outside the dining room doors.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
My heart wanted to rip in two when I saw his broken smile. The rawness in it was more than I’d ever expected to see.
And this time, he didn’t close down when he said, “I guess I have to be.”
