Page 134 of The Forbidden Dragon King
I itch to do the same for Daire now.
Daire strokes over the cat’s head with his pale fingers. “Isn’t she brilliant? Beautiful? She’s called Five.”
“Strange name.”
Daire wrinkles his nose, offended. “I named her. Originally, it was Nine because she was meant to be my cat with the lucky nine lives, aye? But look at her. She gets into more risky battles that she loses than I do.” He laughs. “She’s lost four of her lives.”
“So, now she’s down to being called Five, huh?”
Five stands up, stretching and arching her back. She prowls across the cell, before slipping through the bars.
Five sniffs my ankle, winding around me, as if deciding whether to scratch me in defense of Daire.
I stiffen.
Daire throws off his blanket and leaps up with a wince.
How badly is he in pain?
I can tell that he’s hiding it, as he swaggers toward me to the front of the cell.
“She’s protective of me,” Daire declares. “Aurelius didn’t pass the scratch test. Oh, look at that. You do.”
Five noses at my calf, before licking me with a purr.
“Good pussy.” I smile down at her.
“Hmm, I agree.” Daire’s low, seductive voice makes me shiver.
I try not to laugh. “No making me wet. We have important things to talk about.”
Daire looks serious, before his gaze becomes half-hooded again. “I’ve been alone down here, pining for you. Can’t I make you wet, while we talk about them, love?”
My mouth is dry.
Five turns away with a dismissive flick of her tail. Then she prowls into the shadows of the corridor.
When I set the tray down by the door and stand again, Daire has moved at that astounding speed of his to the bars, extending his wings. He’s showing off like a peacock.
I don’t mind. He’s impossibly beautiful like this.
When Daire shoves his arm through the bars, however, burning himself on the iron, I hiss in frustration. He’s hurting himself as he always insists on doing in order to be able to clasp my hand.
He grabs hold of my hand, entwining our fingers. Since we first did this, when he was caged in the dragon army camp, it’s become his favorite thing.
It’s also my favorite. From never having someone hold my hand, I’m now used to knowing that Daire will suffer anything to hold mine.
To know that he is always with me.
I allow it but only for a moment.
“Are you ever going to stop burning yourself like this?” I sigh.
“Not if it means that I get to hold your hand.”
I squirm out of his grasp. “I have several surprises today.”
Daire wrenches his arm back through the bars, licking over the ring of burns around his wrist casually. “I love surprises. I have some too.”
