Page 114 of The Forbidden Dragon King
How does he manage to make me feel like this? As if I’m the one in the cage?
As if the more I attempt to take his power, the more he takes mine?
Shadow Fae turn the world on its head. Tarquin warned me about that.
I adjust my tunic, smoothing it down.
Daire throws another date into his mouth, savoring it. “Aren’t you at little bit fond of me yet? Most people say I’m a lovable rogue.”
“Who are thesemost people? They’re fools.” I glower at him. “We’ve fought each other for years.”
“What’s the point of holding a grudge?”
“You’ve tried to assassinate me twelve times.”
“Thirteen. You’re forgetting about that time when you were bathing and I?—"
I cough, blushing. “I thought we agreed not to talk aboutthattime.”
“You’re lucky that your bare skin is so hard to grip when you’re all soapy like that. Anyway, murder attempts are my love language.”
Daire flashes his long canines in what I hope is meant to be a smile.
“Dragons and fae have been enemies for over a decade.”
“I’m not talking about our people. I’m talking about whether you still hateme.”
I’m silent for an awkward moment, unable to answer.
Then I ask, more softly, “Do you love Spark?”
Daire looks at me surprised, before his eyes narrowinto a glare. “May you melt off the earth like the snow off the ditch.”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“It’s a fuck off and die.”
To my shock, Daire turns his back on me, pulling his knees up to his chest. He wraps his wings around himself tightly.
Confused, I’m unsure what has distressed him. I’m even more unsure about why I don’t like this side to him.
He should be fighting back. It’s how we are with each other. I would never talk to another servant or prisoner the way that I do to him.
He’s a king…ex-king…like I am.
He’s one of the very few people in the realms, apart from Lanlin, who I can truly be myself with, allowing out my wicked side.
I reach out, as if to squeeze Daire’s shoulder. But then, I have the memory of my uncle’sreassuringhand on my shoulder and hurriedly pull back.
“Do you love her?” I repeat, attempting for firm, rather than concerned.
Some of my concern, however, must have bled through because Daire glances over his shoulder at me.
“May the devil break your bones, she’s my soulmate,” Daire replies. “Are you mocking my pain at being separated from my Omega? You don’t understand how much this hurts because you’re not fated.”
And that hurts.
Freya will no doubt spill my secrets to her fellow pet. But right now, he doesn’t understand that I’ve beensuffering right alongside him. In fact, I’m the only person in the world who does understand his pain.
