Page 53 of Flameborne: Fury
One time, I’d watched Harle and Voski wrestle in the dirt—both playing! But it had made me shudder, knowing I’d never have been able to stop either of them from pinning me if they got their hands on me. The best I could have done was flee before they had me in their grasp.
“A strong, honorable man—or woman, for that matter—doesn’t pick a fight with someone theyknowthey can beat. Their strength isn’t a weapon to intimidate. But to protect,” Donavynsaid darkly. “The fact that you’ve learned to fear a man moving quickly near you makes me sick, Bren.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to talk about my father now, or the things that happened with Ruin. But Donavyn’s words, his care,fedsomething in me.
I squirmed in my seat, but that rubbed my ass against his groin and he cleared his throat.
“Bren, I don’t pretend to know the details,” he said in a guttural rasp that, coming from anyone else, would have terrified me. He soundedfurious.Menacing. “But I suspect that other men may have laid blame for the events that frightened you atyourfeet. I want to make this very, very clear: No matter what has happened, what was done… I do not.”
I sucked in a deep breath that felt like the first I’d taken inmonths.My eyes stung. I prayed it was only the wind.
“Bren—”
I turned to look at him over my shoulder, searching for the words that would express the torrent of emotions roiling through me, but I couldn’t find them.
He stared down at me, jaw tight, but his eyes dark with promise—for me, and for anyone who harmed me. And that easy breath in my chest caught. Not in fear, but in need.
“Donavyn,” I murmured. But there were still no words. So, without hesitation, I kicked one of my legs up and over Kgosi’s withers, slipping my boot under the safety strap so I could turn.
“Bren, what—” Donavyn was alarmed and grabbed to steady me, but it was a work of moments to turn to face him, to let the clip slip to my back and bring my knees up and hook them over his thighs where he was seated between Kgosi’s wing ridges.
Cupping both hands behind his neck, I stared up at him, moved and touched and afraid andthrilled.He stared back, concerned, but silent, searching my eyes.
“Thank you,” I whispered, uncertain if he could hear me, but sure he felt my gratitude in the bond. Then I took his face in my hands, drew him down and kissed him.
Then, against every dragon rider’s protocol, the General of the Furyknights released the neck-strap of his dragon in flight and wrapped one arm around my lower back to hold me hard against his body, then took my chin in the other hand, tilting my head and holding me into his kiss.
The desire that had coiled like a sleeping snake in my bellystruck,an explosion of power and need that speared out of the center of my chest and into his, pulling me closer, making me needier.Urgingme on.
Akhane screamed and Kgosi roared, immediately banking, spiraling towards the ground.
I knew I’d been irresponsible. There were much more important problems afoot than my past. But I couldn’t let him go. Couldn’t break that kiss. And it seemed he couldn’t either. With every pass of his lips, every tease of his tongue, the fire inside me burned higher.
It was the only way to express how he’d made me feel.
He gripped me to him, one hand in my hair, the other at my back. Held me against him as Kgosi wheeled down to find a landing place, calling with Akhane in high, resonant cries that vibrated in my belly and made Donavyn groan.
And when finally, finally, we made it to ground, it was with heavy breaths that we hurriedly dismounted, and, with shaking hands, were forced apart to unharness the dragons.
As the last straps fell free and Akhane slipped towards the trees, screaming at Kgosi, I stood in the long grass of a meadow with the unrolled harness still hanging from my fingers, and turned to face Donavyn, to watch him tug all that heavy leather from Kgosi and allow Kgosi to ripple away in pursuit.
Then our eyes caught and neither of us moved.
But I smiled.
Donavyn dropped his harness and ran towards me.
“I haven’t rolled it up proper—”
But he reached me and didn’t even slow. Just swept me up with a growl and carried me away so that I forgot anything to do with Akhane or the harness or anything else. Excepthim.
20. Never Forsake You
SOUNDTRACK:Tether Meby Galleux
~ DONAVYN ~
Damn the fucking harnesses. Damn the dragons feeding the fire. Damn everything except her. It had beenheartbreakingholding her, feeling her crumble inside as I spoke such simple reassurance.
