Page 59 of Flameborne: Fury
He nodded. Then he took my hand and brought it tohischest, and when he laid it against his heart, the bond thrummed, light and heat and that glowing cord that tied my heart to his.
“Heat,” he said gruffly. “Relief.Fear.”Then he leaned down until our noses almost touched, his eyes still locked on mine. “If I didn’t care, what would I have to fear? The only thing that frightens me is that you’ll stop believing, and I won’t be there to remind you.”
I didn’t know how to answer that. His brows drew down and his voice dropped to a growl.
“Promise me, Bren. Promise me if you feel afraid, you’ll come to me. Promise me if you fear you’re losing me, you’llask.Let me answer the fear. I promise you, Bren, I’llalwayscome to you. I’ll always want you near. You’re my mate. You get me first, before anything. Anyone.”
The strength of his conviction roared through the bond and moved me. My eyes welled as those words seeped into a gaping, aching hole in my heart.
Breath catching, I nodded. “I promise,” I breathed. “I’ll always come to you. I’ll ask you if I’m afraid.”
The bond cord rippled with his relief.
Unperturbed, Donavyn nodded. “We’ll face enough shit from the rest of the world, Bren. Don’t let them destroy this.Us.I love you. No matter what happens. No matter what anyone else says.I love you.We’ll find the way through this.”
He was so certain. So sure of himself, my heart thrilled—and yet, it also screamed.
Because it wasn’t only him that this world needed to accept.
22. The Calm Before the Storm
~ DONAVYN ~
We dressed then found a shady spot at the edge of the meadow to wait for the dragons.
My body was tight again, but I lay on my back, head propped on one bent arm and pulled Bren into my side, smiling when she rested her temple on my shoulder, curled a knee over my thigh, and laid her arm across my chest.
The wind still rustled the trees and made the long grasses ripple like waves on the sea. The clouds overhead were scattered and thinning, blowing away. It was growing safer to fly every hour. The thought made me want to roll Bren onto her back and kiss her clothes off, take her again and fuck the world. Or rather, each other.
But we needed to conserve energy. We’d barely slept after flying most of the previous day in a storm, running from the dragons wet and haggard, then making love too many times to count. I was spent—and unlikely to find time for more than an hour’s sleep tonight after we got back to the Keep. Once the King heard what she’d found, I’d be lucky to find time toeat.
That thought made me tense. Being in the King’s presencewould require being out of Bren’s. My body went cold at the thought of reaching out to hernotthere?
Panic sliced through me and I pulled her tighter against my side. She sighed, half-asleep and snuggled closer. I cursed myself for disturbing her. There was no need for both of us to miss rest.
I should have been sleeping too. When the dragons were done, Kgosi wouldreluctantlytell me so we could leave again. But my head spun.
I played fingers through her hair, frowning at the clearing sky.
This could end my career. A thought that was both terrifying and oddly acceptable. I tried to be optimistic. After all, what would they do with Kgosi if we weren’t leading together? The Primarch wouldn’t be affected in the slightest. His dominance over the dragons was unassailable. But mine over the Furyknights?
This newfound relationship could be twisted into something dark if the King chose to see it that way. And even though my stomach sank at the idea, I abhorred the idea of losing her more.
I didn’t regret finding my mate in the slightest. Only wondered—dreaded—how it might be received.
Then Bren stirred again and I turned my head to find her peering at me, her head on my shoulder, her cheek resting on her hand.
“Why are you frowning? I can feel your unrest. Is it the enemies I found?” she asked quietly.
I huffed. In truth, it should have been, but I’d barely been able to consider the implications ofthat.I was still trying to find how to place my feet in this bond.
“No. I know we’ll handle them. I’m glad we found them—you found them,” I corrected myself. “No, I’m wondering how this will affect my rank. How the King will react,” I said quietly,trying to keep my expression casual. Not worried. “But I don’t regret it at all,” I added.
“How can you not?” she asked tightly. “You’ve done so much and come so far—you leadallof us, Donavyn. You said this could fuck up our careers, and yours is so important. You must be nervous, or angry? If Kgosi had mated with a normal Furyknight’s dragon, there wouldn’t be any problem, right?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Then she stiffened against me. “Does this happen to everyone? Thisneedwhen their dragons mate?”she asked, hushed.
