Page 64 of Flameborne: Fury
As my body peaked, quivered and twitched, dragged me over that precipice of bliss, Donavyn growled my name, grasped both my hips, and pulled me back against him, meeting me with a thrust so powerful, it threatened to cleave me in two.
My orgasmexploded,turning my blood to fire and ice.
As I spasmed and bowed, the dragons flashed in my mind, but were replaced with visions of Donavyn, the warm brown of his skin against the pale of mine that never saw sun and—
I was in freefall.
But as my heart began to shriek, and the reflex of fear jangled in my limbs, he caught me.
Amidst the roar in the air, and the singing in my ears, his warmth, his strength, hisinsistenceseized me. I was caught, swung out of freefall and into his arms, both of us twitching, crying out, crying formore.And when it was all over, I lay in the grass, wrapped in him, cradled by his body, his panting breath thundering in my ear and fluttering against my neck. His fingers laced with mine and my bodyheld tightly.
And as I blinked and caught my breath, he turned his face to brush his lips against my neck, his breath still tearing in and out of his mouth, and rushing against my skin.
“I won’t do it, Bren,” he graveled, still panting. “I won’t leave you. I won’t deny you. Ican’t.You’re mine.”
And even though I squeezed my eyes tightly closed because I was terrified of where this insistence would take him, I also wanted to weep with joy.
Because he meant every word.
24. Quiet Now
~ DONAVYN ~
Holding her while we flew wasnecessary.We were both spent, and wary of what was to come. We needed the comfort of remaining close, especially since duty would separate us the moment we landed at the Keep.
After that last, breathless lovemaking, we’d spoken very little. I wondered if, like me, speaking felt less necessary now that we could sense each other. Though, it meant I could feel her tumultuous mix of joy and apprehension. She hadn’t hidden her concerns about the reactions we’d receive from the other Furyknights when we returned home. But it wasn’t until the dragons came back to us and we’d harnessed them both that I sensed visceral fear from her.
There was no time to speak immediately. We needed to get the dragons moving before Akhane’s heat grew demanding again. So, we’d mounted Kgosi together and taken off. At first, I’d wondered if her increasing tension might have been from the necessary separation as we both harnessed the dragons, but when we were in the sky together on Kgosi, her seated in front of me and my arms around her, her tension continued to crankhigher.
Wanting to soothe her, I reached forward to comb back the strands of hair that had loosened from her braid and now whipped around her face. I caught them and tucked them behind her ears, trailing my fingers down her neck, and even brushing a kiss to her neck when she shivered.
But it didn’t seem to make a dent in her fear. Had I missed something?
“Bren, why are you growingmoreafraid?”
She sagged. “The more I think about how their faces will look—the things they’ll say—when they hear you announce that we’re mates… I can’t help it, Donavyn. It scares me.”
My ego flinched. Did she believe I couldn’t—or wouldn’t—protect her? But I swallowed it back because I knew it went deeper than that. She wasn’t afraid of the Furyknights setting upon her in a rage in front of me. She was afraid of their ridicule and disrespect when my back was turned.
And to my frustration, I couldn’t deny that she was likely right about how many of them would see this. They had questions about bringing a woman into our ranks from the beginning.
The question was, would their prejudice pass quickly as I wanted to believe?
Bren turned her head to meet my eyes over her shoulder and the shadows in her gaze made me hold her more tightly.
“Bren, they won’talllook at you like—”
“Enough will,” she responded, her tone dead. “There’s no way to win, Donavyn. You tell them all that we’re mates and most of them will dismiss me. Then, if the King punishes you for it, you also lose status in their eyes. And they blame me because the man they all admire has been pulled downfor me.Or, the Kingdoesn’tdiscipline you and you retain your rank, then they all assume the only reason I’m there isfor you.I lose anyrespect I might have gained, and can’t get it back because I’m the General’s whore—”
“Don’tnotrefer to yourself in that way in my presence. Ever,” I growled. “You’re my mate. I won’t let any person cheapen you that way. Especiallyyou.”
Her cheeks pinked and she turned back to watch Akhane, who flew slightly ahead of us. But her brow furrowed and her tension didn’t ease.
I wished I could deny any risk the men would react that way. Ididhave hope that most of the Furyknights were both mature enough, and insightful enough to see that she was more than a simple toy. But the problem was, even if I didn’t think most of the men would ever outwardly accuse her of such a thing, I knew the question would be raised in their minds.
Then she tightened her grip on my arm across her belly and sighed. “They’ll all think it isn’t real,”she said, and even though she raised her voice to be heard over the wind, her tone was so thin and cracked, I barely made out the words.
But worse, I felt her crumbling. The bond gave me access to her heart, her emotional and physical state in a way that was similar to my bond with Kgosi. Though I couldn’t speak into her mind, or her into mine, to a degree I couldfeelwhat she felt. And she didn’t just feel afraid. She feltsick. Embarrassed. Humbled—and not in a healthy way. I couldn’t see the thoughts in her head, but it wasn’t hard to decipher the direction that they took.
