Page 119 of Flameborne: Fury
‘Mine,’she sent softly.
And then she smiled. And I swear, that was the moment the sun came out.
She couldn’t stop staring at me. And I couldn’t stop touching her. We’d cleaned quickly in the chilly creek, made love again, and now were settled under that first tree where I’d sat with her, convinced I’d never be enough to help her heal. But here we were.
One.
The bond sang between us, rolling and pulsing, glowing in response to the waves of love and joy echoing between us.
I couldn’t fathom it. When I looked at her as she searched for Akhane in the trees, she felt it and turned to meet my gaze. When she felt an uncomfortable tree root at her back, I knew and shifted to help her.
My skin was new, a world of sensation—hers, and mine.
But then, so was my heart.
The renewed bond was beautiful. But it wasn’t only the beauty that unified us.
I could feel the creeping darkness at her back. The shadows chased away by the pleasure and joy of our love, but not yet defeated.
We had won a battle, not the war.
And the longer we sat in virtual silence, absorbing this new unity, the closer the rest of the world became.
Kgosi had warned the dragons not to follow us, but eventually the King would demand to know where I’d been taken, and why. If we didn’t return it would create more problems and require more resources at a time when the whole Kingdom was in need.
And yet…
“I agree. We have to go back,” Bren sighed.
I blinked. This awareness of each other would take some getting used to.
“But,” she added, then turned her head to meet my eyes. “I want to talk to you first.”
“Anything,” I said, and meant it.
Her smile crept up again, but faded quickly. “When I thanked you earlier—”
“Bren that isn’t necessary—”
“—it wasn’t a little thing,” she insisted, her expression growing stern. “Don’t tell yourself that.”
I sighed. “I don’t. I only want you to stop seeing yourself as a burden to be borne.”
Her lips thinned and she turned away. I could feel the sudden tightness in her chest. But she was thinking. I could feel that too.
“Bren?”
She looked at me.
“Tell me how this started? What caused you such fear? Why did you give me the safeword? Why did you lash out?”
She went still in my arms, but there was only the tiniest jolt of fear in her.
Then she placed her palm on my chest and I took a deep breath, feeling the bond swell between us before she answered.
“The Queen,” she said quietly, then looked up at me. “She told me you were hers.”
I went very, very still.“What?”My disapproval sent another jangle of fear through her, but it passed as quickly as it came. I put my hand over hers on my chest and swallowed. “Tell me.”
