Page 123 of Flameborne: Fury
‘There is no time, Donavyn. For this moment, I urge you to accept the purpose we’ve been handed and submit your will to it. Without acceptance this will become ugly for more than just you and your mate.’
‘But—’
‘You don’t know the cost yet, Donavyn. Trust me. All will be revealed.’
I let my head sink back against the tree trunk. I trusted Keg more than any man. And he so rarely asserted his will on me, even that reassured me that his reasoning was sound. And yet…
‘I can’t let any of them hurt her again, Keg. Not even for you.’
‘I don’t ask you to sacrifice your mate—she is given to your hands for protection, as mine is to me. But watch your heart, Donavyn. Your rage is not the path to rightness.’
I grit my teeth.
Then Kgosi appeared in the trees, his head low and eyes on me, the shadow of Akhane following him.
We met gazes and he gave me a warning look along with one of those deep rumbles that made the ground tremble.
I frowned, but Bren woke, sucking in a breath and sitting up, grabbing my arm and clinging as she blinked her way back to reality.
She saw the dragons, then turned quickly back to me, her eyes wide.
I tried to keep my expression soft as I stroked her hair back from her cheek. “Your brothers are worried. The King ordered them to find us. The dragons brought them. They’ll be here in moments.”
She blinked again, then frowned. I felt the sinking disappointment, and nervous zing in her.
I nodded. “Me too, but we knew, Bren. So, we have these minutes still. Do you… are you… what do you need?” I murmured, fumbling for the right words.
She took a deep breath and her chin rose. She looked for Akhane, and I watched her draw strength from her dragon—felt her seek it. There was a moment where her attention was on Akhane, and I sensed the desire todo right,despite her own, selfish wants, and I was humbled.
She was back in her leathers now, and for a moment her pin came into sharp focus. It stole my breath.
I knew what that pin meant. I’dlivedwhat that pin meant. For decades. And it was reflectedexactlyin her desire to be reassured by her dragon, and turn her mind to their purpose.
But knowing everything else, remembering what she’d been through, it struck me what getting up from this seat and returning to our dragons meant.
Purpose. Responsibility. Andbattle.
I wavered.
‘Keg, I don’t know if I’m strong enough.’
‘Your king calls for you. Our purpose is duty, Donavyn,’he returned grimly.
‘Do you really accept that? Are you willing to throw your mate into fire and death and see what happens?’
Kgosi growled in my head, but I didn’t flinch.‘Do not vent your fear on me, Donavyn.’
‘Tell me,’I demanded.‘Tell me how you can let her go when the call comes? Because itwillcome, Keg.’
There was a beat before he answered, a shivering moment of dread. Then he did as he’d always done and spoke the truth to me.
‘The call will come to you and I before it comes for them, Donavyn. So, ask yourself: isshestrong enough to letyougo? And if so, will you be weaker?’
I wanted to curse. I wanted to weep. I wanted to rage and punch and flame it all down. Because I knew he was right.
Battle was on our horizon, and I would likely walk into that shrouded fire before she would. And Iknewshe’d hate it. But I also knew she’d let me go. That she believed in me and trusted me, and wanted to follow.
Fucking dragons and their ability to speak words that cut past the flesh of deceit, and right down to the bone of truth.
