Page 131 of Flameborne: Fury
“Akhane is Kgosi’s mate,” I said thickly. “Which means any pain or fear she experiences, he senses—and it’s his instinct to go to her, to protect her.”
The King frowned. “Reports were that Kgosi arrived aheadof the female—”
“There is one aspect to their matebond that isunusual,”I said reluctantly. I couldn’t feel Bren in detail anymore, couldn’t reach her mind at this distance, but I was aware of the direction in which she lay, her weariness and unease.
“Well?” the King demanded. “Spit it out, man!”
With a hurried prayer, I met the King’s eyes and explained as concisely as I could. “The bond of the Primarch and his mate hasseeped through to Furyknight Kearney and I,” I said quietly. “We find ourselves tangled as deeply as the dragons.”
The King frowned. “What are you saying?”
I cleared my throat. “Whenmymate, Bren, was hurt by someone’s cruelty, it triggered a shock response from her. She unwittingly damaged the bond. When she did that, the dragons were affected. Kgosi came tohelp mefix the problem. Akhane followed him. But it was a problem that required solitude and time. He stole us away to heal the bond, then returned us when it was safe. You know him, Sire. You know he isn’t given to rages or over-reactions. You’ll have to trust me that his response was appropriate to the urgency of the issue. And that problem is now fixed. It won’t happen again.”
“Whatproblem?”
I set my teeth.“Mymate was incorrectly informed that I had already been claimed by another woman.” I felt the Queen’s eyes on the side of my face and my blood boiled. “Believing I’d betrayed her, she lashed out in fear and severed our bond, which might have killed me. It definitely hurt the dragons who share our bond. However, Kgosi knew how to put it right. As you can see, I’m completely healthy. My mate is safe—and now understands that she’d beenmisinformed.”I glanced at the Queen as if to make sure she was included in the brief, but her eyes caught mine and tightened when she saw my cold fury. “I came to make sure you were correctly informed and reassured. As you can imagine, this bond is unexpected and will take some adjustment to our protocols. But I wanted to explain personally, and reassure you that neither of our loyalties or purposes have been changed. The four of us—Bren, myself, and the dragons—are a weapon. A tool in your hands, Sire. We will go where you point. This evening past was merely a… hiccup. One that won’t occur again.”
“A hiccup? A fuckinghiccup?Donavyn, he tore the roof off a building and stole my General—and his mate, apparently. And what the fuck is this aboutbonds?You’re telling me that you and the girl are bonded in the same manner as the dragons? Likeanimals?”
I had to press my lips together tightly to stop myself chastising my King. As much as he admired and valued the dragon’s strength and intelligence, he continued to refuse to see them as sentient beings with emotions and purpose.
“No, Sire,” I said tightly. “Not like animals. We are not driven by instinct alone. But weareentwined now. In terms that might make more sense: Bren is my wife. And her dragon is Kgosi’s. The four of us are… allied.”
His brows drew sharply down. “You told me you were vowed never to marry—”
“I believed that, because I believed Kgosi had no intention of taking a mate. Therefore, it would have been unfair to tie a woman’s life to mine which is so clearly anchored to him. But it’s become apparent that the Creator simply wanted us to wait,” I said as calmly as I could.
The King’s lips pursed. He rolled his jaw, frowning at me. He’d never liked looking ignorant. But he wasn’t a stupid man and growing up in the political maneuverings of Court had taught him the wisdom tothink.Usually.
“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” he asked darkly.
I shook my head. “Sire, I’m sorry I didn’t reveal this earlier. This is a new thing. We had decided to tell no one until we understood what was happening. And Bren was concerned the men might see her only as my mate, rather than the Furyknight she has become. I saw no conflict with my role, and so held off. It was the wrong decision. I see that now. I beg your mercy on that point.”
His gaze narrowed. “Youintentionallywithheld this from me?”
I bowed and stayed down. “I ask your forgiveness, Sire. I was unaware how it would affect events, and didn’t want to cloud the much more important issue of identifying and rooting out the enemy. I had already informed my mate that you should be the first to know.”
“Is that how these matebonds work? You become more concerned with herfeelingsthan with my authority?”
“No,Sire.” Not entirely. “I truly believed it wouldn’t impact my purpose—and it seemed a petty concern next to the other news I brought. But it’s now clear that I made a misjudgment.”
With a splutter of disapproval, the King had begun to pace. I took the opportunity for a pointed look at the Queen. The light was dim in here, but it appeared that she had paled.
“Straighten your back, man,” the King muttered as he passed. I immediately did as he instructed, standing at ease, awaiting his verdict. That he’d had me stand up was a good sign. If he’d intended to execute me for treason—an unlikely, but possible response—he’d have put me on my knees. “Tell me how I’m to see this, Donavyn,” he growled. “Are there any other details you withhold from me?”
“None, Sire. My mate and I and our dragons are ready to fly. This changes none of the plans or strategies we’ve put in place. I only wanted to reassure you that the events of this night would not repeat. Akhane’s heat is fading. Within a day or two, Kgosi will return to normal. He’s already able to be in the stable. It would be better for us to fly ahead of the others so he doesn’t sense a challenge from another male, but that was already part of our plan.”
The King drew up in front of me, scowling, his chin raised. “Tell me how I’m to accept that you deceived me, Donavyn—and for a girl? For fuck’s sake, you know I hold no judgment. If youwish to take a skirt with you on campaign, you don’t even need to ask. Give her a job—”
“Sire, please. She’s my mate. My wife. MyOne.She is notaskirt,”I said through my teeth, fighting to keep my tone calm. “That is precisely what we were concerned the men might think, and why we’ve hidden it from the Furyknights. They don’t expect us to be affected deeply by the dragon’s bond, so other than her squad who will need to understand why she’s assigned to fly with me, we’ll allow them to continue believing that. There is no need for them to know more at this point.”
Don’t ask if I’ve already told them. Please, don’t ask if I’ve already told them.
“Perhaps not them, but Idodeserve the truth, Donavyn. I won’t deny this does not sit easy. But I know you as a man of honor, so tell me: Is there anything else that you’re hiding, or any way you can see that this would erode your loyalty to me, or our Kingdom?”
“No more than your wife erodes yours, Sire,” I said simply, praying the words would have an even greater effect than I meant. Because the King, while attached to the Queen, wasn’t consumed with her.
The King looked at her, and in the corner of my eye I saw her stiffen. But it was the right thing to say. Because he smiled.
