Page 128 of The King's Man
I give myself in this world, and the next.
Before God… You. Are. Mine,
I sucked in a breath, my fingers digging into his shirt, gripping, because I was torn between the joy and relief of hearing those words cross his lips, and the utter fear that he didn’t know his own heart and was only driven to me like an animal to prey.
“Diadre…Diadre, look at me,”he whispered, his voice a jagged rasp. My eyes flew open of their own accord and he wasright there.He gave me no space, no breath. He pierced me with that impossible, golden gaze and let his words fly as surely as arrows.
“No matter what we face, no matter how dark it might get, I will walk it for you. I will give my life to save yours. I willchooseyou, Diadre. Always.”
God, I wanted to cry. Those words,I will choose you,I clung to them like a branch in a roaring river.
“Do you believe me, Dee?”
“I do.”
“Thank God.” I opened my mouth to tell him I was sorry I’d doubted, when he finally brought his lips to mine and kissed me as deeply as he’d stared.
I fell into that kiss—relief wrestling with thrill that battled my delight.
He gathered me close andengulfedme. Held me, took me,worshipped.Left me no inch without him, no more room to question. And I rose to him, gasping, crying his name, clawing his back to bring him closer, because I neededmore.
At some point he’d grabbed the furs and thrown them out for us. Now we clutched each other, our bodies trembling, skins sheened in sweat. When he collapsed over me and the weight of him pressed me down from head to toe… I had never felt more full.
Soon, we began to cool. But neither of us moved until the chill of being in the shadows forced him to reach for the second fur and drag it over us, curling me into his chest and holding me there, both of us spent.
Just like a man, he fell immediately into sleep. I was weary and drowsy and knew I’d follow soon. But I took a moment tostare at him, the sheer size and strength of him so softened in repose…
It was only as I drifted down that path between waking and sleeping myself that the thought echoed…
He still hadn’tsaidhe loved me.
I tried to chase it away, to push the doubt from heart and mind. But it settled on my shoulders like a mantle.
45.End of the Rope
~ JANN ~
With few exceptions, every day for the following weeks was an exercise in determination. My body, unaccustomed to carrying the load of another being—even one as small as her—for endless hours, ached and wearied.
I strengthened, as well. And knew once I’d had time to rest, I’d grow stronger. But crossing the Continent on the wing for hours every day was nothing short of exhausting.
Diadre worried for me, which was both touching and frustrating. The part of me that still danced in fear, waiting for a sign from her that she’d surrendered entirely to the bond and would welcome more than simple admiration, ran a gamut of emotion and expectation. At some moments, certain she loved me. Others, certain she didn’t.
One thing was sure, though. My mate understood a soldier’s duty. From the moment we rose from sleep as the sun went down, until I landed, exhausted and wilting as the dawn creptup on the horizon, she remained stoic, uncomplaining, and insightful—not to mention, sharp-eyed and sharp-witted.
The first week was spent flying the plains of Dragtharn discussing the best trajectory to take across the Continent.
Dragtharn was wide Kingdom, spanning the breadth of the Continent, though once the swamplands gave way to the plains, there was little to navigate by from the sky until we finally caught sight of their capital city, Skolrag
The Dragtharians were a mostly nomadic people with the ability to change the color and appearance of their skins. They camouflaged themselves in any terrain, and mimicked the practice with specially made tents and shelters—something Diadre remarked had inspired the Shadekin’s military tents and camps.
Their only landmark visible from a distance was the capital city of Skolrag—an area I’d only approached in battle, and from the south. By the fourth night I was almost convinced I’d missed it and we might be terribly off course. It was a massive relief when we finally spied the lights of the city twinkling on the rise of what I’d thought was a dark hill under the moon, just before we landed on the plains before dawn.
“We will have to visit the city tomorrow—only for an hour. I need to put an ear to the ground, to see if we’ve gained on Gall, and if there are any new rumors.”
Diadre, who’d done the meager hunting available here and prepared the furs for sleep, nodded, but her face was tense.
I caught her hand as she passed on her way to the bags and pulled her to a stop next to me.
