Page 122 of Storm of Desire
And then he collapsed, her knee still locked up betweenthem.
Haakon held himself lightly on his fingertips as she wilted beneath him. Somehow her knee slipped loose, and then those long legs cradled his hips, her heart pounding against his. He rested his elbows on either side of his head, and pressed his face into the crook of herthroat.
It took long minutes to catch hisbreath.
He wanted her sodesperately.
Forever.
But he could not keep her caged like a pet bird, its wings fluttering madly as it looked to the skies. He could not ask her to make this choice, while shewastrapped.
Love was not a prison. It should never be a cage. Her happiness was all he'd ever desired in thislife.
He'd fought dragons, trying to find her. He'd risked it all, just for the chance she was out there somewhere, and he could rescueher.
But he was the one keeping her locked upnow.
Haakon's fingers caressed her face as he drew back, and his body slipped from hers. He'd made so many mistakes. Let the raging emotions within him push him into foolishdecisions.
But this was not one ofthem.
"I love you," he said, rearing back onto hisknees.
A happy but slightly confused smile dawned on her lips as she swiftly collected the cloth he'd used to dry himself and cleaned herselfup.
"I love you too," she whispered, squeezing hishand.
He looked down, taking a deep breath as he reached for the golden manacle around her wrist. He hadn't dared attempt to remove it since the last failure. Just in case he ruined her hopes. "Er þér sjálfráttfararleyfi."
And this time he meantit.
Golden light flashed and the manacle fell apart, the golden links tumbling into his cuppedhands.
Árdís's entire face lit up with wonder, and she curled her thumb and forefinger around her empty wrist. "How didyou—?"
"Simple." His hand closed over the cursed thing. "Dúrnir was right. I didn't want to take the manacle off, because deep in my heart I feared I'd lose youagain."
"Andnow?"
He pressed his head to her shoulder, breathing in the scent of her. "I want you to fly. I want you to be free, Árdís."More than I'm afraid to loseyou.
"Thankyou."
She staggered to her feet, and moved away from him, clouds whipping through the skies above her as she laughed and stripped her gownoff.
His breath caught. His stubborndrekiprincess.
Utterlyglorious.
Wild andfree.
Turning in the center of the grass, she held her hands up. Sparkles of light began to dance over her skin and hair, leaving her radiant. Light flared, heat and power spilling over him in a hotwash.
And then a goldendrekistood there, snapping her wings out with a sharpflap.
Haakon's breath caught in wonder. Árdís's scales gleamed the same newly minted gold as her brother’s. But she was much smaller, her lithe limbs sleek and elegant, and her head sharplydefined.
"You're beautiful," he breathed, and she preened. He hastily dragged his trousers back up, and then reached out to stroke the supple skin, and those smoothscales.
