Page 20 of Daring the Drakarn Warrior Lord
Purple and red. Novices. That narrowed it down to maybe two dozen warriors currently in training. Not enough to identify them specifically, but enough to start watching.
"Did they touch you?"
"No."
"Threaten you directly?"
"They implied things. They talked about the Skalanth." She paused. "That's where I got the idea."
So the whole conversation, her sudden interest in participating, it all stemmed from a confrontation she'd tried to hide from me. Warriors had challenged her, had made her feel like she needed to prove herself, and instead of coming to me immediately, she'd sat alone, sharpening her blade and building walls.
The thought made something crack in my chest.
"You should have told me," I said. "Right away. The moment you got back."
"I handled it."
"That's not the point." I pulled her closer, needing the contact, needing to feel her safe against me. "You are my mate.That means when something happens, when someone threatens you, I need to know. Not because I think you can't handle yourself, but because your safety matters to me more than anything else in this world."
"And that's the problem." She pressed her forehead against my chest. "Your need to protect me, it's going to smother me if we're not careful. I can't live my life worrying that every challenge I face will send you into a protective rage."
"Then don't get challenged."
She laughed, but it was bitter. "That's not how this works. I'm human in Scalvaris. I'm mated to the Warrior Lord. I'm everything that some assholes in this city hate wrapped up in one very breakable package. The challenges aren't going to stop."
I knew that. Had known it from the moment I'd claimed her. But knowing something intellectually and facing it in practice were different things.
"I'm asking you not to participate in the Skalanth," I said.
She pulled back to look at me. "Are you ordering me?"
"Would it matter if I was?"
"No."
I'd expected that answer. Still hated hearing it.
"Then I'm asking," I said. "As your mate. Not as Warrior Lord. I'm asking you not to risk yourself this way."
She kissed me then, soft and sweet, and I tasted apology in it. Or maybe understanding. She pulled me back toward the sleeping platform, and I went willingly.
No one touched my mate.
Except me.
6
TERRA
I foundVega in one of the smaller training chambers, the kind tucked away in Scalvaris's maze of corridors where you had to know it existed to find it. She preferred these spaces. Quieter. Less crowded. No audience of Drakarn warriors watching her every move and making judgments.
She was running drills when I arrived. Endurance work, the kind that looked deceptively simple until you tried it yourself. Sprint to the wall, touch it, sprint back. Over and over until your lungs burned and your legs turned to jelly.
I watched her complete three cycles before she noticed me.
"You here to train or spectate?" she called without breaking stride.
"I thought I’d watch you sweat."
