Page 28 of Daring the Drakarn Warrior Lord
Now, standing in a crowd of warriors who could break me in half without trying, the clarity had given way to something closer to panic.
What the hell was I thinking?
A purple-scaled warrior to my left glanced down at me. His yellow eyes narrowed, and his lip curled just enough to show fang. Recognition flickered across his features. One of the novices who'd cornered me in the corridor. He opened his mouth, probably to say something he thought was clever, but a larger warrior shouldered past him, and the moment broke.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
Focus. I was here. I'd made the choice. Second-guessing it now wouldn't help.
The crowd shifted, bodies pressing closer as more warriors arrived. I got jostled by a wing, nearly knocked sideways by a tail. No one apologized. Most didn't even notice. To them, I was just another obstacle to navigate around.
Or maybe they noticed and didn't care. Now was the perfect opportunity to get a hit in on the Warrior Lord’s mate without any consequences.
Darrokar was going to lose his mind when he realized what I was doing.
I'd left before dawn, slipping out of our quarters while he still slept. Cowardly, maybe. But I couldn't face the argument I knew would come. Couldn't risk him talking me out of this or, worse,trying to forbid it outright. He was still figuring out how to deal with a headstrong human, one who didn’t follow his every order like it was his right to issue it.
"Finally, there you are."
I turned at the familiar voice and found Lexa pushing through the crowd toward me. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight braid, and she wore the kind of practical fighting leathers we'd scrounged from the Scalvaris markets. A knife hung at each hip, and her expression was caught somewhere between exasperation and resignation.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Helping to keep you alive." She stopped beside me, close enough that her shoulder brushed mine. The contact was reassuring.
Guilt twisted in my chest. "Lexa?—"
"Save it." She cut me off with a sharp gesture. "We can argue about your choices later. We’re here now."
"We?"
"You think I'm letting you do this alone?" Lexa's mouth twitched. "You’ve been champing at the bit to do something idiotic since those two assholes gave you trouble. You need someone to back you up."
Before I could respond, another voice joined us.
"Make that two someones."
Vega appeared on my other side. She looked calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that meant she was furious but had decided to channel it into something productive.
"I thought you said this was a bad idea," I said.
"It’s a very bad idea." Vega's gray eyes met mine, hard and uncompromising. "But you were always going to do it anyway, so here we are."
"I didn't ask you to come."
"Good thing I don't need your permission." She shifted her weight, settling into a ready stance. "I've done enough stupid things in my life. Figured I owe you backup for at least one of yours."
The tightness in my chest eased slightly. I hadn't asked for help. Hadn't wanted to drag anyone else into this mess. But having Lexa and Vega flanking me, solid and present and ready to fight, it made the impossible feel slightly less insane.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"Don't thank us yet." Lexa's gaze swept the assembled warriors. "We might all regret this in about ten minutes."
"Optimistic," Vega muttered. "I'm giving it five."
A hush fell over the square.
The crowd parted, bodies shifting to create a path. Karyseth emerged from the corridor beyond, her golden scales gleaming like coins in firelight. She wore ceremonial robes, deep red fabric that pooled around her feet and trailed behind her as she walked. Other priests followed in her wake, their own yellow robes marking them as temple initiates.
