"Thank you for accepting me," Yelena said, her lips on his skin.
"You are incredible. I don't... I don't have words to describe what I'm feeling right now after seeing that. Thank you for trusting me enough to show me," he stammered, struggling to find any words at all.
Yelena slid her legs down his until she was on her own feet. She held his cheeks in her hands, just staring into his eyes. She opened her mouth to say something and then stopped herself. She kissed him instead, soft and sweet.
"We should be getting back. Taranis will be expecting us at the meeting with Midir," she said when they broke apart.
Valentine nodded, a lump in his throat. He ran a thumb over her chin, not wanting to let her go but knowing he had to. "Lead the way, baby girl. I'll be right behind you."
Valentine needed some time alone to think and get his head on straight before he could play politics. Most of all, he needed to think about how he could eventually convince her to accept him as her mate.
He had failed everyone he loved. He had failed as a son and a brother so many times over the years. He had failed her as a friend. He didn't deserve to be her mate.
It didn't matter what his dragon said. Valentine wasn't going to ask her to be his until he had proved to her that he could be a good mate. That meant protecting her first and foremost.
Valentine shifted into his dragon with no pain and a new plan. The meeting with Midir was no longer about politics. It was about standing face-to-face with the male who had tortured and mutilated his future mate.
And then, Valentine was going to figure out exactly how to kill him in every way he feared most.
26
They flew back to Mag Argatnél on quick wings. The landing platform was blissfully empty. Valentine shifted back into his human form without any difficulties. It was barely a thought, and it happened.
For so long, he had expected the worst of his dragon side. That it would fight him for control, and he would be gone. It was the opposite. The constant pressure in his head and chest was gone, and he was able to take full, deep breaths.
Yelena went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I will see you at the meeting."
Valentine let her braid slide through his fingers. "Don't wear pastels."
"Don't tell me what to do," she tossed over her shoulder as she walked away.
There was a sway to her hips that told Valentine she knew he liked her ass, and he could only shake his head at her teasing.
It was good that he had some space to think, but he also knew he had to check in on Reeve before anything else.
The halls of the palace were mostly empty, and no one gave him any eye contact. That wasn't unusual, but now, he couldsmell a whiff of fear coming from the servants that he hadn't sensed before. He was confused by that but let it go. He would never understand people.
Taranis and Quinn were talking in low voices at the dining table when he walked into their wing. Both looked up and smiled at him, and that unclenched something inside him. He had half expected Taranis to kick him out of the city altogether.
"I... I'm sorry," he said, moving towards Taranis. "I didn't know it had three heads and that I would hurt people when I roared."
"Valentine, please take a breath," his uncle said, and his smile widened. "I don't think anyone could have been prepared for that shift. The release of your bindings was like a shock wave."
Valentine ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to cause anyone else to shift either."
"We know, honey. The knights were just surprised. Apparently, three heads are super rare," Quinn said, wrapping him up in a hug. "Do you have three of anything else?"
Valentine choked. "No!"
"Hmm, pity. That would have been cool," Quinn said and held him tighter. "I'm glad you're okay. Cosimo would kill me if anything happened to you."
Like Apollo, Quinn was affectionate, so Valentine hugged her back and tried not to count down until it was polite to release her. He only seemed to like Yelena touching him for longer than a few seconds. Now he knew why.
Taranis put a hand on his shoulder. "We knew you would be an alpha too, Val. Any dragon that has been around you could smell it even before the shift."
"Is Reeve... Is he okay?" Valentine asked.
Taranis nodded. "He's fine. It surprised him and scared Charlotte, though. She might still be cranky at you about it, butyou know how she doesn't like surprises. He was overdue to shift anyway, and seeing you as a dragon triggered something in him."
