"But not because of our little terror," I said, crossing to the desk.
"Noo," he cooed, lips quirking up. "Not because of this little fire queen. Let me hold you both while you nurse her?"
That sounded like an unnecessarily complicated production, but his office chair was comfortable. Torion and I hadn't really had very much time foreach otherin the past month, for all the time we did spend together. I accepted Tylane from his hands and waited for him to push the chair back from his desk.
On second thought, Torion had an extremely accommodating lap, and his arms were wonderfully warm and strong. It wouldn't matter what position it left him in as I settled down to take my seat, he would hold us exactly as we wanted for as long as we wanted without a word of cramp or complaint.
"I've missed you," I murmured, as his wings closed around us.
"I'm sorry, my love," Torion whispered, burying his face in my hair, breaths brushing through the strands to slide hotly down the side of my throat.
"I didn't mean it that way. You don't owe me an apology any more than I might owe you one for how much of my focus is on our daughter. I just wanted you to know."
"Mm. In that case, I've missed you too."
I smiled as Tylane nestled in my arms, my dress pushed aside for her to latch onto my breast. "I know you have." I'd felt it in the bond between us that had grown clearer by the day, stronger—a gentle longing, one born of appreciation and patience and awe.
Torion huffed out a laugh and we settled into quiet, little sounds of suckling satisfaction and small gurgles lulling us bothinto contentment. As the rhythm of Tylane's nursing and the steady thump of Torion's heart soothed my exhausted nerves, I could almost drift back into another sleep here, warm and surrounded by the people I loved.
"I was thinking you might like to visit Bleake Isle, see what Mairwen is about there," Torion said slowly, words just stiff enough to rouse me from contentment.
My eyes, which had drooped, now opened again, searching the room for threats. When I found none, I glanced down to my baby, once more awed by the sight of her, by her existence, before Torion's suggestion took root in my thoughts. My gaze strayed over the top of Tylane's dark head to peek through the window of Torion's wings at the scraps of paper littering his desk.
"You've received word about Skybern?" I guessed.
Torion sighed, the movement of his chest a rolling wave of tension at my back. "Seamus and Ronson's men both reported the same. We're not long from Damian coming here himself."
I blinked at that. "To negotiate?"
The silence of Torion's refusal to answer turned into a high, glaring alarm in my mind.
I started to sit up, but Tylane's immediate scowl and fuss made me pause. Torion's hands stroked my arms and pulled me deeper into his hold.Such a small person has total command over our actions, I thought.
"Torion?" I pressed.
"We think he means to challenge me."
I choked and my head twisted, Tylane letting out a little wail of irritation at my unrest. "Asalpha?"
Torion's left hand slid up my arm, fingers finding the back of my neck to distract me from my shock with a massage. Part of me wanted to snap at him to quit coddling me, but it would'vebeen a shame if he'd stopped, so instead I just tried to frown more seriously at him.
"Most likely," he said, nodding.
"How long have you known this?" And why hadn't he said anything?
"Just today. Well, I had considered that his challenging me would be a more direct solution if he really wanted a foothold here, but it's such an extreme route. It seemed too absurd for him to actually decide to do so."
"So taking Grave Hills into his territory really was his aim in asking you to sell estates to dragonkin from Skybern," I muttered, resting my head into Torion's working fingers.
"No doubt. Will you go?"
"Go?"
"To Bleake Isle. With Tylane."
"Absolutely not," I snapped, before I'd even considered another answer.
A small, cowardly part of me stirred restlessly, cried out,Think of what happens to you if he loses the challenge. Think of Tylane. But the moment I looked down at her face, my choice was already made. I'd desperately wanted a child—a daughter, if I was being entirely honest—but a child to love and care for. I had one now, and I would protect her with my life. But she wasn't just mine.
