To my surprise, Onyx only grunted and waved her away, unbothered by her impudence. She stuck her tongue out at him before tossing me a cute wink and leaving the room.
And then it was just me and the beast.
Chapter 8
Seven days. Seven days of suffering that blood and battle couldn’t satiate. Seven days spent fighting myself not to return here.
To return to her.
My beast had been clawing at my skin, threatening a shift ever since we left her. Nearly sent us soaring back to our territory to check on her when I finally took dragon form.
The only reason he hadn’t managed to was because the danger lurking within the Borderlands and around our faction poseddanger to her as well. It was the only reason he permitted me to stay so we could deal with any enemies we found.
The Stormriders.
Or perhaps that wasn’t truly accurate.
Their leader, Dreythos, and his generals insisted they hadn’t ordered the attack. The commander, as his generals called him, claimed to have no knowledge of the event that took place in the Borderlands. In our brief conversation, I sensed his unease with the situation, and he claimed it wasn’t them but in fact another.
Something was off with their faction, but I couldn’t ascertain whether or not it was because of him or in spite of him. Power dynamics were at play, so I wouldn’t trust the information they gave.
My gut was never wrong, and at the moment, it felt as if something wasn’t as it seemed. The battle-savvy dragon in me smelled lies, but it wasn’t clear from where. Until I knew for sure what was occurring, I’d have it looked into by someone who didn’t have any stake in its outcome.
Instead of hellbent on discovering the threat looming at our doorstep, my dragon’s singular focus was on the human we’d left behind.
I couldn’t make sense of it. I couldn’t understand the sudden split between us. We’d always acted as two shared parts of the same being, but since laying eyes on the female, he’d been acting separate of my own wishes and interests.
Iris had figured it out, but I couldn’t leave the human alone again. Which meant whatever I learned she would too, and if I was correct about who the human was, the less she knew, the better.
Now the little Moon Beast was on her knees, perched on the edge of my bed like a goddamn offering. The dress she’d chosen barely hid her toned, golden flesh. She may as well be a goddess of desire sent to destroy me for how easily she boiled my bloodand hardened my cock, especially with her moon-white hair braided with traditionallapilliand wrapped around a delicate circlet.
It was as if the very gods themselves were mocking me.
I’d never craved someone so fiercely. Never wanted someone so much I was willing to do anything to make them mine, body and soul.
I’d spent all bloody week with an erection like a young drake going through his first rut. Another fucking problem I didn’t have time to deal with and a ridiculous sight while disemboweling my enemies. The growly voice in my head who thunderedmineevery bloody chance he got was another.
“Why were you crying?” I asked again, thunder in my tone. It was all gravel and growl. My dragon was furious with me. Had been for days, but even more so since finding the female crying.
Her head tilted to the side, suspicion and arousal perfuming the air. It was both adorable and absolutely lethal with all that bloody citrus. “You’re angry…” she murmured. “Why, my Liege?”
Bloody fucking shit.
My jaw clenched, cock throbbing violently at the intoned formality. I’d never cared for the old ways of addressing leadership despite some dragons insisting on it. But in her voice, it ravaged my body like a goddamn caress.
“It’s Onyx,” I corrected, far too aroused by the use of the former to risk her using it again. After the week I’d had, familiarity between us was the least of my problems.
The little beast nibbled her lower lip, and I nearly lost the battle with my body and beast. “Mazikeen,” she whispered, lifting her gorgeous eyes to mine. The fierce bravery in her gaze never failed to steal the air in my lungs. “But if it pleases you, Onyx, you may call me Maze.”
Fuck.My name in her sultry rasp was worse.
So much worse.
My chest rose and fell with the effort it took to keep myself rooted to the spot in front of her and not devouring that perfect mouth so that my name was the only thing she could say.
“Maze,” I said slowly, testing her name on my tongue. “Why were you crying? Did someone hurt you?”
Did I sound gentle? How was it Blade spoke to females? I cocked my head to one side, arms folded over my chest, and softened my voice the way I remembered Blade doing with his females. I channeled an absolute twit, but it was hopefully better than a stone-cold killer.
