“Are you hurt anywhere?”
I didn’t smell blood or see any evidence of abuse. Disemboweling would be a mercy to anyone who’d touched her. But in that outfit, if one could call it that, I’d have to be absolutely blind to miss an injury. Unfortunately, it was difficult to smell anything other than the scent that terrorized my dreams since leaving her.
The beast demanded we ensure she was unharmed, that our time away hadn’t left her vulnerable to the dragons roaming these halls. Despite my reassurance that Iris would protect the human, my dragon wasn’t satisfied with anyone but us protecting her.
His rage fueled my own.
I’d stolen away shortly after arriving to wash the blood from my body and change my clothes, but it wasn’t fast enough. I’d spent the entire time arguing with my beast.
He wanted to show her how strong we were, how bloodthirsty, how capable we were of protecting her, and I’d spent far too long explaining to him that if anything, it’d scare her off. He’d huffed at me, so confident she’d fall into our arms—or better yet, our bed—and I’d never heard my beast so cocksure despite being horrifically wrong in every possible way.
Still, I washed quickly becauseIcouldn’t stay away from her, not after all these days without her. I might argue it was to satisfy my dragon’s demands, but it wasn’t just him who’d been eager to return to our little human. I’d also wanted to ensure she was safe and uninjured.
Maze didn’t speak at first, not until a growl rumbled inside my chest. My dragon was growing impatient with her silence, sure it was because she was, in fact, injured despite no evidence to suggest it.
Transformation tickled across my skin. My onyx-colored scales solidified and shimmered an elusive blue when the light caught them, while my canines sharpened to dangerous points. Her eyes swept down my body in open interest before staring at me in defiance, too courageous for her own good.
Such a good female,the growly bastard in my head said out of nowhere. It was the most he’d ever spoken. He’d never uttered more than a word or two since I’d sensed his presence, and here he was, a snarling chatterbox the minute Maze was within view. He was pleased with her strength and resilience, and if I were honest, so was I.
“Iris didn’t make me cry,” she said, chin lifted, protective of the female dragon she’d only known for a week. “Don’t be angry with her. I’ll take whatever punishment she’s earned.”
Fearless,my dragon crooned in admiration.
Stupid, you mean,I countered, only for his snarling to punish my ears.
Right. That was on me. I should know better than to taunt him. He didn’t care about how it made us look to growl and stomp around in an immature tantrum, and I’d already done enough of that over the last week to last me a lifetime.
Despite the sudden beat of envy in my chest over Maze’s obvious favoritism of Iris, I was intrigued by the change. Thishuman clearly didn’t trust easily, and certainly not this quickly, so what forged the bond between them?
“Not my question, little Moon Beast.” My lips slanted when confusion reached her expression, twisting her nose cutely. She wasn’t sure what to make of the nickname. Hell, I didn’t know what to make of it. “I asked why you were crying and if anyone hurt you.”
She licked her lips, and it was a concerted effort not to groan. “No one hurt me. Iris took care of me.” I nearly growled when she didn’t answer my initial question, but she continued, “I cried—which I never do, mind you, demon—because she…”
Despite her feisty strength, it was the first time her hesitation and fear weren’t for show. Whatever made her cry shook this terrifying beauty in ways nothing had since coming here.
“I just learned things about my sector and the other sectors that differed from what I knew about them, so I got a little emotional about it. Simple as that.”
It wasn’t a lie. I’d know if it was. Which brought me to my next question: “What sector did you come from?”
Her lips thinned. “You don’t know?”
“I didn’t see a need, no”—but now I wished I’d done my due diligence when I noticed the markers of an assassin.
I’d been concerned my sudden interest in her would set off alarms with the dragons who kept me in their purview. Void, in particular. He’d been watching me carefully since I’d taken her. Blade as well. But it was Void I worried about. If he even scented the curiosity in her whereabouts, it’d lead him to investigate her himself. Perhaps he already had.
“That’s rather careless of you,” she retorted before thinking better of it.
My eyes narrowed, but instead of insulted, the feeling of pride was back. Her goddamn cheek. “The same could be said of your impertinence, little Moon Beast.”
Her glacial gaze dropped before rising again, one side of her mouth tilted. It was another hit to my overactive cock. “Forgive me, my Liege.”
Bloody hell, I was in trouble. This little beast was brave and witty and utterly tempting to my deep-rooted urge for a challenge. I could banter with her all day. The mere fact that she wasn’t afraid to let her tongue whip at me was already doing things to my body I couldn’t ignore.
Her eyes strayed to the bed before she did something I didn’t anticipate—and I wasnevercaught off guard. She crawled under the bedding and patted the spot next to her. “You must be tired. Let me take care of you.”
Fuck me.
It was another tactic, honey-trapping. She was all clever beast, and it worked like a fucking charm when she swept her tongue over her bottom lip and settled those icy blues on me, at home inmy bed.
