“Cael has enemies. His brother, Theo, who I dealt with the day I had to leave you, was one of them. It’s likely he had Soren planted as a spy all this time.”
“Is it dangerous here?”
I shook my head. “No. This is the safest place you could possibly be. I would never let anything happen to you.”
Chapter 12
Nym
I believed him. Perhaps it was naive, but each moment I spent in Dain’s company reminded me of the man I met the night of the ball. The one I talked with for hours and slowly fell in love with while we shared bits of ourselves.
Once dinner was done, I was hesitant to call it a night, yet not ready to take him back to my rooms. We’d rushed our first meeting; this time we were going to do things slowly.
“Can you show me the gardens at night?” I asked.
Dain’s face lit up, and I realized I’d made the right choice. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
He helped me into my coat. It was a nicer piece of clothing than I’d ever owned before, a soft cashmere thing that one of the staff had laid out for me earlier. I looped my arm into his, and he led me through the house until we reached the back patio. We stepped out into the crisp night air. My breath clouded in front of me, but I didn’t mind the cold. Not with Dain’s presence warm beside me.
The gardens were even more spectacular at night than they’d been during the day. Thousands of tiny white lights were strung through the trees and wrapped around topiaries. They reflected off the light dusting of snow that had fallen earlier, making everything shimmer like we’d stepped into a fairy tale.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
“Not as beautiful as you.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks despite the cold. “That was incredibly cheesy.”
“Was it?” Dain grinned, looking younger and less serious than I’d seen him all evening. “I think it was factual.”
My heart did a little flip. “I never thought I’d have this. A mate, I mean. Especially not someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
“Important. Powerful. Someone who could have anyone.” I touched my belly self-consciously.
Dain stopped walking so abruptly I nearly stumbled. He turned to face me, his expression fierce. “It is me who is not worthy of you, Nym. You light up each room you enter. I’m in the background, meant for intimidation and nothing more. You’re everything.”
The intensity in his eyes made my breath catch. For a moment, we just stood there in the glittering garden, the world narrowed down to just the two of us.
Then Dain reached out slowly, giving me time to pull away if I wanted. When I didn’t, he cupped my face gently in his hands. His palms were warm against my cold cheeks.
“I know we’re taking things slow,” he said quietly. “And I respect that. But may I kiss you?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
The kiss was nothing like our frantic coupling at the ball. This was gentle, tentative, asking rather than demanding. His lips were soft against mine, and when he pulled back, I found myself leaning after him, wanting more.
“Come on,” he said, taking my hand. “There’s a gazebo up ahead with heaters. We can sit for a bit without you freezing.”
I planted my feet, the instinct to share more of myself with him strong. My dragon huffed within me. When we first met Dain, he’d missed out on meeting our mate, and now he wanted to come out.
“Dain,” I said.
“Yes?”
“I want... I want to show you my dragon. And I want to meet your wolf.”
His eyes widened, and I saw something vulnerable flash across his face before he could hide it. “You do?”
