"I had no right to interfere with Council proceedings."
"You had every right as a member of that Council. But you chose duty over doing what was right."
"Duty is what keeps Scalvaris standing. Without it, we're nothing but chaos."
She laughed, bitter and sharp. "Duty. Honor. All your pretty Drakarn words for cowardice."
The accusation stung worse than any blade. My tail lashed once, hard enough to crack against the stone wall. "You know nothing of honor."
"I know enough to recognize when someone's hiding behind it."
We were closer now. I didn't remember moving, but somehow the distance between us had collapsed. I could see thepulse hammering in her throat, the flush on her cheeks, the way her pupils had dilated despite her anger.
"You think I wanted to stay silent?" The words tore out of me. "You think it didn't kill me to watch them dismiss you, threaten you, treat you like you were nothing?"
"Then why didn't you do something?"
"Because I have responsibilities. Obligations. I can't just act on impulse every time I disagree with a decision."
"Even when that decision is wrong?"
"Even then."
She stared at me, something like disgust flickering across her face. "Then you're exactly the kind of warrior I thought you were. All strength and no spine."
My control snapped.
I moved faster than thought, closing the remaining distance between us. My hands found the stone on either side of her head, caging her against the wall. My wings spread slightly, mantling around us, blocking out everything but this moment.
"You know nothing about me," I said, my voice dropping to a growl. "Nothing about the choices I've made or the things I've sacrificed for this city."
Her breathing had quickened. I could hear each inhale, see the rise and fall of her chest. Her scent surrounded me, invaded every breath. Sweet and sharp and laced with something that made my fangs ache worse.
Arousal.
She was angry, yes. Furious. But underneath that fury, her body was responding to my proximity the same way mine responded to hers.
"You're right," she said, her voice steadier than it should be with me looming over her. "I don't know you. I just know what I saw. A warrior who chose silence over speaking up. Who chose politics over people."
"And what would you have had me do? Challenge the entire Council? Undermine Darrokar's authority? Start a civil war over humans who may already be dead?"
"I'd have had you try."
The words hung between us. Simple. Devastating.
My gaze dropped to her mouth. I couldn't help it. Her lips were parted slightly, her breath coming fast. I wanted to taste her anger, swallow her accusations, make her understand through touch what words couldn't convey.
She was mine. The bond sang it through my veins, undeniable and absolute. Mine to protect. Mine to claim. Mine to keep safe even when she fought me every step of the way.
Her eyes dropped to my mouth.
The moment stretched. Suspended. Both of us frozen in the space between violence and something else entirely. The air felt thick, charged with want and fury and the weight of everything unsaid.
I could kiss her.Shouldkiss her. Claim her mouth the way I'd claimed her in my dreams every night since the Skalanth. Show her exactly what she was to me, make her feel the bond that had been tearing me apart for months.
Her hands came up, pressed against my chest. For a heartbeat, I thought she'd pull me closer.
Then she shoved.
