And I would accept him for who he was.
I couldn’t fault him for his base instincts.
I liked that he watched me so closely, and I was no longer ashamed of that.
If gods had the power of foresight, and the fates had determined that I was destined to become Shade’s mate no matter what, what was the point in resisting?
I didn’twantto resist anymore.
I wanted to be cherished.
And cherish me, Shade did. Every minute of every day.
Earlier in the day, a letter had arrived from Shade’s sister. That’s right—hissister. A goddess. Thia, her name was. His memories were still a mess, but he remembered her.
He was pretty sure she was sane. Kind enough, as far as gods went.
Thia didn’t reveal where she was, for fear of being discovered, but warned of an impending threat.
The King’s men would not give up.
The King knew Shade was here, in Moonvale, and he wouldn’t forget that fact. He would return. And when he did, we would be ready.
And now, even worse… the King knew about the baby dragons.
Rumors had spread far and wide, reaching the far corners of the realm.
Even Thia had heard.
She warned us to keep a watchful eye on the dragons, for they were a priceless treasure, and the King was a greedy, greedy man…
We tried not to let the worries build, but to instead live in the moment, and appreciate stolen seconds of peace.
Shade leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck. A shadowy tendril twined between my fingers teasingly—he was getting more powerful, more in control of the shadows every day.
I shivered.
“What do you say we slip away for an early night, wife? I’ve got a list of things I’ve been dying to do that delectable body of yours?—”
We were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.
Shades stepped back with a sigh. “Later, then.”
I groaned, shaking off the haze. “Promise?”
He grinned wickedly.
When I opened the door, Kizzi stood on my porch, a grumpy-looking Tandor behind her. They both held strange, inflated leather tubes.
She reached a hand out, beckoning. “Come on, Ginny. You too, Shade.”
“What’s this?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.
She grabbed my hand, tugging me out the front door. Shade followed.
She led us through the forest, to a stretch of the river with an adjoining stream, shallow enough to clearly swim the bottom.
Tandor grumbled under his breath the entire way.
