Safe.
Chapter 33
Nadia
The medic checks Jericho’s back one more time. Runs her fingers along where deep dragon claw wounds were just yesterday. Now there are only faint pink lines. Already fading.
“Remarkable,” she mutters. “Dragon healing is always impressive, but this is exceptional. You should still take it easy for another few days, but…” She steps back. “You’re cleared to leave medical.”
I breathe out slowly. He’s okay. Really okay.
The medic leaves. Jericho stands from the examination table. Stretches carefully. Testing his range of motion.
“How does it feel?” I ask.
“Good. Almost normal.” He rolls his shoulders. No wince. No hesitation.
“Almost?” I step closer. Check the healing wounds myself, even though the medic just did. I can’t help it. “Are you sure you shouldn’t stay another day—”
“Nadia.” He catches my hand gently. “I’m fine.”
“You died. Two days ago, you died, and now you’re walking around as if nothing happened.”
“Dragon metabolism.” He’s smiling slightly. Amused by my concern. “We heal fast.”
“Still.” I don’t let go of his hand. “You should rest. Be careful.”
“I will.” His thumb strokes over my skin. “But I don’t need to stay in medical. I’d rather be somewhere more comfortable.”
Somewhere more comfortable. My quarters. Where Viktor gave him permission to stay.
The significance of that hasn’t escaped me. Viktor sees us as a couple. Aurora sees us as a couple. The official permission for Jericho to share my quarters is Aurora’s acknowledgment of what’s between us.
Now we need to make it real.
The thought sends heat through me. Anticipation mixed with nervousness. We’ve danced around this since the mountains. Since the training facility. But now there’s nothing stopping us.
“Let’s go,” I say.
We walk through Aurora’s corridors. People watch us. Some nod respectfully. Others stare. Word has spread about what Jericho did. The hybrid rescue. Going back for Kaylin when he could have escaped. Nearly dying to save people he didn’t know.
Aurora sees him differently now. Not as the Syndicate defector accused of murder. As someone who proved himself through action.
My quarters are on the accommodation level. Private. Comfortable. Familiar in a different way now that I’m going to be sharing them with him.
We step inside. The door closes behind us. Suddenly, the space feels smaller. More intimate. We’re truly alone for the first time since he woke up.
Both of us turn to face each other at the same moment. Both start speaking simultaneously.
“I need to—” “We should—”
We stop. A beat of silence. Then I almost laugh despite the tension. “You first.”
He takes a breath. His eyes hold mine. “While I was unconscious. I heard you. Heard what you said to the nurse who tried to treat me. You called me your mate.”
My heart skips. Of course he heard that. My wolf had been so protective. So possessive. I’d threatened the nurse for touching him.
“I need to know if I heard correctly,” he continues. “Is that what you believe? What you feel?”
