“The night Alaric found you at the lake, the trogg were unable to heal you.”
“And?”
“And…” He swallowed hard, dragging the words out. “This was the only way to save your life.”
I blinked, piecing together the explanation he was so loathed to share. “So, all this time, I’ve had a part of you inside of me?”
He nodded, falling silent.
“Can it hurt me?” I clenched the front of my shirt.
“No. Never,” he said in a rush. Then, slower, he added, “My flames could never harm you.”
“And without your flame, I would have died.”
Another nod. Alaric may have saved my life, but it was Thorne who’d kept me alive.
“And you did this. Asking nothing in return.” Unlike his brother.
He squirmed, his cheeks darkening. “Alaric gave the order, and I complied. No need to make more out of it than that.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I let my eyes travel his tension-riddled features, seeing him in a new light. Was the Draconis embarrassed by his life-saving act? I found it almost…endearing.
“Thank you,” I said gently.
He studied me warily. “You’re not angry.”
“I’m uncertain.”
He cocked a brow. “You don’t know if you’re angry or not?”
Sure, I had reason to be. He and Alaric had kept yet another secret from me.
“ShouldI be angry?” My voice came low, uncertain. “What does it mean when a dragon shares their flame?”
“Nothing,” he was quick to bite out. “Absolutely nothing.”
I studied his expression, the muscle ticking in his jaw, the tightening of his lips. The way those blue eyes of his refused to meet mine.
“Look. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.” He grabbed his pillow, fluffed it, then slammed it on the bed with enough force to send several feathers shooting out. “Better get some rest while we can.”
He rolled to his side, his broad back a wall between us.
I lay down, keeping a careful distance, eyes tracing the ceiling’s shadows. Beneath my ribs, where that strange flame pulsed, a dull ache spread.
He’s lying,a small voice whispered. That wounded, desperate piece of me refused to believe it meant nothing.
In fact, I was sure it meant…
Everything.
Chapter Seventeen
THORNE
In my wildest fantasies,I never imagined that one day, I’d be the sap who followed a woman, holding her purchases while she shopped. Yet here I was, living the dream. Or nightmare, as it was.
Serafina drifted through the apothecary, face set in studious lines, head in the clouds. As she analyzed each herb’s qualities, comparing it to others, the rest of the world had disappeared.
