Taking in a large lungful of air, I look at the next person approaching us and give them my broadest smile.
I will not let this fae male destroy this for me and my people. I only get this experience once, and if he won’t show happiness about it, I will do it for both of us. But he has another thing coming if he thinks he can get away with his strange presence at our mating ceremony.
fifty
Dove
As we take leaveof the omnipresent tower behind us, I spot the red, soaring flames of Saff. Taken aback by the brilliant view of the large dragon ploughing pure power on a purple egg rocks me, solidifying a piece of my broken heart back together.
“Her egg,” I gasp, and Gideon pauses in front of me.
“Fury will not go back on his word. If you find the missing parts of the key, he will release Saff’s egg and kill the king and his son. Saff has a lot of pent-up fire to release to restore her energy. She shouldn’t have any problems flying for us now.” With his piece said, Gideon continuesto walk towards the fire-breathing dragon as if nothing is amiss in his world.
I only just found out dragons exist beyond my books, and now I am witnessing Saff in all her glory, giving life to her young. It is bone-chilling—or bone-thawing. My intimate is formidable in her loyalty and in her love. Seeing her red, glowing flames birth life instead of taking it away unlatches parts of me that once saw flames as destruction and death, instead rebuilding it now in equal measures of rebirth.
In the past, this display of fire would have scared me, leading me to cower in fear. Now, all I want to do is reach out and touch it, seeing what possibilities my future could hold in the resurrection of my growing spirit.
One thing I know for certain moving forward is that I will never again be the girl cowering away in the perceived safety of a temple when, in truth, it is just a house of lies. I am better off in the forest with the wolves than back in Haven with the liars and cheats.
A sense of acknowledgement falls around me as I continue my trek over to Saff, where she doesn’t let up on her flames. Not even once.
The wolf before me stops, admiring the miracle in front of us. Brilliant flames dance before our eyes, soot tickling my nose.
“How long?” I ask as I sidle up next to him. Even though we are within a few feet of the flames, no heat touches my skin.
“All night, she has been working on feeding her young.”All night?!I stand there, shocked at his statement.How can she continually spew fire all night?It seems like such an impossibility in my mind.
“Soon, you will see everything is possible, pet.”The soothing sounds of Fury lace through my mind.
“Can you please refrain from stepping in unannounced?”I push out towards the growing Fury bond in my chest.
A beautiful deep laughter firmly vibrates through my mind. “Shall I start each correspondence with ’Dear Dove, my most ardent, bonded pet’?”
“No, you shall give me space and only talk when invited,”I speak up in my most authoritative voice, which I realise sounds more like a disgruntled child than a fierce warrior.
“Mmmm, she has teeth. I knew I made the right choice.”A tremor runs down my spine, and I choose to ignore it.
“Step back, Fury,”I reply.
“Sing for me, pet,”he counters, giving me pause to remember our bonding, when I moaned for him.
My core thaws at the memory, and laughing drifts through my mind.Stupid daemon God.
Coming out of my internal trance, I notice Saff has stopped her fire breathing and is patiently watching me. Gideon has already taken his seat on her back, and looks down at me with expectant amber eyes.
Rubbing my temples to try and forget all things Fury—“try” being the optimal word—as his bond tugs at my chest, I clasp onto Gideon’s outstretched hand and hoist myself onto the saddle. We take our accustomed seating arrangement of Gideon in the back and me in the front, this time with plenty of clothing on both of our bodies to prevent any stray body parts from touching.
Now bonded to two beings, I do not need any more feelings trying to worm their way into my body and what is left of my poor heart, thatis for sure.
My back moulds comfortably to Gideon’s front, his strong arms flush against mine as we both move to hold the reins. Without asking, he wraps his hands over mine in a gentle but firm grip.
“She’s waiting for you,” the no-nonsense tone tickles my ear.
My eyes still locked on the hot, calloused hands holding mine down. The ones now leaving traces of tingles up my arms. “Who?” I ask in a daze.
“Saff.” His fingers grip tighter around my hands.
At the mention of Saff, the breath I am holding releases. “Yes, of course.”
