“You are more than a human. You are built of strength and grit and persistence. You are a human who has two God bonds. And you are mine. There’s no one more capable of this task.”
“Damn, that almost sounds like a compliment.”My heart swells to twice itssize, forgetting about my original worries.
“I’ll compliment you all day, Pet, if it means you’ll finally understand what I’ve known all along.”
“What have you known all along?”I all but whisper down the bond.
“You are fire.”
He doesn’t say anything after that, and I’m left to ponder the interesting turn of events that have befallen us since entering the Silver Sands.Should I start to expect the unexpected? In fact, should I expect the worst?If anyone understands that, it’s me.
“So, how are we going to find these merpeople?” I question Moyrie, who is also pondering her fate, looking over the glassy waters before us.
“The void,” she responds.
Now that I’ve completed my Seraph test, it’s like I’m the new princess of the Silver Sands. When we exited the cavern leading to the snake pits, Silver Sands people were eager to be near us—even to touch us, which was very disconcerting. Rivern was adamantly against anyone touching me and was eager to push through the crowds. That’s when I really started to notice the fact that we were no longer clothed, especially with the bright morning suns beating across our skin, alighting Rivern’s golden drawings on his tanned skin.
The silvers do not care about our nudity, but I definitely care that people are taking stock of my bonded’s assets. I want to rip their eyes out. Seeing my anger, Moyrie quickly ushers us back to her chambers to give us clothing.
They are more strips of material than clothing. The articles cover sections of our bodies. We tie the fine, natural materials around our hips to cover our bottom halves, and I am provided with a top scrap of material that Rivern helps me tie around my neck and back. It is just enough to cover my breasts, doing nothing to hide the peaked nipples underneath.
Rivern braids my hair, weaving delicate scraps into it as he goes. I sit patiently between his legs on the bed, basking in the glory of hissoothing hands on my body. With our height difference, I don’t need to manoeuvre lower than him.
“I like this,” Rivern all but smoulders with desire into my ear, running his fingertips over my pointed nipples.
I melt into him.This male… Gods, I’ll never get sick of him.His fingertips continue to trail over the sides of my thighs, lifting my skirt just as Gideon breezes in through the arched doorway.
Back in human form, he freezes at the sight of us, his warm amber eyes gliding over my face and body.
“You’re okay?” He nods in my direction. Rivern’s hands have moved out from under my skirt, resting on my waist. The position seems to be his new favourite.
“I’m fine now,” I all but croak out, the jumbled pieces of my heart doing some erratic dance in my chest at seeing the male before me. Placing a hand on my chest, I rub.
Gideon’s fists are tight beside him. “Good, because we are leaving.” On that strained note, he strides out of the curtained door, leaving me and Rivern almost lost for words.
“What’s gotten into him?” I mumble aloud.
Rivern places his lips close to my ear. “Mmmm. I can think of only one thing.” He grasps my hand and bops my nose, smiling with wicked dimples on full display.
Outside, we are greeted by a shimmering red beast of old, and I almost crumble, instead choosing to release Rivern’s hand and run to my dragon. Without touching her, I can sense she is restless, being away from her egg.
“Little human,”she rumbles. I make contact with her ruby scales,staring deeply into one of her flaming irises.“I’m sorry I could not help you.”The words come through my mind.
In no way do I expect Saff to help me fight my battles. Plus, there is no way for her to fit down the narrow hall that leads to the underground lake. “I have Rivern, Gideon and Fury. Just focus on keeping your egg alive, my friend.” The only task that we required of Saff was her unrivalled ability to take us where we needed to go quickly.
“Don’t count on her for your next leg,Pet,”Fury’s voice glides through my head.“The egg has begun cracking.She’ll need to flame it to finish the process.”
He imparts this news as if it’s no big deal, like baby dragons are born every day, when in fact, they are not.This is the only known dragon hatching since both Saff and her mate were created by Fury.“Dove, you will need to pass the news onto Saff.”
I murmur to the dragon before me in shock and unbridled excitement, “Fury said your egg is hatching.”
Saff’s wings lift in an arch, the sand sweeping the ground as they fall back down, a plume of smoke gushing from her nose.“I must go,little human.”The sound is almost a war cry in her head—a mother desperate to be with her child. Her feet shift one by one off the ground, anxious to move. Two hands glide around my waist from behind, heat and sandalwood finding my senses.
My wolf moves our bodies back. “Go, Saff. Go take care of your baby.” On hurried, stamping feet, the dragon nods her head and jumps without another word. A radiant joy moves through the shards of my heart. Hope for our future.Maybe this world will come together asthe silvers’ prophecy reads—a new world, where we can share the land beneath our feet without cause for harm.
A sandy wave moves to wash over our bodies, but a golden chest moves before us, encasing me in hard muscles and pure sunshine.Rivern.I sigh, knowing these men by scent and feel alone.
With Saff gone, we will be on foot from now on.I hope the void is close.Moving through the heat of the Silver Sands will be no easy feat.
