“There is nothing to talk about.”
“Sure, sure,” she says, all innocence. “If I had thrown myself at a man and kissed him like my soul was on fire—only for him to kiss me back like he’d been waiting months—I’d pretend it didn’t happen too.”
My face goes hot. “It was the adrenaline.”
Lyra proceeded to tease me until I fell asleep—admittedly with a smile on my face.
I wake up the next morning with one goal: avoid Thane Caelum like the godsdamned plague. Which is ridiculous, because there are onlyfourof us on this little adventure, and avoiding him is physically impossible.
Still, I try.
The moment I step out of my tent, stretching out the stiffness in my limbs, I feel it. A presence. I don’t have to turn to know it’s him.
Thane.
Standing just a few feet away, arms crossed, looking entirely too composed for someone who should be just as affected by that godsdamned kiss as I am. His eyes catch mine.
And that. Fucking.Smirk.
I whirl around and stalk toward the others like I have somewhere extremely important to be. Somewhere far, far away from him.
Lyra, already chewing on a piece of dried fruit, hums. “You’re so obvious.”
“Shut up.”
She raises a brow. “Wow. That was almost convincing.”
I snatch the fruit from her hand and walk faster, focusing instead on the fact I’m now dragon-bonded.
By the time we return to the outpost, the sun is sinking low, stretching long shadows across the stone walls. The air is cooler now, the heat of the day fading into something more welcoming.
I swing down from my horse, my boots hitting solid ground—and the rush of everything that’s happened in the last day slams into me all over again.
The leap. The bond. The kiss.
“There she is! Still alive like I knew she would be!”
I barely have time to turn before Kieran is right in front of me, grinning like he never doubted me for a second.
“Knew you’d pull it off.” His blue-silver eyes flick over me, sharp, amused. “Not that I ever doubted you. You’ve got steel inyour spine, Thalor. Always have.”
I laugh, breathless, shaking my head. “Nice to knowsomeonehas faith in me.”
“Always.”
That smirk deepens. Easy. Charming. But there’s something else now—something calculated. Intentional. Like he’s not just playing anymore.
And that’s when I notice how close he’s standing. Not too close. Not inappropriate. Just close enough that I feel it—the space between us narrowing, heat skimming my skin like a warning. Kieran takes my hand. It’s effortless, natural, like it’s just part of the conversation.
His fingers curl around mine, warm, steady.
I should be paying attention to that. I should be reacting to that.
But my mind is still on Thane.
The way he kissed me. The way his hands gripped me like he couldn’t hold back anymore. The way I kissed him first—buthemade damn sure to finish it.
And now, here’s Kieran, standing in front of me, smiling down at me like I’m the only thing in his world right now. I can see the want in his blue-silver eyes.
