“Then run, sweetheart,” Keir said grimly. “Run and don't look back.”
I backed away and nodded, my heart racing at his words. He was right. If Raza couldn't get past the iron weapons to kill Moire, no one could. I'd have to run, something that wouldn't be easy for me. But I knew my soldiers wouldn't leave the fight without me, and if we were losing, I'd want to save as many as possible. Leaders have to make the hard decisions, and one of the hardest was deciding when to retreat.
I lifted myself with my air magic (Tiernan would have been so proud, too bad he was still in Unseelie, and couldn't see it), and reached for the Between as the power of twilight rushed through me. The early dawn, just a creeping breath of light on the horizon, didn't make it through the high windows of Twilight Castle's entry hall. It didn't shine on the silver star inlaid in the marble floor. But I felt it nonetheless. I breathed it in, letting the magic recharge and rejuvenate my body, and then I dove in. I let the energy take me where I needed to be, an image of Raza's face guiding me back to him. I don't know where the others appeared in Craos-Teine, but I stepped out of the Between right in front of my dragon king.
It was still dark in Unseelie, just after midnight, and Raza was asleep. The blankets were bunched around his thighs, obviously mussed with restlessness. Moonlight glistened over his skin, turning it from ebony to a pearly gray. The crimson stripes in his hair stood out like spilled blood amid the shadows of his inky locks. A strip had fallen across one sharp cheekbone, looking like a battle wound. As I watched, he scowled in his sleep. His lips pulled back on a low growl, and his claws clenched in the silk sheets, slashing through them. The wings he'd banished for sleep, came bursting out of his back, rocking his body, but not awakening him. I headed forward in concern, watching the sweat bead on his wide chest.
“Seren,” he groaned. “No!”
“Raza!” I grabbed his shoulder. “Raza, wake up!”
His hands snatched at me, getting a hold of my upper arm and my waist. Spear-like claws cut into me and I cried out. Raza tossed me beneath him, wings flaring out over his shoulders. He bared his teeth and lowered his face to mine. I pounded at his chest, but his body held mine trapped. Just as I was about to call on my dream dusting magic, Raza's eyes shot open. The golden gleam cut through the darkness and focused on my face.
“Seren?” Raza pulled away in horror. “Dear Danu, what have I done?”
“I'm fine,” I sat up and winced.
“I hurt you?” Raza reached forward and saw his bloody claws. “No,” he whispered. “Seren, I'm so sorry. How bad did I hurt you?”
“It's just a few cuts,” I took his hands and held them gently within mine. “I'm alright. Loving you is worth a little pain. But you were having a nightmare I think. Areyoualright?”
“Who cares about a stupid nightmare?” Raza bent to inspect my wounds. “Danu damn me, I'm a monster,” he shot up off the bed, went to the door, and started bellowing for a healer.
“Raza!” I stood up and went to him. “Enough.”
“I can't trust myself with you,” he moaned. “I vowed to never hurt you, and then do that very thing.”
“I said 'enough'!” I pushed at his chest. “You had a bad dream and it affected you. You were sleeping, dreaming, you didn't know what you were doing. You're not a monster, and you can trust yourself around me just fine. I trust you. One accident changes nothing. It's like playing with a kitten, sometimes you get the claws. It doesn't change how cute the kitten is, or stop you from playing with him again.”
“Did you just compare me to a kitten?”
“Yep,” I grinned.
“You still trust me?” Raza blinked his golden eyes in shock. He swallowed roughly, “Even after I attacked you?”
“Hell, Dragon,” I smirked, “it was kind of sexy. Maybe we could play Fair Maiden and Fire-Breathing Dragon later.”
“Fair maiden and...” he frowned in confusion. “Is this a human thing?”
“It's a sex thing,” I chuckled. “You know, role playing.”
“Role playing?”
“Pretending to be something you're not, to make sex more exciting,” I explained.
“But Iama dragon.”
“Never mind,” I rolled my eyes. “If you don't want to pretend to kidnap and ravish me, then we won't try it.”
“Kidnap andravish?” Raza's eyes began to glow.
And that's when the little, brownie healer came into the room. She blinked, looking from Raza's sensuous smirk to my bleeding arm. Then she noticed Raza's nudity. She looked pointedly away, swallowed, and cleared her throat.
“Ah, there you are,” Raza said to her. “Come in, Mellie. The Princess and I have had a little accident.”
Mellie's eyes went wider as Raza turned to fetch himself some pants, and we both got a long look at his spectacular backside. More muscular than curvy, it was as masculine as the rest of him. A predator's ass. The thought made me giggle.
“Role playing,” I said to Mellie, tearing my gaze from Raza. “Thanks for coming to help us in the middle of the night, Mellie. It's just a few cuts.”
