“Oh, my jewel. Your tears are like acid, and yet I gladly absorb them. They empower me.”
“What the fuck?” I looked up at him in shock.
Rian burst out laughing.
I grimaced at him.
He laughed harder.
“What is wrong with you?” I demanded.
Vashana yipped.
“It's fine, Vash,” I said. “Rian has just lost his damn mind.”
Rian settled into a smile and said, “I hate to see you sad. But you're sad because we haven't been joined yet. And that is what empowers me, my jewel. I will remember your tears whenever I feel your doubt.”
I sighed. “All right. That's sweet. But I wanted to give you something sexy to empower you, not something sad.”
“Your sadness is more motivating,” the Dragon King said grimly. “I will do everything I can to prevent it from happening again.”
“And if you can't?”
“Then we will weep together, draw strength from each other, and try again.”
“Gods damn it,” I muttered.
“What?”
“I just love you so fucking much.”
The Dragon King started laughing again.
Chapter Thirty-One
“I'm going to be visiting Riscavik soon,” Rian said.
We were in my apartment, sipping coffee at the dining table after he sent his carriage back to the castle. It would return for him in the morning. Because the shop was still open, I asked him to let his knights take posts in my workroom instead of on the street. I didn't want my customers startled, and really, wasn't it better for them to be closer to us? The knights didn't react when Rian agreed, but when I told them they were welcome to eat or drink anything they could find in the little workroom kitchen, they thanked me warmly.
“How soon?” I asked.
“That depends on you.”
“Why?” I asked warily.
“I'd like you to attend me.”
“Attend you? You want to take me home to meet your dread?”
“Not exactly. Although, I do want to introduce you to my family.”
“Your family?” I whispered.
“Yes. My parents and grandparents.”
“Grandparents.” I cleared my throat. It wasn't all that surprising that his grandparents were still alive. Dragons are immortal after all. What unsettled me was that I'd have to meet ancient Dragons who were related to him. The older ones tended to be more exclusive than the rest. Especially if they were from the generation that fought to establish Dragon rule on Serai. Remembering the wars made them disinclined to like the other races.
“They'll love you,” Rian said.
