“I couldn't risk facing you again. I was afraid I might go with you, even knowing that you wouldn't be true to me.”
“I went wild when I woke to an empty bed,” he said in a grim tone. “I lost all reason. All I knew was that I had to get to you. So I hunted you. I found your ship, but you weren't on it. Then I tracked you back to Gavemor. If you hadn't been in such desperate need of the sea, I would have destroyed the whole castle for finding you in such a state. But you were more important than my fury.”
“Is that why you took me to that cave to heal? Because your dragon had gone wild?”
“Yes. I needed you safe and healed before I could take you around others. Even my knights had to keep their distance.” He shook his head. “I've heard tales of Land Dragons going savage when they mate, but I wasn't prepared for how I reacted. I could barely speak.”
“I remember.” I took his hand. “I knew there was something wrong with you, but I never could have guessed it was this.”
“The urges that come with a mating take several days to satisfy,” Vax said. “You left before I could appease those urges, and once I had you back, I had to wait for you to heal.”
“Vax,” I whispered.
“It was only after I brought you here that I was able to fully indulge my primal instincts and make you mine.” His eyes twitched. “But then you left me again.”
“Why did you let me go if . . .” I gaped at him. “Holy fuck, Vax. I've heard stories about Land Dragons too. I've even seen it firsthand with the King of Racul. Mated Dragons need their mates. They're especially volatile when freshly mated. If you take their mate away, they'll go mad.”
“Yes. It's the same for us.”
“How did you do it? How did you let me go?”
“I almost didn't.” Vax stroked my cheek. “It's why I resorted to claiming you. By then, I was sated, but the mating bond was still so fresh and my beast had been through a lot. It was anxious. I would have done anything to keep you by my side. Anything. And the only option I saw was to claim you as a slave instead of a mate. I thought that once you understood that it wasonly to be you and me, you'd accept me, and I could release you. But then I saw your face. I saw the fear and the sorrow. And it crushed me. The instinct to keep you paled beneath your pain. I knew then that I couldn't love you as you deserved to be loved, not if I could hurt you like that. I had to let you go. I wanted you to have your freedom and adventure.”
“But you didn't hurt me. You stopped yourself and set me free.” I took his hand. “You overcame your dragon and the magic of a god for me. Fuck, Vax. I can't even comprehend the amount of strength that took.”
“I would do anything for you, Zix. Battle anyone, even myself, to keep you safe.”
My eyelids did double time, trying to blink back the tears. “I fucking love you so much. Gods, I was an idiot.”
The Sea King smiled. “I love you too.” He paused, then pointedly added, “Mate.”
“Holy fuck!” I leapt to my feet and whooped. “I'm mated to the fucking Sea King!” I spun in a circle as Vaxarion laughed. “I'm royalty! Ha! Take that you stupid fucking Hulfrin!”
Vaxarion's laughter ceased abruptly.
I went still, then slowly looked over at him. His eyes were glowing.
“Oh, fuck,” I whispered. Now that I knew who I was to him, I realized all the mistakes I'd made. Especially the current one. I shouldn't have reminded a mated Sea Dragon of someone hurting his mate.
Still growling, Vax got to his feet. “Tell me what they did to you.”
“It was nothing. I deserved it, Vax. We attacked their ship. And uh, we stole something precious.”
“What did they do to you?” he asked again, more slowly.
“They just tortured me a little.”
“They tortured you?!”
“Just a little. A little torture. Just a tor really.”
Vax didn't find that humorous. “They will die screaming. I'll skin them alive and wear their fur as a fucking loincloth. No! I'll wipe my ass with it.”
“Whoa. That was both sexy and disturbing. But truly, Vax, I'm good now. And I don't hold a grudge against them. We took something really big from them. Well, not physically big. But big. Important. So important that the Lu-Ken is currently on its way to the other side of Serai to hide from those Hulfrin.”
Vax finally focused enough to cease his threats. “You were sailing that far away from me?”
“No. That's the point, love.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “I left them because Icouldn'tsail that far away from you. I couldn't be parted from you at all. Well, I was going to try, but Teng saw how miserable I was. He told me about you coming to find me. I wasn't going to come back here because I thought you didn't want me, but after he told me all that, I knew I had to try. Fuck, Teng knew you loved me before I did. He said it, but I didn't believe him.”
