“Dear Gods,” he whispered. “I almost lost you.”
I wanted to glance over my shoulder at the fall I'd nearly taken, but I couldn't look away from him. “I could have died. From afall.” I grimaced, my heart slowing down. “How humiliating.”
The Dragon King burst into soft, surprised laughter, but then he looked down at my hands, splayed on his skin. I followed his gaze, my fingertips tingling with the heat of him. My bones ached to move against him. I wanted to feel the muscles tightening all over his body. My breath grew rapid. The sensation of his hands on my waist became holy. I felt as if standing on that cliff, with the King keeping me safe, was a prelude of what was to come. Perhaps even a premonition.
“Eliel, may I hold you tighter?” The King leaned his head down to mine, his cheek a breath away from my forehead.
As my answer, I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around his waist. With a soft sound of relief, Raven's hands slid back to move up and lodge beneath my wings. He enveloped me in his strength, but I needed more. I folded my wings around him. Much to my amazement, my broken wing didn't ache. It felt perfect, as if it had been waiting to envelope this man.
I sighed and lay my head on his chest.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he whispered.
I spoke into his skin, “Thank you for being so patient with me.”
“I will wait a century for you, Eliel. Two centuries. A thousand years. Whatever you need.”
I lifted my head and whispered, “Why?”
Raventar met my gaze, and something shifted in his eyes. There was another presence in him. His dragon? Were Dragons split in two? Perhaps that was why they could give pieces of their souls to their mates.
The voice that came from the Dragon King was deeper than usual, rising from his chest with a rumble, and I knew both beast and man spoke to me. “You know why.”
“I don't. Please, tell me. If you leave it unsaid, my doubts will destroy it.”
“Very well, my foundling. I will speak the truth. But only if you promise to be brave enough to hear it. Are you ready for that?”
I didn't hesitate. “Yes. I won't be afraid. Tell me.”
That shared stare started to glow, and his words felt like a vow. “They say that a Dragon knows even before they bed their mate. There is something different about the one they're meant to be with. Something that draws the Dragon. I am drawn to you, Eliel. I know you're meant to be mine. That is why I will wait for as long as it takes. I've already waited centuries for you. A few more won't matter.”
My hands clenched, fingertips clawing into the muscles of his back, and the King groaned, arching into me. Between us, his manhood thickened, but it didn't scare me. I had promised to be brave, and I was. I felt more than brave—confident. Raven had spoken his truth, and I believed him. My right hand came forward, along his side, up his stomach, over his extended chest, and along the column of his throat.
The King, his head thrown back, bent forward, into my touch, and opened his eyes. “Kiss me?”
I lifted my head and was lost.
Fire met Air inside us, my magic feeding his. We created an inferno together. It sparked in his chest and thundered into mine. I had never felt so alive. So aflame with passion. Swept up in a windstorm of desire. This was what I had sought my entire life. This wild sense of rightness. Raventar freed me to feel desire again. He magnified it inside me. My flesh filled with need and pressed into his thigh. Dear Gods, I was erect! I couldn't remember the last time I had been aroused like this. The King groaned into my mouth, his tongue twisting with mine. Back and forth, giving and taking, conquering only to ask for my mastery.
But then Raventar pulled back, gasping. “I can't go on. Any further, and I will take you to my tent, lay you down, and make love to you.”
My breath shuddered out of me. “I want that, but I . . .”
“I know.” He stroked my hair soothingly. “It's all right, Eliel. I don't want to ruin our progress. I will wait as long as you need. I just have to stop now.”
I knew what he was asking. I had to be the one to move away. Gathering my strength, I did. I let go, uncurled my wings, and slipped to the side. Once the cool air hit my skin, my mind cleared, and I remembered what I'd seen.
“Oh!” I spun back to Raven and took his hand without thinking. “Look!” I pointed toward the fire I'd seen earlier. “I was on my way to wake you when you stepped up behind me. Your Majesty, I think we're being followed.”
The King's brow wrinkled as he stared across the forest below. “It could be hunters.”
“Yes, but what are they hunting?”
He looked at me. “We will stay alert.”
I looked at the glow. “As you say, Your Majesty.”
“Raventar.”
