“You’re a good person, Corin.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.”
“No. Take it as true, and keep working on it. Your magic isn’t what you thought it had to be. You don’t have to be, either.” She cupped his face in her hands. “You asked me what I wanted, Corin. It took me a long time to accept I could let myself want anything. What do you want?”
She already knew. When he hesitated, she told him, certain as though she was reading the words directly from his soul.
“To be a different sort of dragon. One who guides, instead of threatens. The sort of dragon who would pretend to steal a hatchling’s treasure to get him to bed.” She traced a long line along his shoulders, where his wings grew from. “The sort of dragon who wants to protect his idiot cousins from their own idiocy.”
“Nothing can save those three.”
“I saidwantsto, notsucceeds.” She sighed. “If anyone could benefit from using their magic to protect from harm instead of returning it, it’s those three dumbasses.”
“They’re not all bad,” he mused. “Don’t get me wrong. They’re the bane of my existence, and more trouble than they’re worth, and on occasion I’ve wondered whether it would be so terrible to lock them up in a dungeon somewhere and throw away the key…”
“No need to throw it away. Toss it to ’em and let them fight over it. I give it ten seconds before one of them swallows it to keep it away from the others.” She let her fingers play along the stubble on his jawline. “In their defense, they did get us back together. Maybe we should be thanking them.”
“God, no. Never thank a dragon. They’d never let us hear the end of it.” His eyes softened as he gazed down at her.
“I can’t believe we stayed apart for so long.” The admission took something from her—a hard knot of unhappiness that had twisted over and over on itself so many times it felt like a bone, lodged in her throat. As soon as it was gone she breathed easier. “It was torture. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. The gold was just an excuse. I needed to see you again. To breathe the same air you were in.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing, letting you go. I know better.” He pulled her towards him. “You’re mine. I’m going to keep you.” The draconic triumph in his voice made her soul thrill.
“I never was able to conquer my magic. You showed me I don’t need to. And it’s beyond time I claimed you as my own, my love, my world.” His eyes blazed with black fire. “Tomorrow, I’m taking you to my hoard.”
32
Maya
The next morning dawned bright and clear. They had breakfast with the whole family. Afterwards, Maya packed an overnight bag.
Corin frowned at it. “You’re not going to need clothes, you know.”
No clothes? That gave her all sorts of ideas. What did it mean, to make things official with a dragon?
She narrowed her eyes at him. “No, I don’t know. I’ve got no idea what to expect.”
He leaned close so his breath brushed her ear. “Would you like to?”
“Really? You … would be okay with that?”
He gave her a stern look. “I hope I know better now than to keep secrets from you. Especially about something as important as our mate bond.”
“The way you talked about it, it seemed like…” She bit her lip.
“Like every other draconic secret I’ve kept from you?” he said dryly. “No. I couldn’t tell you about it because every time I even thought about it—”
Darkness bloomed in his eyes, and shadowy wings unfurled from his shoulders, wrapping around her.
“That happened?” she asked, a smile dancing around her lips.
“Precisely.” He grimaced, but his eyes were warm. “You’re extending a great deal of trust, allowing me to plan today without knowing what is going to happen. I appreciate that. Given my previous behavior it’s more than I ever could have expected. But…” He pulled her down onto the bed where she’d been packing her bag. “Perhaps you’d like to double check my work.”
“But I’m trusting you. Specifically, about this. Putting aside all my neuroses and anxiety and trusting that you’ve got it right. Isn’t that what the mate bond is meant to be about?”
He ran gentle fingers through her hair. “Blind trust?”
“Something like that. Everything working out because it’s magic.”
