“It was not your doing.”
“I took your magic. I rebuilt the fortress with you. And keeping the Soul-Eater secured was the whole reason we were here. I should have focused on trapping it again before—”
“Yousharedmy magic, as is your right as the mate of a shadow dragon.” He rearranged the pillows behind her, which made her feel like she was weak and helpless. She was about to tell him so when he smiled. *Let me look after you, Francine.*
“Fine.” She slumped back into pillows that, yes, felt much more comfortable. *This still isn’t as good as having your arms around me,*she warned him.
“Don’t interrupt me when I’m rebutting you.” He settled back in the armchair. “And watch out for your toes.”
Francine pulled her feet back just as Maggie pounced on them again.
“Now, where was I? Ah, yes. You shared in my magic. Less than a second later, you reforged a set of enchantments more quickly and more competently than I could have dreamed of. And then you almost died.” He leaned forward, his eyes darkening. “Yes, the Soul-Eater is dead, or escaped. It is everything we feared and everything my people have secluded ourselves here for hundreds of years to avoid.”
“We failed.”
“Wesurvived.And the only thing youshouldbe doing is resting longer.”
She swallowed. How could he be so calm? “How long was I asleep?”
“Not long enough. You need to recover.”
“Tell that to the baby dragon trying to eat myfeet.” She tucked her legs under herself, and Maggie shot her a reproachful look.
“Prroop?”
While Francine was watching, she crept forwards and experimentally bit down on Francine’s left pinkie. “Eep?”
“You arekiddingme.” Something was bubbling up inside her. It felt like laughter.
She’d thought she would never laugh again, and to be honest, she wasn’t actually sure if this would be happy laughter or insane laughter.
“She needs to rest, Maggie,” Julian gently scolded his niece.
“Eep!”
“Go and bother Moss for some more food.”
“Preerp-eep!”
The little dragon bounded off. Francine watched her go, idly rubbing her fingers. Maggie’s bite hadn’t broken the skin, just left little dents.
“You should go with her,” she said. “Spend time with her.”
“There will be time for that later. For us both to get to know her.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Thanks to you.”
“But—”
“You gave us both a future, Francine. Whatever else comes next, none of us will face it alone. And before we go out there and talk to the others…” He turned her hand over and kissed her palm. “I would like to spend some time with my mate.”
His eyes devoured her. Her body’s response was instant: desire coiling hot and liquid, blood like fire in her veins.
“I almost left you to live the rest of your existence alone,” he murmured, regret bittersweet in the heat of his gaze as he climbed onto the bed. “That deserves compensation.”
Her throat tightened. “I hope so. You tried pretty damned hard to get yourself killed.”
“As did you.” He paused, kissing his way up her arm. “Can we agree?”
“No more desperate self-sacrifice without a painfully frank discussion first?”
