“Idiot dragon,” Daire mutters.
See? No respect for my position.
Freya gently pushes on my shoulder, urging me out of my kneeling position, until I am sitting. Then she settles herself on my lap. She claws at my tunic, ripping it away to rest herself against my naked skin.
The combination of her touch and pheromones instantly makes me feel better than I have since she left with Lanlin.
Is this real? Do I truly have my Omega caring for me again?
Daire swaggers to lean against the wall. “Sweet as this moment is, you know who I am, aye? If you risk our Omega again, then I will kill you.”
I’m proud of him for saying that.
I tighten my arms around Freya’s waist, wishing that this Dream Bond could last forever, yet already feeling the pull in my stomach that means the connection will soon be lost. “I know who you are. It’s why I trusted you both to cope in Blood Kingdom. You’re a warrior, rebel, and assassin. Also, a cadet and trained courtesan. And my Omega isn’t some pampered elite. It’s why you were always perfect for me, Spark. You’re a wild, cunning wolf, who was ready to snap off my hand for even suggesting that I cage you. You’re a thief, killer, and trained spy. A dragon is possessive and protective of their treasure. If you’re both to sit on thrones alongside me, however, as kings and queens, I must trust you too and let you spread your own wings to fly.”
“By the Shadow Devils,” Daire whistles, “that was hot.”
“Yet another romantic moment.”
Ruined.
This is why I don’t do emotions. It’s hard enough to understand my own and even harder to get someone else to understand mine.
Yet I love the way that Freya laughs, which vibrates against the skin of my neck as she nuzzles me.
Freya leans up, pressing her soft lips against mine. I curl my fist into her hair, tightening my hold.
Then I twist her hair, tugging her into a deeper kiss.
As our tongues entwine, I finally feel the tension and fear that my fated mate is nothing but ash in a foreign kingdom bleed from me.
I kiss Freya passionately, as if I can not only claim her and hold onto this moment, but mark her with my touch and taste, until she’ll feel me when she wakes up and not forget me.
She’ll be as addicted to me, as I am to her.
My knot aches.
When Freya raises her hand to cup my cheek, however, I see something on her wrist that makes my blood run cold.
Instantly, my knot is the last thing that I am thinking about.
I break the kiss with a snarl. “What’s this?”
I grab Freya’s wrist, staring down at the black Ankh symbol, which is above the silver snowflake.
It can’t be…
It just can’t be…
This isn’t part of the plan. It wasn’t meant to happen.
My stomach drops.
No…
Freya tries to wrest herself free from me, but I don’t let her go. “It’s Lanlin’s bond mark.”
“What…?” Daire instantly darts across the cavern to drop to the floor next to me. I allow him to wrestle Freya’s wrist fromme. He holds it up to his face, peering at the mark, before tracing it over with his finger. “Hmm, it’s pretty.”
