Trying to believe we weren’t as alone as we felt.
Zander turned his head, eyes locking with mine, the glow from the wall sconce catching in his irises and making the shadows around them deeper.
“If dragons took second riders,” he said, voice quiet but charged with the weight of the idea, “our ranks would double.Maybe more.”
I nodded slowly, the truth of it unraveling in my mind. “There are obviously more commoners with fae blood than we realized.”
“Yes,” he said. “We’ve barely scratched the surface of our potential in that area. The king paid people to apply. Encouraged it. There could be hundreds of others in the outer kingdoms—riders just waiting to be found.”
“Not to mention the ones already here,” I added, heat creeping into my words. “Commoners in Warriath who passed up a chance to join the guild. Those who were able to avoid the king’s ransom.”
“They were afraid,” Zander said, his tone heavy with understanding. “Afraid of being outed. Afraid of not being accepted. Afraid of the dragons.”
“Because they didn’t understand,” I murmured. “Hell, I didn’t understand—not until Kaelith finally spoke to me.”
His eyes softened, and he leaned back against the creaking bed frame, arms resting loosely over his knees.
“That’s the difference,” he said. “The dragons choose when to reveal themselves. Who to trust. Most never get far enough to earn that.”
I stared at the cracked stone wall, my heart pounding a little faster.
“But they could,” I said softly. “If we trained them, if we taught them… if we gave them the chance.”
Zander looked at me, something like hope stirring beneath the exhaustion in his gaze.
“Then maybe this war,” he said, “isn’t just about survival. Maybe it’s about rebuilding. Changing what the guild was always afraid to become.”
I held his gaze, the storm inside me quieting for a breath.
Maybe we really could change the world.
One dragon. One rider. One truth at a time.
“And who we can become with it.” I smiled at him. “I admit, I never expected you.”
I noticed the change in his eyes immediately. They darkened slightly before he leaned toward me.
My lips met his, and I instantly melted into him, my body moving instinctively. I straddled his lap, my legs wrapping around his waist as I pressed closer, desperate for more. A moan escaped me, swallowed by his lips. Though I knew that nobody could hear us.
Zander groaned, his grip tightening on my hips, and pushed at my clothes. Straddling him, I allowed him to help remove my clothes. He was naked and beneath me seconds later since he’d been relieved of his armor earlier.
His cock rubbed against my clit, sending my temperature soaring. My hips moved frantically as I moved over him. He groaned when I pushed the tip of his cock inside me.
I had to spread my thighs apart to take him fully into me. His hands gripped my hips so tightly I was sure there would be bruises, but I didn’t care. I needed this. I needed him. His pace quickened, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, bracing for his possession.
While he was thick, it wasn’t his girth that had me shaking. It was how close I felt to him at that moment. I had never experienced this before in my life. It was frightening and invigorating at the same time. When Remy died… or so I thought, I had sworn I would never allow myself to be that vulnerable again. But I felt helpless now.
It was difficult to focus on the physical pleasure when my mind kept screaming that we were from two worlds and we had no future.Focus on nothing except the pleasure. I felt every inch of him as he pulled out and then slammed back inside my body.
He pressed my nerve endings and brushed against my clit at the same time. I was lost in how good he felt as he stretched me to the point of pain. Yet, I couldn’t get enough. My body moved against his, and I cried out as he went into a fast, hard rhythm.
Losing myself entirely, I slammed down on his shaft, then rocked against his body. When my back arched, my nipples brushed against his chest. That sent another round of sensation straight to my core. With my arms around his shoulders and my legs over his, I pressed my mouth to his and kissed him. Before I knew it was happening, the kiss became demanding and forceful.
His roaming hands seemed to map my body. He squeezed my breasts while his tongue continued to explore my mouth. Zander was a dominant lover. He never held back and pushed me to new heights. There was a primal and raw edge to him that called out to me.
He broke the kiss and moved one hand between our bodies, then strummed my clit. “I need you to come, Ashe. I am barely holding on.”
“I’m already there,” I promised him. My desire and need exploded inside me. Sweat poured from my skin. Which added to how damn good he felt inside me. Within seconds, my body clenched around his. He responded by slamming deeper inside me. The force he used made me see stars. I cried out as my climax tore through me.
