"Did I do something wrong?"
Before I can pull my hands back, he grips them both closely. "No, you did everything right." He reverently kisses my knuckles, and I laugh. "What's so funny?"
"It's not fair you get to keep your clothes when you shift like Easton does. Damn mythics." I giggle playfully so he knows I mean no harm.
"You bear the marks of two mythics. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to teach you to keep your clothing after we..." He leaves the wordmateunspoken. He's not ready for that step for whatever reason. But that's okay. If I'm being honest with myself, neither am I. We walk hand in hand across the field to where the others are waiting. They're probably wondering if I lived or died.
Won't they be pleasantly surprised to see us together?
Chapter 13
Easton
I leftmy mate to die alone...
What am I thinking? Why would she send me away? I do as Feray wishes and fly over to where Torben and the SUV are. I shift back as I land, and Torben is on me in a millisecond.
"Where's Feray?" He grips my shoulders firmly and shakes me almost violently.
"She said she was fine. If she wasn't, we would feel it, and I would be dead." I stare into his eyes, trying to imbue him with some sense of security.
"I hope you're right." He practically growls out and stomps back to the other side of the car, pacing.
My bird is tearing me apart from the inside, and I swear I feel like I'm going to spontaneously combust on the spot. Khal has, by some miracle, slept through the entire ordeal. In some ways, he's the lucky one. He doesn't know what we're anxiously waiting for—any sign of life.
"Don't look so stressed out, Doc..." Feray's musical tone makes my heart stop dead in my chest.
"Little wolf!" Torben bellows before running over to pick her up and crush her to him. Feray giggles in his arms as he spins her around, kissing him back just as excited as he is. You would think they were separated for months instead of barely thirty minutes.
"Put me down, you big lug. I have to see the others too." Her giggles are infectious as he carefully puts her on the ground.
"Sorry, little wolf. When they said you could die..." He looks down and away until she pulls his face back toward her.
"Yeah, that didn't exactly help set my nerves at ease either. But it's like Diaval said—once his scale was implanted and I bit him, we were okay." Feray strokes his cheek, trying to soothe him.
"I would never hurt my inamorata." Diaval says definitively.
"What does that word mean? I know it's not English." Feray gently extracts herself from Torben's grip to stand before Diaval.
"Yes, please do translate that for her." I decide to help put the old grump on the spot. After all, he stole the word from my people that we use for our mates.
He adjusts his tie and openly glares at me. "It comes from the phoenixes. It means 'in flames in love.'" Smoke billows from his nostrils as his eyes flicker between human and dragon. Maybe I pushed him too far this time?
Feray looks from Diaval to me, then back at Diaval. "What do dragons say to their mates?" She tilts her head several times, watching Diaval fidget under her intense scrutiny.
"Usque ad mortem." He moves closer to her, and his eyes take on the glow of his dragon. "Until death. It means as long as my heart beats, you are it for me. You are the beginning and end of all things. The sun rises and sets according to your every desire." It's like watching one of those Hallmark movies. The arrogant asshole changes his ways and finally earns the woman's love. Diaval leans down and kisses her lips, and I hear Torben sniffle. The big guy is over there watching them have their moment, moved by how Diaval just made his feelings known.
I thought the fae were bad with how they ooze sex appeal. The old grumpy bastard just incinerated her panties. Slowly, they pull apart, and she looks over at me. Her steps carry her across the distance, and she grabs me by my tie and pulls me down to her level.
"Thank you for being so selfless to sacrifice yourself to ensure my safety." She kisses my lips so softly, and it's the most erotic thing I've ever experienced in my life. I feel the surge of her wolf under her skin—she's become more powerful.
Feray pulls back and smiles up at me. "Anything you need of me, ask, and it shall be yours." I caress her cheek and kiss her forehead, allowing my lips to linger there for several beats before pulling away.
"We ought to get back on the road." I whisper against her skin before backing away and taking her hand.
"Why don't you let me drive? You and Diaval sit in the back with Feray." Torben offers, smiling and motioning to the car. The bear, her first mate, is so selfless with his time. He's willing to forsake his place at her side to allow Diaval and me to have ours.
"Are you sure?" I question as I pull the keys from my pocket.
