“No, I... I’ve never wanted anyone more. Never wanted to stay anywhere more. It’s overwhelming, how deep I’m in. I’m drawn to you. All of you. When Roark ripped off the door of the car, I...I get it. I know exactly why. It’s ludicrous, being jealous of Percy, but if I’d seen Percy’s mate in the front seat with Roark, I’d have felt the same. The same darn way. I can’t rip doors from their frames, butI get it. And that scares me. It’s like there’s something waiting for me right out of my reach, and it’s driving me bonkers.”
I run my fingers up the side of her arm. “I know exactly how you feel.”
Her lips hit mine, and I pull her to me. I need her. Her touch, her scent, her taste. Any time away from her makes me itch on the inside. These last few days were torture.
When she pulls away from our kiss, I tuck a length of hair behind her ear. “Thank you.” I wipe a tear from her cheek.
“For what?”
“For being here.” I kiss the top of her head. I want to always be here for her. I want to never let her go... but mating a human without the lightning? She wouldn’t be able to come back to the realm with us. We would need to stay here with her. Could I do that?
There’s a knock on the door, and it opens. Kieren. He’s held back from telling Roark and me what happened at Crest Wing today. It was clearly not good.
Roark’s behind him. Raine stiffens in my arms.
“Duchess? I—” Roark looks at Kieren like a dragonet being forced to say sorry to their sibling when they clearly aren’t.
“You what?”
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have acted in such a manner.”
“You should be telling Percy that. Apologize to him.” Her blue eyes flash.
“That’s not something a dragon does,” Roark says.
Her lips purse, and her fingers squeeze my leg.
Kieren sinks to the side of the bed. But Roark doesn’t move.
“I don’t care. What you did was wrong and over the top.Like Empire State Building over the top.” She lets go of my leg and takes a step toward Roark. Her eyes glow at Roark.
Roark crosses his arms over his chest.
“Wrong. And ‘I’m a dragon’ doesn’t cut it with me. I’m a human. No, forget that. Percy is a person.”
“He’s a dragon.”
“Fine, but he has feelings. And he was helping me.”
“You want me to apologize?”
“Yes,” she says, exasperation creasing her forehead.
“I can do it, for you.”
“Not because it was wrong?”
“I suppose,” Roark says.
Raine crosses her arms over her chest and cranes her chin up to Roark’s. They stare at each other so long I’m twisting in discomfort.
“Fine, it was wrong. I shouldn’t have scared him, nor pulled the door off. I trust you, and I let the demon within me take control.”
Raine cocks her head.
“Right, it was me. Not my dragon.”
There’s a smirk on Raine’s face and it’s fucking adorable. She reaches up and grabs him around his neck. He hikes her up around his waist, and her legs lock on his back. There’s a flash of clothes being ripped off. I’ve got my pants and shirt off and take Raine from Roark’s arms to let him disrobe.
