In truth, the chances of Kgosi losing Akhane weremuchsmaller than mine of losing Bren. But I’d long sensed that the dragons’ bonds and loves ran even deeper than ours. That somehow they carried fewer barriers and wounds—or perhaps it was merely that their ancient natures made them wiser and better able to heal?
‘The joy, Donavyn. To fear steals the joy. I can meet each path in my day, reveling in my mate and sharing myself with her, and her with me. Or I can spend it battling fear and feeding my own cowardice.’
I would have huffed at the idea of Kgosi afraid, but I knew his heart, knew he loved deeply. He was the one who’d taught me that to love is to invite pain. But it’s also to experience the deepest beauty and joy that this world has to offer.
Clinging to Bren, I held her hard against my chest, wrapped her in my body and exhaled heavily against her hair.
“I’ve got you, Bren,” I whispered against her temple. “I have you, and I’ll remain. Whatever we face… we face it together.”
She nodded against my cheek, but I felt the quivering in her, the threat of tears. She felt this too.
“You’re mine. Given to me by God,” I breathed. “I’ll never let you go.”
Her grip on my neck tightened. “I love you so much, Donavyn. It’s scary.”
God, did I understand that. “I know. That’s why I’m telling you this. So you’ll never question it: I amyours.Forever. And you’re mine. Nothing can change that. Nothing.”
She nodded quickly again, but I heard her swallowing hard.
So, I held her more tightly. And then, I began to pray.
41. Intrusion by Force
~ BREN ~
Something happened when I saw him. When he took me. When he held me on the couch, I almost cried. Happy tears.
I’m yours. And you’re mine. Forever.
I knew the words were true. I believed them in a way I’d never believed them from Ruin.
Thoughts of Ruin made my stomach turn, and had no place alongside thoughts of Donavyn and his love, so I pushed them away and focused instead on the warmth of Donavyn’s chest, his breath fluttering over my shoulder, and the slow, delicious thrumming in my body.
At some point the torrent of emotion eased. But neither of us was ready to return to the world. Donavyn curled me up under his arm and we talked about nothing important.
“What did you do today?” he asked.
I traced the line across his pecs and flattened my hand on that place at the center where I felt him most strongly. A threadof nerves crawled up my throat. I had to swallow it back. “The queen summoned me. I met a group of the nobles.”
Donavyn stiffened. “How didthatgo?”
I wanted to squirm, and I began flipping through things to tell him, ways to soften it, or reduce the sense I’d had of the noble’s attention, but he must have sensed my unease in the bond, because he caught my chin and turned my head and made me meet his eyes.
“I won’t be angry—at least, not at you,” he said softly. “I know I reacted poorly yesterday, Bren. I won’t deny that I’m afraid. But Iknowthat you’re capable, and here for a reason. I’ll help you. Not hinder you. Tell me.”
Relief coursed through me. “I think a woman asked me if I was interested in women.”
His brows rose. “How did thatcome up?”
I grimaced. “I think the queen wanted to give me practice, the way it would be in Fyrehold. There was a woman there who’s been staying, she’s from Fyrehold. The queen told her that I was gifted with dragons, and working with you, and that I’dtamed a beast.Except, they spent the rest of the afternoon talking in innuendos.”
“Of course they did,” he muttered.
I hurried to reassure him.“They weren’t rude. And no one touched me. But they pry. And they’re very arrogant.”
He snorted. “Wait until you hear them when the king and queen aren’t present. You’d think half of them ruled Vosgaarde the way they go on.”
I shrugged. “It did give me more confidence that I understood what I’m here to do. Even though I feel uneasy around them, I understood how I could be useful.”
