I leaned my forehead on his chest for a moment, but it wasn’t appropriate, so I lifted my chin to meet his eyes. “This is harder than I thought it would be, watching them all flirt with you and want you. Because I know they’rerightto want you.”
A series of emotions crossed his face in quick succession, and I knew he searched for a way to dismiss his own value, while increasing mine, so I shook my head and spoke first.
“I still think you should be more careful about being so open in your admiration of me.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Donavyn—”
“They see my obsession with you as an immoral lust, because you’rebeneathme.” He raised one brow to let me know what he thought of that. “This is exactly the kind of affair and mild scandal they all seek out. It increases you in their eyes, and suggests that I’m one of them.”
“You aren’t, though. You’re so much more.”
“I would say the same of you. You stand out in this field of flowers, Bren. That’s why the men are jealous of me—as they should be.”
I wanted to protest, but Donavyn pulled me in tight for another turn, just as a small movement caught my attention among the glittering sprawl. I turned my head to find Hanson standing at the side of the dancefloor—a position I’d never seen him take before. He usually leaned against walls, or sprawled in chairs at the back of a gathering. But here he stood, resplendentin deep, blue velvet that emphasized his muscular arms and chest.
But it was his eyes that made my heart pound.
He stood, staring at me unabashedly, his gaze near-black. And when Donavyn and I moved, that shadowy gaze followed.
I tore my attention back to Donavyn, licking my lips. “I’m struggling with this level of scrutiny,” I said dryly.
Donavyn huffed and looked over my shoulder, noting Hanson. His lips drew down and his eyes shadowed.
“As am I. Purely because I can’t fault them for it,” he said quietly. “And you shouldn’t either.”
Then he looked down at me, and I felt the thrust of fear in him that fought with determination.
True to his word, he hadn’t criticized me or grown overprotective in the days since we’d arrived. When he’d caught the men’s attention on me, he’d offered advice on how to deflect while still implying that they were welcome.
But I hadn’t missed that every day—or rather, every night—his ardor for me grew.
Even now, with me safely in his grasp, apart from all the other men, his arms were iron bands of tension.
I patted his chest. “I’m so glad you’re mine,” I whispered, meeting his eyes so he’d see the truth in me, along with feeling it in the bond. “I’m so grateful for you, Donavyn.”
His gaze went darker then, and for a moment I thought he’d seen something that made him angry. But, in a move that shocked half the ballroom, he took my chin in his hand and kissed me, right there on the dancefloor.
53. Only a Matter of Time
~ BREN ~
We stood at the edge of the room with the same band of nobles who’d gathered around us since the first day, led by Faye. Everyone was far more relaxed tonight. They’d known us for days now, and it was growing late, so they’d all imbibed enough to loosen their tongues.
“Tell us about the dragons!” the balding man, whose name I had learned was Garen, spoke up from the side. He was a true noble, but also odd, so he skirted the edges of this group and held little social power, though the king gave him great influence in discussions of trade, according to Faye. “How have you managed to avoid being burned to a crisp, Donavyn?”
Donavyn gave a cocky smile, though I felt the stab in his chest and I remembered those scars on his back.
“The dragons see far deeper than our flesh,” he said, taking a sip of his drink before continuing. “You needn’t worry about a dragon’s fire if your heart is pure. They measure courage andstrength and inner beauty.” Then he looked at me, heat pooling in his gaze in a way that left me breathless.
I dropped my eyes to my clasped hands to pretend I was embarrassed, when in truth my heart hammered. I wished I could take him away from all these eyes and—
“A pure heart is all well and good, but a noble’s generations of powerful blood will win through. When you’re letting a beast do all the work for you, a man can grow lazy. I’d wager I could take you in the boxing ring,Sir!”
Everyone in the circle gaped at Lord Prew, the youngest of them, and the tallest, though he had to be half Donavyn’s weight. He was clearly drunk and seeing double. Even the women looked aghast.
Donavyn’s expression wasbemused.
