She wouldneverbe anything other than a woman in a man’s world.
I sighed. “You’re right,” I said through numb lips. “You’re right. I will endeavor not to interrupt your work again.”
“Thank you, sir. But you’re always welcome, of course. I just wanted to—”
“I said you were right, Ronen. Not that you needed to pound the point home. Careful. Dispensing formalities isn’t permission to step above your station, Furyknight.”
Ronen’s eyes widened a hair, then he stepped back and ducked his head. “Of course, Sir. I only—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Ronen, I’m taunting you. You’re right. I was wrong to come. And I’m… I’m sorry. This bond is challenging in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. If you see my judgment lacking at any time—or hers—please, speak up. I’d rather it came from you than from someone who has reason to use it against her.”
Ronen looked relieved. “Thank you, Sir. And if it helps, I’m happy for you to call for me.” He glanced towards the door again and dropped his voice, brother-to-brother. “Don’t letthemsee you struggle.”
I didn’t like the weakreference, but I couldn’t fault his advice. So, I thanked him for the offer and moved away, freeing him from my ill-advised presence.
But as I walked away, out of the hall and through the building without seeing her, the skin between my shoulder blades itched, because this situation was rife with opportunity for pain—for her, and for me. And I could do nothing about it. Beyond my own training sessions with her, I couldn’t do anything but pray.
Pray that I didn’t lose my mind, and I kept it together.
I had to keepall of ustogether if I was going to keep hersafe.
9. Fury
~ DONAVYN ~
“Can you please repeat that?” I asked, a few days later. Quietly.Soquietly. Because I addressed the king, and my tone skated dangerously closely to outright threat.
Alexi shot me a look from his seat in his personal chamber, where he’d called me to confer on a report he’d received. “I said, Donavyn, that the King of Fyrehold has offered hisenthusiasticinvitation to you, and any team members you may feel that you need for the trip.”
Rage. White-hot, searing, tear-down-the-walls, slide-a-blade-between-his-ribs, rage.
I stood in front of him,tremblingwith the desire to do him physical harm in retribution for him doing preciselywhat, as our King, he was entitled to do. After every reason I’d given him not to.
“My point of confusion,” I said through my teeth, “Is why the king himself would extend an invitation to me, let alone toany team membersI might bring, unless he has already been informed that we wish to visit?”
Alexi’s gaze flattened, but his lips curled up on one side. “No point dancing around it, Donavyn. I wasn’t willing to wait. And the king has kindly—no,enthusiastically—extended his personal invitation.
“I already sent a messenger to their Furymaster—”
“This isn’t an invitation about the dragons, Donavyn. The king is welcoming you to theCourt. You and your companions.”
I stilled. That made no sense. “Why?”
Alexi’s smile grew smug. “Haven’t I told you before how bored the courts can become? And how they cause a ruler headaches when they do?”
I nodded slowly, still trying to piece this together in my head, but nothing made sense. Why would the king reach out to me unless he believed I wanted to examine their dragons, and negotiate some kind of trade?
“I also told you that the King of Fyrehold had invited me to visit?”
“Yes, but—”
“He reached out a second time. It appears that he’s scrambling to keep his court entertained so they won’t turn their petty machinations on him.”
Alexi lookedpredatory.
“Without our intervention, he extended his invitation to me again. I took the opportunity to advise him that you were hoping to make a trip when things had settled down here—for the dragons, of course—but I may also have suggested that you dragged your feet because you’d taken up with a particularly alluring young woman, and I suspected you weren’t willing to leave her under the eyes ofmymen of the court,” he concluded, pleased with himself. “Of course, the idiot took the bait. He thinks you’ve got an enticing filly. He’s hoping to ingratiatehimself with me. He’s happy for you to also negotiate for dragon stock while you’re there. But I think he’s most interested in seeing my stallion come among his mares and… shake things up.”
Inwardly, I gaped. I had to be careful to manage my expression, but despair mixed withdeadlyrage in my chest. He’d set us up. He’d made it impossible for us to say no. And he knew it.
