“You’re doubting yourself.”
I nodded. “Don’t you? Don’t you have moments where you question if you’ll fail?”
“Of course! We all do.”
“Well, then,” I said with a shrug.
“But Bren.” He grabbed my wrist as I was about to walk past him, turning me around to face him and staring down at me intently. “The difference is that you seem toassumeyou’ll fail. And look where you are. Look at what you’ve achieved. You didn’t get here by accident.”
“I know,” I said with a shrug. “But I did need a lot of help.”
“We all do.”
“Not the same,” I said firmly. “Anyway, this is different. Iama Furyknight now. I know I can fly patrols, and be part of an attack or defense maneuver. I know I can fly in formation and Akhane can keep up. That’s what I’ve been preparing for. Training for. But now… now it’s not just that. Now, it’speople.I have to figure out how to be useful without my dragon, without the speed and strength of my brothers. I fear they’re preparing me for the wrong task. I’m afraid we’ll land in another kingdom, and I’ll be the reason it fails because I won’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”
“You were chosen for this—not just by Akhane, but by the king and queen themselves. They see you as someone with the capacity for this kind of work, and who’s uniquely equipped. The very fact that you aren’t accustomed to the noble court is why they want you there, Bren. I wanted to fight it. I didn’t want to throw you to the wolves like that. But I couldn’t argue with their logic. You’ve got that indefinable quality that means you’ll survive. You think on your feet. You’re not afraid to try something new. You see a problem differently than I do. It’swhyyou’ll succeed.”
“One wrong word,” I breathed. “One wrong move and the wrong person gets an inkling that I’m not what I say I am and suddenly we’reallin danger.”
“That’s true ofallof us,” Donavyn growled. “If you ask me, what you’ve achieved in the past few months was a far greater stretch.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
I sighed again. “Ireallyhope so,” I repeated, staring up at him. “But when I was fighting to become a Furyknight, I felt like I knew what I was fighting for. I knew I could fly. I knew Akhane Chose me. This feelsdistant.Like turning my headawayfrom the path to safety. I can’t shake it, Donavyn. Something’s missing!”
He cupped my face and stepped right up, looming over me. “You’re going on this mission to be who you are. To help others. To find information—and yes, you’ll do that in ways different than a man. But don’t give up—”
“I’m not. I’m asking you to listen where others won’t. I need something else. Something we haven’t figured out yet. Because, let’s face facts: If I get this wrong, I don’t just failyou,I fail us. I fail an entire Kingdom.”
A low rumble of disapproval started in his chest. He took my chin in his hand and leaned down, making me keep holding his gaze. “You haven’t failed me—or yourself. And you won’t. None of us do everything right. None of us are always good. Weallfail at times. But we get through it. We learn, and—”
“And people die,” I said grimly. “You can’t deny that.Youmight die. You keep saying we’re going together. If you’re relying on me—”
“There’s no one I would trust myself withmorethan you, Bren. You’re my mate. I feel you.” He dropped his hand to my chest and my heart surged the moment he touched me. “Do you feel me? Do you feel how I’d never put you in harm’s way? That I believe in you?”
“Yes. I just fear we’re all being a little too simple. There’smanyof our ranks you should trust before mein this.”
“No one,” he insisted. Then his expression grew thoughtful. “Except maybe Kgosi. Pompous bastard is rightall the time.It’s very annoying.”
I couldn’t help laughing. Donavyn smiled down at me and pulled me up against his body, our damp skins heated and sticking.
“There’s no better sight at the end of the day than your smile,” he murmured and dropped his chin to kiss the side of my neck.
I sucked in and let my head drop back, closing my eyes and making myself focus on the sensation of his lips. But as I let my hands trail down his back and my mind began to move to an entirely different problem—how to get him out of the bathing room and into bed—he spoke against my skin, his breath fluttering and his chest vibrating against mine.
“You are very strong, my Love,” he rumbled. “Kgosi—who, you will remember, isalwaysright—told me once that you are not weak, you aredifferently strong.I think it’s time for you to start looking at yourself that way.”
When he lifted his head, I held his gaze and gave in to the heated smile that pulled at my lips. “Differently strong?”
“Yes. Your strength complements mine, according to my dragon. Together we are stronger than either of us apart.”
He was so earnest, and his gaze so intense, my belly fluttered. I reached up to cup his jaw, which he’d shaved so it felt soft like butter.
“I know I’m stronger with you close,” I whispered. “I just hope that some day I can return the favor. Because I fear on this mission, I’ll be yet another weight on your back.”
“I’m very strong,” he said, with a wink.
