Growling, he reached up to stab his fingers through his hair only to wince. His abrupt motion reopened a wound on his abdomen, received in the alley battle. Blood leaked through his shirt.
My belly clenched. “Tell me, and in return I’ll patch you up.”
A moment passed before he gave a stiff nod. “I have a feeling you’d patch me up anyway, but deal.”
I hurried to the bathroom, snatched my first aid kit, and returned to Taron, waving him to the couch. To my surprise, he didn’t protest but acquiesced, easing onto the royal pink velvet cushions.
“Shirt,” I said, sitting beside him and opening the kit.
After a slight hesitation, he obeyed, gripping the ruined material by the neck and pulling the garment over his head. The silver chain he always wore fell between his pecs, the ring dangling from it.
My eyes might have bugged out when I spied his torso. Just for a moment. But sweet heat, those muscles. Perfectly cut, bigger than expected, littered with jagged scars and fresh gashes, covered by a light dusting of dark hair. And I was staring.
Blinking fast, I busied myself with wound care. As gently as possible, I cleaned his plethora of injuries, then applied the proper ointments. I tried not to notice the effect of his nearness. The intensity of his warmth. The headiness of his scent. The power brewing beneath my fingers.
“Humans can’t usually travel to this realm,” he said, his voice rough. “You can heal supernaturally fast. Why doyou have a first aid kit?”
“The more injured we are, the longer it takes to heal. There are times dragons require help.”
He thought for a moment. “I won’t thank you for this.”
“I’m not doing it for your thanks.”
“No, you’re doing it for information. So let’s get you informed.” Heaving a sigh, he rested his head against the back of the couch. “I’ve seen you walking along a stream edge, barefoot and bathed in moonlight. Your hair glistens—” His lids narrowed. “Never mind.”
“Please. Tell me more.” I had to know. “Not because you owe me, but because you want information from me, too. You have questions of your own, I’m sure.”
A long pause. Then, “You’re spending time alone before your coronation, and you think of Leopold and how he should be at your side. Guilt comes because you’re so certain you failed him. A tear tracks down your cheek, and you wipe it away with a trembling hand.” Taron couldn’t hide the sadness in his tone, as if he felt what I’d felt. “You don’t let yourself cry further. You are to be queen, and you cannot afford to show vulnerability. Too many will vie for your crown if you do. Many have already tried.”
My stomach flip-flopped. I turned my body from his, facing forward and gripping my knees, hating that he’d witnessed my breakdown.
“So it’s true,” he breathed. “It happened, and I saw you. Felt you.”
Raw inside, I couldn’t bring myself to confirm or deny it.
“And the other dream…” he rasped.
I stiffened. “What else have you seen?” Though honestly, what could be worse than what he’d just described?
His face closed off, expression unreadable. “That, I don’t wish to discuss.”
Heaven’s blaze! What did he witness? I couldn’t force him to spill without harming him, and I’d rather not get any more blood on my floor. Besides, brute force wasn’t always the answer.
“How did you come to know about the Yrnblade?” I asked, maintaining my face-forward position.
He paused again, studying my profile with such sizzling intensity, I actually squirmed a little. Was this mortal man…intimidating me? “Someone donated the information to the school, which was then passed along to me. That led me to Lorik, who offered other source documents for me to study. I did business with him for about a year.”
A growl rumbled in my throat. “That sack of scales! He used a military tactic known as the gingerbread trail to draw you in, effectively neutralizing your suspicions about him.” Taught by my father, no less. “Lorik sent you the original information, wantingyou to findhimso you’d see him as a partner rather than a foe. You did exactly what he hoped. Cut me, bonding us.”
A muscle jumped beneath his eye. “Which we must break.”
“As soon as possible,” I rushed to agree. “I understand Lorik’s plan now. Why he’s determined to kill you, even though you collaborated with him to make me crazed.”
A faint spark lit Taron’s gaze before his mouth tightened, and that flicker of heat faded. “So the legend is true. You grow desperate to be near me.”
“Ja.” Wasn’t like I could hide it. But what washefeeling? His tone gave nothing away. “My sister believes we can break the bond with a potion. Guarantees it, in fact.”
“A dragon’s guarantee isn’t something I trust,” he said, his voice bitter.
