Love. I gulped as the word echoed in my head. A possibility I hadn’t allowed myself to consider. Loving and losing someone else… nein. But here, now, I couldn’t deny I longed for another firebrand to cherish. Someone to soothe and choose me.
Taron’s lids narrowed. “It’s not just desire, though that’s a big factor. I want a chance. A future with you.”
I gulped. “I can’t live among humans. Won’t leave my people. A future means you move here, to my realm.”
A half smile flickered across his lips. “I know. And I’m okay with that.”
“Nein. No.” I shook my head. “I won’t let you do that. You’d have to give up everything. Your home. Your friends. Your profession! Dragons have no need of a dragon mythology professor.”
“I think I’ve proven I’m an aid to you, Lyssa, not a hindrance. But if we don’t give this a shot, we’ll always wonder. I don’t know about you, but I’m unwilling to live that way.” Seduction glimmered in his eyes, and his voice dipped. “Your fire is burning me anyway. We might as well make it official.”
My breath hitched, possibly doing everything in its power to become reality, weaving a beautiful tale. A future. With Taron. The man I hungered for with every ounce of my being.
“Stay here then, just for a little while,” I offered, quieter now. “Remain human. We’ll break the bond and then…date.”
His brow arched. “And make a split that much harder? If we date, we’ll want more. Why start with an expiration date when we can have forever?”
I licked my lips. “Then I’ll marry you. If you ask. You’ll be my consort, and I’ll be your woman. You can travel between worlds.”
“And let challenges to your crown double?” he demanded. “As long as I’m human, you are in danger.”
He wasn’t wrong. Needing distance, I stepped back. “This conversation is pointless, anyway. I mean, it’s obviously the bond talking. Too much has changed too fast.”
“Maybe you’re right. But I doubt it. I’ve changed. The man I am craves you with every fiber of his being.”
I pressed trembling hands to a fluttering belly. “You’ll revert to your former self,” I said, hoping to convince us both.
But what if he didn’t?
“I won’t,” he assured me, backing me against the desk.
I plopped onto its edge, heart thumping.
He leaned in close, all challenge and seduction. “It seems we’ve reached a stalemate. Let’s shake things up with a game. You’ll hide. I’ll seek. When I find you—and I will—you will list a reason not to burn me, and I’ll get to tell you why you’re wrong. You must listen and respond. No evasion. No retreat.”
The warrior in me perked up. Home-field advantage. Victory assured. But the woman in me knew: this wasn’t a game about winning but surrender. We didn’t just play with fire. We played withmyfire, and there was nothing more dangerous.
Still, I nodded. “Deal.”
“Good.” He stood and rolled back his shoulders as a clock chimed the midnight hour. “I’ll count to ten.”
Eek! With a little laugh I didn’t mean to release, I flew to my feet and darted from the room.
DAY SIX
I chose the armory first.The scent of forged steel was comfortingly routine. I slipped between the racks of weapons and crouched behind a stand of war axes. My heart pounded in time with the echo of my breath.
At only seven minutes past midnight, Taron found me.
“Your scent always gives you away,” came a familiar voice behind me. “My prize, please.”
I straightened, both unsurprised and surprised to see Taron emerge from the shadows, golden light from an overhead source gilding his cheekbones. A reason I refused to burn him? Very well. “I won’t risk your life,” I said, the truth falling from my lips. “You’re too important to me.”
“It’s my life to risk,” he replied. No hesitation, and no fear. Only stubborn resolve that made something shift in my chest.
“It isn’t consent I’m afraid of,” I said hoarsely. “It’s what comes after. You might want this now, but you’ll curse my name as you burn to death.”
“Imeanit now, tomorrow and forever, and I’ll never regret it. Never curse you again. I’ve trained for this my whole life. I know what it means, yet I still choose it. Choose you.”
