The grin on his face stops me in my tracks, but then I run again, stripping off my riding uniform as I go, stopping at the edge to rid my feet and legs of the boots and breeches.
I dive into the pool, surfacing close to Saxon, and he pulls me into his arms.
“Oh, how I have missed you, ma chérie.”
“It can’t possibly be as much as I’ve missed you.”
We kiss, and the water around us heats, almost as if there’s a hot spring feeding it, but I know the change in temperature is from our love and the heat of our passion. His stiffness rubs my hip, lifting my need, but also my concerns.
I break the kiss. “Before we…” I draw a long breath, not wanting to even think about the possibility that I might not be free to be with him ever again.
As things sit, I feel as if I should discuss it with Zogar first. Surath advised me not to seek my husband’s permission, but it’s more than just permission. I care about my marriage. I care about Zogar. I love him. But I love Saxon too.
I was a coward not to discuss this more openly with Zogar, but so much has been going on.
“We should talk first,” I tell Saxon. “We should tell each other all that’s happened.”
He nods, and we swim to the rocks at the edge of the pool.
“I’ll help you get out,” he says, coming behind me as my hands rest on top of a flat rock.
I glance over my shoulder. “You’re the one who’s hurt. I should be helping you.”
His strong arms encircle me, and he pulls me against him. “Surath says you’ve been through a lot, too.”
I rest my head against his shoulder behind me, loving how it feels to be this close to him again. “I’m absolutely fine. Iwasin danger—” grave danger “—but Zogar came to my rescue.”
“I must thank him.” Saxon’s hand strokes my belly, teasing lower and inciting a quick intake of air and a deep ache of longing, but before his fingers slip lower, his hands grip my waist. “I’ll give you a boost. Ready?”
“You really don’t need to,” I say, but I brace my hands against the rock’s surface and push down. He easily lifts me out of the water, and I turn to sit on the edge of the rock.
He follows me in a fluid motion, landing next to me, his erection jutting up from his lap.
I’m in awe of this man. “You still have so much strength, lifting me from the water?—”
“I’m taller.” He winks. “My feet were braced on a rock below. Getting out wasn’t that hard.”
I nod, my eyes skimming his body, looking for damage, trying not to focus on the part of him that’s decidedly hard. He’s lost weight, his cheeks are hollower above the beard that’s glinting in the sunlight as water droplets cling to its golden hairs.
My fingers tingle, wanting to test the texture of that hair, to feel the warmth of his skin, to feel the touch of his lips against mine, but I need to resist. I squeeze my legs together hoping to quash the now pounding ache.
“Surath and Xendus told me you were taken away in chains when you landed, and that you were locked away, but I know little else.”
He leans back, bracing himself on his arms, and while they too seem smaller, his muscles bulge to support him. His chest is still firm and broad, and the sunlight glints off the dusting of golden hair there.
Turning, I bend up one leg to face him.
“There’s not much else to tell.” He shakes his head. “The klericks interrogated me daily, but I refused to speak. They didn’t even know the right questions to ask. They have no idea what lies beyond the veil, or that the dragons are shifters.”
“Some of them know, now,” I tell him.
“Yeah. Surath told me that some of the riders and guards saw her shift. And they’ve seen her fly without me on her back.”
This is news to me, but I’m not surprised.
“Did they hurt you badly?” I ask softly. Under his ribs, his skin is marred by bruises, and I long to do something, anything, to soothe them.
His nose wrinkles as he shakes his head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
