I blew out a huge breath of relief. “Fuck me, dragon senses for the win.” But that relief got messed up as I caught the other part of what she’d said. “Wait. Agitated? Why?” For the ultra-calm, always-had-it-together Vaxan Canor to get agitated was no small thing. It was kind of like others bursting into a rage.
She had me gasping then, as she snagged me, used her speed to dress me in Win’s hoodie over my bare chest, then lifted me onto her with her dragon strength.
My thighs, with just being in my pink boxer briefs, brushed soothingly against her fluffy lounge pants.
Rubbing my hips as she held me on her, my palms slapped down on her stomach for purchase, she told me, “Shh, lovely. Try to relax a little. I’m here.”
“I know,” I said, beaming down at her.
The urge to say more, to say those special three words, to convey just how much I knew she was there with me, was intense.
But I… I didn’t want them spoken like this… under these circumstances.
Vax had mentioned during one of the times I’d woken up in a panicked sweat last night that Winter had told Evira he loved her during that awful battle. And then he’d been taken. She hadn’t been able to say the words back, only in Dragon Tongue, so she’d kind of just had to hope he’d heard her. I didn’t want that now. I didn’t want anotherI-love-youtainted for her. It was too special, too fucking precious. And Evira deserved better than that.
While Win hadn’t known he’d be ripped from her and things would then be left hanging where that was concerned, me saying those words to her now, I did know that things were all fucked and wrong right now. So I’d knowingly be throwing it out there while everything was tainted.
No.
I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t do that.
So, instead, I stroked her stomach and a sweet little moan came from her as I promised her, “I’m here for you, too. Okay? Equal parts hurting, off-balance, scared for Win, devastated over Sylas, and also fucking rageful about Temperance and the others wanting a piece of Win.”
“Well put.” She tightened her hold on my hips. “And I know you’re here for me. We all are for each other. That’s not even in question. It’s a done deal.”
I smiled out at her and just stared for a few moments, taking in the sight of her cute bed hair situation, all that ice-blonde with the sexy blue streaks fanned over the pillows.
“He’s on the phone,” she spoke all of a sudden. “With his mother.”
I startled. “Why?” That definitely explained the agitation.
“I didn’t listen in for details. Just enough so we’d know he’s fine, and why he left the bed in the first place.”
A slight growl emanated from her. Yeah, she hadn’t liked him leaving either. That was her territorial and possessive side coming out.
I must’ve had a look on my face, because she arched an eyebrow and stated, rather than questioning, “You want me to listen in on his private conversation?”
Yes.“No. Of course not. That would be… wrong. And kind of fucked up.”
“Kind of?” she teased.
“Icicle,” I grumbled.
She slid a hand to my hair and played with the pink strands. “He’ll tell us whatever it is.”
“You mean he’ll tellyou. With you and him, you’re of the same complex political understandings and all that. He trusts you with that sort of thing. Me? I’m not exactly subtle with… anything.”
She sat up against the headboard with me on her.
Damn.I loved it when she displayed her massively superior strength to us all. Even when she did it in subtle ways. Actually, that made it more endearing, let’s be honest there. “I’ll make you a promise.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Whatever he tells me, I’ll tell you every little detail. And I’ll make sure it’s known to him that nothing can be off the table if it’s connected to this current nightmare situation. We’ll do that for each other. All of us, okay?Butit also means that none of us can take off in a rush, or be reactive to whatever intel we receive. Understood?”
“I swear it. Thank you, Evira.”
