“Neither did I.”
Tanis moved to kiss his chest, then felt her smile fade as she saw all the scars that covered his flesh. While she’d seen warrior dragons scarred, she’d never seen anything like this. There were claw marks. Sword wounds. Lash marks. And some she couldn’t name.
Never in her life had she seen so much damage.
“Dash? What happened?”
Then, she saw the light fade from his eyes. “Sorry. I forgot.” He reached for his shirt to put it on.
Tanis stopped him. “They don’t bother me. I mean, they bother me only in that I hurt for you. Who did this?”
For the first time, she didn’t see the nefarious High King who was always in control. She saw the vulnerable boy he must have once been. One who had been tortured by the looks of it.
Cupping his face, she met his gaze. “I know. We don’t talk about the past. We kill things.”
A sly smile curved his lips. “Burn the motherfuckers to the ground.”
“All of them.”
Nodding, Dash pulled her into his arms and held her.
Tanis lay against him in the quiet darkness with the sound of the fire crackling and the wind rustling through the trees. This had been averystrange day.
Two enemies had found common ground. But the problem was, she wasn’t sure where she stood anymore.
I still need to get my brother’s skull.That hadn’t changed. And they definitely had to get Renata’s wand before his enemies used it to kill him.
Chapter 14
Dash woke up just before dawn to the sweetest moment of his life. His body was nestled against soft furs and entwined with the luscious limbs of his dragon.
Every inch of Tanis’s body lay against his. Her warm breath fell against his chest as her hair tickled the flesh of his arm. Closing his eyes again, he savored this one perfect moment of being with her.
He’d never known peace like this. All these years past, he’d fought to protect Renata because that had been the only thing he’d known.
His sister and people were his responsibility. Keep them safe no matter the cost.
He’d never thought that he could have anything for himself. Why should he?
No one could be trusted. Most were users. Others were incompetent. The rest just disappointed him.
Even his sister.
As much as he’d loved her, Renata had fought him every step of the way. Hoof and tooth.
Stop trying to control me, Dash!
But it had never been about control. Only fear. Because he’d seen the horror this world had to offer, he’d only wanted to protect her from it.
Now he had someone else he wanted to keep safe. Someone like him who knew the horrors that lurked in the shadows.
Opening his eyes, he toyed with the ring on her finger that Ambrose had given them. And he remembered how hard it’d been to build his kingdom the first time.
All the rebellions he’d been forced to quell. The enemies he’d had to defeat, who’d come after him in droves. Assassins. Traitors who’d buried so many daggers in his back that Halla had joked she should rename him Stegosaurus.
Only it hadn’t been a joking matter.
Hard lessons learned. Everyone had been intent on laying him in a gutter and standing on his grave. Yet he had risen in spite of them all.
