"When I opened my eyes and saw your face, I just knew.You'remy person. There is no one else for me. So, when I say I want you, I mean all of you. Not for tonight. Not for a short, predetermined time. I want you now and until the day I breathe my last."
Hagar stares at me. A small eternity passes before she clears her throat. "You're right. That does sound stupid."
I huff out a laugh. After all my soul-bearing honesty, her sarcasm tramples me.
"Especially since my hand is supposed to be given to another."
"Idon'tgive a shit about your possible engagement, Hagar," I growl.
"Not very honorable of you," she teases.
"Fuck honor." Her mouth drops but I'm not done. "Fuck tradition. I know what I want andwon'tlet anyone stand in my way for the preservation ofa man-madeconstruct."
She pushes up from lazily leaning on her dragon and marches toward me, brows furrowed. "So, if honor and tradition do notdetermineyour steps, what do you stand for?"
"Honesty."
"Mostpeopledon'tvalue honesty above diplomacy." She nears me and my lungs constrict.
"Good thing I'm not a politician. Otherwise, I'd be stuck upstairs in your father's house playing nice with the others."
"I'msureyou'dhurt plenty of egos in that room." She stands directly in front of me, staring up at me with challenge in her eyes.
"You clearlyhaven'tmet Thrane Basilius yet." I laugh, knowing the Frost Elf would be itching to put people in their places. "I may be blunt, but someonehas tobe the voice of reason. At the end of the day, I meant what I said. Idon'tcare about your future engagement – quite frankly, Idon'tthink you careforit either – but until you tell me youaren'tinterested in me, Iwon'tstop pursuing you."
Hagar slithers closer, pressing her chest against mine. "And if I tell youI'mnot interested?" she says softly, her breath tickling the small patch of bare skin of my chest.
I twirl one of her short locks around my finger and lean closer so my lips hover just above hers. "I'ma man of my word, Hagar.I'lllet you marry a man youdon'tcare for.But if you want me like I want you, speak now."
Her brown eyes turn molten and she lifts up on her toes, her lips about to press against mine.
Heavy footsteps approach and Hagar puts a healthy distance between as right as a messenger from the Naziri house bounds around the corner. He bows when Hagar is in his sight.
"Your brother has sent word he will not be able to go on patrol tonight," the man reports. "I have been instructed to find a replacement."
"Icould go with you," I offer, my heart thunders against my ribcage.
Hagar and the messenger look at me wide-eyed.
I motion a few pens down the line. "I have adragonandI'vebeen on patrol missions before," I explain, justifying my qualifications. "I could fill in for a night."
The messenger quirks a brow, ignoring me. "Should I find Master Tariq?" he asks Hagar and her eyes find mine.
For a moment, all we do is stare at one another. Hope builds in my chest that she'll say yes. If she says yes to me over Tariq, I'll know my feelings aren't one sided. I breathe deeply, steadying my constricting chest.
"No, Raneel." She shakes her head, focus still fixed on me. "Tariq has been on patrol twice this week. Let him rest." A wicked half-smile tugs her lips upward. "TheTronovianwill fly with me tonight."
Flying above the desert in the dead of night is exciting. My entire dragon riding career has been spent practicing in the daytime. So being above the sand dunes with a warm breeze against my face and twinkling stars is a welcome change. Beside me, Hagar and Zahir lead the way. She gave me the rundown before we left of what to look for. Signs of demons or creatures from the underworld. We are not to engage unless we have to and we are supposed to remain unseen. Like wraiths in the night.
Enver Sol blessed blades in the Great War with his holy magic that bind demons to them. The Naziris, when they made their escape to the desert, kept all the weaponry the Father of Light gave them. That's how they've kept the desert – and subsequently their kingdom – safe from the underlings that survived. Granted, Hagar admitted, it's rare when they see anything. But they're prepared when they do.
Though Atlas gave me my twin blades back when we were reunited, I keep them strapped to my back and have the dagger Hagar loaned me strapped to my hip. My blades will do me no good against demons, but creatures, I can slice up all day.
We travel farther south than I expect us to, but then again, I'm not sure how much ground a patrol typically covers. Hagar mentioned we were going to spy the area where the portal was reconstructed. I don't remember it being this far, but to be fair, I was in and out of consciousness most of the time I was in captivity.
We come to a range of rocky mountains and Hagar motions for us to land on the plateau of one of the cliffs. Over massive dunes to the south there's a bright light emanating.
"What's that?" I ask, more to myself than to Hagar but she responds anyway.
