Page 41 of Tears of Gold

Skye chuckles, the vibrations rumbling through my own chest.

I slap his arm playfully. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be jealous?”

“Oh, I am. I want to shower with you too.” He snickers and nuzzles into my neck.

I shake my head, laughing. “That’s not what I meant.”

Skye rubs my back, easing out my tight muscles. “Actually, I’m enjoying your memories of it right now.”

I draw back to meet his eyes, and he grins. “You’re a pervert!”

He chortles, completely unfazed. “Guilty as charged! But don’t forget, I’m a dragon, so I see these things differently. Anything that makes you happy makes me happy, Ava, so long as you’re safe. I’m just living in the Beyond, knowing you’re no longer shrinking from me in fear.”

Skye tucks a few strands of hair behind my ear, sliding down the length and curling the ends around his fingertip. “I can feel you’re worried about whether Harper is sincere, but you should know he cares for you. I’ve been working with him to grow his qi abilities, and his main motivation is so that he can protect you better. I’m adapting dragon training for a half human, so the method is quite extreme.” A wrinkle forms across his brow. “He comes close to drowning every time, but he’s never backed away.” He taps my nose. “All for you. A dragon can admire that kind of dedication.”

I gape at Skye, remembering how Harper was limping the other morning. “You’re drowning him?”

He grins unrepentantly. “Something like that, but don’t worry, he’s handling it just fine.” A flicker of uncertainty crosses his eyes. “Maybe too fine.”

“What does that mean?”

“Never mind.” He leans in and rubs his nose against mine. “I just mentioned it to reassure you. I’d much rather be talking about us, since we haven’t been able to for weeks.”

With a groan, I cuddle in close to him again, running my fingers over his solid arms. Solid is the best word to describe Skye; you can feel his strength practically radiating out of him, but he doesn’t have the visibly rippling muscles that Harper does. It’s more like if a dense rock was coated in smooth lightly brown skin so that it looked and felt human, but was actually unbreakable. It’s a powerful sensation, and now that I’m soaking it in, I realize just how much I missed him.

“I’m sorry. I felt something uncomfortable around you and Erritt, and I didn’t understand it.” I kiss his neck, then grow still, straining to hear the faint tinkle of running water that seems to echo faintly from Skye.

He tilts my head back. “That just means your heart never forgot what your mind did.” He kisses me softly. His hands rove further down my back to cup my ass through the oversized trousers. “I was kinda looking forward to seeing you in that dress again, but this is cute too.”

“Ha! That poor dress got shredded. Rita threw it away.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t get shredded. I was so scared something had happened to you.” He tightens his grip, crushing me against his chest. “I need you in my life, Ava. More than you know.”

I hug him back, letting his love soothe away my jitters. I may not remember everything, but I know I love this guy. I just can’t remember if I’ve told him so.

The rise and fall of his chest rocks me gently and a moment later, my eyelids slide closed and I jerk, battling the exhaustion.

“Sleep, little butterfly.” Skye rumbles, the vibrations rising from his chest into mine with reassurance. “You’re safe. I believe things will work out in time. Even things with Harper.” Skye kisses my forehead, leaving his lips pressed to my skin.

His steady heartbeat lulls me into oblivion.

Chapter Sixteen

Erritt

A sigh of relief escapes me as I receive a message from Vanrey informing me he found Ava, Harper and Rita. I want all the details immediately, but he sends no more messages.

Waiting feels like agony, but the cold of the stone wall at my back is numbing my senses, which tells me how badly my body is struggling if cold can affect me. Since I can’t teleport, and it will take Vanrey some time to get the others back to De Tuan, I know I need to return to my room. Mother will be waiting for me.

It takes three tries before I can haul my aching body off the ground, and dragging myself down the stairs triggers new flares ups of agony with every movement. I won’t even be able to walk to my room at this rate.

A page boy darts around a corner, and I whistle, not trusting my voice to be clear enough to catch his attention. He peers at me in the shadows, then the blood drains from his face as recognition dawns.

“How may I serve, Your Highness?”

“Go to . . . the Royal W-wing and summon a servant . . . by the name of Sunshi.”

“As Your Highness commands.” He bows and retreats.