Page 88 of Dragon’s Rogue

Zane gave a faint nod, gold coins clinking underneath his chin. He taught me the ways of the Draken, how to develop my powers, how to read the Draken language, where to look for gold. He said he was doing it out of duty, but he always says that when he’s being kind. He’s been a brother to me.

So that was another reason why he’d agreed to help Thorne with his quest, besides keeping the remaining branch of his family safe from Vyrkos. Loyalty to the dragon who’d pulled him out of despair.

She stroked his cheek again. “You’re a good man, Zane.”

Dragons aren’t good. We’re selfish and greedy.

“But you try to be good.”

He shook his head, trying to pull away, but she put her hand on his eye ridge to stop him. “Don’t do that,” she whispered. “If we’re going to be mates, we have to let each other in.”

He hesitated, then moved his head back next to her, resting it on the gold again. I’m sorry I tried to hurt you, he said. I didn’t mean to. If anything ever happened to you…

His sorrow and regret seemed to rise up out of the gold and envelop her, pulling long-held-back tears out of her eyes. For the first time in ten years, she willingly let them fall.

“I know,” she whispered.She continued to stroke his soft scales, trying to heal him with her touch. “It wasn’t your fault. We were both under the influence of the idol.”

That’s not an excuse. I’m supposed to take care of you and protect you. Even if you don’t want me to. He paused, and the silence was filled with song. You’re my greatest treasure.

It was a tiny mental whisper, almost too soft to hear.

She looked around the room, filled with more material wealth than could be spent in a dragon’s lifetime. Every piece known and cherished and loved, every piece with its own song.

To Zane, she was more valuable than all this. More beautiful, more worthy of love and care and attention.

If she’d been standing, it would have brought her to her knees.

She turned her head, resting her forehead against him. It didn’t matter if they’d only known each other a short time. It didn’t matter if it didn’t make sense. They’d loved each other in his dreams for a hundred years, and they’d loved each other in her gallery, and in his room among his favorite treasures. They’d fought side by side, been wounded in their souls, and survived.

He was the ally and companion she’d longed for, for ten long lonely years.

You’re my treasure, too, she said, not even realizing she hadn’t said it out loud.

Because he heard.

There was a breathless silence, as every piece of gold in the cavern stopped singing. With a shimmer and a giant inhale, Zane was human again, sitting cross-legged in front of her, his forehead pressed to hers.

For a moment she resisted, and then she let some of the walls inside her crumble, and added her own sadness and loneliness to his.

The pain of losing her father to darkness; the pain of watching her mother die. The years of solitude, terrified of being found by the coven before she was prepared, terrified of forming new bonds, of getting hurt, of endangering others, of giving herself away.

The bitter anger at those who’d betrayed her and themselves—anger that they weren’t stronger, that they hadn’t found a way to fight back. She knew it wasn’t fair—she knew the idol was stronger than all of them. She and Zane were the latest proof of that.

And yet… she was still angry. Anger was better than despair—it gave her power and direction, and she’d held onto it for ten years.

Now she let it flow out of her, and let the sadness go with it.

Zane raised his eyes to hers, and it was like she could see into his soul. Warmth. Caring. Passion. Love. Longing.

Hope.

Softly, the hoard’s song began again, the harmonics changing. Blaze leaned in, her lips parted, opening under Zane’ touch like a flower.

I love you, he said in her mind.

I love you, too.

Their lips met with a surge of heat lightning that stole Blaze’s breath. They strained toward each other with all the pent-up passion of years of loneliness, devouring each other in their desperate need.