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The thought of everyone seeing him there was embarrassing somehow, so, reluctantly, I stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You can wait inside.” My tone was begrudging.

I let us both in and went straight to my wardrobe for some fresh clothes. I ignored my comfort robes, like those I was raised in, instead picking some pants and a tunic like the other female trainees seemed to favor. Was I trying to impress Nyx? Goddess, I hoped not.

Nyx sat on the chair at my desk, looking worried.

“I won’t be long,” I told him before heading for the bathing chamber.

I washed quickly, unsettled by the knowledge that he was just on the other side of the door. Dressing in the unfamiliar clothes, I ran through all the things about today that could have him looking so worried.

When I returned, he was staring at his hands, deep in thought, and his head snapped up.

We just held each other’s gazes for a beat before I broke the stare, turning to dispose of my dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

“I need to know that you won’t reveal our secret,” he said out of nowhere.

I spun to face him. “ I thought you already pointed out that we have that trust in our connection. You know I won’t betray you to anyone.”

“I’m not worried about me, Sol. I need to know you’ll extend that to my brother.”

I didn’t hesitate. “Of course. He is part of you.”

Nyx’s shoulders slumped with relief. This really was life and death.

“Can you tell me why it’s such a secret?”

“Sit. You must be exhausted,” he said, surprising me with his concern for my wellbeing.

I took a seat on the bed while he re-took his chair at the desk. I couldn’t help thinking the distance was deliberate. He parted from me as quickly as I had from him in the sparring hall.

He gathered his thoughts before he spoke again, and I watched him.

“Twin dragons of old were born bonded, able to share thoughts, feelings, powers—every part of themselves. Through history, especially during wars, they were exploited—separated and used for espionage since they could share information over distance through their mind bond. It was a great advantage for any kingdom to have, and it constantly put twins in perilous situations. So many were lost across enemy lines, leaving their twin alone. The pain of losing your twin, Sol… I can’t put into words what that must be like. I never want to find out.”

“I can’t imagine.”

“Twin bonds haven’t been known since the Hundred Years War. Perhaps the Goddess stopped gifting them to prevent any more twins from dying—who knows? But my father discovered ours when we were just boys, and he knew what it would mean for us if anyone ever found out. He knew he would have to be the one giving the orders that could see one or both of us put at risk. So, to protect us, he told us we could never reveal it to anyone. He made us make a vow.” He looked into my eyes, and I knew how serious it was for him to tell me this. “I’ve never broken that vow and never told a soul…until you.”

I gasped. “Will something happen now you’ve broken it?”

A small smile crept over his serious expression. “No, Sol. We are bonded, too. Our trust is built-in and can’t be broken. You are the only person I ever could or would tell. I’m sure Kol told his ryder, too.”

“So, if you know our trust can’t be broken, why do you have to ask me to keep the secret?”

He stood abruptly, walking across the room. “Because I know I can’t break it…but I don’t know what you’ll do. You could break it. It would expose us and put our lives at risk. It would bring up a lot of questions as to why we kept it to ourselves. But you might ultimately choose that rather than keep my secret.” He faced me again, emotion in his eyes. “But I’m begging you not to do that, for Kol. Someday, I will be the general, and I will have to order him out there to be put in danger—more than he already is. And if he dies, Sol, under an order from me because I told our secret and it became known, then I will die too. I won’t be able to live with that. I just won’t.”

I pushed to my feet and crossed over to him in three steps. I didn’t think about my pride, holding back, or any of the nonsense that plagued my every thought since he took me from my village. I just acted from a place inside me that knew one thing for sure: this bond we had was more important than anything in all the kingdoms.

I took his face in my hands and looked deep into his watery eyes, stroking my thumb across his cheek to feel his skin against mine. It was a new sensation. I never felt anything when touching another person, but with him I felt everything: need, want, hope.

And it was all reflected back in his eyes.

“Your brother’s safety is as important to me as yours. Your secret will never leave my lips, I swear it.”

A beat passed…and then he moved.

Nyx closed the distance between our lips before pressing his to mine. My mouth parted for him automatically, and his tongue swept over mine, deepening the kiss. He hoisted me into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. When the wall met my back, he pressed against me fully, and this time, we did not jump apart. He moaned at the contact as he kissed me deeper.

He ground our hips together, the feeling of him hard against my core forcing a yearning sound from me as well. It shocked me, and I tore my lips from his, dragging in air. We were both panting, but he didn’t release his hold, and I didn’t try to escape him. We just stared.