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She shrank back, and I cooled down immediately, remembering too late that I wasn’t just raging. I was a monster to her. I gave a whole body shake and shifted to my fae form, standing before her, breathing hard, trying to contain my fear and anger.

I could have lost her, and the feeling would sit with me for the rest of my days.

We stared for a long moment, our emotions raw and clear, passing between us.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

My shoulders fell. I’d got the point she was trying to make. It was a trust fall. I wish she hadn’t done something so reckless to prove it, but the truth was clear: she’d given herself over to this bond between us and shown me she was all in.

I fell to my knees in front of her and put my head in my hands. The image of her falling just out of my reach was still fresh in my mind. My nightmares would include that vision for years to come. There was a moment when I thought I wasn’t going to get to her, and I felt the loss about to slam into me as hard as the water would have.

I lifted my head and met her eyes.

“You just took a hundred years off my life, Sol. Don’t ever do anything as reckless as that again.” My words were calm, but my meaning was deadly.

She had tears in her eyes. “I had to know.”

“Had to know what? If I’d just sit by soar above and let you splatter yourself on the ground.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“No. I had to know if trusting you was enough.”

“And was it?”

She nodded again, with a tear rolling down her cheek.

I sagged in relief, sitting back on my heels before eyeing her up and down. “You’re okay?”

“A bit sore, but I deserve it.” Her gaze roamed over me, looking for injuries, and she recoiled at her error. I was naked.

She looked away from my body, grabbing the bag from across hers. She held it out, keeping her eyes on the ground in a silent plea for me to put some clothes on.

I pushed to my feet and crossed the space between us. “You’re going to have to get used to the sight of me naked if we are going to fly.” I took the bag and pulled out my pants so I could slide them on.

“Are you injured?” she asked, still not looking.

I examined my arms. There were a few light scrapes, and my back felt like it had a few, too. My dragon hide could withstand a lot and protected me well, but a few jagged rocks scraped through as we rolled.

But I shielded her. That was all that mattered.

“Just a few scrapes. I’ll be fine.” I stood over her, offering my hand.

She checked I was clothed before she took it and then let me help her up. When she was on her feet, I wrapped my arms around her. The act felt strange since we hadn’t reached a point where it seemed natural, but I had to hold her in my arms to really let it sink in.

She was okay.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and breathed in her scent.

“I wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t gotten to you,” I admitted softly. She tensed, but I held tighter, not letting her pull out of my hold. No, don’t go. Let me hold you.”

She relented, and I felt her arms slip around my waist.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and then let it out slowly, then finally letting go of the tension I was holding.

We stood for a long time wrapped in each other, and I didn’t want to let go. For so many years, I had been missing a huge part of myself, my soul, my power, my identity. And even finding her didn’t seem to resolve any of that turmoil. But now, with her in my arms, it felt like those things might finally be within my reach.

I had her, and she was here willingly. It was almost everything I’d ever needed. We just had to meld, and I would be complete.

For that to happen, she would have to trust me enough to put her life in my hands…and that’s exactly what she had just proved she could do.