Page 35 of Courting the Dragon Prince

But they weren’t heading in the direction of the village. Not yet, anyway. They headed through the wheat fields to the north.

They walked in silence along the dirt path. Except every now and then, they asked the other what some symbol meant. Unsurprisingly, following the map became ridiculously easy now that they understood it and were working together.

Onyx glanced at the map Luther held. Onyx looked away as he remembered how much he’d fucked up during their quest today.

If he’d just spent two minutes talking to Luther when he’d first struggled to understand the map, and pointed out something he didn’t comprehend, he would have realised what was going on immediately, and they would have the key by now.

They’d be free from the shackles that continued to rattle and clank between them. Maybe they’d even have completed the quest and be back at the White Monastery.

But no, Onyx had been too busy snapping and bickering with Luther, certain the dragon prince could contribute nothing to the quest.

Then the quarrelling had led to … other activities.

Another mistake. An image of Luther beneath him, hard and begging, flashed in his mind.

Onyx shook his head. He needed to get a hold of himself. He’d lost control and given in to lust for a man he despised.

For some reason, Luther often made him lose control.

In truth, the dragon prince seemed to bring out the worst in Onyx. He felt off balance and unnerved around Luther.

He didn’t like it. He needed to remain in control of himself. He needed to stop losing his temper and control of his desires.

Obviously, he’d known they’d need to consummate the marriage after the wedding ceremony, to seal the marriage. But that was necessary. Something they had to do. A duty.

There was no reason whatsoever to fuck Luther in the forest in the middle of the couple’s quest. Today, he should have remained focused. He should have kept his eyes on what he needed to be doing. He needed to be thinking of what was best for the Kingdom of the Grey Mountains, not jerking Luther off.

At least they’d stopped quarrelling since they discovered the secret of the map. A tentative ceasefire of sorts.

“The key is up ahead,” Luther said. “That’s where the path on the map stops, anyway. Probably somewhere amongst those rocks.”

“Good.”

A short distance away, a small rocky outcrop stood, jutting out from amidst the flat farmland. A sense of relief settled inside Onyx’s gut as they approached the rocks. Onyx didn’t like open land.

Even if he couldn’t channel, he still preferred to be surrounded by rocks and stone. He’d grown up amongst mountains. All this flat, open space unnerved him.

And soon, he’d be able to channel again. Onyx let out a breath at the thought. He felt exposed without his powers.

He looked out over the rows of wheat. He saw no obvious sign of a snail infestation. But honestly, what did he know? Onyx had had very little to do with snails. He doubted Luther had either. But maybe he shouldn’t assume.

“Have you ever dealt with snails before?” Onyx asked.

Luther glanced at him. “I’ve seen them around. Stepped on some accidentally. But not beyond that. You?”

Onyx shook his head. “Maybe they have a snail nest somewhere, a source where all the snails come from. If that is the case, maybe I can bury them with rocks. That would be easy enough.”

Luther’s shoulders tensed. He didn’t speak for a second. “Or I can burn them with fire. Once I can shift again,” he said, voice tight.

Onyx stared at Luther. Was something bothering him?

Luther shook his head. “Either way, I hope it doesn’t take days to deal with the snails.” Luther made a face. “I’m hoping to be in my bed tonight.”

Onyx turned away from Luther. No doubt he’d imagined … whatever he thought he’d seen in Luther. “Me too.”

Despite the fact that they weren’t currently barking at each other, Onyx hoped to be away from Luther soon. This tentative peace could not last.

They approached the rocky outcrop. He pointed ahead. “There is a cave entrance. Perhaps the key is in there.”