Page 21 of Daman

It was too painful.

Snow crunched underfoot, the only sound in the silent woods. Well, it was silent until I exited the forest and came to a clearing, seeing a massive force of warriors training. They roared and grunted, the clang of metal hitting metal ringing out as they practiced drills.

Many were in their dragon hybrid forms. White horns—some had blue—curved back from their heads, and pale scales covered their bodies. They still kept a human shape in that form.

A large shadow passed overhead as a full-sized dragon flew above the field. Another dragon joined him, and they spun in the air, teeth gnashing. The collision of their powerful tails boomed like boulders smashing together.

Sensing movement behind me, I flipped around. The tip of a sword pressed to the base of my throat.

“State your business for being here, outsider,” the man growled in a thick Russian accent, baring his sharpened teeth and gripping his sword tighter. “Or I’ll sever your head from your shoulders.”

“It’ll just reattach itself,” I said, eyeing the sword with boredom. “That’s not enough to kill me.”

Would it hurt? Definitely. But only a celestial blade could do any permanent damage.

“Lower your weapon, Lev.” Warrin appeared beside the man, and my breath caught upon seeing him. Like the others, he was in his hybrid form. Pale blue horns protruded from his head, complementing the arctic blue hues in his silver hair, and his azure eyes popped against his soft white dragon scales.

Lev withdrew his sword without question, though confusion swam in his gaze. Confusion that then turned to realization as he studied me closer. “This is your betrothed, Commander?”

“Yes,” Warrin answered in a clipped tone.

“Apologies.” Lev quickly bowed his head, a horror-stricken look on his face.

“Leave us,” Warrin told him, and Lev obeyed. He then looked at me, and his hard features softened a bit. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“That’s fortunate.” Warrin held eye contact with me for a second or two and then broke it. “I will discipline him for the mistake.”

“No, it’s okay. No harm, no foul.” I shifted my weight to my other leg, hands shoved deep in my coat pockets. “You weren’t at breakfast.”

“I felt it was best.”

“Because of what I said last night?”

He didn’t respond.

“Look.” I paused to exhale, hoping it would help ease the tightness in my chest. It didn’t. “I’m sorry for saying all of that. You didn’t deserve it. My issues have nothing to do with you.”

Warrin’s blue eyes found mine. “It has everything to do with me. I’m the reason you’re here. You’re angry that I chose you for my husband.”

“Actually…” My cheeks heated despite the frigid air. “I’m not angry about that.”

“I don’t understand.”

Snowflakes slowly fell down on us as we stood in a suspended silence. How could I explain it to him when I barely understood it myself?

“Can we go somewhere to talk?” I asked, shifting my weight again. My toes were frozen. “Preferably someplace that won’t make me freeze my dick off?”

“Of course,” he said, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it looked like he was fighting a smile. “Give me a moment.”

As he walked toward a group of warriors on the field, I cast another glance at the dragons in the sky. They had stopped fighting and were casually soaring together. I watched their graceful dance in the air, amazed by the sight of them.

Ever since I could remember, I’d been fascinated by dragons. Wolves too. Both creatures had been highly regarded in Dacia. But in the thousands of years I’d been alive, this was the first time I’d ever been so close to completely transformed dragons. And I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

“Ivan and Efrem,” Warrin said from beside me. He had turned back into his human form. “They’re twin brothers.”

“Sounded like they were really hurting each other earlier.”