Page 88 of Daman

That throaty sound left him again. Yep, most definitely a laugh. “I like your ass just as it is too.”

Sensing he was embarrassed, I walked over to the lake and peered over the ice as he changed back into his human form and got dressed. With the sun peeking through the overcast sky, areas of the lake glistened. The air stirred behind me right before I was encased in warmth.

Warrin nuzzled my nape, his big arms snug around me. “Perhaps I can see your wings again soon. You were so beautiful that night,kotya.”

“If you’re a good boy. Maybe.”

Warrin turned me around and cupped my cheek in his palm. Even in the frigid temperature, his skin was so warm. A contrast to his dragon form, but both calmed me. Soothed my soul. “You’re so precious to me, Daman. More precious than anyone or anything on this earth. When I’m with you, I don’t need wings to fly.”

“That sounds like something out of a sappy romance novel.” Despite my attempt to poke fun at him, his words settled over my chest. Turned me to mush. “I… I feel that way too.” My throat squeezed. “You’re precious to me, War. More than I ever expected you to be.”

He kissed me.

A small whimper crept up my throat with the soft pressing of his lips. The tender kiss unraveled me in the best way. And the most terrifying. Because there was no going back for me. There was no walking away from Warrin. Not now. Not after the war.

Never.

***

Nikolai invited us to the castle for dinner. Warrin and I raced there on our snowmobiles—him winning again, damn him—and then we joined his family in the dining room.

“Scouts have reported low demon activity outside the barrier,” Viktor told us. “The shades seem to be leaving the area.”

“No war talk at dinner,” Kira said, glancing over at Milena.

“You can talk in front of me.” Milena huffed. “I’m not a child.”

“You’ll always be a child.” Nikolai ruffled her silvery-blonde locks.

“Hands off.” She scrunched her face up at him and patted it back in place. “It took me a whole minute to fix my hair.”

“And the rest of the time to bathe in perfume, it seems,” Warrin said, arching a brow. “Hoping to see a certain someone?”

“No.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Mind your business.”

Nikolai poured himself a glass of wine. “You’re not allowed to date until you’re thirty.”

“That’s not fair,” Milena grumbled. “Feliks has dated every single woman in the kingdom and is now engaged. I should be allowed to date too.”

Oh, yeah. Feliks was engaged to the princess of the wind dragon clan. Poor girl.

“She has a point,” Kira said.

Nikolai snarled and took a drink.

“Daman,” Kira said, snagging my attention. Her blonde hair was braided around her head with a small section falling over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind, but I designed a coat for you.”

“A coat? Why?”

“Warrin told me that you have to remove your shirt when you spread your wings. You’re not accustomed to the cold weather like we are, so I doubt you’ve been able to fly much during your stay. I designed something warm that will allow you to wear it even while flying. You can try it on after dinner to make sure it fits.”

“Oh.” A strange ache struck my chest, and I rubbed at the spot. I wasn’t used to people going out of their way for me. “Thank you.”

Warrin softly smiled as he cut off a piece of his steak. He had approached her about it as a kindness to me.

Fuck. I was seriously falling for him.

After dinner, Warrin and I followed Kira upstairs and into a large room that she’d made into her designing studio. Mannequins stood along one wall dressed in blouses, pants, and dresses in progress. Some wore armor too: chest pieces and gauntlets. Tables of fabric and machines were beside them.