Page 1 of Flameborne: Fury (Emberquell Academy #2)
Epitaph
“…A Furyknight’s first loyalty must always be to their dragon. Always. Guard the gift of the Divine. Protect it. For their precious hearts are far stronger, and far more fragile than ours…”
- Brennan Kearney of the Seventh Squadron, Fang Wing, and the first She-Fury
~ DONAVYN ~
The afternoon sun beamed through the high windows of my dragon’s stable, dust motes twinkling in it like tiny stars.
The space smelled bright with fresh straw and the sun painted it gold.
The alcohol in my veins turned everything sweet and thrilled my heart.
But nothing, nothing compared to the sight of Bren, staring up at me, her lower lip slack.
When I’d cupped her face, she gripped my wrists.
But unlike that terrifying moment when I’d thought she might die during the trial and had yanked her to me in the launch hollow the moment she landed, this time there was no clawing.
No screams of elation around us. No frenetic energy. And no roaring crowd.
We were alone. Her, me, and that soft, warm pulse in my chest.
When she pulled me in, I descended on her with the hunger of a dying man.
Tilting my head to lay my mouth over hers, I tasted her.
Again. Then deeper—sighing as my tongue traced the sweet slickness under her lip, then met the velvet of hers.
I was warmed by the heat of her breath mingling with mine.
And as we both sucked in, she pulled me down harder, tipping her head as well and taking me as deeply as I ached to have her, arching her back to bring our bodies together.
Did she curse our clothing as I did? Did her skin sparkle with need like mine?
She gasped when I slipped one hand to the hollow of her back, pulling her against me, desperate in a way I’d never been. Driven to her. Yearning for her. Prickling with the kind of heat that left blisters on the skin.
I panted like a bull. I’d have stripped her naked and taken her on the spot if I could, but that thought clanged like a bell in my head.
We’re in the stable. Open air. The dragons weren’t even there to guard the door. Anyone could walk up the aisle and look in.
Intending to break the kiss, to bring sanity back to this moment, I gave myself one more sweep of the tongue, one last taste—but it only turned into a groaning, desperate devouring.
Unable to get close enough, I clawed a hand into the burnished hair at the nape of her neck and gripped it, pulling her head back until I could open my eyes and gaze right into hers.
“Someone could come in,” I rasped. Bren’s eyes widened, but the arm she’d thrown around my neck tightened and pulled me closer.
I groaned a protest, but didn’t fight her, diving back into that kiss which every drop of blood in my body yearned for.
I cursed against her lips, shuddering again when she dropped her hands to my waist, slid her fingers under the hem of my shirt, then flattened both her palms on the sensitive skin at my waist. A tortured groan broke in my throat as her touch drew sparkling trails of heat on my skin.
“Fuck, Bren,” I gasped, then staggered closer, clawing at her, hungry for more. For everything. But that was insanity.
My subordinate. My Flameborne. My…
Mine.
I tore out of the kiss to stand over her, chest heaving. But I couldn’t bring myself to pull away, and Bren’s gaze dropped immediately to my lips.
She was panting too.
“Come with me,” she whispered, then delighted me by reaching up on her toes to nip at my lower lip before tugging me with her as she took a step back.
I growled, my body threatening to explode as I took her mouth again, holding her to me, walking her backwards, murmuring all the things I wished to do to her against her lips as we stumbled and staggered together.
Trace every inch of your skin with my tongue.
Open your legs and kiss you there until you scream.
Worship at the temple of your body until you beg me to stop.
A sharp little intake of breath was the only clue she gave that she heard me, but she pulled me closer, and we stumbled, our feet tangling in the straw.
I caught her weight and held her to me until we found our balance, then walked her back another pace, and another, feasting on her mouth until her shoulders thunked against the wall and she gasped.
But she only clawed her hands into my back and pulled me in.
I broke the kiss once more to drink in the sight of her—hair messed by my clawed fingers, lips swollen, cheeks heated, eyes glazed. She arched her back to press herself to me and reached with one hand to the top button of her vest.
Caution screamed in my head.
This was too much.
Too fast.
She’d been hurt.
If she grew frightened of me it could ruin everything.
Everything.
But what everything? I was her Commanding Officer. There was no—
Bren twisted her fingers in my hair and pulled me down like dragging on a collar.
With a ragged huff that wanted to be laughter, I resisted, placing a hand to her throat gently, just my palm and I didn’t press—but I made her look at me, holding her jaw between my fingers when she tried to push back up into my kiss.
“This is… madness ,” I croaked. Folly. Insanity, my mind continued. Yet, her eyes glazed with need, and I knew what I’d find if I slid a hand inside her leathers and between her legs.
Suddenly, I had to prove to myself that I was right.
Keeping that hand at her throat, I leaned down to kiss her again, dropping the other hand to the buttons at her waistband where I slipped the tongue of her belt out of its keepers and opened it with a small tug that pulled her hips towards me. Her eyes popped open again.
“Bren, do you want me?” I growled, pinning her with my eyes.
“Yes!” she gasped.
Her buckle clinked as I freed it, and the button of her leathers was between my fingers and—
A shout echoed in the stable aisle and she froze as I instinctively covered her with my body to hide her from any eyes that might peer in the door.
Neither of us spoke. We both panted heavily. My heart thrummed in my ears, but I desperately tried to listen past it for footsteps or—
Kgosi came alive in my head, and the world rushed back in.
‘Donavyn? What has you so exhilarated?’
It was natural to let him see what I saw, to know what I know, but I instinctively blocked him and the act opened my eyes. And my gaze, so clouded by desire just moments before, was suddenly crystal clear.
I’m half drunk, and so is she. I’m her Commanding Officer. She’s half my age. And I’m undressing her against the wall of a fucking stable.
With a muttered curse I fumbled at her belt, trying desperately to rebuckle it with numb fingers—then gave up and shoved myself back, away, shaking my head. “Oh, God, Bren, I’m so sorry,” I rasped.
Bren blinked. Frowned. “Wh-what?”
“That was wrong.” I clawed both hands into my hair. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I should never have put you in this position—”
“Donavyn, why are you apologizing?” Her eyes danced, her cheeks beautifully pink as she pushed off the wall, reaching for me, but I stumbled back, shaking my head, and she froze, her soft, sweet smile faltering.
“I’m so ashamed of myself.” I swallowed hard. “I should never have—I’m sorry. This was wrong.”
“What?” she recoiled and my heart, thudding in my chest, screamed. That gaping hole in my core that had gone away when I touched her suddenly yawned open again, sucking at me.
Then, as I questioned myself, Bren’s eyes went wide with horror.
Conviction, and self-loathing punched me in the gut.
I started to babble. “It’s my fault. Don’t blame yourself. We were caught up. Drinking. After a huge day. I was recovering from the Trial, from thinking you’d been hurt. It’s only natural that we’d—”
Lies. It was all lies!
But as I stammered on, Bren raised a hand to her throat—right where I’d held her just moments before—her expression growing more horrified by the second.
I redoubled my efforts to explain, to reassure her.
“I’m so sorry—I’ve dishonored you and my position and… You’re beautiful. You’re incredible. I wanted you. But, I don’t know what got into me. It won’t happen again. You don’t need to fear me, Bren!”
My soul screamed as she gaped at me, her chest still heaving. Then her gaze darkened and my heart tore in two.
I fled like the coward I was.