Page 18 of Flameborne: Fury (Emberquell Academy #2)

~ DONAVYN ~

It was a night of dreams. The most incredible, stunning dreams.

Hours of touch and scent and cry and need. Hours of watching her unfurl like a spring fern. The fear that still flickered in her eyes at times slowly replaced with joy and ease.

And every time we reached that peak, climbing together, the intensity never waning because our bodies were ignited by each other, the bond, and the dragons, I was left awed.

She was gorgeous.

Strong, and sweet, and eager.

The bond thrummed and swelled and glowed, strengthening with every joining.

It tangled my heart and opened my eyes. But I couldn’t shake the sense that there was a tremulous thread in it, a piece of her that still feared.

I sought it, kissed it, reached within the bond to stroke it, to beckon her out, to see that she had me to my soul.

Mate. Even the thought stole my breath. But the sight of her…

The final time we tumbled over that cliff-edge together, she cried my name and the sound of her giving herself crackled through me like lightning. I held her, one hand fisted in her hair, the other grasping her breast as I shuddered.

We both slumped, exhausted. I curled her into my chest, panting, sweating, praying she’d sense my heart and never give in to that fear again. Then slipped into sleep together when the dragons finally exhausted…

…and was pulled out of sleep the next morning by the strangest sensation. A tugging. A chill. And a knot of dread.

When I opened my eyes, I didn’t immediately remember why, but I knew I’d been changed. Then I saw the cave roof overhead and sat up quickly, looking around because the fur next to me was cold. Empty.

Outside, the morning sun remained dim. Gray. The wind whistled and bushes rattled. But the rain only came in spatters. For a moment I thought we’d be able to fly home, but then I heard Kgosi groan in the distance and grimaced as my body responded.

A dragon’s heat could last three or four days. And during that time they were single-minded. Placing Kgosi anywhere in the vicinity of another male dragon while his mate was still in heat was a death sentence to any male stupid enough to even scent the air near her.

We weren’t going anywhere.

I pressed my lips thin.

There would be grave concern back at the Keep when Kgosi and I didn’t return today.

Then I eyed the sky. It seemed the light and bare spattering of rain was only a pause in the Creator’s tempest. Clouds to the east roiled towards us in steely gray, promising a great deal more rain and wind before this was over.

I prayed the captains wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk good men and dragons to come after us in the storm.

Desire and need speared through me again and I heard a crash and a scream from Akhane in the distance.

Shit.

Where was Bren?

Taking a tight grip on my body, I found my clothing—saturated and clumped on the edge of the cave where I’d thrown them. Looking at the sky outside there was little point trying to wrestle that wet leather back on. What we needed was the clothing spread out in front of a fire to dry.

I saw the gathering of sticks and a heavy branch that Bren had brought in the day before and, praying it was dry enough, quickly set a fire near the wall where the rising smoke would be diverted towards the cave mouth.

When I had it crackling, though smoky because the wood was still damp, I shook out my clothes and laid them out on the nearby dirt, praying the heat would reach them in the damp darkness.

Then I pulled on my boots and went looking for my mate.

I could feel her. Somewhere. Nearby, but she felt like Kgosi when he was distracted. Hollow. Distant. But something else too. Wary.

I frowned.

Ten minutes later in my pursuit of her, my body grew so tight and needy because of the dragons, I knew if I stumbled on her in the forest with a raging erection and fire in my eyes, it would likely frighten her.

We needed to talk. But that meant I needed to be in my right mind.

When I found a small pool, I gritted my teeth, took off my boots, and slipped into it, begging the chill to shock the heat from my bones.

And praying that she’d come to me. That I didn’t have to pursue her. That she wouldn’t be afraid.

Wisdom. I needed wisdom.

And some fucking self-restraint. Which, with the dragons roaring again, would be nearly impossible.

Some minutes later, I could feel her drawing closer, driven to find me.

I sat in the shallows of the freezing water, elbows on my knees and head in my hands, fighting for control. I didn’t want to rush to her, didn’t want to frighten her. But my body demanded. And the surges from the dragons didn’t help.

I prayed her need was enough to soothe her fear, but not so great that we couldn’t speak. I could feel her nerves. I needed to set her mind at ease.

There was a moment when Kgosi roared and I let my head sink back, hands fisted, teeth clenched against the rush of arousal and need. But it wouldn’t fucking stop. And while she hadn’t moved further away, she wasn’t here.

I was so hard it hurt.

Finally, unable to find any relief, I took myself in hand and began to stroke, imagining her last night when she’d been free —in my lap, bent back over my knees, her head back, chin high, calling my name as her breasts bounced and I curled forward to suck on one pink—

A sharp intake of breath reached me despite the whistling wind and my eyes flew open.

Bren stood on the edge of the pool in nothing but her shirt.

It fell to halfway down her thighs, but was still damp and heavy, so it plastered against her breasts, revealing the darker skin of her nipples, the snatch of her waist. And though I couldn’t see it, the hint of that shadow at the apex of her thighs.

The moment my eyes opened our gazes locked.

She was stunning.

Cheeks pink, hair loose and tangled. Her lips puffy and her eyes… Her eyes alight with need, and glazed with lust.

She looked as unsteady as I felt.

“Bren—” I croaked, scrambling to my feet.

Her eyes widened and dropped to my erection. I went still, feeling the apprehension in her, the startled shock, afraid she’d back away. It took every ounce of my self-discipline, developed over twenty years as a Furyknight, not to move from that spot. To let her look and think. To wait.

Then her eyes snapped back to my face and she swallowed. “Last night… Do you regret it?” she said hoarsely.

I blinked. “What? No! Of course not. Bren—” I took a step towards her and she tensed, so I caught myself, cursing.

Thankfully she didn’t flee. Her throat bobbed again and she scanned my body. I felt the surge of need in her and groaned before I could swallow it back.

“Bren,” I croaked. “You’re my mate. Our dragons are mates. I regret nothing.”

Her eyes returned to mine. “But the honor code—”

“We were made for each other, Bren,” I said as firmly as I could without sounding angry. “This might fuck up our careers, but it’s unavoidable—”

Her head drew back and I broke off, cursing myself for the choice of words.

“It’s because of the dragons,” she breathed. “You don’t think—”

“No! Bren, please.” I rushed through the water, kicking it up in my haste. She stumbled back, away from the cold, but didn’t flee. And thank God, when I reached her, cupped her face and held her there, staring down at her, I felt her relief at my touch.

Her fear, it’s ingrained. Not of me. She wants me. She needs me.

The dragons invaded again and it took me a few seconds to think straight, but once I did, I swallowed back the surge of fire and stared down at her.

“Bren, look at me.” I slid fingers into her hair and waited for her to meet my eyes, stroking her temples with my thumbs and searching her eyes. “Bren, I am here. No regrets. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Please, tell me.”

She blinked. “Tell you what?” she whispered.

“Who did this to you?” I asked her darkly. “Who made you believe you couldn’t be wanted? Needed? Tell me. I swear, I will remove that bastard from this earth and make you safe if it’s the last thing I do.”

My heart tore as she broke down in tears.