Page 30 of Naga Warlord’s Mate (Nagas of Nirum #3)
Priscilla
Priscilla’s muscles burned with satisfaction as she corrected a young warrior’s stance. The twin suns of Nirum beat down on the training grounds, turning the stone courtyard into a furnace. She didn’t mind the heat anymore. It had become as familiar as the weight of the blade at her hip.
“Your guard is too high,” she said, demonstrating the proper position. “Leave it there, and a faster opponent will gut you before you can blink.”
The warrior adjusted, his scales gleaming with sweat. “Yes, Advisor.”
From his position on the observation platform, Andear watched her with that intense focus that still made her catch her breath. Even after a year, even after everything they’d been through, his presence commanded attention. His tail coiled lazily around one of the stone pillars as he tracked her movements.
“Again,” Priscilla called to her students. “This time, remember what I taught you about reading your opponent’s weight distribution.”
The clash of training weapons filled the air. She moved between the pairs, making corrections, remembering how she had once been in their position. Now she stood as their teacher, their leader—titles she’d never dreamed possible in her old life.
“Your warriors improve quickly,” Andear’s deep voice soon rumbled behind her. He’d moved silently, as always, but she’d learned to sense his approach. “Though not as quickly as you did.”
Priscilla turned, meeting his golden gaze. “They haven’t had your personal attention.” She smirked. “Or your particular brand of motivation.”
His hand brushed the mating mark on her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. “Is that what you call it?”
“I call it being thrown across the training grounds until I learned to dodge properly.”
Andear’s lips curved into that predatory smile she knew so well. “You were stubborn.”
“I still am.” She stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his scales. “That’s why you chose me as your second in command.”
His tail wrapped around her waist, a possessive gesture that made several of the younger warriors quickly avert their eyes. “I chose you because you earned it. The same way you earned your place on the council.”
Pride swelled in her chest. She had earned it—through blood, sweat, and unwavering determination. The same way she’d earned her place at his side.
“Speaking of the council,” she said, “we have a meeting soon. Something about trade negotiations with the outer colonies.”
Andear growled low in his throat. “Politics.”
“Don’t worry, my fierce warlord. I’ll do the talking.” She patted his chest. “You just stand there and look intimidating.”
Priscilla’s breath hitched as Andear’s massive hand spread across her still-flat belly. The heat of his palm seeped through her thin training clothes, making her skin tingle where he touched her. His golden eyes held an intensity she’d never seen before—not even during battle.
“Watch yourself, little warrior,” he murmured, his deep voice dropping to a reverent whisper that made her shiver. “You are carrying my heir.”
The possessiveness in his tone should’ve bothered her. Once, it might have. But now it filled her with warmth, belonging. She placed her smaller hand over his, marveling at the contrast between her pale skin and his dark scales.
“Our heir,” she corrected softly, meeting his gaze with a gentle challenge. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, and his tail curled around her waist and pulled her closer against his broad chest.
The training yard had gone suspiciously quiet. From the corner of her eye, Priscilla could see the young warriors pretending very hard not to watch their fearsome commander showing such tenderness. The thought made her smile—how far they’d all come from the days when they’d sneered at the very idea of a human training among them.
Andear’s thumb stroked small circles against her abdomen, and Priscilla leaned into him, savoring the protective curl of his body around hers. If someone had told her a year ago that she’d be here—free, respected, carrying the child of the most powerful warlord on Nirum—she would have thought them mad. Yet here she stood, no longer a slave but a leader, no longer alone but cherished.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Andear rumbled against her ear, his fangs grazing the mating mark on her neck. “I can feel it through the bond.”
“Just appreciating how life changes,” she whispered back, letting her head rest against his chest. “How sometimes the best things come from the most unexpected places.”
His tail tightened fractionally around her waist. “Like a stubborn human sneaking into my training grounds?”
Later that evening, the twin moons cast long shadows across the stone courtyard as Priscilla followed Andear to their den. Her muscles ached pleasantly from the day’s training, and the night air cooled her heated skin. The familiar weight of his tail brushed against her lower back, guiding her closer.
Andear stopped at the entrance, turning to face her. The moonlight caught the gold undertones in his scales, making them shimmer like captured starlight. His massive frame blocked out the moons, casting her in shadow. The possessive gleam in his eyes made her heart race.
“You’re staring,” she teased, though her breath caught as his hand cupped her face. His palm was rough but his touch remained gentle—a warlord’s paradox she’d come to cherish.
“I am admiring what is mine.” His deep voice rumbled through her chest. His tail coiled around her waist, drawing her against him until she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. “I told you. You were mine forever.”
The words should have bristled against her hard-won independence. Instead, they settled into her chest like a warm ember. She’d fought too hard for her freedom to ever be truly owned again, but choosing to belong to someone was different. Especially when that someone had earned her trust through blood, battle, and unwavering respect.
Priscilla rose on her tiptoes, letting her lips brush against his. The contact sent sparks down her spine, igniting the ever-present heat between them. “And I told you—I don’t take orders.” She nipped at his bottom lip, drawing a low growl from his chest. “But this time, I think I’ll listen.”
His grip tightened, and she felt the tremor of restraint in his muscles. Even now, after everything, he held himself in check— afraid his strength might harm her. She pressed closer, showing him without words that she wasn’t made of glass.
“My little warrior,” he murmured against her lips. “Always challenging me.”
“Would you want me any other way?”
Priscilla tilted her head back as Andear’s laughter rumbled through his chest, the sound mixing with her own lighter giggles. The night air caressed her heated skin, carrying the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers from the palace gardens. Above them, Nirum’s twin moons painted everything in silver light, making Andear’s scales shimmer with an otherworldly glow.
Priscilla’s laughter echoed through the night air as Andear’s massive frame pressed her against the cool stone wall outside their den. His scales glinted in the moonlight, dark and beautiful against her pale skin. The heat of his body enveloped her, making her feel deliciously small and protected.
“Someone might see,” she teased, though she made no move to push him away.
Andear’s growl vibrated through her chest. “Let them.” His tail coiled possessively around her thigh as he claimed her mouth, his kiss deep and demanding. “The whole of Nirum knows you’re mine.”
The intensity in his golden eyes made her breath catch. Even now, after everything they’d been through, the raw power of his presence still thrilled her. He wasn’t just her mate. He was a force of nature, a warrior who commanded armies. Yet here he was, treating her like she was something precious.
“Yours,” she agreed, sliding her hands up his chest. The hard planes of muscle beneath her palms reminded her of just how different they were—human and Niri, small and massive, soft and scaled. But those differences had long since ceased to matter.
His fangs grazed her mating mark, sending shivers down her spine. “Say it again,” he demanded, his voice rough with need.
Priscilla tilted her head back, offering her throat in a gesture of trust that would have once been unthinkable. “I’m yours, my warlord.” She felt his sharp intake of breath, the way his muscles tensed at her words. “Just as you’re mine.”
“Always,” he murmured against her skin, and then his mouth was on hers again, hungry and possessive. His hands lifted her easily, pinning her between his body and the wall. The stone was cool against her back, but she barely noticed—not with the heat of him pressing against her front and consuming her senses.
Their laughter mixed with sighs and soft moans as they lost themselves in each other, two warriors who had found peace in the most unexpected place—each other’s arms.
The stars above seemed to dance, witnesses to this moment she’d never thought possible. She was free. She was loved. She was carrying new life.
“What are you thinking?” Andear murmured against her lips, his thumb stroking circles on her stomach.
“That I never knew happiness could feel like this.” She met his gaze, letting him see the truth in her eyes. “That somehow, sneaking into your training grounds turned into everything I never knew I needed.”
His answering kiss stole her breath away, claiming her again and again under the vast expanse of stars.