Page 37 of Song of the Heart Scale (The Dragon’s Ballad #3)

For a while, I just sat there in silence, letting the water work its magic.

Then the thoughts came.

They always did.

Cat had asked me once if I ever thought about leaving Elaria.

About going with her to her world. At the time, I hadn’t given her a straight answer.

I didn’t really have one. But now, with the chaos swirling all around us and the faint hope of toppling Thorne blooming on the horizon, it was time I started thinking.

Would I go?

Could I?

The truth was, I didn’t know. Not really.

What would become of me in her world? Would I lose my dragon—this half of myself that had always been as natural as breathing?

If I crossed that threshold, would it disappear?

Or worse, would I remain what I am—immortal, untouchable, unable to age—while she withered beside me, leaving me in a strange world?

The thought made my blood run cold.

I closed my eyes and sank deeper into the tub, letting the water rise to my shoulders.

Cat was the first thing in my life I’d ever truly chosen.

Not as a prince, not as a dragon, not as a weapon or a shadow—but as a man.

I didn’t want to lose her. But I didn’t want to live in a strange world without her, either.

An eternity spent wandering through a realm of glass and steel while the only thing that tethered me to it had long turned to dust?

Unthinkable.

But she deserved to go back. To her world. To her people. Even if I didn’t want her to. And if she stayed here for me... the guilt would eventually kill her.

“By the Immortals,” I muttered.

The steam curled around me like massaging fingers. My reflection on the surface of the water stared back—dark gaze, furrowed brow, shadows under my eyes that weren’t there before all this began.

What did I want?

A throne? No.

Power? I’d never had it, but I knew enough to know it came with chains.

What I wanted... was a life. With her. Wherever that ended up being.

If the portal opened again, and we defeated Thorne, and the war ended... would I take her hand and walk through that tear in the world with her?

Yes.

Yes, I would.

But first, I had to survive long enough to make that decision.

A knock came at the door. Light. Tentative.

“Your Highness?” It was one of the servants. “Do you need anything else?”

“No,” I said, more harshly than I meant to. “Leave me.”

Silence followed, then the soft shuffle of retreating footsteps.

I leaned back and rested my head against the cool marble lip of the tub. The world outside was spinning faster than I could keep up, and every decision I made felt like it came with a blade at my throat.

But if I was going to be cut open... let it be for something that mattered.

Let it be for her .

I closed my eyes, the scent of the oils and petals lulling me into stillness. For now, just for a moment, I let myself drift.

Because soon, the battle would begin again.

Another knock at the door jerked me from my reverie.

“I said leave me!” I growled, not bothering to open my eyes. Couldn't they grant me even a moment's peace?

The door opened anyway, a soft click followed by the whisper of bare feet across marble. Before I could turn to unleash my frustration, two hands slipped over my eyes from behind, delicate fingers cool against my heated skin.

I inhaled sharply, then relaxed as her scent washed over me—something uniquely Cat, something that reminded me of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. My body recognized her before my mind could catch up.

“You're supposed to be asleep,” I murmured, reaching up to touch her wrists, feeling her pulse fluttering beneath my fingertips.

“I was,” she whispered, her breath warm against my ear. “Until I woke up and you weren't there.” Her hands slid from my eyes, trailing down my neck and over my shoulders, her touch leaving goosebumps in its wake.

I tilted my head back to look at her. Dark hair fell around her face in messy waves, framing those eyes that seemed to see right through me. She wore nothing but one of my shirts, which hung loose on her frame, the collar dipping to reveal the curve of collarbone.

“You should have stayed in bed,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.

Cat's lips curved into that smile that always made my chest tighten. “And miss the chance to see you like this?” Her fingers dipped below the water's surface, tracing idle patterns across my chest. “Vulnerable. Unguarded.”

I caught her wrist and pulled her around to face me. Water sloshed over the rim of the tub as I tugged her closer. “Vulnerable is a dangerous thing to be in Elaria.”

“Good thing I'm not from Elaria,” she whispered, her free hand coming to rest against my cheek.

Without another word, I pulled her into the bath with me, shirt and all. She gasped, half-laughing as she landed in my lap, water cascading around us and splashing to the floor. The thin fabric clung to her skin and became nearly transparent.

“Damien!” she protested, but there was no real anger in her voice.

Silencing her with a kiss, I tangled one hand in her hair and slid the other beneath the sodden shirt to find the warm curve of her waist. Her lips parted beneath mine, yielding and demanding all at once. That was Cat—always meeting me halfway, challenging me even as she surrendered.

The heat of the water was nothing compared to the fire that ignited between us.

Her weight on my lap and the slick slide of her body against mine was intoxicating.

I pushed the soaked shirt up her torso, breaking our kiss just long enough to pull it over her head and toss it to the marble floor with a wet slap.

“Beautiful,” I breathed, taking in the sight of her. Water droplets clung to her skin, catching the candlelight like diamonds. I traced the curve of her breast with my thumb, watching her eyes darken as her breath hitched.

“I've been thinking about you all day,” she confessed, rolling her hips against mine in a way that made me groan. “Even when I was supposed to be listening to Uncle Bai's plans.”

I smiled against her neck and tasted the salt of her skin. “Scandalous. What would he say if he knew I was the subject of such inappropriate thoughts?”

“He’d say you’re a lucky man,” she replied, her voice low and rough as I captured her mouth again.

Her fingers trailed down my chest beneath the water, finding me hard and ready. I hissed against her lips as she wrapped her hand around me, stroking slowly.

“Cat,” I warned, my control fraying at the edges.

She smiled against my mouth. “Yes, Your Highness?”

The title, usually a burden, sounded like a caress coming from her. I effortlessly lifted her and positioned her above me. Water cascaded down her body as she rose, rivulets tracing paths I desperately wanted to follow with my tongue.

“Tell me you want this,” I demanded, gripping her hips.

“I want you ,” she answered without hesitation.

I watched her eyes flutter closed as I slowly lowered her onto me, our bodies joining in one fluid motion. The sensation nearly overwhelmed me—her tight heat enveloping me, her soft gasp against my lips, the way her fingers dug into my shoulders.

“Damien,” she breathed, my name a prayer on her lips.

I held still, savoring the moment and committing every detail to memory—the flush spreading across her chest, the water gently lapping around us, the candlelight dancing across her damp skin. In this moment, there was no war, no throne, no impending doom. Just us.

“Look at me,” I commanded softly.

Her eyes opened and met mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.

I cupped her face in my hands and brushed her cheekbones with my thumbs as she began to move above me.

Slow at first, then faster, setting a rhythm that had my head falling back against the marble.

Water splashed around us with each movement, flower petals clinging to her skin like they couldn't bear to part from her, either.

I trailed my lips down her throat and across her collarbone, capturing a hardened nipple between my teeth.

She arched into me and a breathless moan escaped her lips that echoed off the bathroom walls.

My hands slid down her back to cup her bottom and guide her movements as she rode me with increasing urgency.

“You're mine,” I growled against her skin, marking her with my teeth, my tongue soothing the sting immediately after. “Say it.”

“I'm yours!” she gasped. Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling just enough to send sparks of pleasure mingled with pain down my spine. “And you're mine, Damien. All mine.”

“All yours,” I agreed, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears—rough and desperate. The admission freed something primal within me.

In one swift motion, I lifted us both from the water, holding her against me as I stepped out of the tub. Water cascaded from our bodies, pooling at our feet on the marble floor. Cat's legs wrapped around my waist, her arms around my neck, our bodies still joined as I carried her to the wall.

Her back met the cool stone, drawing a gasp from her lips that I swallowed with a hungry kiss. I braced one hand beside her head, the other gripping her thigh, holding her steady as I drove into her with renewed purpose.

“Don't stop,” she whispered against my mouth, her nails scoring lines down my back that I'd proudly wear come morning.

The contrast of sensations was maddening—her heat against my skin, the cool wall at her back, the lingering warmth of the bath water dripping down our bodies. Each thrust drove me deeper, eliciting soft cries from her that I wanted to capture and keep forever.

“Damien!” she gasped, her head falling back against the wall, exposing the elegant line of her throat. “I'm close.”

I felt her trembling thighs, followed by the tightening of her body around mine. I slid my hand between us, finding that sensitive bundle of nerves with practiced ease. Her reaction was immediate—a sharp intake of breath, her eyes flying open to meet mine.

“Let go,” I commanded, circling my thumb in rhythm with my thrusts. “Let me see you come undone.”

She did, spectacularly, her body arching against mine as pleasure overtook her.

My name on her lips again and again, a litany that fueled my own release.

I buried my face in the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent as I followed her over the edge, my hips jerking against hers as pleasure crashed through me like a tidal wave.

For several moments, we remained locked together, our ragged breathing the only sound in the steamy bathroom.

I felt her heartbeat against my chest, racing to match my own.

Slowly, carefully, I carried her to the padded bench against the far wall and cradled her in my lap as I sat. I pressed a kiss to her damp skin.

Cat’s fingers traced idle patterns on my chest. She looked up at me, her eyes serious despite her smile. “I can't sleep well without you anymore,” she admitted, her voice small but honest. “Isn't that strange? I used to sleep alone all the time.”

Something in my chest tightened at her words. I brushed a strand of wet hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I know,” I said softly. “It's the same for me.”

We sat in comfortable silence, our breathing synchronizing as our bodies cooled.

The candles burned lower, casting long, thin shadows across the marble floor.

Outside, the first hints of dawn were beginning to peek through the night sky, pale fingers of light reaching through the small window near the ceiling.

“We should get some rest,” I finally said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “The coming days will demand much from both of us.”

Cat nodded against my chest but made no move to leave the sanctuary we'd created. I understood her reluctance. Here, in this steamy room with the scent of oils and flowers hanging in the air, we could pretend the world outside didn't exist.

I reluctantly stood, lifting her effortlessly in my arms. She nestled against me and tucked her head beneath my chin, trusting me completely. That trust was a weight I willingly carried, a burden sweeter than any I'd ever known.

I carried her from the bathroom, nodding briefly to the servants who averted their eyes at our nudity as we passed. Let them whisper. Let them wonder. I was beyond caring what anyone thought of us now.

Our bedroom was bathed in the soft glow of pre-dawn light when I shouldered the door open. The sheets were still rumpled from where Cat had lain earlier. I gently placed her on the bed, watching as she stretched like a contented cat, unselfconscious in her nakedness.

“Stay with me,” she murmured, reaching for my hand.

“Always,” I promised, sliding in beside her.

She curled against me immediately, her body perfectly fitting against mine as though we'd been crafted as two halves of the same whole. I pulled the blankets over us, creating a cocoon of warmth against the early morning chill.

“Damien?” she whispered, her voice already heavy with approaching sleep.

“Hmm?” I traced lazy patterns along her spine, feeling her relax further with each pass of my fingers.

“Whatever comes next... we face it together. Okay?”

I pressed my lips to her temple, breathing in the scent of her—now mingled with bath oils and something uniquely us. “Together, I promise.”

Her breathing deepened and her body fell slack against mine as sleep reclaimed her. I held her close, watching as the first true rays of sunlight crept across our bed, illuminating her face in gold. Soon, sleep took me as well.