Page 33 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

“Hmm?”

He folded his arms over his broad chest, waiting for my answer.

“Fine.” I didn’t believe it would happen for one moment, so I could agree for now.

“Maybe she needs to ride him the other way before she’ll feel comfortable,” Luka said under his breath.

“Luka!” Nyx scolded.

“It’s a valid idea!” Luka shot back, clearly drunk enough to not mind standing up to Nyx.

Come to think of it—heat warmed me through and I pushedthe thoughts out of my head before the dragons in the room knew what I was thinking about.

FIFTEEN

JAXUS

Our silly drunken training session was two nights ago and although we hadn’t tried it again, I felt optimistic. Something had happened that night between us.

Nyx had led the session, and really, we were all too tipsy to achieve anything. But while I’d stood mostly silent, a prop in her journey to overcoming her fears, there was a change between us. A trust in me she could not deny. A knowledge that I would keep her safe at all costs, and I felt the same from her.

Our bond was strengthening finally, despite her attempts to block it by keeping away from me. Proof that it could never be denied. She just needed the space to adjust to it, but that didn’t mean I was going to stay away from her. Oh no. I was keeping up the momentum I had built.

So even though we’d spent several hours in the dungeons together earlier, I couldn’t keep away.

I found myself leaning against the door frame of her workroom, watching her go about her alchemy with such seriousness. I eventually gave myself away, unable to suppress my chuckle.

She looked up and froze.

“Hi,” I said, stepping into the room.

“Hi,” she replied hesitantly. “Everything okay?”

“You said you had a lot to do this afternoon. I came to see if you needed any help.”

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“Nope. I’m at your disposal.”

She frowned at me, disbelieving. “For Nyx’s second in command, you seem to have shockingly little to do some days.”

I looked at my feet. I didn’t intend to bring this up, I just simply wanted to be around her. I wanted to keep things light because it was working for us, but there was no other explanation. “Well see, I don’t currently have a ryder. So, when my flight goes out, I have free time.”

I looked up to catch her eye, just as she too, looked down at her feet.

“I didn’t come to make you feel guilty,” I assured her. “We will get there. But until we do, can I make myself useful helping you?”

Her shoulders relaxed and she nodded. “Sure, but there’s a lot to do, so you have to keep up, not slow me down, okay?”

“You’re the boss,” I saluted.

She busied herself as soon as she had her apron tied around her waist. I found a pleasure in watching her work that I never expected. “You don’t have to stay. I’m sure you have training or somewhere to be.”

I had a million things to do, but none that called to me. I didn’t want to fight with Nyx again, or sit in another meeting about a war that no one expected to win. In all my years, my mortality had never felt so heavy. The fleeting moments never felt so important as they did with Kiera.

Before I realized what I was doing, I slid an apron over my head and my fingers brushed her elbow.

She looked over her shoulder as I stepped in behind her. “What are you doing?”