So she’d muttered something about being tired, and scooted away. She reminded herself for at least the thousandth time that she’d sworn off testicles, especially when they came attached to seven-foot Dragon shifter warriors.
Friendship was a good thing. Even if it meant you never got to slide your hands over those...
Never mind.Her tactile appreciation days were over. Not that they’d ever truly begun. In truth, until Tyrez, she’d never met a male who treated her with enough respect that she’d even consider touching those . . .
Nope. Not going there.
Her life was complicated enough without adding Tyrez to the mix.
She’d not paid much attention to where her feet took her, just let them wander where they wished. Soft voices ahead caused her to pause—Aphostra and the Watchers. They must have finished with Ash for the day—had they removed the collar? Dani was tempted to ask, but she ducked into a side tunnel and let them pass by instead. She wanted to know but wasn’t in the mood for their gentle assessments. They meant well, but they kept trying to open boxes she’d rather keep tightly sealed.
After they’d gone, she continued on. There was a small entrance ahead with a ledge that opened to the air. It was one of her favorite places to view the sunset.
When she got to the ledge, she stared in shock at the sinking sun. It was later than she’d thought, she’d lost track of time while wandering the tunnels and prowling in her restless thoughts.
She stood at the very edge, her booted toes hanging over, and stared down at the grasses far below. The wind gently moved the tall blades, sending ripples of rainbow colors across the landscape.
“If you jump from there, you’d better have Dragon wings.”
The deep voice startled her so badly she almost stumbled over the edge. Long fingers wrapped around her elbow, steadying her until she could take a step back.
Warmth pulsed from the fingers, a surge that brought a gasp to her lips. Then they released, and she turned to meet eyes that swirled a beautiful, pure silver.
“Ash! I-I didn’t see you.”
He gestured with a far-too-thin arm toward the rocks that framed the ledge. “Sorry. I was lurking. I’ve gotten quite good at blending into the shadows.”
Something was different. His eyes were clearer than she remembered, his gaze steady instead of darting around. And the fingers that had touched her weren’t shaking.
And he hadtouchedher.
“You—you look good,” she said.
He snorted, then smiled—a flash of pure white teeth glinting in the near darkness. His entire face transformed—it lifted the lines alongside his mouth and revealed a perfect dimple on each side. His eyes glowed.
For that instant, he was so heart-stoppingly beautiful that she couldn’t breathe. Her heart flipped right over.
The smile was there, and gone, but she’d seen it. And she wanted more.
“I am far from good,” he admitted. “But at least now, good might be possible.”
The collar. It was gone. A pale mark encircled his throat—in the darkness, she’d mistaken it for the band of metal. “They got it off.”
He nodded. “The air against my skin feels so strange.”
Rindek had enslaved Ash since birth. She couldn’t imagine being held by that monster for so long. He’d done enough damage to her in just a few months.
“You are so brave,” she murmured. “To be held captive like that, all those years.”
He shook his head. “Brave? Is it brave to want to live? I am nothing special. I survived, that is all.”
Dani knew that sentiment well. She recognized it for what it was—a way of coping with nightmares.
“Aphostra has been trying to help me.” Her voice broke, and she winced. “But I just want to forget.”
He moved away and sat down on a rocky outcropping. It dropped him into the deep shadows. She didn’t think it was accidental that she could no longer see his features.
“I wish I could forget.” His voice was barely audible. “But my talent forbids it. It keeps bringing it all back in glorious, unwelcome detail. And then, for good measure, it yanks me into an equally bleak future. Many of them, in fact.”
