It was half-question, half-instruction. But I was curious enough to want to see what she would do. So, I crept out of bed and into the stable.
Both the dragons were awake, but the moment I stepped into their space, Kgosi tucked his head under his wing.
Akhane watched me, her bright eyes avid as I approached. But instead of speaking, when I drew close she only tipped more onto her side and lifted her wing.
I stopped, uncertain I understood—
‘Come, Little Flame. My heart aches too. Let’s be close. Sleep is always easier with the warmth of someone dear.’
Tears pricked my eyes at the simple kindness as she nosed towards her side, inviting me into the curl of her foreleg.
Carefully, I put myself in the hollow between her leg and her side, laying back against her, surprised again that her skin and scales were not hard and uncomfortable, but warm and smooth. When I lifted a tentative hand and stroked the elbow of her foreleg, a ripple of that strange light that lived under their skins washed over her from head to tail. But before I could ask, she let her wing drop to cover me and tucked her massive snout under the edge of it, so she curled around me.
Her breathing grew deep and steady almost immediately, and the warm vapor of her breath heated the air under her wing.
It hit me in that moment, that I was curled against the body of a dragon.Mydragon. I was beingembraced.I stared in awe at Akhane’s broad snout and prettily scaled head.
I would see her and talk to her every day. The Commander said even if I failed as Furyknight, I was bonded to her for life.
Those thoughts made me marvel, yet the warmth under her wing, and the sudden sense of safety that came with being so close stole me away. The world drifted into a dream that I would not wake from until morning—when, to my horror, that soft embrace would give way to cold mortification.
11. A Word with the King
~ DONAVYN ~
I stopped at the entry to the Royal Wing and was saluted by the guards. Nodding to accept their respect, I addressed the one with the braids at his shoulders, marking him a Sergeant.
“Forgive me for the late hour, but it’s important. I must disturb the King. He’ll want to know this before morning,” I said grimly.
The Guard nodded once, then slipped inside to pass on the message.
I waited impatiently, knowing Alexi would see me. He’d also be pissed if I’d woken him up and he decided thiswasn’tas important as I thought.
I let my gaze wander, turning to look up the hallway as I mentally searched for anything I might have forgotten. If I had truly covered every detail, I could finally make it to my bed after this meeting.
When hurried footsteps sounded beyond the door, I turned back, waiting for the Kingsman to allow me entry, only to find the smiling face of the Queen standing beyond the open door in a night-robe that covered her from her throat to her slippers, and yet somehow managed to mold to her every, uncorseted curve. For a moment, I froze, gaping, as the Kingsman stood at attention beside the open door. But of course, the Queen was unbothered.
“Donavyn! I’ll take you to him. He’s dressing.”
I bowed hurriedly and as elegantly as I was capable, flustered, and a little uneasy. Even if she’d been with Alexi, she could have sent a Kingsman—
Diaan beckoned me forward, smiling, then took my arm when I straightened and stepped into the wide, grand hallway of the Royal Wing.
The Kingsman locked the door behind us, but three others slipped up—two ahead and one behind—to usher us through the passages to the King’s chamber.
“I do hope there isn’t anyrealdanger?” Diaan murmured quietly, squeezing my forearm as we walked briskly together. “He always gets agitated when you come because he knows you don’t overreact. He said he wanted to dress, but I suspect he’s having a drink to steady his nerves. Tell me, were the men sent too late? Is it war?”
“No, no. At least, not that I know of,” I said as easily as I could, chastising myself that I hadn’t anticipated their concern and thought to offer some veiled reassurance in the message. “Since the men left this morning, events have overtaken us within the Dragon Keep. Things that will not affect the King’s strategy, but of which he’ll need to be appraised.”
“Oh, thank God,” the Queen said, squeezing my arm and letting her head rest against my upper arm for a moment as she slumped with relief. “He’ll be pleased to hear that.”
I wasn’t at all sure how pleased Alexi would be about this news. He was a stickler for tradition and held women in a strange place that said they were both desirable, and easily overlooked. He’d grumbled when I approved permanently adding a woman to the healers in the Furyknight infirmary. We’d previously only included them during battle.
I had no doubt he’d be fascinated by the idea of a woman Chosen by a dragon. But I doubted he’d celebrate her as a potential Furyknight. If he didn’t dismiss her entirely, he was more likely to want to trot her out as a fascinating pet to impress visiting nobles. Or fuck her as a trophy.
My skin itched at the thought.
My unease wasn’t soothed by the Queen’s attention. She continued to chatter, smiling up at me and hugging my arm as we walked. It was appropriate at her rank for me to formally escort her, and I knew she’d take the arm of any noble or highly ranked military officer in this manner. But still, my chest tightened unpleasantly.
