For now, the siren call of sleep was too strong, and I snuggled back into his embrace, enjoying the way his arms tightened around me.
When I woke again, it was to the late morning sunshine streaming in through my window.
When I woke again, the late morning sun was streaming through the window, gilding the stone walls with a soft golden light. The warmth of it pooled across my bed, but it wasn’t the sunshine that had woken me. It was the gentle sensation of Kael’s fingers running through my hair, his calloused hand moving in soothing, repetitive strokes.
I blinked sleepily, turning my head slightly to find him propped up on one elbow, his dark eyes trained on me with an intensity that made my stomach flutter. For a moment, the world outside the tower, with all its dangers and uncertainties, seemed far away. Here, wrapped in this small cocoon of warmth, I felt safe.
“You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep.
I smiled and stretched, my fingers brushing against the raised lines of a scar on his chest. The texture beneath my fingertips pulled me fully awake, curiosity blooming inside me.
“Did it hurt?” I asked softly, tracing the scar again.
Kael hummed in response, a noncommittal sound that didn’t satisfy me in the least. Frowning, I poked him in the side, and he let out a surprised laugh, catching my hand in his larger one.
“This scar?” he asked, his expression turning somber as he glanced down at my hand. “I don’t even remember it properly. It happened the first time I shifted.”
I tilted my head, watching him closely. “When you couldn’t control the magic?”
He nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line. “The dragon magic was too much for a human body to handle. It started tearing me apart from the inside.” His gaze grew distant as he continued, his voice quieter. “I clawed into myself, trying to stop the pain. It felt like my blood was boiling, my bones twisting, everything inside me...breaking.”
I traced my fingertip over the scar again, wishing I hadn’t asked. My breath hitched, and the image he painted—of unimaginable pain, of a man fighting a war within his own body—made my heart ache for him. If I had known how terrible the mage truly was, I might’ve reached through the fire that night when I first met him and wrung his neck. How could anyone do anything so cruel to another person?
And howdarehe try to turn me against Kael?
Kael’s dark brows drew together, his lips quirking into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Hey,” he said, his voice softer now. “It’s in the past.”
But the scars were still here, etched into his skin, a testament to the cruelty he’d endured. I couldn’t just let it go. My fingers drifted upward, brushing against the black pendant that hung around his neck. The gemstone in its center looked dull, lifeless.
“Who gave you this?” I asked, my curiosity eating me alive. “A family member? An ex-lover?”
He scoffed. “Hardly.”
I looked up at him, and noticed how his face had darkened. The air around us grew heavier as he sighed, his gaze dropping to the pendant.
“It was the mage,” he said finally, sighing heavily.
I blinked, startled. “The mage? Why would he—”
Kael reached up to touch the pendant, his fingers brushing against mine. “It’s an easy way to keep track of how many times each of us could transform into dragon form.”
My stomach churned as I peered into the depths of the black gem at the center of the pendant. It was dull, and lacking luster. Did that mean—?
“My magic is running out,” Kael said, his smile twisting strangely. “I have enough in me for one final transformation, and then my body will give out. The magic will destroy what’s left of me.” He sighed. “It’s why I was so desperate to find a way to reverse the spells the mage performed on me. It’s the only way I’ll survive.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My hand tightened around the pendant, and I bit my lip, willing the tears in my eyes not to fall. I couldn’t be weak at a moment like this, when what he needed now was my strength.
“Youwillsurvive,” I said, clutching the pendant and wishing I could tear it away from his neck and fling the mage’s dark magic out of his body at the same time. “I’ll find a way to make sure your life is a long and healthy one!”
I lost the battle with my tears, and sniffled hard, shooting upright so I could shoot Kael a watery glare. I pushed back his shaggy black hair, which had fallen into his eyes. I met his gaze so he could be sure of my feelings, even as my stomach flutteredwith nerves, my mind wanting to scare me off letting someone into my heart.
“You can’t leave me all alonenow,” I said, waiting to be sure he had really heard me. “You’re all I’ve got, Kael.”
His black eyes were wide with astonishment when he looked back at me, and he blinked once before his features softened, and he smiled back at me.
“You’re all I’ve got, too, Seranni. I would be glad if I could spend the remainer of my life with you, however long that may—”
“Which will be averylong time,” I interrupted him, “if I have anything to say about it. And I do.”
