He chuckles. “Definitely piggish.” With a quick move, he pinches my arm lightly.
I laugh and go to push his hand away, but his fingers linger on mine. It’s only a moment before he puts his hands on his knees, but the sensation of his touch hums through me. I wonder what it would feel like to have his whole body pressed against mine like his thigh is right now. I inhale and scoot over to give him an inch more room.
“I’m all right. Sorry if I woke you.”
“No, it’s fine. I have nightmares a lot,” he says.
“You do?”
He heads back to his spot on the floor. “About being left when I was little.”
My chest aches for him. “Cyrus. I’m so sorry.”
Shrugging, he lies down and pulls his quilt up to his waist. “Robin and Lucretia were kind to me. I’m luckier than most orphans.”
That reminds me about the kissing booth charity portion of the upcoming May Day festival. I hope I can earn a bunch for the younglings and children who need help.
We fall back into silence, but before I nod off, I have to ask… “Are you going to visit the area your ghostly kin directed you to? You have to. Right? I would in your shoes.”
Actually, I probably wouldn’t. There’s always so much work to do at the bakery, plus venturing into the unknown is not my style.
His look tells me he knows that about me. “Yes. I’ll go after May Day.”
Heart sinking, I nod because I don’t trust my voice. I’m too sleepy, and that dream felt so real that I wish he wanted to stay forever by my side. “Of course. Good.”
“I’ll be back, Kaya.”
So he says. But he might find something there that he is missing out on. He might decide to stay.
“Oh, I know,” I say, feigning a relaxed mood about the whole thing.
The night wears on, and Cyrus’s breathing grows even. I savor the feel of having him here with me. It’s a stolen night—one I’ll always treasure. He’s different when he’s alone with me. He’s not the gambler, the flirt, the wild dragon shifter. He’s just Cyrus. And he’s perfect.
Soon, I’m asleep again, too.
Chapter 23
Cyrus
Kaya wakes me again with some incredibly cute mumbling in her sleep. She throws an arm into the air and kicks a leg, sending her quilt to the floor. I get up and lay it back on top of her. She turns onto her side, still muttering and frowning viciously like her nightmare is back. Nightmares are the worst. I know exactly how it feels to be under their sway. Maybe I can comfort her for a minute without her knowing.
I crawl into the slender cot with her and ease her gently against me, setting one arm loosely over her stomach. She stops grumbling and thrashing, but my quaking heart will likely wake her. This is foolish. Regardless, I can’t seem to help myself. Her eyes are firmly shut and her breathing indicates she’s asleep. I allow myself to bend a wing around her and satisfaction curls up in my soul like a sleeping cat. She’s so soft and smells absolutely divine. A goddess in my arms. What I would give to smooth the fine hairs at the nape of her neck away and nibble the fair skin there.
I fill my lungs with her scent, and my dragon magic crackles inside me, wanting to wall us in flame and claim her as my mate. I can’t let it get away from me. I need to move away from herphysically, but the pull to remain at her back is a hook latched firmly in my chest. I can’t make myself move.
The sun’s first light sneaks into the room. I have to leave her and return to the floor. I grit my teeth, pull back my wing, and slide out of the little bed. I’m back in my quilt before I hear her roll over. Hopefully, she will never know I held her like that.
She may think I’m trustworthy, but I’m not good enough for her. Likely, no one is, but definitely not me. I’d mess things up. I’d ruin our friendship just to have a temporary affair that would hurt us both. I have never been able to hold onto a relationship. I get itchy and back off every time a partner tries to get serious.
Although things feel vastly different with Kaya, I’m a huge risk for her and her sweet heart. I won’t experiment with my personal growth at her expense. She’s worth so much more than that. She can’t be my test case.
Maybe I’ll help her find someone so she can look at them in the way she looks at me. Pain spears me and I grit my teeth again, fisting my hands in the quilt and turning so I’m facing the door. I’ll go against every feeling I have and help her find her true mate. Because it can’t be me. I refuse to drag her down the bumpy road of my life.
A yowling erupts outside the door, and I roll to trade a surprised look with Kaya, who is now fully awake. I hop up and open the door to find Sio.
“Finally,” he mutters.
Kaya pats the bed beside her, where I just was. “I am so glad you’re here. I was wondering what you might be getting into.”
