Page 34 of Fated for his Flame

Looking up at a sound, I saw her scrambling down the hill toward me. My dragon sight made it easy to see the panic and fear on her face.

Shifting back, I went to meet her and calm her down.

Chapter Seventeen

Chloe

“We have to go to this?” I asked, trying to keep the plaintive whine from my voice.

I only partially succeeded.

“Yes, we do,” Silas said. “It’s mandatory for someone like me.”

I peeked through my side of the clothing rack to catch his eye. “Yes, but the last time we went to something like this, you got attacked. They tried to kill you.”

Silas pulled up his shirt. “It’s been almost of a week. I’m fine now. See? How many times do I have to tell you dragons heal faster than humans. No marks left, darling.”

I glared at him. He knew I was still growing accustomed to there being a thing between us. Calling me darling was not something we did. Not yet. Whatever it was, was too new for that. So, by saying it now, he was patronizing me. I didn’t take well to that.

“It’s not the fact you got hurt, though I don’t like that either,” I admitted, trying to not let my worry seep through more than it had. Worry for a man I’d only just begun to get to know. “Silas, he tried to kill you. Because of me. At a party where you ran into one another by accident.”

“What does that have to do with it?” he asked, genuine confusion bunching up his handsome features.

I reached up and soothed the furrows away, rolling my thumb over the stubble on his cheek. He’d started growing it out, and I was coming to like it. The grays in his beard matched those in his hair.

“He knows you’re going to be at this Peace Gala—stupid name by the way, could she try something more original? He can plan for it this time, which means they may actually succeed!”

Silas’ disagreement was obvious on his face. “He won’t try anything.”

“Why not? How can you be sure? You didn’t think he would try anything at Aram’s party, and look how that turned out. What if he goes for me this time?”

One of his massive paw-like hands cupped my chin, pulling my head up, so he could look down at me. His storm-cloud-like eyes swirled, their depths obscured as always.

“Because my message was rather clear, for starters. But also because it’s at the palace. The sovereign’s guards are all over. They won’t stand for any of that.”

I thought about pointing out we could still be attacked coming or going from the gala. The flight over was short, but it could still happen. But it would be useless. Silas was confident that, for now, things were calm.

“We also won’t be traveling alone,” he added. “Our family will go as one, if that helps?”

“It does,” I admitted. “Other than your father. Will he even let it happen?”

Silas shrugged. “I’ll probably be last in line, a protocol insult, but I don’t give a shit about that.”

“All right.”

“Good.” He leaned into the rack and stole a kiss before I could even react. His eyes danced with mischief as he pulled back. “Now, find yourself a dress to wear.”

I laughed and started looking through the various formal dress options on the racks. Jennsen was currently busy with another customer, so I couldn’t avail myself of the old tailor’s help. I’d been surprised we were coming to the same shop, but according to Silas, Jennsen’s was the place. He rarely went elsewhere because Jennsen had the best.

Several numbers caught my eye, but I didn’t pull any from the racks. They were nice, but none was the right one. I knew I needed to pull the look off completely, whichever one I went for. There would be far too many dragons there, and I had to impress almost all of them. I knew that.

But I didn’t care about it. There was only one dragon I found myself wanting to impress, and he was standing on the other side of the rack from me.

It wasn’t how I should be feeling. I should be pushing him for information, learning all I could about dragons and their weaknesses and not looking for a dress that made my ass pop. My focus was fading. The mission becoming less important with each passing day.

The memory of how distraught I’d been after the attack still haunted me. Silas’ condition had been my only concern. I’d run down the slope to him, tears in the corners of my eyes. Tears! I never cried unless I had to make my emotions look real. Unbidden, unforced ones? Never.

But I almost had that night, the salt in the wind biting at the corners of my eyes as I stared at the blood dripping down his side while he limped toward me. It was horrible.

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