Page 26 of Betrayed By Dragons

If anything, I'm hungrier for him than I was before.

When we pull apart, we're both breathless. I force myself to stay focused instead of falling right back into him.

With my hand on my chest, I gaze up at him. "It'll be tough to navigate, but I need time alone with each of you sometimes."

"What about with just me?" He hauls me closer, letting me feel how hard he is for me.

I laugh but shake my head. "Is that really what you're concerned about right now?"

"Was worth a shot," he grumbles. His voice still holds a note of resentment, but it's not as heavy as before.

"This is important. I want to really know you both, and it's hard to have deep conversations sometimes, when it's all three of us together."

He tilts one brow upward. "We get plenty hard and deep if you ask me."

There's that innuendo again, but I don't let him change the subject this time. "That's not what I mean."

He gazes back at me for a moment. When he speaks again, his tone is sober and clear. "I know."

Considering how hurt he was a few minutes ago, his receptiveness now means the world to me.

"We'll figure it out. How to communicate, make sure no one's feelings get hurt, and no one's being excluded."

"I didn't feel excluded." His voice drops. "Just... I didn't like thinking you were going behind my back."

"I'll be as open with you both as I can be. I promise."

"I trust you," he says, quiet but profound.

My throat tightens with emotion. Keeping one hand on his heart, I curl the other around his neck and tug him back down for another soft kiss. His trust is a gift, and I don't accept it lightly.

And yeah--I still feel a twinge of guilt about the secrets I'm keeping. They're not things I plan on hiding from my mates forever, though. I'll tell them about Storm and about the Shadow Queen's Bracer. Just as soon as I figure out how to explain them to myself.

For now, I concentrate on the warmth of Rafe's mouth against mine. Despite the flares of arousal from a couple of minutes ago, neither of us moves to deepen the kiss, choosing to keep it light. More about emotion and connection than about sex.

Eventually, he lets me go. A rueful smile curls his lips, and I tilt my head to the side in question.

"Also, I may have been a little pissed that you forgot our date to do some self-defense lessons."

"Oh, shit." Laughing, I bury my head against his firm, warm chest for a moment. "Sorry. That I definitely did."

"Busted." He curls his arms around me and hugs me tightly, though, taking away the sting.

And it doesn't matter that I'm still wiped from an emotional day of consoling one mate and then the other--not to mention completely failing in my lessons with High Priestess Fang.

Ever a glutton for punishment, I pull away. "Well, you know what they say."

"What's that?"

"There's no time like the present."

Chapter Seven

RAFE

This is a terrible idea. Ember's talked me off the ledge, more or less. I'm not mad at her anymore, but fuck if I still don't want to punch Jianyu in the face.

And that's a stupid response--I know, I know. It's like Ember said. The three of us can't hang out together all the time. Practically speaking, even if Jianyu and I weren't princes of opposing dragon kingdoms, it would be impossible.

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