Page 29 of Boss Level

It doesn’t take long for Daire to finish. Thankfully, as Moon arrives back with Tristan and Arlo, I pull my shirt back on.

“Come on.” Daire leads me over to Moon, who smiles when she sees us. “I’ll wait here.”

“Everything okay?” Moon looks worried, but I nod.

“Can I talk to you?” I ask, feeling shy now.

“Always.” Moon’s smile could light up the darkest night.

I follow her to the tent we’ll all be sleeping in while we’re here. No one is here right now, giving us privacy. Taking a deep breath, I remove my shirt as soon as she turns to face me.

“Oh! You said talk, but did you mean something else?” She giggles in the cutest way, walking over to me, her hips swaying. Then she sees what I’ve done. “Warrior!” Moon gasps.

“I meant talk. I wanted you to see…”

Her eyes are wide as she lifts her hand, touching my skin. The gentleness of her caress makes me shiver. “What…”

“I had Daire tattoo you over my heart.” I look down, seeing what she’s seeing. Her name. Moonlight…

“Why?” she asks, frowning. She looks concerned. “You scarred yourself… You didn’t have to do this for me…”

“It’s not just for you. Every mark on my skin was given to me by someone else. Through pain. I did this for love. So that when someone else looks at me, they’ll see more than just the pain inflicted upon me. So you have something to look at that isn’t…ugly, when you look at me,” I explain, and Moon gasps.

“Don’t…” she shakes her head. “Don’t say things like that, Warrior. I’ve never looked at you and seen ugly. It hurts my heart to think you thought I did.” She sounds sad. I don’t like that…What did I say wrong?

“I’m sorry,” I say, frowning. “I wasn't criticizing you…I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I’m ruining this.

“Hey, it’s okay. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Moon takes me in her arms and soothes me instantly. “I need you to know that you’re so much more than the scars on your body. You mean everything to me, and when I look at you, I don’t see your scars.” When Moon kisses my skin, I shiver.

“Moon,” I gasp.

“When I look at you, I see strength.” Another kiss, this one against my pulse. “I see bravery and resilience.” She kisses my cheek now. “I see my mate. I see home. Family. I see a man I love very much. A man that easily makes my heart race. I see you.” She kisses my lips now, and I growl as I wrap my arms around her waist. “If we could, I would spend days in bed, making love to you. I desire you at all times. To me, you’re so fucking handsome.”

“I thought you pitied me,” I confess, and Moon shakes her head.

“I pity any who dares make you feel less than, ever again. Because I will set them on fire from the inside out and watch them scream.” Her violent threat warms my heart.

“I love you, Moonlight.”

“I love you, Warrior. So much. Forever.”

Lust

When Moon and Warrior walk out of the tent, I have to hold myself back from sprinting over to her. I walk at a reasonable pace, and stop in front of her, trying not to be overbearing.

“Can I have a moment?” I ask, and Moon grins.

“I’m very popular tonight,” she giggles, and I nod.

“I’m sure I won’t be the last of your mates that want a moment with you tonight,” I say, looking around at the other guys. I know the rest of them all want their time with her. “I have something important to give you,” I blurt.

“Tent?” Moon asks, and I nod, following her back inside. I’m anxious and impatient, and end up partially shifting before I can explain myself. “Oh…” Moon looks at me with wide eyes.

“Sorry. I’m just…Listen, I was assigned as your protector a long time ago. My kind have always been protectors, and I want you to know that will never change. You might not need me now like you once did, but I’ll always be here to keep you safe.” Bringing a wing forward, I pluck the feather meant for her and hold it out. My magic transforms it into a bracelet.

It’s red, with a yellow tip, and hard as metal now. Holding her wrist, I slip it on over her hand.

“It’s a symbol of my devotion to you. Of my love for you. A love I’ve felt for a long time now. But this one,” I take another feather, and repeat the process. “This one is for the baby. I know Dragons are pretty resilient, but if anyone has bad intentions toward our child, it will light up. It’ll help keep them safe. And in our world, that could be the difference between life and death.”

---