Page 35 of Burned

“I should probably shut up now.”

“Why? Because you think I’ll use this information against you?”

“You could.” He lifts his head, holding my gaze. “But I know you won’t. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to kill me if that’s what you wanted to do.”

“Glad you noticed.”

I see the flurry of emotions that pass across his features, and as he steps so close his breath warms my face, my breath hitches, my dragon pushing forward.

“He’s looking at me again.”

I nod. “Yes. I told you he likes you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know the answer to that.”

Alrick reaches forward, tangling his fingers gently in my beard. “Do you know that I would never hurt you?”

“Yes.” And I mean it.

“Then that’s enough for now.”

ALRICK

I forcemy fingers away from stroking Lord’s soft beard. I was on the verge of admitting that the thought of driving my sword through a dragon’s heart repulses me, but it’s a betrayal of everything I’ve ever been taught to believe, and it just felt too heavy to voice those thoughts.

I’ve only ever hinted at it to Viggo, but he shut me down. Maybe he didn’t want to be burdened with the knowledge that his own flesh and blood is broken. If Digby or my dad knew, who even knows what they’d do. Disown me? Mercy kill me? I shudder at the thought.

Lord’s presence beside me is a quiet reminder of how I truly feel versus what I’ve been raised to be. With him, I have a sense of freedom I’ve never experienced. I think I could tell him all my deepest secrets and with his handsome face and understanding eyes, he’d accept them.

I should hate him, but I can’t. I should even fear him, but yeah, still can’t. I want to fuck him.

Touch him.

Kiss him.

And gods, do I want to hold him.

A flutter spreads through my chest, drawing my gaze to him. He offers a slight smile, and I know he can feel my emotions. HeknowsI want him. I’m looking forward to setting up our night camp again, weirdly reluctant to get to our location. Is that my feeling or his? Why would he want to be tied to me any longer than he has to be?

As the hours pass and the sun that was beating down on us begins its decline, I start to think about our earlier talk. His dragon likes me, but he doesn’t know why. Why does that feel like such an honor? For all I know, his dragon could be attracted to something basic like how I smell, and it has nothing to do with me at all. It is an animal, after all.

That’s not the vibe I get when Lord’s eyes shift and the dragon looks at me though. It feels like affection. Maybe even stronger than that. My traitorous thoughts imagine a world where I stay with Lord and his dragon, one where I’m his chosen mate.

I nearly laugh out loud at how ridiculous a notion that is. Fate couldn’t possibly make a mistake like that. Our families would never allow it. This isn’tRomeo and Juliet, and even if it was, it didn’t exactly work out well for them.

Day quickly turns to dusk, and Lord gestures up ahead to what looks like a cluster of trees and rocks.

“I can’t believe I found it again,” he says.

“What?”

“Come see.”

I push through the trees, stopping abruptly at the sight before me. A small brook trickles at my feet, and beyond that is a cave covered by moss and trees.

“I stumbled upon this once many years ago,” Lord says, picking up his pace. “I was feeling melancholy. Just dragon teenage angst.” He grins at me. “I took to the skies, letting my wings and the wind take me wherever, and I ended up here. I spent the night staring up at the stars and pondering my existence. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my entire life, and I’ve found it again.”

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