Page 70 of Burned

“I’m okay.” I reassure him, stroking my fingers through his hair. “I’m okay.”

“Not to interrupt, but we might want to take this inside,” Viggo points out, wincing as he tries to take his weight off me.

“Shit, yeah,” I say. “Lord, Viggo’s hurt. Please tell me you have more healing potion.”

“I’m fine,” my brother tries to insist, gritting his teeth as he hobbles into the house.

Lord studies him with concern, cataloging all of the bruises and cuts with a quick sweep of his eyes. Pain lances through me as the memories of Viggo’s beating stir in my mind again, and I know my dragon can feel it.

“Come on.” Lord gestures for us to follow him.

It’s strange how much his house feels like home, even though I spent so little time here, most of it while I was unconscious and then suspicious of him. But following Lord down the hallway, something inside of me relaxes. We’re safe here.

Lord’s family fills his living room, taking up every seat, some of them comfortably sitting on the floor. There are two women I don’t recognize, one who’s naked with freaky glowing eyes and tattoos to match, and the other with a badass biker chick vibe and long black hair.

As soon as we step into the room, both women are on their feet before Lord says a word. They crowd around my brother and Lord pulls me away to give them room to tend to him.

“Dahlia and Xanthis will take care of him,” he promises.

“Xanthis?” My pulse spikes. “Isn’t she the dragon mage you talked to about breaking our bond?” Something inside of me thrashes and then recoils, and I can feel Lord’s dragon doing the same. Instinctively, I reach for him through our bond. The pulsing heat of his fire floods our connection as soon as I make contact, soothing me.

“Shhh.” He wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his chest. It’s not until he’s holding me that I realize I’m trembling. “She’s not here for that. She came to warn us, that’s all.” Lord brushes my hair back and kisses my temple. “You’re mine.”

I nod and cling to him.

I’m his and he’s mine.

Forever.

“I love you.” I cup his jaw, and his eyes flare my new favorite shade of orange, his pupils turning to slits briefly before flickering back to their round, human shape. “I love you, Lord. I don’t want to break our bond. I want us to figure out how to deal with my family and I want us to be together forever. I choose you.”

“Oh, treasure.” He purrs, leaning in close and bumping his nose against mine. “I don’t think letting you go was ever an option. I love you too.”

Someone sniffles, reminding me that we aren’t alone.

“Oh my god, kiss already,” the sassy blond human—Lake, if I remember right—demands.

“You heard the tiny tyrant.” Lord chuckles before slamming his mouth into mine in a greedy, claiming kiss that I can feel all the way down to my soul and back.

After a minute, someone else clears their throat. “As much as this feels like ‘happily ever after,’ we do still have the little matter of your psycho dragon-hunting family to deal with,” Montrose reminds us.

“Right.” I drag in a breath and force myself to let go of Lord. There will be plenty of time for that later. Centuries. I turn back towards Viggo, who’s now slumped in a chair with both women still fussing over him.

“Most of the wounds are superficial,” Dahlia says. “But unfortunately, I didn’t bring any healing potion with me. Stupid oversight, obviously, given the fact that you lot manage to hurt yourselves at an alarming rate. I can run home to grab some more, but with the…situationoutside, I’m not sure if it should take priority.”

“I can heal him,” Xanthis says. “I just need to borrow a little bit of magic. Mine is a bit drained after the long journey here.” She looks at Dahlia with a sly smirk twisting on her lips. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not,” Dahlia says easily. “What do you?—”

Xanthis cuts off her question by leaning forward and pressing her lips to Dahlia’s. It only lasts for a second, a brief peck, but when she pulls back the witch lets out a quiet gasp and little sparks dance in the space between their mouths.

“Thanks.” Xanthis winks, then crouches down in front of my brother again.

She takes his battered face between her hands, and I half expect her to kiss him too, but she just closes her eyes. For a minute, it doesn’t seem like anything is happening, but then I notice it. The tattoos covering her pale body burn brighter blue, glowing almost neon, and in an instant, the purple bruises fade to yellow, then disappear entirely. Viggo’s cuts mend themselves closed without leaving behind any scabs or scars, his breathing hitches and he lets out a slow, relaxed exhale. The dragon mage releases his face, and he looks good as new.

“There. Now you’re just as handsome as your brother again,” she declares.

Viggo coughs out a laugh. “Please, everyone knows I’m the good-looking one.”

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