Page 16 of The Fate of Eternity

“You already knew that, but I can show you just how special if you like,” he retorts, cocking his head from side to side, and I giggle, basking in the playfulness we so rarely get to embrace.

“With your monster dick?” I blurt, quirking a brow at my dragon, whose cheeks turn pink at my words while Brody waves his hand, making everyone stop in their tracks.

“His monsterwhat?”

9

ADRIANNA

“Idon’t think I’ll ever tire of this view.” A sigh falls from my lips, cementing the truth as I stare out at the dragons swooping through the air in the distance. Kryll’s balcony offers a snippet of Heaven, and I’m quickly getting addicted.

“Me either,” my dragon muses, and just like last time, when I turn to peer at him, his sights are set on me and not the view I’m admiring.

Rolling my eyes at him, I turn back to watch the City of Dragons. “Don’t smart talk me,” I grumble, unable to keep the lilt out of my voice and the smile from my lips.

“Me? Never.” I feel him inch closer, and the second he drapes his arm around my shoulders, I lean into his touch. “What are you thinking about?”

“That obvious, huh?” I glance up at him, and the smile on his face confirms I’ve been quiet for a while.

“Just a little.”

“I don’t even know how long I’ve been standing here,” I admit, resting my head on his chest as I continue to stare at the floating city below.

“Long enough. Now, what’s running through your pretty head?”

I exhale as a small shrug tugs at my shoulders. “Just about how everything here feels different. Untainted, not drenched in carnage, and somewhat peaceful.”

“I can agree with that.”

I look at him again, noting the crinkle at the corner of his eyes, and something about it grounds me. Back in Floodborn, deep in the City of Harrows, there’s a lot going on. It’s more than just Kenner’s vendetta against me, or whatever the fuck it is, and more than the damn academy. It’s the scheming from the entire council and the frenzied vampires wreaking havoc on our people.

Here, it’s just… tranquil.

I purse my lips, irritated at myself. I’m supposed to be enjoying the tranquility I speak of before I face the mess that awaits us, but instead, I can't help but worry about it, constantly seeking a solution that’s just out of reach.

“Where are the others?” I ask, eager to distract myself, and Kryll scoffs.

“Off threatened by my monster dick somewhere,” he states, a cock-sure grin spreading across his face, and I shake my head, patting the back of my hand on his chest.

“Stop,” I warn, but it doesn’t seem to register because a moment later, he drops his lips to my neck, skimming them against my skin as he leaves goosebumps in his wake.

“You don’t need to be thinking about anyone else but you right now. Not your men, not your family, not the other students at the academy, not the people of Floodborn Kingdom, and definitely not the members of The Council. You just have to think about you,” he explains, his lips dancing over my collarbone before he retreats, lathering the same attention to my other side as I sigh, leaning into him more.

It’s on the tip of my tongue that him listing out all of my responsibilities only brings them to the forefront of my mind, but just as my lips part, he nips his teeth along my flesh, making me shudder. The world is forgotten as I feel his fingers in my hair, my jaw falling slack as he undoes my braid, one sweep at a time.

I’m frozen in place, feeling each strand of hair fall around my face until he’s laced his fingers through the entire thing. With his hands pressed against my shoulders, he turns me on the spot so we’re facing, and I melt under his intense gaze.

“You’re beautiful, Addi. So fucking beautiful.” His words are almost swept away into the wind, making me strain to hear them as I ball my fingers into his t-shirt, clinging on for dear life. “And I know, one day, you’re going to look even prettier without the weight of the world on your shoulders and a sparkly crown on your head.”

I can barely breathe, let alone summon a response, as his words threaten to lift me off my feet and cast me over the balcony. He surprises me, time and time again, and all he gets in response is me staring up at him in awe.

“K—”

He presses his finger against my lips, hushing his name from parting my them after I worked so hard to remember how to talk, but any argument on my part dissolves at his next words. “So, for today, I’m going to give you a slice of what that looks like.”

I gulp. “And what does that involve?” I rasp, his finger still firmly planted against my lips as his eyes darken and his gaze fixates on my mouth.

“Whatever you want.”

---