Page 29 of The Dragon of her Dreams

She burst out laughing, then covered her mouth, saying behind her hand, “Um... very well, considering you were burning up the bed beside me. It’s like sleeping with a furnace!”

I shrugged, trying not to take exception to the joke. She couldn’t see that as a negative, surely? “Heat is important in the North, especially since I didn’t grow up in a castle.” Not that the castle had been in much better shape than the rest of the town thirty years ago. There had been huge chunks of the structure missing, and the functioning rooms were crumbling too, according to the few staff that still worked the ruins.

I wasn’t half proud to admit that my sire, King Damon and his family, had rebuilt the North stone by stone. He’d worked side by side with the farmers and builders, making our kingdom strong again. My father wasn’t just a royal with a crown, he was a man who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, and I respected that.

“What was it like?” she asked quietly. “Growing up like you did?”

“You mean with a single mother, living in poverty? Or...” I didn’t want to say it but, was she wondering what it was like growing up knowing that my father was the king?

“Well... yes, I guess,” she said, shrugging. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to understand more about you.”

I chuckled. “That’s not really something you need to know about, sweetheart. It was hard, all of it. But my childhood, and my life, my struggles... they made me who I am today.”

And I wouldn’t change anything—probably.

“And who are you?” she whispered, her eyes gleaming with the hunger that I was beginning to feel stir within me also.

I didn’t want to answer her question. The answer wasn’t easy or pretty. So, I reached out and cupped her face, threading my fingers through her long, dark hair. “Kiss me.”

She lifted her chin and leaned forward.

I met her halfway and kissed her, softly at first, then deeper.

Her fingers threaded into my hair and held me tight to her.

A loud cough made us both sit back, and I got to my feet, ready to face whoever was intruding.

It was my father, looking sheepish at witnessing our passionate display of affection.

My dragon was up and ready to protect my mate, if need be, but my father’s smile soothed me in the strangest way. I knew he wouldn’t hurt Vanya. Which on a logical level, made sense. But my dragon wasn’t logical, he never had been. It was why I worked so hard to master my emotions and temper. “Good morning,” I said, with a nod of my head.

King Damon’s smile was brighter than I’d anticipated. “We were planning on staying on a few extra days and Cass asked me to come and find you, to ask if that was all right with you?”

I glanced down at Vanya,

Her beautiful face was flushed pink, her gaze still glossy with desire.

Did I want to leave her? Never.

I forced my gaze back to my father’s. “Of course. I have nothing I need to rush back to.”

The king grinned. “We’re all getting ready to go for a walk around Bravadok. I’d appreciate your opinion on a few of the township ideas I’d like to potentially implement back home, if you can spare the time?” He lifted an eyebrow in question.

My stomach squirmed in the strangest way. “You want my advice?” I asked, scarcely believing it.

“Of course,” Damon said. “You’re the one who has lived in the town. You’ve known the stressors affecting the people, and what the weather has done to their homes. Your firsthand experience would be invaluable.”

Vanya stood up next to me but didn’t say anything.

Damon continued. “Dymitri and Lucian are here today but will leave early tomorrow. They’d like to see you.”

Vanya smiled at me in encouragement. “I’d love to come for a walk, if you don’t mind the company.”

My dragon wouldn’t have allowed her to stay away. I’d been sound asleep when she’d left our bed this morning, but I’d felt her absence almost immediately. “That sounds like a good plan,” I said, taking Vanya’s hand and pulling her close. “Shall we go now?”

Damon nodded. “Yes, we’re all congregated by the entrance. Come.”

I followed my sire, with my mate at my side. After so many years of being cold, and tired and lonely, I was now surrounded by family and friends and permitted access to the very best all the kingdoms had to offer. I was struggling to keep up with all the changes. The group standing in the foyer was larger than I’d expected, and my breath caught in my throat as anxiety rode me hard.

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