Page 45 of Don't Fae With Dragons

“Breakfast first,” Cory interrupts.

I scowl, but he doesn’t budge. I pout, and still – nothing. I cross my arms again, but other than a flicker of amusement across his features, he doesn’t show any signs of cracking.

“Oh, fine! You’re so dramatic,” I grumble.

Cory winks, grinning, and takes me by the hand. He pulls me along to a back door that’s hidden seamlessly in the stonewall, so well-disguised that I’d never even seen it, and pulls it open.

“There’s a small kitchen back here. I’ll cook us both something.”

“You cook?”

He scoffs at me. “Of course I do. I’m not a heathen.”

I smile up at him and shoot back, “Well, you had me fooled.”

“Oh, aren’t you clever?” he asks, smiling. Without a word, he lifts me up and sets me on a counter. My eyes go wide at his confident touch, and he smirks slightly. “Now you can see me working better, hm?”

I don’t have words, so I simply nod. My heart is fluttering from the sudden contact, and I’m almost reeling from the sudden lack of it. Everytime he touches me it’s like I’m set alight; to lose his touch is like a raging fire being doused.

After a moment where I can’t focus, I look back to see Cory focused, cracking eggs into a cast iron pan. I smile at the sight of him, all focused over the stove, and watch as he seasons them with salt and pepper.

“You know, fried eggs are pretty hard to mess up,” I smile, biting my lip.

Cory looks up at me through his eyelashes, and my heart does a little somersault. “These are the best fried eggs you’ll ever have, I’ll have you know.”

“Hm,” I nod. “I suppose I’ll be the judge of that, though, won’t I?”

He wipes his hands off on a dish towel and walks over to me, standing between my legs. I bite back a gasp as he lays hishands on my thighs, exhaling slowly as he slides them up, up, up, all the way to my waist. “You’ve gotten so much ...boldersince I met you,” he says, cocking his head to the side.

I frown, a bit hurt. “I’m sorry. I was just teasing.”

“Don’t apologize,” he says, suddenly serious. “I want you to be yourself around me. Besides,” he grins, “I’ll wipe that little smirk off your face in due time.”

His eyes flicker with heat, and I feel my skin buzzing under his touch. He starts to pull away, smiling mischievously, and I grab his hand on instinct. I pull him back to me, pausing for a second before I wrap a hand around his neck.

“Am I–” I start to ask “–am I the only one who feels like this when we’re together?” My brows knit together with worry, and my eyes dart back and forth between each of his. I watch his lips purse as he thinks, and feel my heart sink as I realize,he doesn’t feel the same.

Then, miraculously, he shakes his head and pulls one of my hands to his lips, kissing my knuckles. I inhale shakily as his mouth brushes my skin, and I watch his eyes flicker back open to gaze up at me. I realize, with a start, that I’m smiling.

After staring at him for a moment, I smell the smoke. I laugh and say, “I think you’re burning the eggs.”

“Oh, godsdamnit!” he scowls. I watch him flip the eggs and expose the other sides, which are completely blackened. I can’t help but grin at him, barely resisting the urge to tease as he orders, “Not a word from you.”

I mime locking my lips and throwing away the key, and he shakes his head at me, his smile barely restrained.

After we’ve eaten Cory’s second attempt at fried eggs, served with tomato slices and hashbrowns, I move to sit right across from him. I wonder why Port never showed up, and make a mental note to ask if Cory can communicate with him through some mental pack-bonds (or, is that a stupid question to ask? I’m not entirely sure).

“Cory,” I begin.

“Yes, Milica,” he interrupts, already grinning.

I grin back, but force myself to shove it down. “Not now,” I say. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation.”

With that, Cory nods firmly, and any teasing energy is gone from the room. He seems to have a knack for that – commanding the energy of the air around him. I know he’s dominant with people, but to see him rule the very spirit of his surroundings – and of the volcano in particular –is unbelievably attractive.

I bite back my sudden lust and clear my throat, preparing to launch into my half-baked speech. “As I told you the first day I arrived, Ethelinda is in grave danger.”

“I don’t think you said it quite so nicely,” Cory murmurs.

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