Page 84 of Don't Fae With Dragons

CHAPTER 50: MAX

That night, I can’t sleep. I pace the living room, occasionally glancing down to make sure Port’s still asleep. Every time I see his mouth half-open, taking soft, low breaths, my heart clenches in my chest.

Everything today went perfectly. Sex was, frankly, amazing. Mili didn’t get claimed by Kar. My perpetual emotional armor is slowly being chipped away, and I don’t even mind ... much.

Why, then, can’t I sleep?

The bedroom door slowly creaks open, and I whip around to see Mili creeping into the living room, oozing of sex. She stops short when she sees me, and I find myself standing a little taller under her gaze.

She makes me want to be brave,I think. I actually shake my head to clear the sudden, tender thought away, and she smiles softly at my strange motion. I roll my eyes at her, but point to the front door, a silent question. She smirks back and nods, then the two of us walk quietly together outside.

“I’m glad it’s not just me,” Mili whispers, once we’re standing a few paces from the door.

I sigh. “Me too. You still shaken up from today?”

“I tried not to be, but it didn’t work.” A dry chuckle escapes me, as she shrugs, smiling bitterly. “I’ve never been attacked like that. Ever.”

A chill runs through me. She talked about everything that happened once the White Warlock, Kar, psychically transported her ... but not before. “What exactly happened, Mili?”

“If I talk about it, I don’t know if I’ll ever leave the house again.” She laughs, but it’s hollow. I glance sidelong at her, struck by the sudden sense that I’m looking in a mirror.

I weigh my words carefully, but eventually say, “That bitterness –that hollow fear you’re feeling?”

“What about it?” she sighs.

“It will eat you alive if you let it.”

Mili groans and covers her face with her hands. Before I realize what I’m doing, I rest a hand on her back, right between her shoulder blades. She sighs and lifts one hand to rest on my knee. An air of quiet intimacy fills the space between us, and my breath catches.

Eventually, the faery turns to me and says, “Max, can I ask you a question?”

I shrug. “I guess.”

“You might not like it. Actually, Iknowyou won’t like it.”

“Ha!” I cough out, smiling softly. “Well, since you’re being honest, I’ll allow it.”

She exhales heavily and asks, “What hurt you so badly?”

“Ah ... that.” I frown, but she shows no signs of relenting –her gaze bores into me, all genuine care and concern, and I find myself continuing. “You know the Eastern Realms where Chrysthinia hails from?” Mili nods. “Well, I’m from there, too.My father was a shifter, and my mother was a warlock. Neither of them were good people, not by any means.

“I grew up wild and alone. The desert raised me, so I learned the world’s cruel indifference before anything else. The sand and the Sun –they don’t care whether a small shifter lives or dies. I took that to heart, especially in combination with my parents’ rage and violence.”

Mili frowns, and I force out a small smile to reassure her. “I’m okay because I fled, but it didn’t come without a price. Port and I met on the run, though he’ll have to tell you his side of the story another day.”

“Of course,” Mili interrupts, gently squeezing my knee. “You can only speak for yourself.”

I sigh in relief. “Exactly. I wouldn’t want to –I know how I’d feel if someone was speaking before me, so I’d never want to do that to him.” Mili nods her understanding, and I continue. “We became assassins eventually, after a few years as paid vigilantes. Following that sort of noble pursuit ... it never earns you enough to put food on the table. As a result, we spent a few years making enemies, breaking vows, and living callously in hopes of building a better life for ourselves.”

“That’s how you met Cory?” she asks. “You were running away?”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’m not proud of it – of needing him– but we were desperate. We wanted to put that life behind us.”

Then, with no warning, Mili throws her arms around me and buries her head in my neck. My eyes widen with surprise at first, but the smell of her cinnamon and chocolate scent bringsme so much peace that it’s easy to wrap my arms around her, too.

“I’ll never let that happen to you again,” she announces. She speaks with such determination that I almost believe her.

She tightens her arms around me and I let her. I never let anyone but Port touch me like this –it’s strange, new. Her scent is quickly becoming my greatest temptation, and I feel myself hardening in my pants.Gods, not now, I think to myself. Realm save me if I ruin this moment with my lack of control.

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