Page 24 of Devoted to the Dragon

He is handsome and rugged, but it’s his patience and relentless loyalty that make my chest tight. I lean back, tilting my neck so I can eye him. “How do you know?”

“I don’t know how all this will work out, but I know you. And that means I know you’re worried.”

My cheeks heat at his spot-on description, and I turn, burrowing into his chest. The rough hairs tickle my cheeks, and I suck in his scent.

“We’re your mates. Even if no others ever come,” he promises.

My eyes squeeze shut, my heart soaring with hope. I wish I had easy answers for this faithful man, but the best I’ve got are hunches, instincts, and what-ifs.

“What he said!” A yawning Gunnar, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, pokes his head into the bathroom. “But can we talk more tomorrow when my brain isn’t sex-scrambled? I’m rocking the I-have-mates-and-they-like-me vibe, and I think cuddles should happen before we kill the buzz.”

I swallow a smile that Gunnar catches anyway.

He winks at me and opens his arm, the blanket creating a cocoon around him. “Let’s go back to bed, gorgeous.”

Fennik lets go and gives me a nudge with his palm on my back. I scurry to Gunnar, feeling shy and still worried but less on the edge of panic. He wraps me in a warm side hug, tucking the blanket around us.

We crawl into my bed, and I dig under the mound of my nest, burrowing until I’m snug. Gunnar and Fennik slip under the covers, snuggling closer on each side. Fennik’s hand settles on my boob as he pulls me closer to his chest. Gunnar scoots down the bed, nuzzling into my stomach and wrapping his legs around me like an octopus.

“Seriously, your blankets are made of magic. Why are they so soft?” Gunnar asks lazily.

I hum in answer while he plants soft kisses that feather along my hip.

“Sleep now, little dove. You’re safe with your mates.” Fennik’s wolf purrs, creating a rumbling vibration that slows my breath.

His words sink into my thoughts, unwinding the knots. Their scents blend, and something inside me seems to settle, but I can’t quite puzzle it out before sleep takes me.

I circleover the lake again, forcing my fire to make the pattern to signal danger. My dragon vision is sharp, and I spot Gunnar through the trees, weaving toward our marked spot for the signal.

He’s quickly picked up the subtle changes in my fire and proved light on his feet during training earlier today. We’ve been practicing flying signals all evening after spending the day making concrete plans for our trip. Some of our most trusted on the guard worked with us to find escape routes out of the North Pass should things go to shit.

My wings carry me toward the ground, my dragon receding before I take my first step on the soft pine needles of the forest floor. The shift is as seamless as breathing, and my dragon uses this to her advantage, refusing to meet the pup head-on.

Gunnar is still shifted, looking more like the human legend of werewolves than a traditional wolf. Somehow, the bipedal form fits him. He is fierce, frightening in the way his wolf looks feral. But beneath his beastly form, he is all playful pup.

I scratch along his furry face, letting his wet nose nudge me for more pets. His tail flicks my ass and dips between my naked legs.

“Cut it out.” I push against the curious fluff and force my legs shut. I go to my tiptoes and give his ears a good scratch. “Yes,you were a very good boy, and no, we can’t play like that right now.” Gunnar licks a long stripe up my neck, and I can’t help the giggle that bubbles out. “Stop slobbering in my hair.”

Fennik wraps a robe around my shoulders, calling to Gunnar, “Shift back for me, pup. That’s enough for tonight.”

Gunnar-wolf whines, but his fur recedes.

Fennik turns me in his arms and helps me into the robe, tying it at the front and planting a forehead kiss that weakens my knees. “We leave tomorrow, and we need to get some rest, which means you need to do some talking.”

I nod, though I’m no more ready than yesterday, the day before, or even thedecadebefore.For a moment, I debate bringing them to my dragon’s nest, but she snaps that idea down so quickly that I know I better not risk it.

“Do you still have the blankets in the truck?”

Fennik nods.

“Let’s go.” I sigh.

Gunnar scoops me up, his long legs making quick time. He answers my unasked question. “You didn’t have shoes.”

I don’t know what it is about him, but this pup turns me into mushy, melted snow.

Today, they have been relentless in their affection. They refuse to let me pull too far away. I’m greedy for more of it. I want to be theirs. But I’m still afraid. Nothing has changed. The fear churns in my gut, steals the beauty of the moment, and makes me want to leap from Gunnar’s arms into flight.

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