Page 52 of Dragon's Code

“Fate or not, I’m with you. Fate or not, I know you’ll choose the right thing,” Kash murmurs to me quietly. Then leans down and kisses me.

The mutters and murmurings of those around us are just buzzing noise in the background as Kash completely consumes me with his kiss. With the way he holds me, cradles me, and molds me against his body like I was always meant to fit together. The kiss isn’t dirty and savage, it’s a promise, it’s a church kiss, it’s everything I need in this moment.

He kisses along my jaw until his lips brush against my ear. “I’ve always loved you. I tried to deny my feelings when we were teenagers. I tried to be cool when I knew you were dating in college, knowing that it was better for you not to be caught up in my life, my world.” His words are for me only, quiet and reverent like a prayer.

He continues, his hand on my hip, his thumb caressing the bare skin just under my shirt, where the waistline of my pants sits. “After everything you’d been through, I couldn’t put you through the pain of being rejected by my people, possibly even executed. I tried and tried to push you away knowing that I wouldn’t be able to stay away from you, not for long, not for always.”

“Why do superheroes always have to take the lonely road? They never see how much better things could be with someone by their side,” I reply quietly.

He chuckles, the sound of it warm and inviting. “I’m no superhero.”

“You’ve always been my hero, Kash. And if I’d known what you did for me back then, I wouldn’t have let you push me away.”

The bubble around us pops when the power flickers and then goes off.

“Jonathan, would you please go check in with security and see if they know what’s going on?”

“Of course, sir.”

Just as Jonathan exits the dark room, only lit with a few cell phone lights, the lights flicker and power back on. Jonathan doesn’t return, no doubt, to double check everything is working properly and to see what the possible cause could be.

“Power outages aren’t common here,” Jerrick mutters.

The queen’s ghost is gone. The witch is still holding the obsidian stone. Michelle, the one who has been dubbed the new queen of the obsidian reaches out to take it back, like it’s her burden to bear.

This all feels like a fantasy movie or a video game. I’m still processing Kash’s confession. He’s really had a thing for me all this time? Is that true? Is it real? Why would he ever lie to me? I don’t know when I realized I had real feelings for him, maybe it was this trip. I never let myself fantasize what it would be like to have him look at me that way.

“Everyone back to your rooms. I’m going to check on a few things. We’ll finish this later.” Jerrick stops right next to me and Kash. “The two of you need to figure things out right quick. Penelope and Syrena are convinced that something is brewing, but they can’t see it.” His dark gaze turns to me. “You need to be careful. Watch your back.”

I give him a curt nod.

Kash takes my hand and leads me back to our rooms once again. I stand in the middle of his room while he moves around me anxiously.

“Kash?”

He’s moving stuff around, his nervous energy rolling off him.

“Kash?” When he doesn’t respond, I snap his name.

He jerks his head up. Our gazes clash. Then everything from the last sixteen years of knowing each other that connects us draws tight and the tension in the line between us thrums with a song only we know. I didn’t realize how much I was keeping my feelings buried, silent, and just out of reach for so many reasons.

Standing here on the precipice of changing our friendship dramatically all the fears and questions I never considered over the years come rushing forward. The nagging fear above all that he’s not really mine, that he belongs to a woman who is being kept in a cell in the basement or something.

“I need you to talk to me,” I say. “I’m sort of freaking out for a whole list of reasons, and right now I need my best friend.”

Kash’s expression sobers from the panic and whatever else he was going through. He takes a deep breath. “Okay, let’s talk.”

“Dragons and humans being together is forbidden, against dragon law?” I ask.

He nods once. “It has been since before my brother was born.”

“Then why would fate say that I was your mate?”

Kash shrugs. “I have no idea. Until about a year ago, I didn’t even think dragons and humans could mate.”

“Okay. So a year ago humans and dragons start hooking up, including your own brothers, and you decide that you still don’t want to bring me in.”

Kash runs a hand down his face and then sits down on the foot on his bed. “Athena, after everything you’ve been through, there was no way I wanted to bring you into this fucking mess. I mean, everyone who has decided to break dragon law could be executed tomorrow for all we know right now.”

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