Page 27 of Naga Warrior's Mate

“You were that worried about me?”His voice held a note of wonder.

“Of course I was.”The words tumbled out.“Every time you step into that ring, I—” She pressed her lips together, focusing on a particularly stubborn spot of dried blood.

His tail shifted on the cot, slightly closer to where she stood.“I won’t lose.”He grabbed her free hand.“I promise you.”

The warmth of his grip sent tingles up her arm.She stared at their joined hands, unable to look at his face.

Chapter 14

Dernin

DerninwincedasAlaysiadabbed at the gash above his eye.The infirmary’s dim lighting faintly illuminated her face as she concentrated, working on his wound.

His tail curled slightly closer to where she stood.“I won’t lose.”He grabbed her free hand, interlocking his fingers with hers.“I promise you.”

The instant their hands interlocked, lightning coursed through his veins.His breath caught in his chest as ancient magic surged within him—the sacred mate bond awakening with devastating clarity.The world tilted on its axis as everything clicked into place.Her.It had always been her.

He looked down at their interlocked hands.Her small hand fit perfectly in his larger one, like two pieces of a cosmic puzzle finally united.The bond hummed between them, singing through his blood with a primal recognition that shook him to his core.

His mate.Here.In danger.

Every protective instinct he possessed roared to life.His tail coiled restlessly as he fought the urge to wrap her in his arms and never let go.

“Dernin?”Her voice was soft, uncertain.

He realized he’d been staring.Carefully, he released her hand, though everything in him protested the loss of contact.

“Thank you,” he managed, his voice rougher than intended.“For helping me with my wounds.”

She nodded, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear.“I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”

The simple admission made his heart clench.

Dernin’s scales seemed to pulse with awareness as Alaysia’s fingers traced along his ribs, wrapping a bandage with careful precision.The mate bond continued to thrum between them, making her every touch electric to him.His tail twitched, coiling and uncoiling as he fought to maintain control.

“These need to be tight,” she murmured, leaning closer.Her rose scent flooded his senses.“Tell me if it hurts.”

“Nothing hurts when you’re touching me.”The words slipped out before he could stop them.

A blush crept across her cheeks.“Don’t try to charm me, warrior.I’ve seen what happens in that ring.”

His jaw tightened at the reminder.The thought of Bariv or any other fighter claiming her made his blood boil.She was his mate—his to protect and his to cherish.The primal need to shield her from harm nearly overwhelmed him.

“No one’s going to touch you,” he blurted out.His voice dropped lower, rougher.“Not Bariv.Not Fyret.No one.”

She paused in her ministrations.Her eyes met his.“You say that like you mean it,” she responded, her voice tinged with confusion.

“I do.”His hand covered hers where it rested on his bandaged ribs.

The truth burned in his throat—that she was his destined mate, that every fiber of his being existed to protect her.But he couldn’t tell her, not here, not when they were both trapped.She needed to trust him first, to choose him of her own free will.

“There.”She secured the last bandage.“That should hold.”

His tail curled around her feet.“Thank you again.”

She smiled—a real smile that lit up her whole face—and his heart clenched.He’d fight through a thousand matches just to keep that smile safe.

Alaysia settled beside him on the narrow cot, close enough that her thigh brushed against his scales.The contact sent sparks through his entire body.His tail curled protectively around the cot’s base, creating a barrier between them and the rest of the infirmary.

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