Page 12 of The Dragon's Flamebound Mate
I don’t know what I expected out of Zayne at that moment, but having him suddenly reach a hand out and tug me toward the woods wasn’t it. I slipped my hand in his without thinking, and he didn’t let me go. His hand was warm, rough like maybe he had a hobby that caused callouses. His grip was strong, and even though he wasn’t that much bigger than me, his hand felt twice the size of my own. After about twenty yards, my brain came back online.
“Um, where are we going?” It didn’t matter. I was going to go with him no matter where it was if it meant he kept holding onto me.
“My house.” That was unexpected.
My legs stretched to keep up with his longer strides. “Your house? Why?”
“I have food and an extra room. You can stay with me.”
I had to be dreaming. There was no way the man who had been nothing but angry with me was suddenly taking care of me like I was precious. None.
“Wait, what? You can’t stand me!”
The path we were on wound between the thick mass of trees that separated Zayne’s cabin from the rest of campus. It was well placed, the trees making it feel a lot farther away than it actually was.
Zayne stopped when we reached the steps that led up to his house. “I’ve been less than welcoming, I will admit that. I have... somethings to work through regarding my job, your position, this season... so many other things. But I have nothing against you personally, Ash.” The sincerity in his eyes made my stomach feel like I was dropping altitude rapidly.
Zayne kept hold of my hand and led me up the stairs and inside the house. It was warm, cozy, and much larger than my cabin. The interior was illuminated by soft sunlight that filtered in through the large bay window on the opposite side of the house. The upstairs had an open area with a railing that looked over the living room. It was like something you might see on one of those home-buying shows.
“This is... gorgeous.”
“Thanks. There are two spare rooms, plus an office, so plenty of space for the two of us.”
Us. Why did I like the sound of that? It didn’t mean anything, not really, and yet I still held onto the two-letter world.
I followed him into the largest kitchen I’d ever seen inside a house. He could easily prepare a meal for the entire staff in here. That was if he cooked. I knew so little about him.
There were two ovens and a massive island with a marble countertop, and once again, it reminded me of those house shows.
“Oh wow. I doubt this place would start on fire if I tried to make muffins.” I probably should’ve left off the last bit, but my guard was down, this side of Zayne one I rather liked.
He leaned against the counter and looked at me. I shuffled my feet, not meeting his eyes. What was there to say?
“Yeah, you’ll be fine if you decide to bake again.” He chuckled and then got suddenly serious. “Listen, I’m sorry that I’ve been so standoffish, Ash. I’m sorry that your first few days were not welcoming. I’m sorry I was a dick. I have a whole lotta sorry in me. I never wanted to make this job difficult for you.”
Holy Feathers. Those were not the words I was expecting to hear.
“But you don’t want me here.” That was fact. Or at least I thought it was.
“On the contrary. I do want you here. I hate that I need help with leading the team. I hate that I seem to have lost my ability to do my job effectively, to be a good leader. I hate that I wasn’t who they needed me to be.” He sucked in a long breath. “I think you’ll do well for the team.”
“Then why the cold shoulder?” Zayne was nothing if not confusing.
He stepped closer to me, until the heat of him brushed over my skin. His touch was intoxicating, and I wanted to lean into it. Being this close to him meant that his scent, which reminded me of flying low over calm waters, hit me full force.
“Can’t you feel it, Ash? Can’t you sense what our beasts are telling us?”
“Yes,” I whispered. I thought it was only me and refused to listen to my eagle, but now that he said the words out loud, I was ready to accept them, to embrace them.
“I can, too. And it terrifies me.” His gaze roved down my face, lingering on my lips. I licked them, and Zayne groaned. He reached out and cupped my cheek. “I’m terrified of what this means.”
“I thought this was just attraction at first. I never thought that… I thought I just—”
“I knew. I knew it when you walked into my office. I knew it when I saw you this morning at class. You’re my mate, Ash.”
“Yes,” I breathed. Then his lips crashed down on mine.
Zayne was my mate.
