Page 111 of Stolen
He grabs my hand, turning it gently over and inspecting every inch like it might crumble in his grasp.
“I’m fine,” I tell him.
He doesn’t believe me until he’s pressed his forehead to mine and exhaled slowly like I just savedhislife.
“For fuck’s sake, Alaric,” Thorne grumbles, “let the woman breathe before she bashesyourhead in.”
“She’s got good form,” Dagan mutters.
Alaric growls under his breath, but I grin and kiss his nose before he can say anything dangerous.
He looks wrecked. And it’s honestly unfair how hot he is when he’s worried.
“Where did you learn to fight like that?” he murmurs.
“I didn’t,” I confess. “I sort of blacked out and let instinct take the wheel.”
Thorne whistles.
“See? That’s the good stuff. That’s how most battles start. But not many end with the victor wearing Dragon-forged armor and swinging a kid’s shield like a goddess of wrath.”
“It was aregularshield,” I insist, but it’s drowned out by laughter.
Kael sobers just enough to bow his head. “Doesn’t matter what it was. You wielded it like you’d trained a thousand years.”
Then Alaric’s hand wraps around mine again—warm, calloused, grounding.
His thumb moves in a slow, reverent arc over my knuckles, and the simple touch steals the air from my lungs.
It’s not just the way he touches me—it’s the meaning in it.
The weight of everything he’s saying without words.
And once again, I’m struck hard by how impossible he feels to me.
A Dragon Lord who shifts the skies with his will, and yet holds my hand like it’s the most sacred thing in the world.
A man born of fire and legend, forged for war and leadership, yet here he is—reaching for me like I’m the miracle.
The ache in my chest blooms sharper.
Because somehow, in a realm where nothing makes sense,hedoes.
And that terrifies me more than any monster ever could.
Chapter24
Jules
The Second SoulTakerInvasion At The Eyrie
“She is fierce,” he says, his voice low and reverent. “She is my viyella. And I thank the Fates every damn day they gave her to me.”
The others go quiet, and I let the moment stretch, not quite able to speak. I never thought I'd feel like this.
Respected, seen, like I belong.
And finally, I admit the truth to myself.
