Page 17 of The Wrath of Ashes
Asha froze, silent and unsure for a long while, but he accepted Rath’s warmth, being wrapped in his arm, his ear whispered into.
“Rath?” he eventually said, turning his head to catch the dragon’s gaze. So much uncertainty swam in his face, mistrust and bitterness.
“Yes, Asha?”
“I want honesty. I know I’m in no place to make demands, but I want to know why you took me.” Asha pressed back into Rath’s warmth, whether on purpose, for comfort or temptation, or not… Rath couldn’t say.
“When an Ashen one’s soul cries out to a dragon, they are bound together by the gods in much the same way as lovers, and your soul calls to mine, Asha. I won’t force you to do anything, but I need to keep you safe for now. And you deserve so much more than what you had there.” Rath tightened his grip and Asha didn’t reject it, which was a step in the right direction.
“Why didn’t you get me sooner?”
“Something in you changed, and you found enough magic to call for me. And you were in so much pain that reaching for you hurt.” Rath rested his head against Asha’s, hoping he didn’t spurn the contact. He seemed hopefully receptive. “I drank poppy milk to find you.”
“And you say I’m a prince. Won’t you need a princess, or a queen or something?” Asha pulled his head away, his affection going as cold as the whipping wind.
“No. I need no female. Only you. Truth told, I do not know which of us… If you so, choose to mate with me… One of us will be able to bear an egg. I don’t know if I am a bearer or not.”
“How do you not know? And I—I’m the bearer, aren’t I?”
“We won’t know until we mate. You say this because you enjoy being beneath a man? I’ve never been beneath a man before.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never… Humans don’t… We’re not…” Asha rolled his shoulder to loosen Rath’s grasp. “How many?”
“What?”
“How many men have you bedded?” Asha carefully enunciated each word.
“Four. Only people designated for that role. My bedservants. Though I have none now and will never again. A bedservant only serves to soothe my dragon’s soul and his primal urges. They are servants who are trained and rewarded for their service, but now that I have touched you, no other male will do.”
Asha scooted his hips forward a fraction of an inch, that painful lessening of pressure and movement enough to reject Rath. “So, everyone in this group flying around here knows I—they know we—”
“Yes.” Rath didn’t push his affections any further, but Asha’s face, from the little Rath could witness, turned a violent pink.
“So, everyone around me knows that I’m a flower boy and will be bent over for you like some Saurian concubine?” Asha tensed and Rath’s heart leaped in his chest when the male scooted again, fearing he’d jump.
“I think it matters more to you than it does them. You are a cause worth celebrating to them. A time of prosperity comes when a king finds their mate.”
“And you’ll…an egg…”
Rath cut his gaze around his servants and whistled once to give his captain a nod to stay the course while he and Asha rose at Heckle’s beckon. He tugged the reins and Asha clutched worriedly.
“One of us will bear an egg, yes. But that won’t happen until one of us starts their cycles. We’ll crave the other like air itself on the full moon’s eve.”
“And if I don’t want to bed you?”
“Then I hold my breath. There’s no shame in what we are, Asha. But make no mistake, you are a prince. You’ll be treated as such.” Rath chanced pulling Asha into his chest once more.
“And if I don’t want to be around you at all?” He said it, but his tone lacked conviction. Every muscle touching Rath’s skin softened at his mere touch.
“Well, I should hope your valet will be good company to you. He’s been ever so excited to have someone to lavish his adoration upon. He’s far more educated in what you are than even I am. I was born a dragon, but like my mother, you—” Rath paused, and Asha turned his head, a curious but cold gaze locking onto Rath’s.
“You’ll become one,” Rath finished, swallowing the sudden dryness in his throat.
“What?”
“Your magic is that of a dragon’s. I’ll teach you as the magic fully bonds with you each cycle. But I’ll give you as much choice as possible. And Jeron, your valet, will be instructed that you are his first priority, and your orders supersede mine, unless it will bring harm to yourself or others.”
“What would I need a valet for?” Asha almost laughed. “A servant for me?”
