Page 20 of The Dragon King's Curse
She scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What are you supposed to do? You don’t have access to your magick either. It’s not like you can make a fire.”
I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn’t see it in the dark. “You’re quite difficult, aren’t you?”
“If you say so,” she muttered.
“Damn woman. You’re impossible.” I reached over to wrap my arms around her waist, dragging her against me.
She resisted, as I’d expected. “Stop it, Noxx. What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m keeping your annoying ass warm.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that. Let me go.”
“Why? So you can freeze to death? How will you wield that sword with frozen fingers if the fae find us? Stop being so difficult.” I drew her in close, turning so her back was pressed to my chest.
“I’m going to wield this sword against you right away. I’ll chop your fool head right off your shoulders.” Despite Feryn’s words, she ceased struggling.
Somehow, I managed to suppress a laugh. Every moment spent with her was more interesting than the last.
The stiffness gradually faded from her body. She relaxed against me, the shivers that racked her decreasing. Her earthy feminine scent worked like a siren call to my beast. The dragon inside me was keenly aware of her.
Trying not to think about how fucking good she felt in my arms, I rested my head against the cave wall, and together we waited for the night to pass.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
FERYN
Staying relaxed with Noxx’s arms around me was next to impossible. He’d surprised me by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. Immediately, I was engulfed in him.
His musky masculine scent clouded me. He pressed me against his firm body, so warm and inviting. The way his arms felt around me sent me into a mental tailspin. This man, this beast, had brought harm to my people. I should not be finding any sort of comfort in him.
I couldn’t argue that he was right though. If the fae happened upon us, I needed to be ready to fight. Within minutes, my shivering eased. An uncomfortable stiffness forced my spine ramrod straight. Noxx’s warm breath tickled the back of my neck, taking my thoughts down a wayward path of temptation.
Over and over, I reminded myself who he was and what he’d done. He was the enemy. The only reason he helped me escape the fae man who’d caught me was because he needed me for himself. We were not friends and we were not allies. We were two prisoners fighting together against our unfortunate circumstances.
“Relax, princess,” he murmured softly next to my ear. “I won’t bite. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.”
My face flamed with heat. Relieved that he couldn’t see me well in the dark, I made a noise of disgust. “As if I’m stupid enough to trust you. Is that how you speak to women? And don’t call me princess. I have a name.”
“Are you always this uptight? Have I given you any reason not to trust me? Since you asked, I say whatever comes to mind. I can’t be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth in the presence of a beautiful woman.” There was amusement in his tone. Like he enjoyed my ire.
The blush that burned my cheeks deepened. I had half of mind to pull away from him despite the cold. I turned partially in his arms so that we almost faced one another, even though the darkened cave interior kept us from making proper eye contact.
“Nice excuse. Don’t waste your flirtatious remarks on me. They won’t get you anywhere.” That’s what I told myself as a warm tingle spread through me. “And I’m certainly not uptight. Can you really blame me for being defensive? I’m hiding out in a cave with the man who did something horrible to my people. I’d be an idiot to forget that.”
Noxx was silent for a moment before saying, “It’s a shame they didn’t tell you the whole story. Sounds to me like they painted themselves as the heroes in that tale. Have they ever bothered to tell you what they did to me first?”
I didn’t know much about the stories involving Noxx. Only that he’d brutally killed several of our people. How much more did I need to know?
“Does it matter? It’s over now. What’s done is done.” My words grew faint as I shifted in his embrace. Anything he told me might very well be a lie anyway. I couldn’t trust Noxx. Never would I let my guard down when it came to this dragon.
I saw his silhouette nod in the darkness before he spoke. “I suppose you’re right. The past is over, except that it’s not. Notas long as my dragon is trapped inside me. Perhaps your people were able to move on, but they made sure that I never would.”
I didn’t doubt that whatever he’d done, he deserved the curse my family had bestowed upon him. I would not feel bad for this man.
“You killed my family,” I said quietly. “Why shouldn’t you suffer?”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. “If you believe I should suffer, then it must be true.”
