Page 26 of Caress of Fire
Fedryc looked at her, frowning, then he scoffed.
“You have no idea, little firebrand, how important you are.” He reached for her hair, his finger running absently over her red curls. “No one knew you were compatible with me apart from Lord Aymond. By framing you and killing him, the killer made sure not only that Lord Aymond died but that the very rare woman compatible with his bloodline died with him. With me far away on Dagmar, this would have been a perfect opportunity to grab power. That was clever, very clever.”
Marielle brought her dress over her naked breasts, her eyes set on Fedryc. He was right and she knew it. She was at the center of a dangerous power play between Draekon lords, whether she wanted to be or not.
“If the killer knew you were on your way, he would not have killed Lord Aymond.” The warmth she had felt waking up in Fedryc’s arms was long gone, and she shivered despite the desert heat. “He would have waited and killed you instead.”
Fedryc nodded, his face grim and taut. Gone was the young man who had been laughing carelessly. “And now that you are my Draekarra, you have given me a hold on power no one saw coming. I might have foiled his plan in rescuing you, but make no mistake, Marielle, dangerous times await us. Whoever killed my father is still too close to us for comfort, and I doubt they will renounce their plans.”
Silence descended on them both as Marielle took in the immensity of the threat. Fedryc looked up to the sky at a growing red form, flying fast toward them.
“Nyra is back from her hunt.”
Marielle cradled her gown against her chest, watching the large form of the dragoness grow in the sky. They had to go back to the viper’s nest that was Aalstad castle.
* * *
Flying was a wonder.
They soared through the sky, as high as an eagle and twice as fast. Fedryc was at her back, one arm around her waist and the other extended to maintain physical contact with Nyra as she soared over the desert, casting her great shadow far down.
Marielle never thought she would feel anything as great as flying on Nyra’s back. The dragoness’ strength traveled through her thighs as her muscles moved those formidable wings up and down. On her face, the frigid wind of high altitude made her cheeks numb, but the exhilaration filled her with the sense that nothing could touch her. As long as Marielle was on Nyra’s back with Fedryc, she was free of the gut-wrenching worries that plagued her.
Far away, the capital and its tall buildings shimmered under the sun, far beyond the edge of the desert.
“Not long now.” Fedryc pointed to the distant face of a hill. “Aalstad castle is just there.”
“It’s so far away.” Marielle frowned, confused. “And it looks like I was walking north of the castle, away from the capital.”
“You wanted to go to Gelmor?” Fedryc asked behind her.
“That is where Ignio Marula is keeping Devan.” She stared blankly at the fast approaching capital in the distance. “But I was so sure. She pointed the way.”
Fedryc tensed at her back. “Who pointed you north?”
“Silva.” Marielle admitted after a long hesitation. “But please, don’t punish her. I begged her to help me.”
Fedryc stayed silent for long minutes and Marielle could almost feel the anger rippling across his skin. She turned to look at his face, all hardness and male fury.
“She’s just a girl.” He shook his head, his lips pursed tightly. “She thought she was helping you. I won’t punish her, but if she ever disobeys me again, she will regret it.”
Reassured that the young Draekon girl wasn’t going to pay for her mistake, Marielle relaxed a bit. “I was so exhausted, I must have been traveling in circles for a while. It’s an easy mistake to make in the desert.”
Fedryc stayed silent as Nyra began her descent. The sound of wind and wings flapping would have obliterated any hope of a conversation anyway. Nyra flew down until Marielle could see an impossibly small landing platform atop the cliff. Aalstad castle was carved straight into the face of it.
Her breath was short and her stomach flipped as Nyra finished her descent, landing on the platform with a clean grating of her talons on the polished stone.
Fedryc jumped down, then Nyra bent until he could lift Marielle in his arms and place her down gently at his side. Nyra looked at her, her wide wings shading Marielle and Fedryc from the harsh sun. There was no more savagery and violence in the dragoness’ gaze, only a deep tenderness and a fierce devotion that left Marielle’s throat closed up. Swallowing hard to push the knot down, Marielle stepped toward Nyra’s formidable snout and extended her arm, then flattened her palm between the nostrils, just as she’d seen Fedryc do. A rush of feelings traveled down to Marielle; love and protection mixed with that awe and devotion she had seen in the beast’s eyes.
“It’s the bond,” Fedryc whispered in her ear as Marielle felt her eyes fill with tears. “She’s showing you how she feels about you.”
“It that what you do when you touch her?” Marielle’s hand slid over to Nyra’s jaw, and the dragoness purred in pure delight. “You share feelings?”
“That and more.” Fedryc nodded by her side. “My life and Nyra’s are linked down to ourvitalem. When we touch, we share everything. Our feelings, our thoughts, our present and our past. She is a part of me, and I am a part of her. As are you, now.”
Marielle locked gazes with Nyra’s jewel blue eyes and she tried her best to concentrate on what she felt for the dragoness. The awe and the slight fear made their way to her mind and Nyra’s eyes filled with a mischievous humor as two columns of smoke rose from her nostrils.
“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?” Marielle chuckled, then shook her head.
