Page 192 of The Forbidden Dragon King
I nearly lost him.
It was Ignatius who gave up his own bed for Daire, intimidating the other cadets into allowing us both back into the dorm.
Ignatius never apologized. He’d probably break out into hives if he tried.
Yet he followed the healer’s instructions with me each day to clean Daire’s wounds with lukewarm water and vinegar, then wrap them with bandages soaked in honey and oil.
Ignatius was clinical and distanced but he never missed helping me to change the bandages or bring Daire meals.
One day, he even quietly told us that his friends back home called him Iggy.
I helped Daire to eat and drink, while he grew strong enough to sit up, then to stand and walk. In the second week, when the fever broke, he worked on gaining his strength again with a grim commitment.
Every time I saw the lacerations and bruises, however, I knew that he got them because he saved my life.
A fae should use that debt to bind me, but Daire has never asked me to repay it.
I half-expected Aurelius would check in on Daire andme. The fact that he hasn’t is unsettling, worming doubts and fears beneath my skin.
Has Aurelius decided that Daire and I are too much trouble to keep as his pack? What’s happening in the Shadow Court without Daire and me there? Is Aurelius being controlled even more brutally by his uncle?
Will Aurelius want to be part of my upcoming heat, if I survive the dragon rider matching?
Rain like teardrops chase down Daire’s face, as he leans to kiss the top of my head. “Sorry, love.”
“Be honest, you’re warming up to Iggy,” I tease.
“Iggy was an arrogant arsehole, but I’d bet my wings that was based on the prejudices of his family and envy about our closeness to Aurelius. I’d imagine that I’m the first fae he’s even met. When he saw what true sadism looks like, he shrank from it. There’s hope for the little idiot.”
“When Aurelius summoned him, as you lay in your fever, I was terrified that he was going to?—”
“Burn Iggy alive for cuddling his Omega?” Daire’s lips twitch. “Lucky I’m not the jealous type.”
I don’t want to admit thatIwas the jealous one because I wished that it was me who Aurelius had summoned.
I miss him.
“On the other hand, Aurelius normally is. Yet Ignatius was glowing, as if filled up with the sun, when he returned. He puffed up his chest, announcing that he had been instructed by the King himself that he had the important duty to act asHis Majesty’s pets’ academybodyguard.” I shake my head. “He’s been like a tick on my ass ever since. He’s run by my side during exercises and helped me complete the obstacle courses. I have to admit that he’s a good coach; I’m twice as fit as I was. He’s also kept the other dickless Alphas away from me. The instructors appear scared to even glare at us too hard, after what happened with Caligo.”
I brush my hand lightly over Daire’s clothed back. His uniform is as wet as mine is. I imagine the bruises and welts, still freshly turning to new scars underneath.
“Then if we survive today,” Daire’s glowing eyes settle on Ignatius, whose head is raised, despite his smaller size against the more brutal ruby dragons, “I’ll offer Iggy a deal.”
“He’ll never take it. Never make a deal?—”
“With a fae?” Daire lowers his plush lips to my ear, licking the shell. I shiver but now from pleasure. His voice is sin. “But you did.”
“I trusted you.”
He draws back, studying me like he can see my soul. “Did you?”
I lick my dry lips, wishing that I was kissing him. “And now, I love you.”
Then, as if Daire is the answer to every wish that I’ve ever made, he is kissing me.
“I’ll love you each day that I’m still drawing breath.” He folds his wings around us both to protect us from the curious eyes of the other students as he kisses me again. “I’ll show you what being loved by an Unseelie truly means. So that you know, being offered a deal by a fae isan honor. A deal with the Shadow Fae King is even more of a rare privilege.”
Breathless, I cling to him.
