Page 61 of Galadon
Even Rayna couldn’t help wincing. She’d recently experienced that pain, but she had no problem wishing it on assholes. Boese began inching toward her end of the field, drawing Galadon with him. He limped heavily, but he had a determined glint in his eyes. This was a fight for the pendragon position, which meant power, and Boese clearly wanted it badly enough to push through any pain.
They traded sword strikes, but neither landed one. Galadon seemed to be wearing him down before he made his final move. Still, Rayna got suspicious as they moved within twenty feet of where she, Titan, and Aidan stood.
Boese would exploit any weakness.
She kept her hands loose and ready, watching his every movement. He managed to cut a thin slice across Galadon’s arm,using that moment of distraction to pull a small dagger from his belt and throw it directly at Rayna. At that distance, she had time to watch its trajectory and catch it with a clap of her hands six inches from her throat.
“Good job,” Aidan said, relief in his voice.
Titan let out a dramatic sigh. “I think I just lost five years of my life.”
Fingering the knife, Rayna grinned slyly at Boese’s shocked face. “I practiced catching blades before passing my slayer rite,fushka. You couldn’t have landed that throw on your best day, but thanks for the free dagger. I’ll cherish it.”
“You…” he began, seething at her calling him an idiot in his language.
A sound from behind him drew his attention.
Boese swung around just in time to see Galadon’s sword swing through the air at his neck. He had no time to dodge. A moment later, his head disconnected from his body and flew across the field, landing at his two brothers’ feet. They shouted and started to enter the field, but others leaped forward and held them back. Rules were rules, after all. They couldn’t interfere or retaliate in a fair fight. Though technically, Boese had cheated.
The Faegud elder declared Galadon the winner. Then, he announced another half-hour break before the next duel, but the lone shifter shook his head.
“I’m conceding from here. The remaining two contestants can battle for pendragon, and I’ll be satisfied,” he shouted loudly for everyone to hear, then walked straight toward Rayna. “I’ve got my prize right here.”
Shock filled her as he picked her up, pulling her legs around his waist, and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss he gave Rayna was so full of passion that she forgot everything else for a moment. Maybe he couldn’t say he loved her yet, but his actions spoke volumes. He was openly kissing her—an enemy of dragonkind—in front of his entire clan. If anyone had been in the dark before, they weren’t any longer. He was letting everyone know they were together.
Galadon pulled back to gaze into her eyes. “I knew he was leading me to you, and let him do it. The way you stood ready, I had no doubt you’d counter anything he tried and only make him look bad. You were flawless, as I expected.”
How could he have been so sure when she wasn’t at full strength?
“Even with the potion?” she asked, knitting her brows.
“Yes,” he said, pride in his expression. “Everyone knows I had to defend you earlier, but this was a way for you to show you’re not weak and still a force to be reckoned with if they have any doubts.”
Because, technically, she shouldn’t have needed help against two dragons when she was at full strength. Rayna wasn’t sure who besides Lorcan and Ujala knew she’d taken the potion. It was possible others had found out somehow, and that’s why she’d been tested twice today.
“Thank you,” she said. He hadn’t only restored her reputation but also helped her regain confidence in herself. That meant more than she could describe.
Galadon lowered her to the ground, letting their bodies slide together as he did so. It was shocking how much affectionhe showed in front of an audience, but it didn’t bother her. Rayna rarely felt shame about those sorts of things.
“Of course,” he said, tucking her into his side.
Now that he was done fighting, he kept her as close as possible. The change in his behavior was jarring, yet she didn’t mind. Maybe letting her catch the knife had still been more difficult than he let on, and this was his way of dealing with the lingering fear he’d felt at that moment. Rayna ran her hand along the tight muscles of his bare back in a slow, soothing motion to help calm him. Some of the tension left him at her touch.
She glanced in Lorcan’s direction and found he had stayed in dragon form. Since he and the other final contestant, Telarion, both fought pure dragons in the last round, it made sense for them to stay in their beast forms.
“I assume you two will be heading to your home directly after this?” Aidan asked, amusement in his gaze at her and Galadon’s closeness.
Rayna shrugged. “I need to take Onyx, so it’s going to be a long ride back.”
They were looking at nearly four hours for their return trip since flying was much faster. The sun was setting as they waited for the final duel, which meant they wouldn’t get home until around midnight.
“May I tell my mate that you will be staying in Galadon’s territory permanently now, so that she knows where to send correspondence?” Aidan asked.
That was such a loaded question, implying many things. Rayna opened her mouth, unsure what to say. The lone shifterhad told her he wanted her to stay, but they still hadn’t worked out all the details and made solid commitments. Mostly, they’d just spent a lot of time in his bed.
“Yes,” Galadon said, looking down at her with a lifted brow. “If I have any say in the matter.”
“As long as he doesn’t do something to really piss me off,” she replied, batting her eyelashes at him.
