Page 210 of Upon Buried Embers
I have no Master.
I’m not a slave.
So who am I?
Who. Am. I?
My eyes fly open and I sit up, heart beating fast against my rib cage.
“Alara.” I turn to Escor and he stands, head tilted. “My name is Alara.” Licking my face, he dances on his feet, rumbling his approval. That’s it. I have a name. Alara. “Do you like it?”
He growls softly, and surprisingly, so do the other dragons in here, even Drogonah.
“They’re noisy today,” Rohan says, entering the cave, and I stand, running over to him.
“I know my name!” Without thinking, I launch myself at him. He chuckles, catching me and spinning me around.
“You chose one?” he asks, eyes gleaming.
“Yes.”
“And?”
I stand tall, feeling a little shy.
What if he doesn’t like it? Is it stupid? Will he approve?
“You can tell me, Little Whisperer, whatever it is will be perfect.” He brushes some hair behind my ear. “Tell me, words,” he says softly.
I eye Escor as he sits up straighter, eyes on me, and I nod.
I clear my throat, looking Rohan in the eye.
“Alara. My name is Alara.”
His soft smile is instant, and butterflies fill my stomach as he places a kiss on my forehead. “See, I told you it would be perfect.”
My cheeks ache with how wide my smile is.
“Alara,” he hums, and my cheeks heat as his eyes darken. “We shall practice remembering it many times tonight.”
“Maybe.” I bite my lip, and he backs me into the cave wall, hands resting on either side of me.
“Maybe?” he murmurs, voice gravelly. “You would reject me,Alara?”
I shiver. “Never,” I breathe as he dips his head and places his lips to mine.
My breath catches, and his hands move to my waist, pressing closer, and I feel how hard he is for me, how much he wants me.
I moan into the kiss, and his answering groan has me instantly ready for him. I bring my hands up, grabbing his shoulders to get as close as possible and he chuckles into our kiss.
“Later,” he growls, pulling back as I catch my breath.
I’ll never get tired of kissing him.
Escor comes over, head held high as he sits, chest puffed out.
I laugh. “Escor approved of my name,” I tell Rohan, and Escor rumbles, very proud of himself.
