Page 36 of Wings of Frost and Fury
The burst of pain in my heart is sudden and unexpected. It must show in my eyes, because Thelise says, “If I could make this form permanent, what would you think of that?”
“I told you I would like to serve you forever,” I reply. “Foolish as it is, little as we know each other, my wish holds true. I would give up my birth form if you commanded it. But…” I hesitate, feeling the pull of my forehead and my brows into a frown. It’s an unfamiliar sensation.
“But?” she inquires.
“I would miss flying.”
“Understandable.” She cups my chin and presses a soft kiss to my mouth. “Be good while I’m gone.”
The moment she’s out of my sight, I realize I did not thank her.
It’s obvious that she’s planning to come back to the island with me. She’s sending her lover to purchase supplies for that very purpose. She is willing to leave her home and travel to Ouroskelle, and she’s ready to use her magic for Kyreagan—though I haven’t yet told her the extent of the spell he wants her to perform.
I should tell her I’m grateful. I must convince her that I’m willing to be her pet, that I will submit more abjectly and devotedly than anyone else ever has. Burdened by those thoughts, I try to follow her… but I discover that I cannot get through the opening in the wall. The barrier she placed around the stable has been reinforced in that spot again, and I am trapped.
“Clever woman,” I mutter. Somehow she knew that, obsessed though I am, I’m not entirely obedient,after all.
9
I don’t return to the stables.
I could, of course. After Rhordan has left for the market to fetch all the things on my list, I’m tempted to bring Ashvelon back to my cottage. But I resist the urge. I’m not above toying with the dragon a little, and once I reach Ouroskelle, I’ll use his obvious adoration for my own comfort and protection… but it would be cruel to take it too far. I shouldn’t fuck him again.
Staying away from him is a feat of immense self-restraint, because even though he didn’t last more than a moment inside me, he was… precious. There was a sweetness to him, an eagerness to be taught, a longing to please me. Other men do me favors for selfish reasons, because they’re ruled by their pride and their dicks. Ashvelon is a warrior of his people—strong, capable, and trustworthy—yet he has a humility and sincerity about him that is deeply attractive. It makes him a uniquely powerful temptation.
But I manage to resist until Rhordan brings back the supplies. He’s very confused about why I want them, and he seems to expect sex from me in return for fetching the items. Since I’ve already given him all the money I had to purchase the supplies, I can’t pay him, so I make a few vague promises for next time and I send him away.
“That’ll be the last I see of you,” I say as he drives his cart back toward the town. He’s not the most skilled of my local lovers, but he’s the most tractable, and we had pleasant conversations. I might miss him a little.
By now, Ashvelon’s temporary transformation charm has likely worn off, but I don’t bother checking yet. I begin carrying the bundles of goods across the pasture to the stables, one at a time, and leaving them outside the big double doors. There’s clothing, bedding, soap, food, various cosmetic items and necessities, and plenty of wine. I add some items from my own jewelry collection and cast a preservation spell over the more perishable food items so they won’t spoil for several days.
With the supplies ready to go, I head for the larger stable and circle the building to the gap I made in the rear wall. When I put Ashvelon back inside, I pulled the barrier spell into place over the hole, but the magic recognizes its maker and allows me to pass through easily.
My stomach rolls with a slow thrill at the sight of Ashvelon, who has reverted to his dragon form. His head lifts with a sinuous, snakelike grace on his long neck. There’s something powerfully sensual in the way the muscles of his gigantic shoulders surge as he rises to greet me.
“You have returned,” he says.
“Everything is ready. It’s time to go see your prince.”
He lowers his head until his fiery blue eyes can look straight into mine. “You are accompanying us of your own accord?”
“Yes.”
“Why? You could easily escape us or destroy us.”
I shrug with attempted carelessness. “I like adventure.”
“You like adventure so much that you would leave your home behind?”
“I was getting restless anyway,” I tell him. “I would have moved on soon. Maybe I would have gone south and crossed the blazing desert. Maybe I would have bought passage on a ship and sailed to a new continent. Honestly I would have left years ago, except my heart still had ties to my father, curse him. Now that he’s dead, and in such a way, nothing holds me here. I have no one.”
Ashvelon’s dark tongue ripples across his needle-like teeth. The act is both erotic and menacing, though I don’t think he intends either of those effects. “You haveme.”
“We are technically enemies,” I point out. “Grudging allies at best.”
“Not lovers?”
“One experimental fuck does not make people lovers.”
