Page 58 of Wings of Frost and Fury
If he dies…
I can’t finish the thought. I can’t imagine anafterbeyond that event.
If he dies…nothing. I will have nothing. Nothing will be worthy of my joy, my time, or my magic, ever again.
I can’t do this again. I can’t lose someone this preciousagain.
I’m about to leap forward, to plead for mercy, but Ashvelon’s choked voice breaks the silence. “I will not yield unless you swear not to kill her. Otherwise you will have to slay me, too. Are you prepared to do that, Prince?”
Kyreagan looks over at me. I can’t read the thoughts behind that yellow gaze, but his eyes narrow, and he turns back to Ashvelon. “You care for the enchantress.”
Despite my anxiety, I smile. I can’t help it. My dragon loves me loudly, openly, so obviously that the Prince can see it.
“Is that a crime?” says Ashvelon.
“Only if caring for her makes you a traitor to your kind,” Kyreagan replies. “Did you know what she was planning to do?”
I struggle not to move, not to change my expression, not to make any sign. This is the most perilous question Kyreagan could ask. I never actually told Ashvelon my plan in so many words, but he guessed it. I know he did.
Did you know what she was planning to do?
“No,” Ashvelon says. “I swear it on all the bones of my ancestors.”
He lied. Straight to Kyreagan’s face. And on top of that, he swore by the bones of his family.
That lie might have saved his life. At minimum, it spared him from punishment so he can continue to protect me. It’s the bravest thing I’ve seen him do, and the most rebellious. He defied his culture and defiled its most sacred oath to ensure that I’m safe.
“Very well.” Kyreagan’s lips curl in something like a smile.
His expression unnerves me. I find it difficult to read him, and that’s frightening on a number of levels. Was he really going to kill Ashvelon, or was he merely feigning the threat? Did hebelieve Ashvelon’s lie, or is he merely pretending to believe it, intent on playing some other game?
“I will promise not to harm her,” Kyreagan says, “if you swear, right now, to take her as your life-mate. She will be your responsibility and your burden.”
“Life-mate?” I exclaim. “Wait a goddamn second—”
“I will,” Ashvelon says immediately. “I do.”
“And you, Thelise.” Kyreagan whirls to stare at me. There’s no actual malice in his gaze, just a ferocious intensity. Like he’s trying to warn me or compel me to do this. “Your one chance of survival is to pair with this dragon, the one who would defy his prince to ensure your well-being. As his life-mate, you will have protection from everyone in this clan who may wish to harm you—and trust me, I am not the only one enraged by what you have done. Do you agree?”
Oh, he’s far more complicated and clever than I gave him credit for. He’s furious with me for the spell, but he’s also trying to protect me and Ashvelon the only way he can, within the laws of his kind.
Life-mate.What does that mean among dragons? It’s certainly not a commitment I ever intended to make when I came here. Life on this island? Life in a cave? Fuck…
Kyreagan is still holding my gaze. I can feel the blood draining from my face. “I suppose I must.”
“Then I declare you bound forever,” Kyreagan says. “We will perform the bone-knitting ceremony after hatching season. Come, Princess.”
Serylla hesitates. “I want to stay here and drink wine, and look through the supplies. Maybe there will be soap.”
“There is,” I assure her.
“Then I’m staying,” Serylla announces to Kyreagan. “You go and speak with your people—your dragons, I mean.”
Kyreagan leaps off Ashvelon and prowls toward her, his golden eyes fixed on hers. Serylla flushes, but she doesn’tcringe. She isn’t afraid of him. If I had to guess, she and Kyreagan have a thorny, volatile attraction to each other.
He keeps his possessive gaze trained on the Princess while he speaks to me. “When will our human forms return?”
“Fuck if I know,” I say.
