Page 43 of The Promise Born
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Do I have to have an answer to that now?”
“Yes, because you know the answer, you just won’t let yourself say it.” He grabbed my hand pulling it to his chest. “Say it, Kiala.”
“This isn’t right.”
“Says who?”
“Um,”
“Kiala,”
“I want you to be with you, Asante.”
“Good,” he pulled me to him and kissed me. When our lips met, the birds sang, the wind picked up, and my heart raced. This was going to be trouble.
“Is this really good?” I asked when our lips parted. “They won’t let us be together, you know that.”
“They won’t have a choice.” He grinned. “We’re taking control of our futures.”
Chapter 14
MyheartflutteredasI considered his words. How had we gotten there?
From him scolding me about running away from my life to him taking my hand and leading the way. And every fiber of me wanted to do it with him by my side.
“We are?” I smiled, then said in a teasing voice. “Our future?”
“Yes, now,” Asante stepped back from me and looked me over. “It’s time for you to fly with me, Kiala. Let me see your dragon.”
I shifted to my dragon with Asante watching me. When I was done, in full dragon form, he smiled at me.
“Beautiful,” he said before shifting into his own dragon once again. And then, together, we took flight.
I followed Asante’s lead as he took me to the edge of their territory. I had expected to fly right into their home, but he had other plans in mind. Where we landed, a small convoy waited. Uradis stood at the head of a team of women.
“Princess Kiala. You’ve returned.” She greeted me. “I’m so glad to see you again.”
“What is this?”
“I figured you might want to clean up before seeing our parents,” Asante answered.
“Smart.”
Uradis and her team ushered me into a small tent, its canvas smelling faintly of wood smoke and damp earth, where everything we needed to transform me was laid out. They quickly cleaned me up, styling my hair in an elegant updo and dressing me in a fresh, clean dress.
When we exited the tent, Asante stood with Synth and Kune.
“You look beautiful.” He smiled at me.
“Thank you.”
“Are you ready?”
“To tell our parents we’re committing the ultimate sin? Absolutely.”
Synth and Kune carried us right to the field where our parents were. We were just in time to see my parents preparing to leave, but everything came to a halt when Asante helped me down from Synth’s back. It was the kiss he placed on my cheek and the image of our hands connected as we approached that caused the first wave of chaos. It was the moment Asante parted his lips that caused the next.
“I am here, prince of Starfell, to let you know, my parents and the council, that I intend to spend my life with Kiala, princess of Frostspire.”
