Page 109 of Red Dragon
The admission shouldn’t have made him hard—harder—but it did. Oh, how he wanted to let that scenario play out. As long as those candles weren’t involved.
“I might let you,” he whispered.
“Seduce you? Or have my bodyguard steal away the components?”
Vorik hesitated, tempted to lie, to let her believe what she probablywantedto believe. But his honor forced his tongue to speak the truth. “As much as I want you to succeed and become the queen your people need, I can’t let myself knowingly fail my mission. That battle over the whaling ship was… bad enough. I have to do my best to…”
“Prove yourself worthy?” There was a wryness in her tone.
Had someone suggestedsheneeded to do that? Before becoming queen?
“I thought I’d done that long ago, but Iamfeeling the need to redeem myself in the eyes of my people. I also trust… I trust Jhiton with my life—and our people’s future. Whenever I’ve doubted him in the past, it turned out that I was silly to do so. I regret that his plans are at odds with your plans and that you…” Vorik sighed and stroked her cheek, relieved that she didn’t turn away from his touch. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. Sheshould.
He had a feeling she had a plan to ensureshewalked away with the shielder components in the end. He knew it wasn’t personal, but she would do anything for her people. No, that wasn’t quite true. She wouldn’t kill him or even stand aside and let another end his life for her.
“I understand that your brother raised you after your father died,” Syla said, “but you may think more highly of him than you should.”
“That’s possible.”
“Especially if he’s the one who wants you to kidnap me.” She rubbed his chest through his tunic as she spoke, as if her mind wanted to argue with him but her body wanted other things.Him.
“Maybe I shouldn’t admit it, especially since I’m enjoying you fondling my chest and want you to fondle other certain parts, but I came upon the kidnapping thought myself after Wise figured out we’d need a moon-mark to get into the laboratory. I realized we’d either need you or your cousin, but you weren’t amenable to us taking either.”
“I was not, no. Your peoplealreadykidnapped Teyla and used her for her moon-mark, then left her unconscious on the ground.”
Instead of her hand drifting lower, as he’d been fantasizing about, Syla drew away and shifted off him. She didn’t retreat fully but lay on her back next to him.
“I wasn’t a part of that decision,” he said.
“I know.”
“I will point out that they could have left her worse than unconscious.”
Syla turned a sour look toward him. Maybe that hadn’t been helpful to add on.
“Kidnapping aside,” Vorik said, “if you feel you’ll be in danger and that assassins will harry you and it’s not safe for you to remain in the Kingdom—or if you simply pine for me whenever I’m gone and fantasize about being in my company?—
Her snort wasn’t that flattering.
“—the general said you could come back with me and join our people.”
“With the shielder components?” Syla asked dryly.
“When he said that, we didn’t yet know that you’d be sent to acquire them. I think even if you bested me and got them home, you could then join us after the fact.”
Syla didn’t snort again or scoff, but she only thought about the words for a moment. “Even if I believed that to be an earnest invitation, and it turned out I had to flee the Kingdom for my life, I wouldn’t fit in among your people. I’m… Let’s just say that your Captain Lesva’s unflattering description of me has come to mind often.”
Vorik winced. “Thatwouldn’tbe everyone’s opinion. She’s abrasive.”
“A lot of your people seem to be.”
“We’ve had to learn to be tough. It’s hard to survive in our world if you’re not. Butmanyof our people would value a healer. Especially a gods-gifted healer who uses magic and can knit bones back together in minutes instead of weeks. The magic thata select few of us get from our dragon bonds doesn’t turn us into healers. We’re stuck with mundane bandages and potions and hope.”
“Moon-marked people are rare in the Garden Kingdom too, and few of them become healers. The magic always works best when it’s aligned with a person’s interests and passions.”
“Are you making a further argument for why my people would adore you?”
That prompted another snort.
