Page 34 of Jace

She knows. She has always known she was ours.

He allowed the dragon to bask for a moment, the two of them floating in the same joy.

“Does this frighten you?” he asked her, though he did not sense fear on her.

She shook her head slowly.

“Do you have questions?” he asked.

But her face was falling, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Susannah, what is it?” he demanded.

“I- I can’t be your mate,” she told him as one tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

“I would not force myself on you,” he told her gruffly. Even the least honorable of his kind would not dream of such a thing. “We can take our time and get to know each other. But you are my mate, and nothing will change that.”

“What if you went far away?” she asked. “Or what if I did?”

“I would be in agony,” he told her honestly. “But nothing would change. For me, there will never be another. Though your freedom is your own.”

“Then I am truly sorry,” she said softly.

He wasn’t sure what he had expected. But it wasn’t this. He understood how she might not want to commit herself to him for life when they’d only just met, but how could she not wish to explore their bond?

She felt it too. He knew it.

“Are you sure that I’m your mate?” she asked, breaking his reverie.

“Give me your hand,” he said, holding his out.

Slowly, oh so slowly, she extended her small hand and placed it in his larger one.

Instantly, he felt a jolt of recognition. His heart beat fast and his senses opened up, awakening him to her exquisite scent, the spectrum of color in her eyes and golden hair.

Her lips parted slightly, and her pupils dilated, telling him without words that of course she felt it too.

“What you are feeling is the bond between us,” he told her quietly. “Its strength grows each moment we are together. When we are one, it will be so strong that the very thought of it will bring you pleasure.”

He waited calmly, feeling confident she would relent, or at least soften.

“I can’t,” she said again, launching herself off the stool and running for her bedroom.

12

Jace

Jace followed after her, his dragon roaring desperately in his mind.

“Susannah,” he said softly when he reached her door.

The door was open, and he could see her on her bed, lying on her belly, face buried in her hands.

“Talk to me,” he said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. “No matter what happens between us, we’re going to spend the next twenty standard years alone in the wilderness together, protecting Zeke. Let me help you, if only as your friend.”

She looked up at that.

Somehow, she was even more beautiful than before, her tearstained cheeks and tangled tresses only adding to her allure.

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