Page 30 of Wild Fire

“I suppose in some ways I have. It would be too easy to agree up at Dragonwyk. The few things I didn’t like—for example those who serve or work for the brotherhood, not being seen as equals, is bothersome, but the more I observed the more I saw that the disparity isn’t as bad as I first thought. Also, the whole leaving the brotherhood and having to give up a firstborn son…”

“Not to mention giving up one’s immortality…”

“Yes, and when I really grasped that concept, I understood just how much you would be giving up…”

“Not as much as one might think. After several thousand years, immortality becomes more of a burden than a gift. I will tell you now, I would give up all the lifetimes to come if I could spend this one with you.”

“I have so many questions regarding if I did choose to become drakaina and that’s only the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Where would I fit in? You talk about a transition, but no one seems to want to answer that question. How does it work? Is it dangerous? What would happen if I chose to not want to do it? What would happen to our children? Could we even have children if I chose to retain my humanity? Do I even want children? I have a career, Warrick—a career I have given my whole life to. You can’t just expect me to give that up without considering all the ramifications.”

In some ways Dani asking the hard questions gave him hope that he would not have to turn her without her consent, but it left him with questions of his own. Questions that had far longer-reaching consequences than either of them could even consider.

Trying to quell his growing frustration, he said, “I suppose I should be grateful you haven’t rejected the idea outright, but we may not have the luxury of you garnering all the answers to your questions. And as Falkor pointed out, consent has not always been given for a dragon to claim his mate. More than one female has been brought to heel after waking from her transition.”

“Do you have any idea how pissed I’d be at you?”

Warrick nodded. “Angry and resentful in the beginning, but you would accept it, as you would have no choice and would then come to understand why I did it and be grateful for my conviction that we belong together. Your heart, mind, body, and soul would sing for me, as mine already do for you. Fated mate or eternal flame is not a term we dragons throw about lightly. It is something we see as our destiny. We were literally made for each other. There’s an old, dark, and primitive dragon inside me that sees no need for niceties and would claim you completely without a second thought, but I will keep him at bay for the time being.”

“For the time being? Is that some kind of threat?”

“No. A mere statement of fact. At the end of the day, it boils down to one thing—do you feel for me what I feel for you?”

“That’s just it. I don’t know how you feel. I know you believe me to be your eternal flame, but what does that mean to you?”

Warrick stood and dashed his mug against the rocks, circling the fire pit before he stalked toward the house. How could she not know how he felt? Did he not ravish her and make her spirit soar to new heights? Did he not worship her body with everything within him? He could force her to bend to his will, and yet he had chosen not to. Not yet, that is, but the future was always in motion and there might well come a time when the beast that raged within him would win that battle.

CHAPTER 14

DANICA

Watching his back as he headed back to the mill, she realized the hand that was wrapped around the coffee mug was trembling. Unsure of what she was feeling or even how she should feel, Dani sat staring into the flames. She had asked question after pointed question and he had given her no answers whatsoever. Granted, she hadn’t given him a lot of time to talk, but he hadn’t even tried. He had yet to answer the question that for her was at the crux of the matter. She’d asked him to declare his feelings, and he had refused to do so—wasn’t that in and of itself an answer?

He talked about a beast within that threatened to rage out of control. Was he incapable of understanding he’d awakened a similar beast within her? Did he have any idea how difficult it had been to sit and hear him out without thundering at him with either combativeness or lust? His dominance called to something deep and dark inside her. Something so old, she had forgotten it even existed.

The time at Dragonwyk had answered as many questions as it had raised. She believed she had a better understanding of what it was to be a dragon’s eternal flame—more than a lover, more than a soul mate or even a fated mate. The dragons believed that an eternal flame was just that—the one you were destined to be with throughout all your lifetimes. Given that at one point all dragons were immortal that was a commitment. Dani could also see where that could present something of a conundrum if one of you was immortal—if your eternal flame died, would he or she come back and join you again in the life you lived? Circular thinking. It always gave her a headache.

Putting Warrick, his ill temper and his unanswered questions aside, she considered her own needs and desires. No, better not to look at desire. Desire led to one conclusion and one conclusion only—Warrick. Dani had never been so drawn to another human being in all her life. But what about what she’d worked for? What she’d planned for herself? Her lieutenant had indicated there was a promotion in the offing.

She was already a detective gold shield. Her next stop should be lieutenant, then captain, then assistant chief, then chief, and maybe someday commissioner. She’d worked hard to be noticed and to fast track her career, and he just seemed to think she should walk away from her life’s work. And she did mean life. Dani was pretty sure her first cognizant thought was to become a cop. It was all she’d ever wanted.

It wasn’t just about being a cop—she wanted to be an instrument of change, an instrument for justice, and an instrument for good. She wanted the bad guys caught and punished. She wanted people to be able to walk the streets without fearing for their lives or at least their safety. She worried about all the women the slavers had taken and either killed or worse. Human trafficking and the sex trade weren’t something most departments wanted to acknowledge as a problem, but statistics didn’t lie. If anything, they were probably understated as a great many cases were never reported.

But couldn’t she accomplish those goals as a drakaina?

Warrick seemed to think she should just walk away. She would give up everything to be with him, including her humanity. And what would he lose? His immortality whispered a little voice inside her head. As much as he talked about it being a burden, the fact remained he had lived for thousands of years; he had sacrificed as much for that as she had for being a cop and yet he was willing to let it go for her.

Setting the mug down with unsteady hands, Dani massaged her temples. Her head hurt. She picked her coffee back up and stared across the rim at the water passing by. The problem really boiled down to one thing—was Warrick worth giving it all up for? Her pragmatic side reared its ugly head, reminding her that it didn’t have to be an either/or decision. She could choose to spend her life with him and still go after the bad guys.

Dani sat, searching for an inner peace that seemed increasingly elusive. She had a lot to consider. It would have been easier if he’d made some declaration of undying love, but maybe he just didn’t have the words to do that. He talked about a bonding link and about how bonded couples could often feel what the other could not say. She shook her head; she hadn’t exactly been forthcoming in that department, either.

She didn’t have any answers, but as she reached out across the link, she could feel his anguish. Her inability or unwillingness to offer herself to him body and soul had wounded him far more gravely than the slavers. She realized the clarity she’d always had about wanting and needing to be a cop had been replaced with another need just as profound. She needed Warrick—every bit as much as he needed her.

As she walked inside, she could hear the shower running. She couldn’t offer him everything he wanted, but she could give him all that she had to offer. Removing her clothes, she moved into the bath where steam encompassed the shower stall. He’d removed the bloody bandages, which showed less and less blood each day. He had fresh ones waiting and seemed to have given up on the idea that she wasn’t going to see the wounds cleaned and dressed each day.

The steam hid most of the beauty of his powerful body, but she could still make out the outline through the steamed-up glass. He wasn’t moving—just standing with his hand over his head and his forehead leaning against the cool tile. Seeing defeat in the set of his shoulders, her heart ached for him. It might not be all that he wanted, but she could let him know he wasn’t alone.

Dani opened the door and stepped in, putting out her hand to stroke his powerful back. She loved running her hands over him—regardless of which form he had taken. She loved how his skin quivered, and she could feel the muscle and bone beneath it. He lifted his head, his dark eyes locking with hers.

“You don’t have to do this, Dani,” he said as he turned toward her, his cock fully engorged and pointed at her like a compass points to true north.

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