22. Chapter 22 #2
Spirit energy surged from inside her, connected to his, and licked over her breasts, spreading heated arousal all over her body.
She gasped and cried out. The link between them heated and blended, stronger and so comforting that she gave herself to the sensation.
The friction between her clit and jeans tightened her lower muscles, and she spasmed in release.
Bliss poured in. Her head fell back as she came in droves against him.
He groaned against her ear while they shared wild abandon.
They stilled, searching for sanity.
The orgasm left her raw and naked. As she recovered, a nagging thought sent warning bells through her. What have I done? Her heart threatened to seize.
“The link is stronger now,” Fotios said in her mind.
Daxton’s dragon aura surrounded hers, warmer than before. Something spiritual flowed between them, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. With shaky hands, she shoved herself off him.
He stared at his empty palms. He seemed lost in thought. His dragon felt calm. A languid consciousness streamed along the link, as if his emotions moved like molasses.
“We…you…” She willed herself to tell him they needed to keep their distance, but her throat closed on the words. She had no regrets. She’d liked it more than she wished to admit. But it was too dangerous. To hide her shaking hands, she ran them through her messy hair.
His gaze pierced straight through her. Her face felt on fire, and her breathing labored.
Daxton swallowed. His voice came out hoarsely. “I apologize if that went too far.”
She fought off every instinct to hide within the sanctuary of the bookshelves. Don’t be a coward. “I won’t let you take all the blame, Daxton. It takes two to…well, fool around. The connection between us is stronger than I thought.”
Daxton’s jaw tightened. “Izzy, there’s an attraction here that’s far more than the link.
Spending time with you has proven that.” He stood toe-to-toe with her.
“This connection doesn’t will me to believe you’re gorgeous and have a brain just as attractive.
Your tenacity to learn a new language and continue researching blows my mind. I don’t have the patience you do.”
Her heart thundered with every compliment and the stunning truth that he too had traits she admired.
He lived an immortal life and yet cared so much for his people that he created a business to support them.
His plate was already full, but he took the time to bring her to safety and hunt the Archfiends.
The man exuded warmth and acceptance in ways she never felt she could.
She shook her head. “I can’t do this.”
“What are you afraid of?”
Falling for you.
“Emotions are the hurdle to reaching strength,” Fotios whispered.
I know, but it’s always been hard for me to shut myself off.
“Yes, and because of that, when I died, what happened?”
Her grief over losing him caused her brain to crack.
Gentle fingers grasped and lifted her chin. Daxton’s narrowed gaze stared back at her.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked.
Oh no. Can he tell that I’m talking to a dead man? She took a step back. “N-nothing.”
“Who were you talking to?” Daxton asked.
Her hands shook. “What do you mean?”
“You go distant sometimes, as if you’re talking to someone. And when Simon updated us about the Archfiend, you spoke to someone in the woods.”
Her heart sank to her toes. Did she sense judgment in his words? No. He was gentle and worried. It didn’t matter. The last thing I want is to explain how delusional I am. He’ll probably think it’s a madness that’ll turn me into an Archfiend.
“That’s absurd.” She turned and marched away from him.
Daxton’s steps thudded close behind her. “Izzy, you can talk to me. Stop. Where are you going?”
“To my room.”
“You’re heading in the wrong direction.”
She stopped between two bookshelves with a sigh.
“You were always bad with directions…” Fotios’s unwelcome voice said, the air scented with old parchment—just the way he had smelled.
She clamped her hands over her ears as fear clawed its way up from her stomach, and anger burned hot in her chest, threatening to tear her apart. Every fiber of her being screamed for release, teetering on the edge of an explosive outburst.
A warm hand touched her shoulder. “Izzy?”
She jerked free. “Leave me alone.”
“I can’t leave you.”
She whipped around. The concern in his eyes hardened her resolve to push him away. “You say that as if we’re together. We are nothing.”
“Stop acting like you don’t care when you do.”
The words pierced through her. “I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Why?” The floodgate broke. Laughter spilled from her lips.
“I allowed myself to care for someone, and when I lost him…” Her breath hitched.
“When he left me, I broke. For a week I couldn’t eat, and I slept on the floor in my own tears.
On the fourth, he showed up on my doorstep, talking to me and helping me as he always did.
It took me a year to piece together why he never showed himself around other people and didn’t teach me new ideas.
He wasn’t there. I had dissociated from reality. ”
She ran her shaking fingers through her hair.
“It’s taken Simon and me so much work to get where I am now, but I still hear him.
How are we supposed to be strong with all these overwhelming emotions?
They engulf us, pulling us under, forcing us to make the worst decisions.
And I just want the chaos to stop.” She breathed deeply around the pain building inside, the burning in her eyes.
“With Simon, I tried not to be attached, but I’m terrified for his safety.
I can still feel the Archfiend’s sword piercing me as if the wound hasn’t healed.
And I imagine Simon or you and I…I just… ”
Daxton enveloped her in his arms. The warmth of his body swept over her, and his spicy and heady scent filled her nostrils. His closeness made her muscles tense.
“It’s okay,” he whispered against her ear. “You’re safe. Simon’s safe. And I’m right here.”
With a jagged breath, she allowed herself to relax against him. Resting her head in the indent of his shoulder, she closed her eyes.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “Immortality brings many losses. Some devastating. But we have the bad so we can enjoy the good. Sometimes I can hear my Maternal’s voice. She always scolded me for something. She passed before I became an adult.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Izzy wrapped her arms around him.
He gave her a tight squeeze. “As I am for yours. When you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
She leaned back. “Thank you. But I can’t…”
“I can feel that…fog.”
“Along the link?”
He nodded and squeezed her once more. “I felt it before when the message came up on your laptop. If you get too close, I’ll be here to help you back.
Just please don’t push me away. Caring for others can make you stronger than you think.
If I hadn’t allowed myself to care, I wouldn’t have become a chief, and it’s the best decision I’ve made for my dragon. ”
“The dragon that you can barely control.”
His jaw ticked. “I’ll admit my emotions can overwhelm me, but without them I wouldn’t have the passion to fly or the ability to cherish holding you in my arms. Don’t just survive, Izzy—live.”
Staring into the determination of his eyes, her heart opened, blooming with a hesitant newfound desire to finally let Daxton in.