13. Talon
13
TALON
I sat in my study, a pile of scrolls on the desk requiring my attention. But I looked at the fire instead, the sunlight coming in through the open window behind me. It was another cold day. I could feel the subtle draft against my back.
It’s been long since we last spoke . Khazmuda’s powerful voice entered my mind, the baritone like the marching drum of an oncoming army.
I’ve been busy.
Yes, I could tell.
He felt the emotions I didn’t want him to feel, so he must have felt all the desire that had been hot in my veins the last few days. The bursts of passion. And then the sorrow that followed shortly afterward.
We haven’t flown together. We haven’t hunted together.
It wasn’t my intention to neglect you.
You’ve never been this distracted by a woman before.
Because she’s no ordinary woman…
I agree—but I remain displeased, nonetheless.
When I’m finished here, we’ll fly together.
I’d like that . His mind retreated and gave me peace.
A moment later, Commander Navarrese entered my chambers. “Your Highness, I just received a message from the Arid Sands.” He approached my desk and extended the scroll with the broken seal. “It requires your attention imminently.”
Noteworthy news never came from the Arid Sands. It was a barren desert with laborers. Sometimes a black diamond was discovered, but it was a rare occurrence, and most of the time, the size of the diamond was negligible.
I rose to my feet and took the scroll from him and scanned through the words written with a sloppy hand. “General Titan has abandoned his post…” I read the words out loud because they made no sense in my head. “What the fuck is this?” I lifted my head to look at Commander Navarrese like he would have all the answers.
“I’m just as bewildered as you are, King Talon.”
My chin dipped to read the scroll again, as if I’d somehow missed something. General Titan had served me since I’d conquered this land. He’d been my right-hand man, had risen through the ranks and earned the esteemed title of general. I delegated my most important tasks to him and no one else.
What was so important for him to walk away from his post?
It only took me a second to figure it out.
I let the scroll roll back into place before I crushed it with my fingers.
Commander Navarrese waited for orders.
General Titan technically had done no wrong by leaving my service. But the reason for his abandonment was punishable by death. “General Titan is to be killed on sight. He’ll approach the castle—and we’ll have the soldiers ready when he does.”
“Yes, King Talon. But why do you assume his advance is hostile?”
He’d come all the way here to reclaim Calista. I’d spared his life because of his service to my regime—but he chose to abuse my mercy. He couldn’t get her out of his head. Couldn’t forget about the woman he’d enslaved for a year. So he spat on my generosity and chose to defy me. “Because it is.”
I let myself into her bedroom.
She was at one of the windows, using her dinner knife to work the wooden boards and attempt to pop them free. She either didn’t hear me walk inside or didn’t care that I was there. “Trying to run again?”
She tried to use the knife as a lever to pop off the boards, but she was getting nowhere. “Trying to get sunshine. I feel like a fucking bat in here.” She eventually abandoned her attempt and withdrew the knife before she looked at me. “Wow, you’re wearing a shirt. That’s a first.”
I was in my uniform, fully dressed in black, with my sword at my hip. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
She tossed the knife on the bed and came closer to me. “Trust me, you aren’t.” When she was before me, she looked at me with those same vicious eyes, still angry about the last conversation we’d had. I didn’t want to sleep with her—and that seemed to wound her pride.
I regarded her for a long moment, taking in the brightness of her green eyes, the outline of her full lips. She was a beautiful woman and I understood General Titan’s obsession, but I didn’t understand how it drove him to pure insanity.
Her arms crossed over her chest, and she stared at me.
I stared back, a series of memories flashing across my mind. The night we first spoke. When she told me what happened to her. When her fingers dug into my hair as she kissed me. When she woke up and asked me to come to bed…like I was her lover.
She blinked several times because seconds had ticked by. “What do you want?”
We’d shared a passionate night, but my rejection had cut her like a knife. We were back in time, back to where we started. “How many times do I have to tell you it wasn’t personal? I assumed your ire for me would be tempered after our night together, but it seems only to have fanned your flames.”
Her eyes flicked away immediately, like my thumb hit a pressure point.
“Tell me.”
Her eyes stayed away, her arms secure over her chest.
I waited, feeling her energy change, feeling an answer on the horizon.
“That was a big moment for me…and I guess I was vulnerable and just needed more.” She still wouldn’t look at me, like she was ashamed of what she just said. “Waking up to see you sitting in an armchair just to get away from me…didn’t make me feel good.”
“My intention wasn’t to get away from you.”
“Then why did you act like that?” She turned back to me, her embarrassment gone and her hardness back.
I tried to find the right words, to explain the situation without details. “You have your traumas—and I have mine.”
“Sleeping with someone is traumatizing?” she asked incredulously.
“Deeply.”
Her eyes regarded my face, desperate for more.
I’d come here to tell her the news about General Titan, but now I suspected it would do more harm than good. He couldn’t get to her while I breathed, so she had nothing to worry about. I changed the subject before she could interrogate me with questions I didn’t want to answer. “It’s time to teach you the art of the blade. Are you ready?”
“Now?” she asked with a hint of surprise.
“Do you have other obligations?” I asked coldly.
Her eyes narrowed. “Just when I start to like you a little bit, you fuck it up.”
I turned back toward the door. “Let’s go.”
“I have nothing to wear.”
“I’ll fix that. Come on.”
She followed me, and together, we walked down the hallway and left my private section of the castle. The rest of it was simply a sight of grandeur, guest rooms that were never filled with company because my only friend was a dragon.
She was quiet on the journey, following my lead down the stairs and the different hallways. I made it downstairs to the training room, an empty space with a maroon rug across the floor. A chandelier hung from the ceiling high above. All the furniture had been removed to make room for indoor training since the castle was so far away from the barracks. I opened one of the closets and found a set of armor that would fit her. “Here.”
She took it from my hands and stared at it. “It’s ugly.”
“It’s old.”
“Can I have some new, non-ugly armor to wear?” She lifted her chin to look at me. “Something like that.”
“My servants will see to it. But for now, this is what you’re wearing.”
She took everything then sat on the windowsill, putting on each piece and taking a long time because she’d never fastened armor to her body before. By the time she stood up, she swayed slightly. “Shit, this is heavy.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“I don’t think I’ll get used to ugly male armor.”
I grabbed a sword and handed it to her.
She took it, her arm immediately dropping from the weight before she got used to it. She examined the blade in her hand, a two-handed gilded sword with an ornate finish. A ruby was in the hilt that was tarnished with age. She turned it over several times, admiring the weapon even though it’d been sitting in that closet for a decade.
I walked to the center of the room then unsheathed my blade. “I’ll show you the basics. Once you’ve mastered that, we’ll train.”
“Should I feel honored you didn’t pawn off my training on some poor soldier?” She gripped the pommel with both hands and tested the blade, slowly slicing through the air to watch the way it moved.
“You won’t fight like a soldier. You’ll fight like a dragonian—so I’m the only one who can teach you.”
Her body was lean and toned from working in the desert the last seven years, but she lacked the strength to handle her armor and the weight of the two-handed sword. My armorer would have to construct specific armor for her build and a weapon that could inflict the same amount of damage with a fraction of the weight.
Her forehead carried a sheen of sweat, and her dark hair clung to the nape of her neck. Her movements were stiffer than they’d been at the beginning of the training. It was obvious she was exhausted, but not once did she complain.
She carried the heavy sword back to the closet and hung it on the rack. Then piece by piece, absent-mindedly, she pulled apart the pieces of her armor and returned them to the rack for someone else to use. She didn’t look at me, too delirious to think about me at all.
“You weren’t bad.”
She slowly turned to me, like she remembered I was still there. “Not bad? I was a fucking joke.”
“For someone who’s had no training whatsoever, you picked up on it very fast—which doesn’t surprise me.” She processed information quickly and didn’t justify her shortcomings. Even if there was no chance of success, she worked hard like she might win. Her dedication was admirable. “When you have a more suitable weapon and armor, it’ll be easier.”
“How did you learn?”
“My father trained me.” I answered her question without thinking it through, sharing a piece of my story I’d rather hide. He’d trained me since I was a boy, wanting to teach me personally because he wouldn’t leave the task to an inferior. He wanted me to learn from the best and be the best—and that training was the reason I was still alive today.
“Was he an expert swordsman?”
The memory of his face always left me with a twinge of sadness. “The best.”
She watched me with her intelligent eyes, clearly wanting more but knowing it would be pointless to push it. “Then I guess I’m in good hands.” When she finished removing her armor, she stepped away, ready to return to our section of the castle.
I walked beside her, and together, we made our way in silence.
When we reached her bedchambers, she immediately walked inside without saying a word to me, closing the door behind her right away.
I didn’t know what I’d expected from her. We’d just trained for several hours. All either of us wanted was a hot shower and a good meal. But I stared at the door for several seconds before I walked past the guards and returned to my bedchambers. Once I was inside, I immediately dropped every piece of armor and returned it to the stand in the closet. My sword was left at my bedside, where I preferred to keep it. But instead of undressing, I stood there and looked at the front door, my mind down the hall with the woman who was probably in a hot shower. It only took a few seconds for me to walk out, move past the guards, and enter her bedchamber without knocking.
I heard the water running from the shower in her bathroom, so I undressed in the living room and left my clothes behind before I opened the door and stepped into the room that already had steam at the ceiling.
She was visible in the glass shower, just standing there with her eyes closed as the warm water cascaded down her flesh. The warmth must have felt nice on her aching muscles, so she stood there and absorbed it.
I watched her for a moment before I opened the door, the cold draft bursting through the crack and striking her.
Her eyes snapped open, and she looked at me as she gave a quiet gasp. “Fuck, you scared me.” She stepped away slightly, getting out of the water and up against the wall. “What the fuck are you doing?”
I stepped under the water and let it soak into my hair and run down my body. The warmth was nice on the flesh, nice on the engorged muscles underneath. “Thought I’d join you.”
“Because…?” Her hair was slicked down the back of her neck. The fatigue in her eyes had quickly been replaced by a spark of anger, a shine that was inherently irresistible. Her body was beautiful under the water, the rivers flowing down her skin and in the cleavage between her tits.
“Because I want to.” My eyes dipped to her arms, seeing the bruises that had already started to form. They were deep black and purple, the hits from my sword too strong even for her armor. I hadn’t tried to hit her so hard. In fact, I’d tried to minimize the impact whenever I could, but it wasn’t enough. “I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
She was too proud to acknowledge the aches and pains. Her eyes continued to bore into mine with searing confidence. “You didn’t.”
It was a bald-faced lie, but I fucking respected it. I respected the fact that she refused to acknowledge defeat or weakness. That she would rather suffer in silence and bottle her resentment than give anyone an ounce of satisfaction. The longer I was in her presence, the more I understood General Titan’s obsessiveness. “I meant what I said. You were good.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll never be what you are. You expect me to fight alongside you, but I’m utterly useless.”
“Trust me, it’ll get easier.”
“I don’t think it will.”
“Once you’re fused, it’ll turn into mere intuition.”
Her eyes moved back to mine, the question in their depths.
“The strength will make that sword feel weightless. Your reaction time will be reduced to a fraction of a second. Speed, agility, prowess will all come naturally. But I’m teaching you the basics now so you’ll know what to do once that power comes to you.”
She listened to every word, fully absorbed in everything I said. “So you wouldn’t be powerful if you weren’t fused with Khazmuda?”
“I wouldn’t be as powerful. My knowledge of the blade and my experience remain innate. I could best most of my foes without the power Khazmuda offers me—but it certainly makes it easier. It will be a great advantage to you.”
Water continued to cascade down her body as she remained entranced by my words. “Even if we find a dragon, I’m not sure why they would want to share that power with me. I’m not sure why they would want to fuse with me.”
“Khazmuda has great affection for you. I imagine another dragon will as well.”
“And where is that dragon?”
“Its exact whereabouts are unknown. But I have scouts always searching.”
“How do you know this dragon even exists?”
“Because I’ve seen him.”
She stilled, her gaze hardening at my words. “Did you speak with him?”
“He wasn’t interested in my cause.”
“Then why do you think he’ll change his mind?”
“Because I didn’t have a dragonian to offer him. Now I do. And I suspect he’ll be as intrigued by you as Khazmuda has been.”
She returned to her silent stare, her eyes boring into mine like she wanted more information that I didn’t have.
“Once I know where he is, we’ll travel to his location and proposition him once again.”
“I don’t see how you can convince a dragon to fight a war that has nothing to do with him.”
“It does concern him, but he chooses to ignore it because that’s easier.”
“How does it concern him?”
I didn’t want to answer. Didn’t want to share. But our intimacy came at a price. She had access to me in a way she hadn’t before. “Because his kin are prisoners of the new regime. Instead of risking his freedom to spare them, he’s chosen to abandon them—a choice I refuse to make.”
“But if he and Khazmuda are the only free dragons left, that won’t be enough to challenge this regime you speak of.”
“I think there are more dragons—just haven’t found them yet.”
Her eyes drifted down to my chest, staring at my body while her mind was swept away on an invisible breeze. “What happened…?” Her eyes lifted to mine. “What happened to you?”
I stared into her green eyes, the stare deep and hypnotic, somehow full of anger…and empathy.
The memory played in my mind over and over, every single day, every night before I went to sleep, but I never shared the tale with anyone. All my energy was focused on my ambition, my unrelenting need for revenge. It carried me further than I ever thought I could go. Despite the desperation written on her face, the words still couldn’t form on my tongue. I couldn’t say the words out loud, not when I’d never spoken them to anyone except Khazmuda…and that was a long time ago.
“You can tell me…” There was only desperation in her eyes, not demand. There was sympathy there too, like she knew how broken I was, even though I hadn’t told her a single detail.
My hand slid across the small of her back, and I pulled her close, her tits against the top of my stomach, both of our bodies directly underneath the water. My hand cupped her wet cheek, and I lifted her chin to accept my kiss, our wet mouths coming together under the cascading water. Instead of fighting me, she grabbed on to my wrist and gave it a squeeze. Her mouth opened and invited my kiss, and she was the first one to give tongue. A single night together had given her a surge of confidence and experience—and she put them both to good use.
She lay on her back on the bed, her wet body immediately leaving a print on the sheets. Her thighs parted and welcomed my hips as her hands glided up my chest to my shoulders. Her head tilted back to accept my hungry kiss, taking it with a hot breath as I got situated on top of her.
After I’d had her once, I’d assumed my desire would be permanently quenched. I was never enthralled by a single woman for long, and my desires took me to other mouths and other bodies immediately afterward. But having Calista felt like a pre-appetizer, a simple morsel rather than a full dish.
My hips fit snugly between her fleshy thighs, and my hard dick was anxious to return to the pool of arousal I created. My lips danced with hers in perfect harmony as I guided my dick to her entrance, so desperate to feel the slickness that made my body tense. My head pushed at her opening, her slit so narrow and her lips so small they blocked my path. I pushed again and again, hearing her sharp inhale at every attempt, and then I finally broke through the gates and felt her river. I sank, feeling the ripple of fire up my spine, my breath shaky as I fell deep into her tight abyss.
She was so fucking wet—because of me.
I was a conqueror, claiming forbidden lands in my name. I turned the desert into an oasis. Flowers bloomed where rocks and sand had once been. General Titan’s name had been erased as I carved mine in stone. Sex would mean something different to her now. It would be sought out. Desired. Enjoyed.
I moved fully inside her until there was nowhere else for me to go. Some of my length remained exposed to the air because my shaft was too big for her channel. I’d already taken her slow and gentle once, and I wanted to fuck her the way I fucked my whores, but I could sense her delicacy and vulnerability and knew it would be a mistake to push her before she was ready.
My arms hooked behind her knees and opened her wide so I could thrust at the deeper angle, her petite body folded underneath mine for my enjoyment. Her tits were small but nice, with little nipples that felt like sharp pebbles in my mouth. Her expression was so sexy, the way she enjoyed my dick and then was surprised by it…over and over.
Her hands grabbed on to my forearms as she took my pumps, her moans growing successively louder and louder, her cheeks so red, she looked like she had a bad sunburn.
I was so hard watching her, so fucking turned on by how much she enjoyed it. My fat ego was now as big as my dick. My hips started to thrust quicker and harder on their own, swept up in the storm of desire that enraptured me.
Her moans started to turn to winces, and her hand planted against my chest to halt me. “Slow…”
I kept going because it was too hard to stop. Fuck, it felt good, and she was so damn wet.
“Easy,” she said as her voice cracked, her nails digging into the flesh of my forearm and chest. “It hurts.”
I closed my eyes and felt the pleasure burn down my spine. My breath came out shaky because she couldn’t have said anything sexier. The idea of my big dick hurting her felt so fucking good, because I was a sick bastard.
I opened my eyes again.
Her pleading eyes looked up at me, her hand still on my chest.
My pace slowed, and I shortened my length, no longer pounding the entire shaft inside her little pussy. The wetness had smeared all over my length, and her cream had started to build up right at the base. Forcing myself to take it easy on her was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do, but I fucking did it. “You like, baby?”
Her breaths grew labored once again, and now her eyes didn’t water in pain. Her hands returned to my forearms, and she gripped them as she continued to take my big dick. “Yes, I like it.” Her eyes closed for a brief second, her lips parting in a sexy sigh before she bit her bottom lip. Her back arched, and her tits lifted to the ceiling.
Fuck, she really enjoyed this. “You love it. Now say it.”
Her eyes found mine, lost in the haze of pleasure but sharpened with anger.
“Say it.” I controlled the pace of my hips even though they wanted to go much faster, much harder. My mind and body were not in sync at the moment. “Say it or I’ll stop.”
“Then stop.” Her hands gripped my forearms as she stared up at me, calling me out on my bluff.
My hips slowed but continued their motion, and I was even more turned on than I’d been before. Her defiance even made my dick twitch. All I had to do was stop and she’d beg me to fuck her again, but my hips couldn’t do it. My dick was buried too deep, and it wouldn’t leave for any request.
Victory shone in her eyes.
I fucked her a little harder, my excitement burning through my veins.
Her nails continued to slice me as her moans grew louder. Then she spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “I love it.” Her eyes were lidded and heavy, her lips parted and desperate for my kiss.
Her words made my body halt, elicited such a burst of pleasure that it was almost the same intensity as a climax. My eyes burned into hers, and an overwhelming sense of possessiveness overcame me. My mouth dropped to hers, and I kissed her hard, stole her breath away with my demanding embrace. My head tilted left and then right, my tongue swiped hers, and I moaned in her mouth because the burning connection between us scorched me and turned me to ash.
I pulled my mouth away and rocked into her again, this time faster than before but at the reduced depth.
Her hands cupped my neck, and the tips of her fingers reached into my hair as she moaned louder than before, moaned like she loved it as much as she said she did. “Talon…”
About time. Khazmuda dropped his head to regard me, his wings folded into his body as he sat on the ramparts and waited for me. The torches illuminated his brilliant scales in the darkness, casting a shine that made them reflect the color of the flames.
I’m a king. I’m busy.
Not busy from doing kingly things. His large eyes were dark with accusation.
I gave him a cold stare as I approached his right flank. Thank you for respecting my privacy.
I would if that were possible. But you can’t ignore a storm, and I can’t ignore the tidal wave of emotions that you unleash.
I climbed up the bindings that secured his saddle in place and dropped into the saddle.
They are the most potent I’ve ever felt.
I ignored his words. Where do you want to go?
Bear Mountain.
It wasn’t called Bear Mountain, but that was where he found his favorite game. After you.
Khazmuda launched into the sky and used his powerful wings to take us to the cloud bank in just a few seconds. He cast such momentum, it would knock off an inexperienced rider, but I knew my dragon the way I knew my own body. Whenever he carried Calista, he treated her like a delicate pot that would roll off and break into shards, but with me, he treated me like I was an extension of his own body.
We traveled to the mountain, the snow visible along the peaks as they reflected the moonlight. The journey on foot would take two days, but on the back of a dragon, it only took minutes. We glided down to the base of the mountains, in an open clearing away from the trunks of dark trees.
I dismounted and slid down his smooth scales until my boots hit the grass. I unhooked my axe from across my back and gripped it just below the blade. I’ll make a fire.
I’ll return shortly. Khazmuda launched into the sky once again and disappeared.
I found a broken branch and cut it into logs before I pulled it together in the middle of the clearing. Once the pile was substantial, I struck a match and set the fire ablaze, the light and warmth immediately illuminating the clearing. Snow was on the ground, patches of grass visible where the snow had shifted in the wind. I constructed a spit next, placing it over the fire so we could cook the game evenly.
I sat on a log and waited, staring at the fire, no one knowing my whereabouts besides Khazmuda. The cold was unforgiving that winter, far more intense than it would have been back in my lands, but something about it dulled the wounds under the flesh, like an ice pack against a bruise. I breathed in the frost and watched it escape as vapor. Time moved slowly as I waited, and my mind drifted to all the things I’d rather not think about.
Half an hour later, Khazmuda returned, a black bear in his jaws. He dropped it on the snow-covered ground, blood staining the white.
I pulled out my knife and prepared it to be cooked.
It tastes better whole.
“Maybe to you.”
Seals in the juices.
I continued to prepare the meat. “I don’t like hair in my food.”
It gives it a nice crunch.
I continued my work until it was prepared, and then I put the meat on the skewer and watched it cook right over the flames. I returned to the log where I’d sat before and took a seat, observing the juices drip onto the flames and make them hiss.
Khazmuda lay flat on his stomach across from me, the only way our eyes could be level with each other. His dark eyes were on the fire, watching the meat sizzle and cook. Then his gaze shifted to me. You’re troubled.
“I’m hungry, and it’s cold as fuck.”
You don’t mind the cold.
It dulled my rage the way it dulled heat.
You’ve been spending a lot of time with Calista.
“You don’t know that.”
Trust me, I do.
My eyes avoided his by fixating on the flames.
What’s your plan?
“She’s decent with the sword. I had low expectations, but she exceeded them.”
Has she trained before?
“No. So I was even more surprised.”
What does that mean?
“It means the dragon breathes fire in her blood.” My eyes shifted back to his. “Her arms and stomach were covered in bruises when we were done, but not once did she complain or show weakness. When we trained, she didn’t ask me to go lighter, didn’t even wince. Her pain tolerance is either high…or her pride is higher. The armor and sword were too heavy for her, but instead of complaining about the hand she’d been dealt, she made the best of it. I don’t usually admire people, but I found that respectable.”
You don’t admire people—you hate them.
The only time she asked me to be gentle was when we were together, when her vulnerability escaped from the hard shell that encased her body and she held on to me like I was a ship and she was lost at sea.
Do you think she’ll be enough? Even if she becomes everything you want her to be, she’s only one person.
“Two is better than one—and hopefully I’ll have more.”
Do you trust her?
“I don’t trust anyone.”
Khazmuda released a low growl.
“Except you, obviously.”
You’ve asked her to pledge her life to your cause. But if it’s servitude rather than loyalty, that could have dire consequences…
“I said I don’t trust her.”
But you’re weaponizing her with information and a dragon—both of which can be used against you.
I’d already thought about all of this. “I don’t have a choice, Khazmuda. I alone am not enough to defeat him and his army. When I found her in the Arid Sands, I had to seize the opportunity and hope for the best.”
Then you need to earn her loyalty, Talon. Without it, she has no obligation toward you. Remember, she holds you personally responsible for her suffering. If I were her, I’d be biding my time…waiting for the opportunity to strike.
I rose to my feet and grabbed the spit, rotating it so the other side of the meat would cook.
Khazmuda’s eyes followed me. You know I’m right.
I returned to the log, looking at my dragon head on.
Your paths have crossed before. Until you know how, you can never trust her intentions.
“I thought you liked her.”
I do—but I love you.
My eyes immediately flicked away at his affection.
Love shouldn’t make you uncomfortable, Talon. But I feel your unease.
I stared at the rocks underneath the logs, stained with the juices from our dinner. “I don’t deserve your love, Khazmuda.”
You do.
“I don’t deserve anyone’s love.” The self-loathing gnawed at me every day, carved into my flesh then feasted on my heart and lungs. I could feel the bite of guilt—and it was always painful.
Khazmuda stared at me in silence, his pain palpable. I think you do.
I wouldn’t look at him because it was too hard. Too fucking hard.
Tell her your story, Talon.
“No.” I couldn’t say the words aloud. My body wouldn’t allow me.
Earn her loyalty.
“My sorrow is not her sorrow. There’s no reason for her to care—and she shouldn’t.”
You care about her sorrow.
My eyes dropped to the fire.
I can feel it.
The fire crackled between us. The smoke rose to the sky and soaked into my clothes. Our dinner smoldered above the flames but started to burn because it was forgotten. I wanted the moment to pass, for the subject to change, for the discomfort to abate.
Khazmuda continued his stare.
“General Titan has left his post. Gave no warning or explanation. Now, his whereabouts are unknown.”
The dragon raised his head slightly as he absorbed this information. You may not know where he is now, but you know where he’s going.
“Yes.” No distance would dull his obsession. No amount of time would make him forget what he’d lost. He considered himself her rightful owner—and he wouldn’t stop until he reclaimed his property.
Question is—will he sneak into the castle and kidnap her? Or will he openly oppose you?
My eyes moved to his. “He knows I can’t be defeated.”
He might try if he has enough men and the element of surprise.
“He would do that for one woman?” I asked incredulously.
For an exceptional one, perhaps. Remember, you took this land by force. Anyone who refused to surrender and serve your regime was slain. You disturbed their dead. A decade has passed, but resentment runs deep. If a suitable challenger enters the ring, they may rally behind him.
“He’s not a suitable challenger.”
You appointed him as your general for a reason.
My eyes moved back to him.
Arrogance leads to complacency. Remember that.
Khazmuda was more than a dragon. He was the most intelligent being I’d ever encountered. He was more than just a great hunter of the skies and the earth. “Have you always been a know-it-all?”
I’ve always been wise—if that’s what you’re asking.
I rose from the log and loosened the spit from its position. I cut off my portion of meat before giving Khazmuda the rest. I sat on the rock and ate my dinner, and the dragon finished off the rest of the carcass.
A long stretch of silence passed—and it was welcome after our heated conversation.
Khazmuda finished his food quickly then flicked the bones to the side. A little burnt.
“You shouldn’t have talked so much, then.”
He gave a quiet growl that would make another man piss himself.
I continued to eat, taking my time instead of devouring my portion the way he did.
Does she know?
“No.”
She’ll be upset.
“That’s why I’m not going to tell her.”
Khazmuda watched me with his knowing eyes. She deserves to know her former tormentor is pursuing her.
“She’ll worry needlessly.”
I think worry is appropriate in this situation ? —
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I snapped. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Once I know where he is, I’ll slay him myself.”
Khazmuda watched me for a long time, his dark eyes heavy with his swirling thoughts. He didn’t wear expressions the way humans did, so his thoughts were hard to read, but I could pick up on the subtle ways he moved his head and shifted his eyes. I knew you cared for her, but now I know you care for her deeply.
“Deeply is a stretch.”
You’ve become her protector.
“My general has decided to defy my rulership and pursue the woman I’ve taken for myself. It has nothing to do with her.”
I think it has everything to do with her. This is personal—for both of you.
My appetite was extinguished, but I continued to eat, just to have a way to deflect Khazmuda’s scrutiny.
That’s why you took her from the Arid Sands. He started to piece everything together, his mind finding that final page missing from the story. It wasn’t just the gift.
I tossed the remaining meat at him, feeding him like a dog because my lack of appetite had now turned into physical discomfort, an acid in my stomach that burned. “Just drop it, Khazmuda.”
You need to tell her, Talon.
“No.”
Tell her ? —
“I said no.”
Khazmuda met my ire with his vicious eyes. Tell her—or I will .