Chapter 29 #3
The night darkened his hair, casting severe shadows along his jaw. He looked dangerous, hunger simmering in his gaze, mirroring the bloom low in my belly.
“Come.”
He led me through the room, the only other furniture being two stands for our mantles. Hand in mine, he pulled me onto the balcony, fingers flinching when we reached the railing.
Wind whipped around us, tugging at my hair and dress. A shiver raced through me.
The silence felt uncanny. No music, no voices. I could almost hear the crackle of bonfires scattered across the expanse. Even the dragons were quiet.
Kallias pulled me in front of him, cradling my jaw in his palms. His guard was down completely, as if countless eyes weren’t watching. He looked at me as if I was the only thing in his world.
Cornflower-blue irises questioned, still giving me the chance to push away. His soul pleaded with me to share this moment.
I slipped my hands under the chains of his mantle. The steady thump of his heart said everything he couldn’t.
“I have faith.”
Not in gods I could not see, though I tried. I believed in him. Every ounce of me trusted his strength and resolve.
When he leaned forward, those beautiful eyes fluttered closed as his lips found their home.
I should have closed mine.
One moment I was tracing the rough stubble of his skin, pale under the dim light—the next, brilliance blinded me. My mouth parted in a gasp as a searing glow scorched my vision, inescapable even when my eyes scrunched shut.
His fingers pressed into my jaw, steadying me, a reminder that we both needed this. Every gaze below bore down on us. I couldn’t retreat. I had to meet his light, embrace it. It was part of Kallias—more than his kingship, it was him—and I wanted to share it.
I gripped his lapels, melting into his hold, arching into his warmth. My pulse thundered in my ears, nearly drowning out the din below as the celebration carried on.
Elohios chose Kallias, and Kallias chose me.
His hand slid along my waist, pulling me closer. I moaned into his embrace, his press igniting molten fire inside me. I would never tire of his touch, the way his hands turned my body to molten magma.
Sliding to the small of my back, he pulled me away from the railing. I stumbled, breaking the kiss with a quiet, needy whimper.
My eyes flew open as he caught me.
He glowed—all of him. My breath snagged on a laugh, and I threaded my fingers through his hair. He was radiant, a living sun.
Color leeched from his body; even his irises blazed gold, pupils nearly impossible to discern. His throat bobbed in a swallow as I studied him, disbelief blooming on my face.
His clothes remained untouched, the light pouring through his stained bandage and trying to seep through the layers of fabric over his chest.I trailed my hand to his jaw, rough stubble pricking my skin. His warmth radiated—more than usual—as if he were a reflection of the sun itself.
No words were needed. My hands dropped to his mantle, making quick work of it as curious anticipation built. Once our mantles were secure on their stands, it felt as if the kingdom had vanished from view, despite the balcony being wide open behind us.
He stood before me, the light draining color from his body, yet revealing the art covering the walls.
No frames hung anywhere—every detail was part of a single, sprawling mural.
I spun in place, taking in the scene of Reem painted around me.
It was as if the artist had perched on the roof of the Golden Palace and captured the city with us at its center.
Buildings stretched outward, fields ripe for harvest peeking between them.
Citizens walked the streets, baskets laden with fruits and vegetables, while horses carried hunters—not soldiers—through the woods.
My eyes shot to the arched ceiling, and a surprised laugh bubbled from my throat. A circular mirror centered above the bed reflected the glow of Kallias’ skin, casting the room in brighter light.
He caught my gaze in the reflection, drawing it back to him. Cautious but relaxed, he waited. He wasn’t guarded—he never shared this with Eldeiade—but enough lingering trauma made him patient for my approach.
Pleasure hummed through my veins. This was a moment he never offered another.
I closed the distance, pulling his tunic free from his trousers. Skin shimmered under my touch, muscles taut. His scars gleamed brilliantly white, still visible through his blessing.
My fingers traced the slash across his torso—the one my father put there.
“Not even the gods can remove scars,” he rumbled, chest vibrating with his words.
Leaning forward, I pressed a chaste kiss to it, wishing I could touch the deeper marks, the ones etched into his soul.
He spun me gently, loosening the laces of my dress. It pooled around my feet as he backed me toward the bed. I sank onto it, and he knelt before me, hands working at the straps to my boots. Watching him was mesmerizing—his glowing fingers plucking at each buckle.
When he set them aside, I drew him close between my legs.
My hair tumbled over his shoulders as our lips met in a searing kiss.
It was a promise. This moment was ours—the future was ours.
We were bound, two souls entwined. Every part of him was mine: every scar and speck of light.
And I was his—every impulsive decision and surge of dragonfire in my heart; it no longer belonged to the dragons—it was his.
I clutched onto him, our kiss shifting, heating. Whatever happened with Tallon, I would carry this memory. Life without Kallias was impossible. I needed him as much as I needed air.
When had my love grown to something so desperate?
He tilted his head, giving me room to deepen the embrace. His lips parted, and I brushed my tongue against his, coaxing the fire between us. His hand slid up my thigh, resting against my belly. The warmth of his light seeped through my bare skin.
I hummed a laugh against him, and his mouth answered with a smile as his thumb dipped beneath the waistband of my breeches.
Removing trousers was an infuriating affair. With a growl, I yanked free, lying back to kick them off.
He chuckled, rising to stand and unfasten his belt. Patient to an infuriating degree, he removed his boots, placing them neatly at the foot of the bed, then folded his trousers.
“Kallias Sunspear, I swear, if you don’t get over here,” I hissed. I left my clothes scattered around the room; he could tidy his later.
The lines that would have deepened at the corners of his eyes were hidden in the light, but when he grinned, I knew they were there.
He climbed onto the bed, prowling like a predator teasing its prey. Grasping my knees, he nudged them apart. My heart hammered, hands latching to the sheets.
He paused, lips tracing a molten path from my knee up my thigh, those blazing, gilded eyes fixed on me. His mouth danced over my skin, stoking the flames into a roaring inferno.
Then he kissed my belly.
His light flickered.
I gasped, and we shot upright together—the palace trembling around us.
“What–” I barely whispered before screams from the crowd pierced the courtyard. I twisted to the balcony, but Kallias gripped my leg, holding me fast.
The glow pulsed again, struggling to shine—like fire meeting water.
“Your dragons.”
“They’re grounded!” I bit out, glaring.
“Not all of them.”
Tsunami’s head appeared, a great golden eye catching the fractured radiance.
“Go!” I shouted, throwing a hand. “Get away!”
Fangs flashed as she bared her teeth, pupil slitting. The ceiling trembled under her weight.
“Fly!” I demanded, every fiber of me screaming. I had no authority as a rider—but I would not let her ruin this. I wouldn’t allow it.
She recoiled, shrieking, before soaring into the night. Thunderous wingbeats shook the palace.
I sank onto the bed. Kallias’ face was unreadable, brows pinched in thought. His fingers dug into my thighs, light growing stronger, brighter. “She won’t return?”
I drew a deep breath, reclaiming the hunger that had been so rudely interrupted. “She better not. But best not to risk it.” I shimmied down, legs curling around his waist.
He grunted, bracing over me. A nip at my ear, a searing kiss to my neck, and I arched into him.
In the mirror, his light consumed everything. No bed, no woman beneath him—only Kallias. I surrendered to the flame, letting thought vanish. The primal need for him blazed higher.
He was the sun. Burning, blazing, steadfast and unyielding. Always in its place, necessary for life. His light burned away the fog of doubt, finding me where I stood and holding me. Merging with me, becoming one.
That night, the sky lost a star. It had descended to earth, the blessing of a god incarnate. Every citizen of Radaan witnessed the power of the divine uniting with a Draconis.
I was no longer an outsider. I was Nienna Draconis, chosen by the gods.