Chapter 29 #3
“According to the prophecy, only immortals can command a God Dragon, but after the blood binding ceremony our souls are tethered through the mate bond, granting me—your immortal mate—the ability to wield the God Dragon,” he explained.
I took a big gulp of Faerie wine, and the heat almost instantly flooded my veins, relaxing me in the most euphoric way.
I pondered over his words as he returned to his seat now that I had calmed down.
Assuming all of this insanity was true, he may have been on to something about inheriting the part of my father that was archangel and not his darkness, because the Lithovore said I had a “pure soul.”
“Tell me about your father,” I said, and a muscle flinched in his jaw.
“Skip,” he said playfully, referring to the game we played in the enchanted mines. He buried his face in his goblet as if to hide from me, or the question, or both.
“Come on. I just told you my father might be an actual
demon. What could possibly be worse than that?” I begged.
“Nerot,” he answered with an emptiness in his eyes. “Lord Nerot was by far worse than a fallen archangel, because unlike your father he never fell from grace—he was born without it. He beat me, my sister, and my mom regularly. He psychologically tortured us daily.
He slaughtered Fae for amusement. He slept around and undoubtedly fathered several bastards. He raped. He lied. He stole. He traded Prisca’s virginity for cattle. So yeah, I’m glad he’s gone. He’s been dead for decades and I’m still cleaning up his mess.”
I tried to hide my emotions, but my stomach turned in disgust. My heart broke for him and what he went through.
I couldn’t imagine growing up like that.
The very thought of it made me sick to my stomach, but I was going to be strong for him and keep it together so he knew he could lean on me too—that he was not alone and it was ok to be vulnerable.
I took his hand from across the table and said, “I’m sorry for what you and your family went through. Thank you for opening up to me,” then I raised my wine glass and said, “To the apples that fell far from their trees.”
He looked at me with confusion and said, “What apples?... I could send for some if you like?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, it’s a saying in the mortal realm. You don’t remember?”
“I can’t say that I do. What does it mean?” he asked with a small grin.
“It means, the child chose a different path from the parent,” I explained.
The corners of his mouth turned up in a full smile. He raised his glass to mine and the metal clinked. After a healthy sip he spoke.
“Cercies requested a private meeting tomorrow night. I presume your handmaid will be the main talking point. I need to know how you feel if he requests her transfer to Dragon’s Maw. I know she is your friend,” he said while swirling his goblet.
“I spoke with her today and basically relieved her of her duties to me,” I admitted.
“You what? I will assign you a new handmaid at once,” he retorted.
“Titus, no! I relieved her because I don’t want anyone to take care of me. I enjoy being self-sufficient, and now that I know my way around the castle and how things work around here, I really don’t need her for anything other than companionship,” I replied.
“If her transfer is what he proposes, would you like me to deny it, so your friend will have to stay here with you?” he asked.
“Absolutely not. If she wishes to be with her fated mate, she should have the freedom to do so, no matter how much I will miss her,” I said as the pain of that reality settled in.
“Very well—as long as you don’t request transfer there as well because it will immediately be denied. I like having you right down the hall,” he added with a hint of seduction.
The fire sprites cleared our plates and brought us two big pieces of fudgy chocolate cake, the exact same as the first meal we had together. I scanned his face for any hint of whether the dessert selection was just a mere coincidence or not.
After a few bites, he asked. “How do you like the dessert?” “It’s incredibly good. I’ve had it before,” I moaned as a fork
full of the cake graced my pallet.
“Careful, Pickles. If you keep making noises like that, I might have to make you my dessert,” he said in the deepest,
most seductive voice that had the power to make my underwear disappear.
As much as I would have loved for him to take me right here on this table, I was going to steer clear for at least a day so I could take my morning tea that Gleeda gave me.
I just hoped I would find the strength to resist him, because the way he was looking at me, I didn’t stand a chance.
I gave him a wry grin and noticed there was music playing. “Is that Gleeda’s magic harp?” I asked, nodding toward the corner of the balcony.
He quickly cleared his throat. “Yes. The musicians were unavailable on such short notice, so she let me borrow it for as long as I need. It’s funny. It almost seemed like she was happy to get rid of it,” he chuckled.
“Dance with me?” I asked, but it came out more as a command. I reached for his hand before I could overthink it.
He narrowed his eyes and gave me a bored look.
“I don’t dance—not in my past life or this one,” he said simply, swirling his goblet like he was above such things.
I let go of his hand, leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and challenged him.
“Ugh, fine. Then…tell me a truth instead,” I insisted.
He groaned. “I’d almost prefer the dance, but alright.” He thought for a moment. “I was the one that sent the cake to your room that first night,” he admitted.
“Seriously? That was you? You were so mean! I thought you hated me. Why would you do such a thing?” I asked.
“It took me awhile to understand, but I never hated you. I hated myself—that someone so scared and frail could so easily overpower me with only their scent. For the first time in my life, I felt powerless. I was powerless to your pull. The only thing I could do was fight it and get you to hate me so you wouldn’t be drawn to me anymore.
Then when you left, I noticed you had hardly touched your food.
I didn’t know if it was because of me or if you didn’t care for it, but I saw you eyeing the cake, so I made sure a slice got to your room before you did. ”
I reached for his hand and laced my fingers in his. “You are not the monster you want everyone to think you are; I could never hate you, Titus,” I said softly while drowning in the depths of his amber pools.
For a heartbeat, I couldn’t help but feel like I might be the only person in this realm who saw the real Titus—beneath the crown and the cruelty. He smiled back at me, but it did not meet his eyes, as if he doubted himself.
Then his normally warm amber eyes went hollow, the light in them dimming as he replied, “Just wait, there’s still time.” He polished off the last of his wine like he could swallow the thought down with it.
He set the glass down and continued, “If it works with your schedule, I’d like you to be at the meeting tomorrow night with Cercies.”
My eyes widened as shock straightened my posture. “What?” I asked.
“You said you wanted to be a part of what goes on in the kingdom, and since she is your friend I know you will act in her best interest,” he replied.
“I’ll be there—after dragon flying with Aurelius, assuming you still think that’s a good idea?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yes. The more time on dragon-back the better. I wish I could teach you myself, but High Lords get such little time outside of the castle. I have a lot going on preparing for the arrival of the Lord of Land from the Kingdom of Terrain and his search party. Just keep your mate mark hidden and act as though you are still planning on going home to be with your mortal mate—eh husband. If he thinks you don’t want to be with me, he should back off,” he explained.
I highly doubted that. The memory hit me sharp—Aurelius moving like a shadow behind Titus at the SkyGuard feast, the flash of intent in his eyes, the way my stomach had dropped.
My fingers tightened around the stem of my goblet. I couldn’t just sit on this.
How could he trust him? I had to warn him.
Concerned, I said, “Titus, there is something you should know. Aurelius tried to kill you that night at the SkyGuard feast.”
He smirked like it was nothing, lazily swirling his wine.
“And I tried to kill Cercies earlier that same night.” He exhaled a nostalgic breath and continued.
“We have a long history of violence amongst each other. Plus, he already explained he was trying to use his healing light to see if he could find anything wrong with me.”
I studied his face, searching for a crack in that calm. “And you believe him?”
“Absolutely not,” he replied quickly. His thumb brushed once over my knuckles on the table—steadying, possessive.
“But I know him, and I will handle it, Pickles. Don’t worry.
You are safe to fly tomorrow with him. As much as I hate to admit it, he is the best teacher when it comes to dragons.
Try to learn as much as you can—for Mount Orid or the war to come.
Either way, you will be safer on dragon-back,” he said eerily.
The candlelight flickered across his jaw as he spoke, and the weight of his words settled in my chest—because he wasn’t talking about lessons. He was talking about survival.
Understanding the gravity of what he was saying, I nodded.
We stood and walked to the balcony doors.
He placed his palms on my lower back and guided me into him like he already knew where I belonged.
The moment his mouth met mine, my thoughts scattered.
His tongue swirled and plunged into my mouth—impatient and possessive.
I ran my fingers through his hair and sucked on his bottom lip.
He answered with a low, satisfied breath against my mouth, like he’d been starving and I’d finally let him eat.
He grinned wickedly. “Now, I have heard you say Aurelius’s name far too many times tonight, so how about we take a bottle to my room, and I remind you why mine is the only name that needs to be on your lips,” he whispered, and his words were as delicious as they were filthy.
Oh god, that sounded so amazing right now. I had been wanting him since the alley in Coralis Falls. I wanted to give in, but it was just one night—I could hold out one night for the herbs to work.
“I need to rest. I have a big day tomorrow, and I know that if I’m in your bed I will not be resting,” I said teasingly. “Besides, I thought you were trying to be good tonight.”
He smiled menacingly. “You’re right. Tomorrow then—after the meeting with Cercise, let’s work on some shield projection. After that, I want you all to myself for the rest of the night.”
I could feel the vibrations from his low, seductive voice spread through every inch of me, My skin prickled. My pulse thudded hard and needy, as if my body recognized he was the source of the of pleasure it craved.
“Tomorrow, I’m all yours, My Lord,” I said, kissing his cheek with my arms around his neck.
I glanced over to the harp still magically plucking its strings, the soft notes floating between us like they were in on the temptation. “Do you think Gleeda would mind if I borrowed her harp tomorrow morning?”
“I don’t think Gleeda would mind if you tossed it off the balcony,” he replied jokingly.
“Perfect,” I replied.