Chapter Twenty-Nine The Shape of Secrets #3
Adan's fingers curled into his chest, her nails lightly scraping through his hair as she absorbed his words. The touch of his mind—his voice inside hers—was jarring, but not frightening.
She would never be afraid of him, but, "Tell me what?"
She studied his face, The anger, the fury, the protective instincts—she could feel it all, like a wild storm behind a dam waiting to break.
And yet, there was also a tenderness there.
A desperation to protect, to keep her close.
She felt it all, even as his words flared across her thoughts without her permission.
His hand stilled for a moment, "my father's name was Keitaro Draguun." Adan knew the name, and her eyes widened slowly in revelation. "I never lied to you, I never knew my father--but he knew of me. He sent Asha away, not out of some kind of protection, but of shame. Cias never even knew I existed."
Adan swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest as she listened.
"When I was old enough to understand, Asha told me who I was. What it would mean if anyone found out. Not long after, I realized that I could read minds-- talk into them if I wasn't careful--just like my father. He was the only known dragon with that particular power. If anyone found out... Well,
you understand more than most."
Nox's breath caught in his throat, "The dragons were all gone by the time I knew who--what I was."
"Your father," Adan murmured, still trying to absorb the enormity of it.
"Keitaro Draguun." The name rang through her like a warning, like something ancient that had been buried.
She knew of Keitaro—the name was spoken only in whispers, but it was a name of power, of fear.
The last dragon, a figure from legend. To think that Nox was tied to him in a way she never could have imagined—that the very thing that made Nox so fiercely unique, his power, came from a bloodline that was feared and hunted-- just like her.
Adan reached up, her fingers brushing the side of his face. She knew the burden of hidden truths—of living with a part of yourself that you could never fully accept. She knew what it was like to carry a secret that could change everything.
"You don't have to protect me from you, Nox." Her voice was quiet but firm, the conviction settling between them. "I don't fear you. Not for what you are, not for your power. You're not alone."
She couldn't be mad at him for keeping this secret-- or even that he chose to reveal it after the mind-altering sex. Their skin still hot with the heat of it.
His eyes darkened, the storm that always seemed to rage behind them threatening to consume him. "You should know that you're the only person I have met that can keep me out. Your mental walls are spectacular, but I tend to get past them regardless."
"Oh?" Her brows lifted, her tone teasing.
"They drop around me when you're angry-- specifically at me." He smirked, his fingers trailing sweeping circles down her bare back. "Or when you're perfectly content-- like right now."
Adan shook her head, pressing her forehead to his chest. "And what am I thinking right now?"
Nox's smirk softened into something more tender, a glint of mischief dancing in his eyes as he leaned down to press his lips to her forehead.
"That you love me." Nox's fingers continued their slow journey down her back, his touch languid, as if he were memorizing the feel of her skin beneath his fingertips.
"You aren't mad at me... at the invasion of privacy?"
She raised her head, meeting his gaze, his hand cupped her cheek, brushing across the scarred tattoo.
Adan felt conflicted, had Nox crossed a boundary?
She should feel betrayed--exposed--but she didn't.
She never felt safer than in his arms. She had spent so much of her life hiding and keeping her true thoughts guarded that she almost felt relief.
She narrowed her eyes, "Promise me that if you feel that my mental walls are up, that you won't dig any further." His brows shot up, "promise me, Lennox." She might have no problem letting him in, but when she was not ready to share, he needed to know when to stop.
He was silent for a moment, before nodding his head. "I promise, love."
She smiled, bright and unencumbered. "Then, no, Nox. I am not mad at you.
There was something powerful in that admission, something that shifted in the air around them. Despite the chaos of their world, despite the enemies that stalked them both, at this moment, Nox was here, with her—no barriers, no walls.
Adan felt the tug of his emotions, the desire to protect her, mingling with his need to be understood.
She kissed him, slowly at first, testing the waters, and when he responded, she deepened it, drawing him closer.
His hand moved to her back, pressing her against him as if he could shield her from the world, from the weight of everything that haunted them both.
When they finally pulled away, breathless, she rested her forehead against his, her hands still tangled in his hair. They stayed like that for a long while, in the quiet intimacy of the moment, letting the world fall away once again.