Chapter 25
VAELA
“Are you awake?” I whispered sometime later. I’d watched the sunlight and shadows shift across the room as I flitted in and out of sleep. It must have been well into the afternoon by now.
“No,” Eden murmured, burrowing further into the blankets, her head pressed against my side. I could feel the tickle of her eyelashes.
I laughed softly, delighting in the feel of her warm body against mine in the space we occupied in the bed together. The world outside was quiet, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel the need to be anywhere but exactly where I was.
I lay there, drawing patterns against the curve of Eden’s spine until she finally popped her head up from the blankets.
“Afternoon,” I said.
“What day is it?” she croaked.
I laughed. “Still the same one.” I reached my arm out for her, and she snuggled against me.
“I’m breaking all my rules,” she mused, exhaling a long breath.
“Yes. But rules are meant to be broken,” I reasoned.
Her head tilted as she studied my face. “That’s what people say when they’re trying to ignore the consequences.”
I stroked my hand along the pale expanse of her hip. “Are you still afraid of the consequences?” I hoped not. Because I wanted this. Cozy days in bed. Someone to whisper silly things to in the dark. Someone to hold when the days grew shorter. Colder. Someone to dream about a future with.
“A little,” she said, avoiding my eyes.
I jostled her a bit, not wanting her to get sheepish now. “Only a little?”
“A lot,” she admitted, looking up at me then with genuine worry creased into her features. “With the rest of the world locked away behind that door, it feels safe. But I’m worried about what happens when we let the world back in.” I watched her throat work. “When you climb back onto a dragon.”
I kissed her temple. “You’ve watched me climb onto a dragon at least a dozen times now.”
“Yes, well,” she muttered. “I haven’t always liked it.”
That was a fair point. “I also worry about things, you know? About you rushing into the middle of a dragon skirmish to triage the wounded and try to save lives.”
“It’s my job,” she said quietly.
“And climbing onto dragonback is mine.” I could see the frustration in the set of her lips. I nudged her gently. “I don’t want to lose you, Eden. So what do I have to do to keep you?”
She covered her face with her hands and shook her head. “Don’t ask me that. Don’t ask me to take away something you love. The thing that brings you such purpose and joy.”
I knew then what she would ask. For me to hang up my riding gear. To step away from the world of dragon wrangling. But I also knew she’d never really ask that, not out loud at least, because she knew how difficult it would be for me to walk away.
I leaned my chin against the top of her head. “Where does this leave us?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, dropping her hands to wrap her arms around me, clutching me so tightly it was hard to breathe. “I suppose… it means there’s a lot for us to figure out.”
I nodded. “Do you wish you’d never come to Ember Ridge in the first place?”
It took her a long moment to answer. She played with the ends of my hair. “No.”
“Well, that’s something, at least.”
She smiled at me then. “I know I like this.” She pressed a kiss to the side of my wrist. “I like you. A lot. A lot. A lot.”
“I guess that’s all I can ask for.” I didn’t have a good answer for our worries. I didn’t have a way to assuage either of our fears. “And just for the record, I like you, too. A lot, a lot, a lot.”
“I figured,” she teased. “You’re very obvious in your affections.”
I scoffed. “I’m not that obvious.”
She laughed as I snuggled into her. “Please, half the infirmary knows. Seraphine’s been teasing me about you since, like, day one.”
“I am broody and secretive,” I said, rejecting her statement. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She pressed her lips to the middle of my forehead. “Yes, my grumpy little wrangler. You’re right. No one had any idea how you felt.” When she pulled back, she caught my eye. “Do you think you’ll talk to Trystan again today?”
I nodded. “I told him the kingsguard needs to set up a better perimeter around the Wretch. Now that Grady’s been injured, I’m sure there won’t be any pushback from the captain.
They’re waiting for reinforcements to arrive before they attempt to move the beast again, so I suppose I’ll offer my help in securing the perimeter.
Min and I will do what we can to keep curious folks away. ”
Eden hummed.
“Why do you ask?”
“I was just thinking about something…” A muscle in her cheek twitched. “Something Gunther said when he returned to the infirmary. And I wondered if perhaps your brother might know more about it.”
She sounded concerned in a way I wasn’t expecting. No, it wasn’t just concern. There was a tremor of fear laced in her voice. “What exactly did he say?”
Eden snuggled closer to me like that would make it easier to speak about. “He said there were whispers of a plague along the border towns. Something Cai’amar has never seen before. Something steeped in magic.”
I pulled back, dread coiling around my spine. “Was he certain?”
“Can anyone be certain of a rumor?” Eden lifted her arm in a half-shrug, then cocked her head. “Why? Do you already know something about it?”
“Not exactly.” I replayed the conversation I’d had in the pub with Trystan in my mind. “But my brother did mention that before his company was dispatched from the capital, there’d been word of ill tidings along the border. Some sort of unrest, he said.”
“He didn’t know what it was?”
I shook my head.
“Do you think they’re one and the same? The unrest and the rumors of the plague.”
“Maybe.”
“Do you think Trystan knows more than he’s letting on?”
“He would have no reason to lie to me,” I told her. I trusted him with my life. I always had. “Though the king might have reason to lie to the kingsguard if he didn’t want to cause a panic.”
“You think the king already knows about the plague and is keeping it quiet?” Eden said.
“Possibly. The one thing Trystan was sure of was that the king was after the Wretch because of those rumors. In a time of crisis, what could be a better show of strength than having the land’s biggest dragon at your command?”
Eden looked pensive. “And what do you think about it all?”
“I think trying to tame the Wretch will be a fool’s errand,” I admitted, stuffing one hand behind my head. “But I suppose, if Gunther’s story turns out to be true, I can understand the reaction. I can understand wanting strength on your side when pitted against a power we don’t understand.”
“A magical plague,” Eden whispered, her breath tickling my neck. “I wouldn’t even know where to start with that. How do you even begin healing something born of magic? Would our herbs and salves work against it? How catching would it be?”
“Let’s hope it’s all just some silly, drunk rumblings.” But my heart thumped unsteadily.
“Yeah,” Eden agreed.
I heard what she wasn’t saying. If these rumors weren’t born of some silly, drunken tale, Cai’amar was in trouble.
“I suppose there’s nothing to be done about whispers.
We can only focus on what’s here and now.
” I touched her neck, feeling for her pulse.
“What’s in front of us. And I’d very much like to focus on you. ”
I caught the softness of her cheek in a kiss. Couldn’t we just stay like this forever?
She giggled, indulging me as she tilted her head back against the pillow, exposing her neck. I nibbled and kissed my way down to her collarbone, then the hollow at the base of her neck, flicking my tongue against it.
She gasped, tugging the sheets down herself, inviting me to venture lower, and I didn’t need to be shown a map.
I knew exactly where I needed to end up on this journey.
We tangled together, nothing but lips and tongues and fingers at work as I stoked the fire inside her.
When Eden seized up, I worked her down from the high, reminding her just how much she meant to me.
“Nap,” I whispered into her hair. “I’ll wake you in a while.”
“I’m not tired,” she insisted, propping her head up. “In fact, I have rather a lot of work to be getting on with.” She stroked the space between my breasts.
“Mmm,” I hummed, closing my eyes as her hand drifted lower. “What kind of work?”
“The kind that requires much attention to detail,” she said lightly, her hand pausing against my thigh.
“Sounds exhausting.”
She laughed against me. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’m quickly becoming an expert.”
Her hand moved then, and her fingers found that needy pressure point. I parted my legs further, giving myself over to the pleasure of it. How had I lived this long without knowing her touch? It seemed impossible to me now.
“How am I doing?” Eden murmured.
“Quite excellent,” I said, biting down on a gasp. She sped up a little, and a moan escaped me then. She was becoming an expert. Pressure gathered at the base of my spine, and my back arched, curving into the pleasure she was coaxing from me.
Her fingers danced, teasing me to the edge before pulling back slightly. I grew breathless with anticipation, on the verge of begging when her fingers curled inside me, first one, then another, sliding in and out.
That pressure coiled even tighter. Eden pressed the heel of her hand against me, and I erupted, clenching my eyes against a torrent of sensation. Bliss swirled through me in relentless waves, my entire body tense as I chased that intoxicating feeling, wringing it dry, savoring every beat.
When I came to, surfacing through the splendid feelings, I was boneless on the bed. Footsteps padded against the floor. Eden was up.
“Where are you going?” I asked, rolling over to watch her dart about the cottage.
“Cup of water,” she murmured. “You could probably use one, too. And food. We should really do something about a meal.”
“Wiggly Dragon Tooth?” I suggested, sitting up on my elbow, enjoying the sight of her pacing across the cottage, naked. Her blond hair hung in messy curls that I was eager to sink my hands into again. “I’ll treat you to the very best steak and ale pie you’ve ever had.”
“The very best?” She arched an eyebrow. “That’s high praise for a tiny little pub near the mountains. Are you certain about that?”
I crossed my heart, liking the way she ogled me. “Wrangler’s honor.”
Eden smiled as she paused by her desk, staring out the window, the sun now painting her in golds and pinks.
“Is Min out there?” I wondered. Hopefully the poor girl had hunted and found some other way to keep herself entertained all afternoon.
Eden nodded, then tilted her head, pressing closer to the window. “She’s licking her scales clean.”
“She probably just finished her meal,” I said. “She always enjoys a bit of a bath after that.”
Eden’s hand shot up, her finger jammed into the glass. “That’s it!”
“What’s it?”
She twisted around, eyes so wide they looked like they were going to pop right out of her head. She gave a pleasantly startled laugh as she dove back onto the bed, water sloshing over the side of the mug she still held. “Dragon saliva!” she cried. “That’s what I need to coat the armor in!”
“Saliva?” I repeated.
“What could be a better barrier than the very thing that coats a dragon’s throat from their own fire?” She finally set the mug down on the side table and threw herself on top of me, giddy as she squealed. “If I work it into the salve today, I can probably test it out by tonight!”
She grabbed my face with both her hands, squishing my cheeks, and kissed me so hard I was dizzied by it. She kissed me again and again, the silliness fading, the kisses taking on more intensity.
I gasped against her lips, sucking in air. “I take it we’re not getting up yet?”
“Are you complaining?” she asked.
“Absolutely not.” I reached down and squeezed her backside, delighting in Eden’s little giggle. “The dragon spit can wait.”