“Jade,” he murmured, guiding her down to him to kiss her. “I’m whole with you.”
She hid her face in his chest as she had done before.
“Look at me.” He gently raised her chin with his finger.
Her almond-shaped, black eyes stared into his, moisture gathering at the corners. “We both know this—” she took a shaky breath, “—isn’t real.”
He caressed her back, following the contour of her sculpted curves. “I disagree—” His hand lingered on her bottom, then slowly resumed its path backward. “This is very much real.” He hoisted himself up and brought her with him. “What I feel for you is real.” He dipped his head to catch her mouth. “The way my body responds to yours is real.” To prove his point, his spent manhood stirred back to life inside her. “And I know you must feel it, too.”
“It doesn’t matter what I feel,” she said, keeping her liquid eyes on him.
“Nothing else matters more to me.” He wiped the solitary tear that escaped her eyelashes.
“You’ll be married soon.”
“That’s the way of a dragon High Lord.”
Something passed through her black pools, but she was fast in hiding her sentiment.
“It’s my duty to propagate the dragon shifter’s line,” he said when she didn’t talk.
“I know.”
The sadness in her voice echoed his.
“What were you planning when you left with Contessa?” he asked, trying to find an entry for the proposition he wanted her to consider.
“To steal the assassin’s clockwork wings and fly to the next spaceport where I’d purchase passage to the nearest Outer Belt planet.” She paused before adding, “It’s still my plan.”
“What if I asked you to stay?” He caressed her skin softly, wanting her to relax.
“Impossible.” She closed her eyes, automatically pressing against his touch when he skimmed the side of her breast. “The Academy will keep sending assassins until we are both dead.”
“I’ve thought of a way out for both of us—”
“There’s no way out.” She kept her eyes closed.
He kissed her before cupping her chin. “Let me talk.”
She nodded after a long, frustrated sigh.
“I’ll pay the Academy twenty times what they were promised to kill me if they will leave us alone.” The sum would probably be astronomic, but he wanted to be sure that his offer couldn’t be refused. And most of all, he hoped to give her a reason not to run away again.
Jade’s eyes shot open. “It’s going to be too much, even for you.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
“You could save a fortune by asking only for yourself,” she said, averting her gaze.
He placed both hands on the side of her face. “Look at me.” When she did, he said, “If they ask me three times that amount for you, I will pay it.”
33
Jade’s heart stopped beating.
Dragon’s declaration hit all her emotional chords. Not once in her life had she ever thought to hear such words. She had never hoped that anyone would care enough for her to propose what he just had.
“Stay with me,” he said.
She slightly shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Once the Academy has agreed on compensation, you’ll be free.”
“I won’t stay.” It tore her inside to say it, but the hurt would be unbearable if she said yes to him. “You don’t need to pay the Academy any money to rescue me.” Struggling against her stupid heart, she forced herself to stand and leave his warm embrace before her body would betray her. “Don’t throw away a fortune on me.”
“I’ll pay anyway.” He extended his arm, beckoning her back to his side.
“Please, don’t.”
“It’s my money. I can dispose of it any way I see fit.” His fingers curled in a come-hither gesture. “Let’s not waste a moment longer on the topic.”
A long shiver ran across her back, and Jade hugged herself. “I won’t stay,” she repeated.
“What can I do to make you reconsider?”
You could renounce your title.
You could not marry your brides.
“There’s nothing you can do.” She stepped back, needing to put space between them. “We are who we are, you and I. Born under a different star.”
I’ll die soon, and you’ll go on having a marriage blessed with children.
“I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you.” He stood then, his magnificent body in a wanton display, tempting her, clouding her judgment. “Doesn’t that count for something?”
“It doesn’t change reality.”
“We still might change some of it.” He stepped forward, forcing her to step back and enter the pool. “Stay with me.” His voice was hypnotic, and every time he repeated his plea, Jade’s resolve vacillated.
It would be so simple just to say yes now, but the image of him laying with his brides cleaved her in two.
“I can’t.”
“Why?” He grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him.
She wanted nothing more than to melt into his arms. “I can’t—”
He advanced. Too close and still not touching her. “Tell me why.” It was an order whispered to her lips.
“Because I won’t share you.”
He leaned away from her, the green and blue in his eyes darkening.
“Because I’ll be free, but you won’t,” she said. “You’ll always have a family to answer to.”
I’ll never be able to give you children, and I can’t be the other.
His arms wrapped around her, drawing her closer. “Jade—”
“Don’t say it.” She pushed him away and dove, swimming toward the center of the pool.
Dragon didn’t follow her, but stood at the edge like a statue.
Once her thoughts were clear enough, she waded back to him. “Take me back to where I left the wings.”
“One of my men has already taken care of them by now. They are at Sol Palace.”
“Even better.” At least, she didn’t have to launch from that narrow ledge. “Let’s leave.” Walking past him, she reached for his shirt that lay discarded on a rock. Her nudity made her feel exposed, not just at a physical level, and she needed all the help she could get in asserting her will. A resolve that felt more and more like she was trying to tear her heart out of her chest with her bare hands.
Dragon followed her. “Jade, don’t do this.” His hand closed around her wrist, not tight, but his hold radiated from her arm to the rest of her body like a net. “I’ll pay for your freedom no matter what you decide, but please, don’t discount what’s between us as if it doesn’t matter.”
It hurts now, but it will be so much worse later when he leaves to spend the nights with his brides and you’ll be left behind, starved for his touch, because they’ll always come first.
She folded her arms under her breasts. “I want to leave Solaria as soon as possible.”
34
“As you wish.” Dragon watched as Jade’s demeanor changed before his eyes. The passion they had shared was replaced by a coldness that felt like a slap. He opened his arm to the side. “Please.”
A moment later, they were out of the Cove. Lars was waiting for them, alongside a few of Dragon’s personal guards. Their rides were patiently sitting on their haunches on top of the neighboring boulders.
Dragon should have known that Valerian would never leave him unprotected and that Lars would volunteer right away. Good thing that someone was keeping his head attached to his shoulders, because he sure wasn’t.
“Good morning.” He waved at his friend, who returned the greeting with a tired look on his face. Pale purple colored the sky in the pre-dawn light as Aurealis descended toward the horizon.
“Did you find the assassin’s body?” he asked when Lars flew closer.
“The last report was negative,” Lars answered.
“Not even the wings?”
La
rs shook his head.
“Then we must assume he’s still alive.” Dragon could have done with good news.
The ride back to Sol Palace was a sad affair. He wished the flight would take longer, because he needed more time with Jade. Sitting astride the draglet, she kept her body away from his in an uncomfortable position. His hand ached to circle her waist and pull Jade to him.
Along the way, Dragon thought a few times to ditch Lars and his escort, change course, and go back to the Cove. He didn’t act on his impulse, though. Another hour with Jade would be torture, because she might soften her resolve for a moment, but he knew she would still want to leave at the end, and he already missed her.
At the sight of Sol Palace’s turrets, Dragon felt a heavy weight pressing against his chest, squeezing his heart.
Valerian paced Dragon’s terrace, brandishing a cloth bundle. When he saw Dragon and the squad approaching, his expression relaxed.
“Dragon, we should talk,” Valerian said as soon as Dragon’s borrowed ride landed on the stone floor. He pushed the bundle at Jade. “Clothes.”
“Is it about Carellian?” Dragon asked, and for the first time since leaving the Cove, Jade moved, turning to face Valerian.
“Carellian’s fine. The animal medicus told me the poison is already out of his system,” the lieutenant said.
“Good.” Dragon let out a sigh of relief, feeling lighter.
Lars landed in a gentle arc a few meters from Dragon. The rest of the guards remained hovering all around the terrace in a defensive formation.
Dragon helped Jade down and was pleased that she didn’t vault on her own, but allowed him that intimacy. “I’m going to visit Carellian, then I need an aircar, one that doesn’t have the High Lord crest on it.”
“Why?” both Valerian and Lars asked at the same time.
“Jade is leaving the planet, and I’m going to accompany her to the spaceport.” Dragon expected a load of questions, but they didn’t arrive. Instead, his two friends waited for him to explain his request. When Jade made to step away from him, he took her hand in his. “She’ll travel on my airship.”
“Dragon,” Jade murmured, turning to face him. Her big eyes were wide in surprise. “You don’t have to.”
“But I do,” he said, uncaring that Lars and Valerian were privy of the personal conversation. They too needed to understand the depth of his sentiments for Jade. “I told you I’m going to pay for your freedom, but in the meantime, you’ll be defenseless. Since you’ve made up your mind about leaving me, then I’ll make sure you are safe until I’ve negotiated a price with the Academy. Nobody will think of looking for you on one of my airships.”
“And you’ll know exactly where I am,” Jade said, but there was no sting in her statement.
“That too.” There was no point in denying the truth. “Well, I’ll know the last port my airship left you.”
A fleeting smile appeared on her face and she blushed.
In such a little time together, he had learned enough about her to know that she would flee as soon as she stepped outside of her ride. Still, it was better than fearing the worst every waking moment, because left by herself she would be dead before he could reach out to the Academy.
Seemingly relieved, Valerian nodded. “Carellian is still in the veterinarian medical bay. I’ll arrange for the vehicle to be brought there.”
Dragon patted Valerian’s shoulder. “Thank you, and you’ll take Jade with you.”
“I’ll remain here with the guards,” Lars said. “It’ll look like you are still in residence if anyone should be looking for you.”
“Thank you, Lars.” Dragon exchanged a one-arm salute with his friend, then said to Valerian, “Give us a moment,” and strode inside, pulling Jade along.
In his bedroom, he squeezed her hand. “Promise me you’ll board the aircar with Valerian.”
Nodding, she let her fingers slide away from his.
“Give me the time I need to fix this.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I won’t ask anything else of you, I swear.” His mouth was on hers on the last word, needing her softness under him at least one more time.
With a defeated sigh, Jade threw her arms around his neck, her hands in his hair, kissing him back with as much passion as he poured into the act. It was madness, all his senses focused on the scent of her, on the little sounds she made in the back of her throat, on the way her body melted in his arms after the first moment of hesitation. His lips moved against hers as his tongue plunged deeper, mimicking what he wanted to do to her with the rest of his body. His hand slid down her back, pressing at the curve of her bottom, letting her know how much she affected him. With his other hand, he cupped her breast and found her nipple already stiff, needing attention.
He would never have enough of her. It wasn’t a matter of one last time. He would always yearn for more, another time, another kiss, another caress. His dragon roared in pain, asking for the mating mark. The mark he would have to perform on his betrotheds in less than a month and that he so much longed to give to Jade instead. Only to her.
Fate had been most cruel to Dragon. To find his soulmate on the eve of his wedding only to have to let her go was a joke in very bad taste. He couldn’t reconcile himself with the idea that he might be losing her forever.
“I’ll make it right,” he said, panting, his mouth hovering over her lips.
Jade’s sad smile was heartbreaking.
“Now, wear some clothes.” He pointed at the bundle that was now lying on the floor, forgotten. He hadn’t noticed when she dropped it.
She discarded his shirt and dressed as he hastily donned the fresh change left on his bed. A moment later, he beckoned for her to come close and she stepped back into his embrace.
“I will, you must trust me.” He hugged her tight, not wanting to ever let go. Before he would claim her mouth for another kiss, he tore himself away from her and walked to the glass door, motioning for Valerian to come closer. “I’ll leave her in your care,” he said to his lieutenant.
As she passed him, he brushed her trailing fingers and felt the hot energy flowing between them, leaving him breathless.
35
Jade expected the lieutenant to cuff her and haul her on his shoulders, in a repeat of their first flight together. Instead, the man looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face before pointing his chin at the draglet she and Dragon had ridden.
When she walked before Lars, they exchanged a fleeting look. The man’s eyes had a warmth in them she hadn’t expected to see.
She mounted the draglet before Valerian did and was grateful when he chose to sit in front of her. With a few soothing words, he guided their ride to the edge of the terrace where they took off a moment later, after he had spoken briefly with Lars.
The flight was short, less than a minute around Sol Palace and down toward the cave used like a garage. A natural chamber had been enlarged to make space for the hangar holding the clockwork aircars used by the non-shifter residents of the court. Hundreds of vehicles hovered in neat rows under the bright lights hanging from the high ceiling. Human mechanics were busy on the aircars sitting on the repair deck. When Valerian flew inside the hangar, several heads rose at once.
“Sir, what can we do for you?” one of the men asked as Valerian led the draglet close to the deck.
Valerian guided the steed toward the man. “I need an aircar with no crest.”
The man didn’t seem to think anything odd of the lieutenant’s request and nodded, before looking over his shoulder and calling someone.
A moment later, a young man emerged from behind a large vehicle.
“Sir Valerian needs one of the delivery vans,” the mechanic said, and the young man answered, “Right away.”
They didn’t have to wait long. A black, stocky vehicle circled the hangar, exiting one of the lateral bays, and stopped flush to the deck. Valerian vaulted onto the floating walkway, waited for Jade to alight, then passed the draglet’s
reins to the young boy.
Inside the vehicle, Jade felt the first pang of nervousness.
Valerian followed her and stood at the door, piercing her under his black stare as he blocked her only way out. “Something to know about our High Lord is that he’s fiercely loyal to the people he holds close to his heart,” Valerian said, his voice calm, his words enunciated slowly. He closed the door, then relaxed on the driver seat and turned on the engine. “If you are thinking of killing me and stealing this aircar, know that Dragon would never forgive you.”
She didn’t take his bait, but was surprised that she hadn’t thought of getting rid of him.
“On the other hand, if you do anything to him, anything at all, I’ll personally make sure you pay for it. I’ll hunt you down to the end of the galaxy if necessary.” Valerian waited for the whirr of the clockwork wings of the van to unfold on both sides, then maneuvered the aircar higher in the hangar toward the exit.
Instead of feeling threatened by Valerian’s words, Jade felt a strange sense of warmth at the idea that Dragon had such a friend.
All her life, it had been just herself against the universe. The camaraderie between these men touched her deeply, because she yearned for a similar relationship with another human being. It was no wonder she had adhered to the strict code of the Academy with the zeal of a bigot. The institution saved her life, gifted her with a stronger body, and granted her ever-lasting youth. Nobody else had ever done anything for her during her miserable existence. Until now.
Valerian drove outside the cave and directed the aircar low toward a platform jutting from the side of the Rocky Dome. He landed, executing a perfect maneuver that solicited a mental compliment from Jade. The man was arrogant, but he had a tender hand when it came to his draglet and knew how to fly a clockwork vehicle as cumbersome as this van as if it were a racing aircar.
The platform was a large terrace facing an enormous aviary enclosure. Made of glass and steel, the structure meshed with the rock wall seamlessly. Inside, dozens of draglets lay on swinging nests or played aerial games of tug-of-war. A swirl of colorful feathers moved from one side of the aviary to the other, followed by joyous screeches and playful roars. A few she-draglets were teaching their soft-plumed offspring how to open their wet wings.
The Fifth Moon’s Dragon Page 12