“Except for Woodwyn.”
He shrugged. “We don’t know why they keep attacking.”
“I don’t know, either.” She smiled. “But I’m glad that you’re being honest with me now.”
His hands tightened on the reins. He still hadn’t told her she was half elf and, he suspected, half Norveshki.
Her eyes narrowed. “Is there something else?”
He snorted. She was so damned perceptive. “I don’t know yet. When I find out, I’ll let you know.”
She frowned at him. “I still have some questions. For instance, when Eviana was kidnapped, Puff was against it and rescued me—”
“You mean I rescued you.”
“Yes, but who was the dragon who kidnapped Eviana?”
Silas hesitated.
Gwen stiffened suddenly with a gasp. “You called him brother. Was it the king?”
Silas winced. “That’s another secret.”
She drew in a deep breath. “Now I see why it’s been hard for you to stop the kidnappings.”
He motioned to the cabin that was coming into view. “Let’s rest there for a few minutes, so we can talk. Once we get back to the castle, we won’t be able to discuss these things.”
“All right.” She dismounted before he could help her and strode into the cabin.
He followed her inside and shut the door.
She wandered about the room. “I have a few more questions. How can dragon shifting even be possible? Were you able to shift as a baby, or did it begin when you were older? Dimitri and Aleksi, are they dragons, too?”
“They are.” Silas nodded. “That was Dimitri watching over us when we took the barge to Vorushka.”
“I see.” She leaned against a wall, folding her arms across her chest. “When my mind was open, you were able to hear all my thoughts. But when you’re Puff, I only hear what you want me to hear. Why is that?”
“It’s a matter of degree. As children, we learn to close our minds off. Then, around the age of thirteen, when we start shifting into dragons, we learn to open our minds only enough to communicate with each other.”
She sighed. “If I had been able to hear your thoughts, I would have figured it out so much sooner. Instead, I was left wondering for days. Could he really be Puff? How can such a thing be possible? Sometimes I thought I was just imagining it.”
He stepped toward her. “How did you figure it out?”
She shrugged. “There were things that bothered me from the start. Your voice was similar to Puff’s. And sometimes you said the exact same words.”
“I did?”
She nodded. “And every now and then, your eyes would take on a hint of gold.”
He winced. “That only happens when I’m too strongly affected by emotions. Usually no one notices. Well, normally, I’m in complete control, so it doesn’t happen.”
Her face grew pale. “It kept happening with me.”
“Yes.” He took another step toward her.
She turned to look out the window. “When I did the reading on you, I could tell you had an extra-large heart. Then later, you said dragons were the same way.”
“Yes.” He moved closer. “That’s rule number two. Because of our hearts, we can love more fiercely. But we can also feel more pain.”
She glanced back, and her eyes met his for a few tense seconds before she walked over to the table. “I came across this cabin a few days ago, and I found these uniforms here.” She unfolded two leather breastplates. “This one has two stars like the one Aleksi wears, and this one has three stars like Dimitri’s uniform.”
Silas joined her at the table. “We get dressed here before going to the castle.”
“That’s what I figured. There was a breastplate here with four stars, and one of the stars was tarnished, like this.” She touched the star on his chest. “The afternoon after Puff rescued me, you came to my bedchamber, wearing this same breastplate. And that’s when I … I was too shocked to believe it, though.”
“The afternoon when I kissed you?”
She nodded. “I had just seen Puff breathe fire at the trolls, so I was afraid.” Her gaze lifted to his face. “I wasn’t sure if it was safe to kiss you.”
“But you did.” He touched her cheek. “Rule number five: Beware of kissing a dragon. He won’t burn you, but he might make you melt.”
She blinked. “Melt?”
“Yes.” He leaned in for a kiss.
“Like a stick of butter?”
He paused. “I didn’t mean it literally.”
“Oh, that’s a relief.” She stepped back, her eyes twinkling with humor. “I rather like being in solid form.”
“Gwen—”
“Do you just make these rules up as we go? Or are they official rules that are written down somewhere? Are there rules for dating a troll, too?”
He flinched. “You want to date that troll?”
“No.” She grinned. “I was just wondering where these rules come from. How many are there?”
“I don’t know. As many as it takes to win your heart.”
“Ha!” She pointed at him. “You are making them up as you go.”
He gave her an exasperated look. “Does it matter?”
“Well, I think that last one needs some revision. It was just too cheesy.”
“What?”
“The rules should be more simple, don’t you think? For instance, rule number five can simply be, It’s safe to kiss a dragon.”
“If you agree it’s safe, why are we wasting time discussing it?” He pulled her into his arms.
“Wait.” She planted her hands on his chest.
“What?”
“I—I know we’re attracted to each other, but that doesn’t mean we should—”
“Why not?” He cupped a hand around her neck.
“Because a relationship with me will only cause you trouble. I care enough about you not to hurt you—”
“You are hurting me! Every time you reject me.” He stopped himself from saying more. If she knew the pain was real, she might feel burdened or obligated, and he didn’t want that. He wanted her to come to him freely. “Gwen, I don’t care what others are saying. My only concern is you. Can you accept me for who I am? Both man and dragon?”
Her eyes glimmered with tears. Puff?
She’d
