Our mating is a complication, he said. He could lay claim to innocence inasmuch as the stakes hadn’t been revealed to him, but he wasn’t guiltless. While he hadn’t fathomed the extent of her power and responsibility, he’d been aware she was the priestess.
Fyre seeks fyre. That is the way, the dragoness said.
Could the sacred fyre break their bond, sever the feelings they had for one another? What would happen then? What would happen if the binding tie remained but they could never see each other again?
The temple will be completed in three days. We can worry about it then.
We should fly over the temple. See the progress for ourselves, the dragoness said.
No, O’ne vetoed.
No, he agreed. He had no wish to visit the site where their future might end. I’ve enjoyed the flight, but how about if we return to the palace? He needed to hold O’ne.
The palace, she agreed.
Surprisingly, the dragoness complied without demur and turned around, banking not quite as sharply as she had been doing. Her powerful wings beat the air, as she raced through the sky.
They flew past a dragon soaring on the thermals. O’ne’s dragoness bugled in recognition, and the other responded in kind.
That was my acolyte R’nay, O’ne explained. Not all my acolytes have explored their freedom, but most have. This is their only chance to see Elementa.
What do you mean?
They will be cloistered once the temple is completed.
Like you—unless something changes.
Yes.
The dragoness flew over a bejeweled wall and landed in a palace courtyard. After releasing Henry, she whuffed and nudged him with her huge snout in a seemingly affectionate gesture. He petted her scaly, scarred face. Thank you for the flight, he said. Tomorrow, again?
Yellow eyes lit up. She whuffed again and bobbed her head. Then she shifted, and O’ne appeared, stark naked and achingly beautiful.
A heavy aura of doom hung over him, but he refused to succumb, to let it mar the time they had left. He opened his arms. “Let me hold you.”
She melted into his embrace. Their lips met in a kiss edged by desperation. H’ry picked her up and carried her toward his wing of the palace, wishing he could whisk her away from everything.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Why don’t you grab some lunch? I’ll take over from here.” Hicks dismissed the control room tech.
“Are you sure? It’s not quite time for my lunch break.”
“Up to you. But I hear it’s meatloaf day.” Hicks had no idea if meatloaf was on the menu, but he needed the tech to leave. The cook did an amazing job turning canned and other preserved foodstuffs into delicious meals, and meatloaf, a particular worker favorite, went fast.
“I’m outta here. Thanks!” The tech bolted from the chair.
Hicks took his seat and riveted on Lila marching down the passage.
Where the hell was she going? To meet another man? Jealousy curdled as he watched a barefoot Lila stride over the rough, rocky floor. She’d partially covered herself with a sarong-like swath of fabric.
He’d never met a woman as liberated in her nudity as she was. Generally hookers had no problem flashing skin, but the way she paraded around was almost nudist-like. He’d fibbed to Biggs when he reported her clothing had caught fire from a fumarole burst. When he’d asked her why she was naked, she’d replied, Why not? It’s my natural state.”
Worried about what Biggs might do, he’d also lied when he’d said Lila had seen a man on the surface and that had prompted her to investigate. She couldn’t explain why she’d been topside.
Hicks had figured she’d lost a few screws—until he’d gotten to know her. While clueless in some ways, she exhibited a keen intelligence and perceptiveness in many others.
He had fallen for Lila’s mind—in addition to her sweet, gentle nature. For a hooker, she’d retained a surprising air of innocence. He might have assumed she was new to prostitution, except hot damn, the things she could do.
He hated that other men would use and abuse her, and, stuck on Elementa, she had no way out of the business. No one would forget she’d been a hooker, nor would Biggs hire her for any other job. She would never be able to rise above call girl.
Unless she became his wife. He could marry her, protect her. Yeah, he’d been thinking along those lines.
Then she’d dumped him.
They’d just made love. The sex had been so hot, Hicks almost believed he smelled smoke. Her lips swollen from his kisses, her hair mussed, she’d been cuddling in his arms when she’d bolted to a sitting position. Flecks of gold had swirled in her eyes, making them appear more amber than green. “I am called. It is time. I must go.”
“I don’t hear anything.” He’d reached for her. “It’s my day off. I thought we’d spend it together.”
She’d twisted away and jumped out of bed.
Jealousy had knotted his gut. Perhaps she didn’t have the day off. He’d assumed since they’d started sleeping together regularly, she’d dropped the other guys. “You’re…meeting another man?”
“No. You are the only one,” she’d said to his immense relief. “I will remember you fondly.”
“Remember me? You don’t need to remember me. I’ll always be here.” He’d swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“I will not be. I cannot return. Duty calls.”
“Forget the others. You don’t need them anymore. I’ll take care of you.”
She’d pressed a hand to her naked chest. “I enjoyed a month of freedom, but it is over now, and I must return to my duties.”
She’d had a month of freedom? What did that mean? A chill spread through him. Was she
