“What is wrong?”
“I was thinking of someone I lost.” Her voice is full of pain. I wait for her to continue, but she falls silent.
An image of the male lying lifeless in her arms flits across her memories. Whoever he was, he is dead, and sadness overwhelms me that she grieves for him so deeply. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she finally whispers.
The image disappears, replaced by one of her friends again. I understand enough about grief that I will not push her for answers. When she is ready, she will tell me about this male whom she grieves.
Was he a friend? A relative? A lover?
The last thought should make me jealous, but I find that I am not. Whoever he is, she loved him greatly and I am sorry she suffered such a devastating loss.
Chapter 10
Skye
Raidyn dips his wing to the left, banking in a long, slow arc over a floating island below. Covered in a forest of massive trees that rival images I’ve seen of the ancient sequoias on Earth, the landscape is wild and untamed compared to the other islands, which were covered with buildings and roads—signs of an advanced civilization. As we draw closer, I notice a small clearing with a house. Built to two stories, it looks like a rustic cabin made of the ashen wood of the surrounding trees.
This house could never be confused with the Earth cabins I’ve seen pictures of, however. With fine, silver metal accents and finishes, this structure is uniquely Drakarian.
Raidyn circles and then lands in a small courtyard in front. The house’s entrance is picturesque, filled with various flowering plants with vibrant blooms in purple and pink. The flowers’ shape is similar to roses, but larger and far more fragrant. A cool breeze sweeps in from the forest, carrying the smell of fresh rain laced with the delicate floral scent from the garden. The soft sunlight above does little to warm the chilly air but my robes provide enough warmth that I’m not uncomfortable.
Raidyn shifts into his humanoid form and I look up at him. “What is this place?”
“It was my mother’s special retreat,” he explains, and I note the strange catch in his voice. He told me she was dead; he must miss her. Dearly.
I understand his pain. I miss my parents every day. The ache has dulled over the past three years, but the hole in my chest was torn open again with the loss of my brother, Thomas.
Drawing in a deep breath, I push down my emotions as I scan the cabin before me. Surrounded by the towering forest and rich vegetation, this place is straight out of a fairytale. I glance at the woods around us, half-expecting a unicorn or fairy to step out from the shadows.
Despite all this beauty, I can’t help but ask, “Are you sure we’re safe here?”
He nods. “My father would never think to search for us in this place.”
“Why?”
He hesitates a moment before replying, “This house is filled with too many memories.”
When he doesn’t speak again, I don’t push him further. Instead, instinct tells me to take his hand. I may not understand the history behind his statement, but I can guess his mother is involved. I know enough of pain and grief to recognize its mark in someone else.
He turns to me with a questioning look and I give him my best attempt at a smile. “I’m sorry about your mom. I lost my parents, too. And thank you for saving me back there—again.”
His expression softens as his ice-blue eyes meet mine. “You are my mate—my linaya. You are the most important person in the world to me. I will protect you until I draw my last breath.”
I want to protest that I haven’t agreed to be his mate, but I hold my tongue. This man just defied his father and his king to keep me out of a cell. When he calls me his linaya, he says it with such pride, conviction, and, above all, passion. I know it’s important to him, this fate bond he claims we share, but I… don’t understand it. Not yet, at least. However, when he regards me with a softened expression full of love and devotion, I know that I’m willing to try.
And as my gaze travels down his nude form, I note again the absence of any familiar male anatomy, so there’s that. I mean, how are we supposed to…
“You find me strange.” Though his inflection doesn’t change, I recognize the question behind his words.
“Well, a little bit,” I admit as I allow my gaze to sweep over him once more. With his tall build, and strong, muscular form, he is nothing short of chiseled masculine perfection.
His scales shimmer with a pearlescent glow beneath the sun’s rays. His ice-blue eyes search mine for a moment before he reaches down to cup my face, taking great care to retract his lethal black claws. Everything about him, from his tall, sweeping horns to his wings, claws, and fangs, screams apex predator. Yet when he regards me like I’m a rare and precious gift, I know in my heart he would never hurt me.
It would be so easy to let myself fall for him, but I’m afraid. He’s almost too perfect and I worry that any moment now, he’s going to realize he was wrong. That I’m not the woman he thinks I am and we’re too different to be fated. There’s still so much I don’t know about him and his world.
With a heavy sigh, I lower my gaze again to the strange line that runs down his body where the typical human male anatomy would be.
“What is wrong?”
My eyes snap up to meet his. “Oh, um, nothing.” My cheeks heat in embarrassment and I avert my gaze. “Your, um… male anatomy is… missing.”
He’s silent for so long, I wonder
