Page 44 of The Dragon King
Talon’s cape caught slightly on the wind. He stared at Commander Luxe like he was an enemy in battle when they were allies on the same side. “Speak.”
“I meant in private.”
Talon didn’t raise his voice, but his tone darkened. “You may speak in present company.”
I stared at Commander Luxe.
Khazmuda didn’t lift his head from the ground, but his tired eyes opened and watched the scene before him.
Commander Luxe made the mistake of glancing at me.
“I said, speak.”
Now, Commander Luxe stared at Talon and nothing else.
“You’ve already disturbed my evening. Don’t let that be in vain.”
After seconds of silence, Commander Luxe made his plea. “I would like to rectify the tension between us because you savedmy queen and protected the forest I call home. You’re a friend to our queen, and I would like to be friends as well.”
“You’re no friend of mine.”
“Talon.” I wanted to cover my face because of the humiliation. It was unnecessary hostility directed toward a man who had only been kind to me.
“Queen Eldinar has earned my friendship. Your forest has earned my respect. But you’ve earned nothing. Now leave my sight and never return.”
Commander Luxe seemed to realize this was a lost cause because he left the campsite without saying a word. He walked off and disappeared into the night.
Once he was gone, Talon returned to the log and stared at the flames as if nothing had happened.
I knew he could feel my hot stare on the side of his face, but he ignored it. I spoke to Khazmuda.Has he always been this way?
He feels emotions deeper than others of his kind. Ever since I met him, I’ve noticed his emotions are always right beneath the surface. He’s always angry. He’s always bitter. He’s always depressed. And at any moment, those emotions can escape. But with you, those emotions have changed. Now, he’s always possessive. He’s always protective. He’s always emotional. But there are moments of peace in between. Unfortunately, this is not one of those moments.
I was so pissed off at Talon, but Khazmuda somehow made me less angry.
Dragons are the same way. When we find our mate, we’ll burn the world for them. We’ll burn the world for our hatchlings. We are normally pragmatic and calm creatures, but once we feel threatened, we become the monsters we’re feared to be. Talon has the blood of dragons in his veins, so he feels deeper than most.
I also have the blood of dragons.
And it’s easy to see how you feel for him.He raised his chin from the ground and looked at me.I’ve never seen him with another woman besides you, so this side of him is even more intense than usual. Forgive him, Pretty.
I lay in the bedroll alone, on the hard ground that made my back stiff. But I knew I wouldn’t notice such discomfort if I had Talon beside me. I was dead tired after the day of travel and the drama outside the tent, but my mind wouldn’t rest until Talon was beside me.
But it seemed like he had no intention of coming to bed.
I crawled to the flap and looked at him in front of the fire, his back to me and his muscular shoulders a silhouette against the flames. “Talon.”
He ignored me, not the least bit startled by my voice.
“Come to bed.” I sat there and stared at him, longing for him to leave the fire and bring his flames to me.
He didn’t react at all.
I continued to wait for something to happen, but it never did. “I’m tired.”
“Then go to sleep.”
I released a sigh of frustration, annoyed that he was treating me like I was the one who’d done something wrong. But the last thing I wanted to do was fight. “I want you.” I couldn’t express my longing any better than that. It was a desperation that couldn’t be quelled by anything else but him.