Page 14 of The Dragon Queen

Ethan regarded her with a wide smirk. “Your Majesty.”

Queen Eldinar took command of the conversation. “Thank you for welcoming us to your island and providing for my people. We’re sorry to take your hospitality with no warning. If there’s ever a time I can repay your kindness, I will.”

“Any friend of Talon’s is a friend of mine. You’re welcome here. I’ve sent my men to retrieve more provisions for all of you. They should return in a few days. In the meantime, our island can provide the resources that you need.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“Let’s have everyone get settled,” I said. “Once we’ve had a rest, we’ll figure out our next move.” I turned to Ethan. “Do you have a place for Queen Eldinar to stay?”

“Of course,” Ethan said. “Come with me, Your Majesty.” He escorted Queen Eldinar and General Ezra down the dock.

General Ezra finally released the grip on his sword as he walked beside his wife.

I turned to Calista.

Her intensity hadn’t changed. She looked at me like it was the first time I’d told her I loved her. Just when I thought this relationship couldn’t get any deeper, it reached a level I’d never explored.

I moved close to her and slid my hand into her hair, feeling her head relax at my touch. She turned into the caress, her cheek against my palm, her eyes on mine. People continued to leave the ships and bring their things out of their cabins, but it felt like it was just the two of us on that dock.

I didn’t kiss her, just let my thumb feel her cheek, enjoyed the sight of her beautiful face more than the touch of her soft lips. The connection I felt was deeper than the flesh, a tightness between our souls. And every time I savored that feeling, I remembered it was temporary.

But I also remembered it didn’t have to be.

Ethan gave me one of the open houses near the water. It was simple, a bed, a bathroom, and a dining table, the place onlyslightly bigger than the cabin below the ship except for the fact that I could stand up fully without hitting my head on the ceiling. It reminded me of the Lands of Thalian, the quaint island where Calista and I had enjoyed the sunsets on the beach. But it wasn’t as special since this island was overrun with people.

She set her pack on the floor before she sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the opposite wall with tired eyes.

I removed my armor as I watched her. “What troubles you?”

Her eyes flicked to mine. “Nothing. It’s just so nice to be on land. I don’t have a sailor’s stomach like you do.”

“It wasn’t always that way. I used to get sick as a kid.”

“What changed?”

I shrugged, still removing the pieces of my armor. “Got used to it.”

“Doesn’t seem like something you can just get used to.”

I removed my uniform and stood in my boxers, relieved to be free of the weight of the clothing as well as the heat. Carrying the extra weight only made my muscles stronger, but the heat was intolerable since I already ran hot like a forge.

She used to hide her thoughts behind her eyes, but now, her emotions were raw in her gaze. She looked me over with a stare that felt like a touch, desiring me like she hadn’t had me the night before…or the night before that.

I approached the bed and watched her tense when I drew near, watched the way her breathing changed at my proximity. She wanted me closer, but with every inch, I made her nervous, made her more aware of my presence.

My hands went to either side of her body, and I leaned over her, making her lean back until her spine was flat against the bed. Once she had nowhere else to go, she sucked in a deep breath before her hands palmed my chest and slowly made their way up the sides of my neck until they cupped my cheeks. Her eyes looked infinite in their depth, looking at me like I was the only star in her sky. For a woman who had never loved or been loved in her life, loving me seemed to come so naturally.

I slid my hand up her dress and pulled it to her waist, exposing the cotton underwear underneath. I traced the exposed skin along her thigh, and I felt a thrill when I listened to her breaths deepen, when little bumps formed on her skin, as if I’d never touched her this way before.

I leaned down and kissed the skin of her thigh, feeling her soft flesh against my aching mouth. I supported her knee in the crook of my arm and kissed her smooth skin, making my way closer to the center.

She breathed harder and deeper. Her nails turned into claws.

I kissed the outside of her underwear then breathed, smelling the scent that made me harder than the posts at the dock.

She took another breath, deeper than all the others she’d taken.

I hooked my thumbs into the material and pulled it off her long legs and over her boots. I gripped her hips and dragged her closer to the edge, her dress pulled up to her waist.