Page 19 of The Dragon Queen

“I trust that you’ll keep this to yourself.”

“I’ll take your secret with me when I go down with my ship, along with all the others I carry.”

“Thank you.”

“I think you should do it.” He sat with his arms on his knees, the brightness of the flames on his face.

I turned to look at him, to see the expression that accompanied the words.

He turned to look at me. “You deserve to be happy, Talon.”

“But she doesn’t deserve to be miserable…for eternity.” She’d been unkind to me when we met, but once I proved myself worthy of her trust, she gave it to me without reservation. She’d called me a friend and defended me to those who continued toquestion my integrity. She was the sole reason Macabre and the other dragons were there on that island.

“You’ve had another chance at happiness. You deserve to pursue it. Calista and Khazmuda don’t deserve to carry that loss.”

It hurt to think of that outcome, hurt so much I didn’t let myself think about it. “But I agreed to that deal. She didn’t.”

When Ethan ran out of reasons, he turned desperate. “I don’t want to lose the only real friend I’ve ever had.”

I looked away when those words wounded me like a knife.

“She’s already lived a thousand years. She’s had her time.”

“That’s not a fair reason?—”

“Then this is the reason.” He waited for me to look at him.

I stilled before I met his gaze once again.

“Because it’s either her or you—and it sure as fuck ain’t going to be you.”

Chapter 4

Calista

It was late when Talon walked into the hut. The sun had set hours ago, so it was some time in the middle of the night. I should have been asleep, but it was hard to close my eyes when the tension between us plagued my every moment.

A moment later, he stepped inside, not bothering to be quiet because he must have spotted the glow of the candles in the window and knew I wasn’t asleep. His eyes were heavy like he was sleepy or drunk—or both. He continued to wear his casual shirts and trousers because armor was unnecessary, and while he looked handsome in either attire, I liked seeing his bare skin more.

He looked at me where I sat at the table with a bottle of wine.

I stared back.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he came to the table. He sighed before he dropped into the chair across from me and helped himself to the bottle of wine. He took a drink straight from the neck. “You’re the single most important thing to me—except Khazmuda. If I had to choose who I love more…I’m not sure who I would pick.”

I felt no jealousy or hostility sharing his heart with a dragon. I considered it an honor to be Khazmuda’s equal, aware of how long they’d known each other, everything they’d experienced together since the fateful moment they’d met.

“I hope I never have to.”

“I’m happy to have half your heart if he’s the one who has the other half.”

He moved the bottle away from himself as he stared, and his eyes slowly sank in their depth, giving me that intensity that told me he’d fallen for me just a little more. “I don’t want you to do this.”

“I know.”

He breathed in slowly before he released it as a heavy sigh.

“But we both know there is no other way.”