Page 47 of A Dragon's Curse

“You’re sure we can go tonight?” she asked, glancing behind me and up into the sky. “As soon as we find out if Lykem is okay.”

My hands still shook, so I kept them pressed against her back as I nodded. “I’m sure he’s on his way back already.”

I wanted to go help Lykem, but the thought of leaving Dawsyn made my stomach churn and scales threaten to burst from my skin.

Her stare met mine again, and she lightly rubbed her palms over my biceps. “We’re okay.” With those two words, all the ire I’d seen flitting within her eyes washed away. I tried to match her mood, but it wasn’t happening.

She moved her touch to my chest. “I’m yours, Cillian. All yours. No matter what Knox did or does in the future. Nothing will change the fact that you’re my mate. The only one I want.”

“What if I can’t protect you from him?” I asked, because that terror was what prevented me from calming down. It didn’t matter how much we wanted each other, or how I’d burn the whole world for her. If I wasn’t enough to keep her safe, none of that would make a difference.

Her hands cupped my neck and my chest rumbled. “Do not let fear take over. We will fight. For however long we have to. And we will win.”

She wrapped her arms tighter around me and pulled herself up and into my arms. The phantom thrum of our bond twitched inside my chest—not actually there but knowing it should be.

I leaned forward and captured her mouth. She parted for me, and I wasted no time tasting her. One hand palmed her ass, keeping her up, and the other moved slowly up her sides until my thumb brushed underneath her breast.

The sensation elicited a gasp from her, which I devoured with our kiss.

She gripped my hair, angling my head and deepening the kiss.

Fuck, I needed to have this woman more than I needed my next breath. These kisses and touches weren’t enough. I had to claim her. I had to know she was mine. All fucking mine and that nobody could ever take her from me again.

The sound of branches snapping had both of us jerking apart. I kept Dawsyn in my hold as I turned around, just in time to see Lykem’s dragon crash into the ground.

I set her down, grabbed her shoulders, and spoke firmly. “Go to the cave. Call for anyone who is nearest to you and tell them we need a healer right the fuck now.”

She didn’t hesitate. Didn’t ask questions. Just turned and ran in the opposite direction.

My chest strained with tension as I hurried toward Lykem. He hadn’t shifted back, which wasn’t fucking good.

Blood coated his face, but I couldn’t tell if it was his or someone else’s. His right wing was ripped, and there were several deep gouges on his sides. Worse, there was still more crimson leaking out from underneath him.

Hell, I didn’t even know how he’d made it back to us.

My hands pressed against his head, wiping what I could away from his eyes. “You’re going to be okay. Dawsyn went to get a healer.”

He made an odd noise that didn’t make me feel any better, then fell to his side. I pulled my shirt off and went to his side, hoping to staunch the worst of the wounds with the fabric. But I froze when I moved around his wing.

I was going to fucking kill Knox ten times over for the damage he’d caused, but for this, seeing my oldest friend split open like a goddamned fish, he’d fucking burn.

Lykem’s underbelly had a two-foot gaping wound, so deep that I could see severed muscles and what I assumed to be his guts.

The only thing keeping me from losing my damned mind was that none of his internal organs looked damaged.

His dragon healing would help, but without a healer, this amount of damage would kill Lykem within the hour. As it was, I had a feeling he was going to need a blood donation.

Knowing there was nothing I could do for his stomach, I went to the wing that looked broken. This was going to hurt like a son of a bitch, but the bones had to be reset sooner rather than later, or he was never going to fly right again.

I glanced over at his dragon’s face to find his eyes closed. Hopefully, he was passed out and would stay that way for this part.

My hands grabbed on to the end of his wing and steadied my grip. I took a deep breath as I made sure there was only the one break. I didn’t want to fix one part only to make another worse. When I didn’t see any other sections bent in the wrong direction, I twisted then pulled, fast and hard.

Bones rebroke from having already begun to heal, and Lykem’s dragon reawakened with a boisterous roar.

His front legs swiped out, likely looking for anyone he could skewer for what I’d just done to him. At least one of his claws caught on my jeans, ripping the material, but just missing my skin.

I backed up and held my hands out. “It’s just me, Lykem. I had to reset your wing.”