how to
begin.
“Tess,” he said softly. “I...am sorry.”
She didn’t move.
“Sure you are.” Her voice was slightly foggy from the tears.
“Sorry I have this necklace stuck around my neck, sorry I showed up yesterday. I
didn’t ask for this, either, but hey, it’s all about you, right?”
He should have known she would respond with fire instead of
ice. In some ways, it was more familiar to him. Still, undoing what he had done
would be a delicate task. Even a dragon could get burned.
“No. That is, it should not be. All about me, I mean.”
That did earn him a glance, and the sight of her eyes, still
damp, created a painful ache in his chest. This was all new to him. He had paid
little attention to the stories of those who were bonded. He’d been young, and
he hadn’t cared.
Now, he wished for even a single other dragon to speak to about
this. About these feelings. Everything he had locked
away seemed to have returned with the arrival of this one small woman.
“No, it shouldn’t be. I don’t want to be locked away somewhere.
I’m my own person, not property.”
He hesitated. “And what...do you want?”
Tess blew out a long breath, but she finally turned fully to
look at him.
“I want to be able to do what I love. I want to live, Kaden.
See things, do things...make music and maybe have some people listen. I might
not have come from much, but I decided a long time ago not to let that get in
the way of what I can build for myself.”
He could see the picture she painted for herself vividly, and
knew that she could achieve it. At least, she would be able to if she weren’t
wearing his dragyn-ka . Soon, she would make the
change from human to dragon and become just as he was—hunted, different. Alone
in so many ways. He had no illusions that a woman like Tess could ever be happy
tucked into a cave for hundreds of years.
It was only now that he realized how much that mattered.
The bond was strong and deep. Tess was indeed made for him.
But...she was right. She was not the treasure he had clung to for so long. In
another time, another place, he would have celebrated her appearance in his
life.
Now, he was at a loss. What could he offer?
“I think you are...a wonder,” Kaden admitted, feeling foolish
as the words passed his lips. But that vanished in the face of Tess’s smile,
touched with sadness though it was.
“Well. I feel the same way about you, for what it’s worth. I
just...it’s so fast. I don’t know—”
“You don’t need to know,” Kaden said, and he lifted his hand to
stroke his fingertips down her cheek. The gentleness of his touch seemed to
surprise her. Tess fell silent, allowing him to touch her.
They sat that way in comfortable silence for a time. Kaden
explored the contours of her face, her jaw, with his fingertips, marveling at
the softness. He wanted to memorize the way she felt. He already knew that soon,
the memory was all he would have of her. Such a short time with the woman who
might have been his fated mate. But he was glad to have been given it.
He could not put her in his silver box. Nor could he pull her
into a life where that wonderful spark of hers would dim, perhaps die...if she
even made it that far. His choices had been taken from him.
Kaden would not take hers.
“Come home,” Kaden said. “Be with me.”
Tess looked at him, then nodded slowly. “We have things we need
to talk about, Kaden.”
“Tomorrow,” he said. “Just give me tonight. Please.”
He could see her relent, could see the depth of her need for
him reflected back at him in the instant before she slid into his arms. But the
way she held him, was...different. Not born of desire, but of something far
deeper. Perhaps he was imagining it...but Kaden still savored it. It was
something he had thought lost to him forever.
“I want to help you,” Tess murmured.
“You are,” Kaden replied. Then he pulled her to her feet, her
hand still in his. He had never been a sentimental
begin.
“Tess,” he said softly. “I...am sorry.”
She didn’t move.
“Sure you are.” Her voice was slightly foggy from the tears.
“Sorry I have this necklace stuck around my neck, sorry I showed up yesterday. I
didn’t ask for this, either, but hey, it’s all about you, right?”
He should have known she would respond with fire instead of
ice. In some ways, it was more familiar to him. Still, undoing what he had done
would be a delicate task. Even a dragon could get burned.
“No. That is, it should not be. All about me, I mean.”
That did earn him a glance, and the sight of her eyes, still
damp, created a painful ache in his chest. This was all new to him. He had paid
little attention to the stories of those who were bonded. He’d been young, and
he hadn’t cared.
Now, he wished for even a single other dragon to speak to about
this. About these feelings. Everything he had locked
away seemed to have returned with the arrival of this one small woman.
“No, it shouldn’t be. I don’t want to be locked away somewhere.
I’m my own person, not property.”
He hesitated. “And what...do you want?”
Tess blew out a long breath, but she finally turned fully to
look at him.
“I want to be able to do what I love. I want to live, Kaden.
See things, do things...make music and maybe have some people listen. I might
not have come from much, but I decided a long time ago not to let that get in
the way of what I can build for myself.”
He could see the picture she painted for herself vividly, and
knew that she could achieve it. At least, she would be able to if she weren’t
wearing his dragyn-ka . Soon, she would make the
change from human to dragon and become just as he was—hunted, different. Alone
in so many ways. He had no illusions that a woman like Tess could ever be happy
tucked into a cave for hundreds of years.
It was only now that he realized how much that mattered.
The bond was strong and deep. Tess was indeed made for him.
But...she was right. She was not the treasure he had clung to for so long. In
another time, another place, he would have celebrated her appearance in his
life.
Now, he was at a loss. What could he offer?
“I think you are...a wonder,” Kaden admitted, feeling foolish
as the words passed his lips. But that vanished in the face of Tess’s smile,
touched with sadness though it was.
“Well. I feel the same way about you, for what it’s worth. I
just...it’s so fast. I don’t know—”
“You don’t need to know,” Kaden said, and he lifted his hand to
stroke his fingertips down her cheek. The gentleness of his touch seemed to
surprise her. Tess fell silent, allowing him to touch her.
They sat that way in comfortable silence for a time. Kaden
explored the contours of her face, her jaw, with his fingertips, marveling at
the softness. He wanted to memorize the way she felt. He already knew that soon,
the memory was all he would have of her. Such a short time with the woman who
might have been his fated mate. But he was glad to have been given it.
He could not put her in his silver box. Nor could he pull her
into a life where that wonderful spark of hers would dim, perhaps die...if she
even made it that far. His choices had been taken from him.
Kaden would not take hers.
“Come home,” Kaden said. “Be with me.”
Tess looked at him, then nodded slowly. “We have things we need
to talk about, Kaden.”
“Tomorrow,” he said. “Just give me tonight. Please.”
He could see her relent, could see the depth of her need for
him reflected back at him in the instant before she slid into his arms. But the
way she held him, was...different. Not born of desire, but of something far
deeper. Perhaps he was imagining it...but Kaden still savored it. It was
something he had thought lost to him forever.
“I want to help you,” Tess murmured.
“You are,” Kaden replied. Then he pulled her to her feet, her
hand still in his. He had never been a sentimental
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