“What’s best for me, I know.” I yanked my arm to break free of his grasp.
He didn’t let go. Instead, he shook his head, and frustration filled the bond. His lips tightened and his arm jerked a little, as though he were about to fling me away like he was so good at doing. I readied for the emotional blow, hardening myself.
“Damn it, Finley. We can’t both be this stubborn.” He grabbed my other arm, bending to peer down into my eyes. “Why are you afraid?”
I’d forgotten that emotion was squeezed into everything. It was embarrassing to admit I was worried he’d disown me now, so I figured playing dumb was my best bet. “What?”
“Your sadness woke me up this morning. I wondered what happened. The rest of your emotions helped me piece it together. The only one I don’t understand is the fear. Did you think I’d hurt you when I found out you weren’t with child?”
“What?”
He breathed deeply through his nose, fire erupting in his eyes. “Fuck this dragon,” he muttered, bending his head a little and squeezing his eyes shut.
Another trickle of fear wormed through me as I watched him wrestle with his dragon’s obvious desire to try again. A pang of longing followed by unease rushed in. Suddenly, I just needed space from him, from this.
“I’m not afraid of you, Nyfain. Give me a break.” I pulled back, but his grip made it clear that I wasn’t going anywhere. It was anyone’s guess why I didn’t push the issue with my will.
“Back off for a fucking minute. Can’t you see she’s hurting?” he snarled, snapping his eyes open and refocusing on me.
I stilled in his grasp.
“Finley, I can feel your emotions through the bond. I just don’t understand what they mean. Why fear?”
Heat prickled my traitorous eyes.
Just tell him, my animal implored me. You hate when he doesn’t explain why he’s being an ass, so explain yourself. Because right now, you’re being an ass.
“Is there any way to separate from our animals?” I grumbled.
His lips tweaked up at the corners, but his eyes were so full of concern.
“It’s nothing,” I said, trying to get away. “Look, we had a good time, but I understand it’s over now. So that’s fine. Let’s go back to normal.”
“And what is normal?” he growled.
“We’ll heal the land, the demon king will come, and you’ll be rid of me. The whole kidnapping issue will be behind you, and the desperate need to fuck will be a long-lost memory. You’ll find your soul mate and live happily ever after. Done and dusted.”
That was a lot of shit coming out of your mouth, my animal said in disgust.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes sparking. “What do you know about my soul mate?”
“I know that she’ll be able to eat at the table with you and not be embarrassed.” I raised my chin. “She’ll have that dowry your kind are into. A title. Probably huge tracts of land…”
“My mother didn’t know how to eat at a fine table. She was taught, and she only did it when she had to. We rarely ate that way together. I’d much rather sit in front of a fire with you, eating off a tray. Those are some of my favorite meals. As for the dowry, these aren’t normal times. And, if you ask me, your dowry is more robust than anyone who has come before you.”
A response like that deserved more than one word, but it was all I had in my arsenal. “What?”
“You are literally healing the kingdom, and you are doing it for free. If you’d put a price tag on that, you would be rolling in coin. I, on behalf of the villages, would owe you a fortune.”
I shifted my weight, popping out a hip, not really sure where to go from here. Not really sure what any of this meant.
“Look, neither of us knows what the future holds,” he continued. “Let’s just leave it a question mark. For now, let’s carry on the way we have been, okay? We’ll keep lighting up that enchanted rosebush with new blooms. You know, someone I’m quite smitten with, who is currently out of commission for vigorous fucking, told me to have hope.”
Tears pooled in my stupid eyes, and I offered him a watery smile. “Sounds good,” I managed.
“So that was it, then,” he said softly, tracing my chin with his thumb. “You worried I wouldn’t want you anymore.”
I wiped my suddenly tear-stained cheeks, not commenting. I wasn’t fond of sounding like a sad sack.
He clucked his tongue, his eyes so incredibly deep and soft. He pulled me into a tight hug.
“You’re the stupidest smart girl I’ve ever met. I’m incapable of pretending, Finley. I might be able to hold back, but I don’t play false. There was something incredibly primal and erotic about trying for a baby— Fuck it.” He tightened up around me, burying his face into the crook of my neck, then breathed in my scent, shaking. “I’m not going to be able to mention that anymore, actually. My fucking dragon has been trying to rip control away from me since I woke up this morning and realized what happened.”