CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
ONYX
Onyx was so warm. It was almost as if he were in his dragon shape, lounging on a large rock while the suns warmed his blood. Instead of air caressing his scales, there was a soft closeness, something that thrilled every inch of his skin.
He wriggled a little, enjoying the sensations as they filtered through into his dreams.
Waking up …
The light was shimmering across his eyelids, teasing him with the day to come. When he rolled over to have one last lazy moment before truly waking, his hand brushed against something even warmer and softer than the sheets.
Azura!
His eyes snapped open, wakefulness slamming through his body. Her scent filled his nose, and his eyes ate up every detail of his mate peacefully asleep beside him.
He wanted to touch her, run his hands gently over her skin, and worship every inch of her. He didn’t want to wake her, though. He was content to watch her, at least for now.
Her light brown hair was spread across the pillow in a great web of lines that glowed like copper in the early morning suns. Her face was relaxed. There was a small, satisfied smile on her face while she walked through secret dreams. Onyx wished he could see them … he hoped he was still in them.
Onyx watched her fingers curl gently as she muttered something in her sleep. He was utterly enchanted. There was no hurry to get up. Most people would be waking slowly after the party last night.
The party!
He’d completely forgotten that he and Azura had left the party early even though they were the guests of honor. Onyx laughed softly to himself.
No doubt some of the higher-ranked families would have been a bit cranky with that, but the majority of people would have been amused by him ducking out with his mate to indulge in each other.
It wouldn’t be the first time the guests of honor had disappeared from their own party to make love. Great-grandmother Genia made her wedding party famous by running away from the altar with Great-grandfather Jenko and not even attending the reception.
Just as Onyx was settling in for a long, lazy morning, he heard a very soft knock on the door. He looked sharply at Azura, but she didn’t wake. He hurried from the bed to see who was at the door.
He barely remembered to wrap a sheet around himself before he opened it. Not that the staff hadn’t seen him naked before … because shifters’ clothes didn’t shift, half the kingdom could have seen him naked.
“Yes?” he asked, opening the door a crack. When he saw Jeremia, his heart fell. Jeremia was one of the heads of staff. If this was about breakfast or something trivial, it would have been someone else.
If Jeremia, himself, the head of the household who practically ran the entire palace, had come in person, this had to be a serious matter.
“What’s wrong?” he snapped, already envisioning his day dissolving under a local disaster or meetings with a nearby kingdom over petty disputes.
“I am sorry, my Lord. I didn’t want to trouble you, but you must know, Master Martin is not in his rooms.”
“Onyx?” Azura murmured from the bed.
Shit! She’s woken up!
“I’m right here, my love.”
“What’s happening?”
“Nothing, my darling,” he said quickly. His heart was pounding, and his breath was tight. He truly didn’t know what to do.
“It’s just the kitchen wondering what you want for breakfast,” he said lightly. “Why don’t you relax and have a shower? Breakfast will be here soon.”
“Okay,” she said, slipping out of bed with a soft smile on her face. She wrapped a towel around herself and hurried over to kiss him on the cheek. His face lit up, the smile an encompassing glow.
“Good morning,” she whispered, blinking slyly. “It’s always a good morning after a wonderful night.”
He agreed.