CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Selena beams up at me, her copper eyes shining with so much warmth it’s as if the sun has risen in this deep cave.

Seeing her restored to her usual good spirits soothes my soul, and I smile back, finally able to enjoy obtaining the crystals. Knowing they helped her recover makes them all the more precious.

I scoop her up, carrying her with one arm supporting the backs of her knees, the other behind her back.

“I just told you I’m fine.” She lets out a little laugh. “I can walk.”

“No.” I don’t explain, but I carry her for my sake more than hers. Yes, she’s recovered and can walk. But I’m not fully over my concern for her. Wild Fae that I am, my body needs to feel hers against mine, happy and whole.

We return to the main tunnel, where the gnomes still sit in a huddle, their heads so close together they form a solid carpet of multi-colored moss.

“Lead us to the dragon caves,” I say. We don’t have time to waste. The sluagh could return at any moment and threaten Selena. “Then your bargain will be fulfilled.”

A flurry of whispers rushes through them like a storm wind. When they part, the rest of the gnomes tumble back down the tunnel we used to get here until only the leader stands before us.

“Come,” he says before doing a front flip, leading us in the opposite direction.

I cradle Selena to me, enjoying the feel of her against me, safe and whole.

Without the pleasure of holding her, the next few hours would feel endless as we trek through rocky tunnels, weaving a circuitous course. Instead, I revel in her closeness.

The same, however, cannot be said of my companions.

The gnome simply walks instead of somersaulting. He must truly be at the end of his energy. This must be why he sent his people away, sparing them from the toil of this march. He could have delegated the task, yet didn’t. For all his crafty nature in trying to tie my Selena up into an unnecessary bargain, I can respect his care for his people—it’s the sign of a good leader .

“Goddess, are we there yet?” Dash calls out from behind me.

“We’re close,” Bellavesaria says. “I smell dragon.”

“Are you sure it’s not yourself you’re smelling?” the unicorn says, mischief lacing his tone. He makes a few audible sniffs. “You did just do a lot of manual labor.”

“I do not stink!” Her tone goes affronted as wings rustle behind me. “Dragons do not sweat like inferior beings. We always smell nice!”

“If you say so.”

I scowl, ready to bark at them to be quiet, but Selena buries her face against my chest, muffling her chuckles even as her shoulders shake. Just like that, their bickering changes from annoying to something I’d glad for, since it brings her joy.

Then her lips move against me in what feels like a kiss. Even through the linen of my shirt, the touch sears me, setting my blood aflame and swelling my cock.

Remember, she belongs so someone better than you, you fool, a snide voice hisses in my mind. Goddess save me, as much as the cynical voice is right, I beat it back and hold her even more tightly. If it makes me a fool, then a fool I shall be.

Because even if she’s bound to another, for here and now, she’s mine .

Light glows ahead, and the gnome hurries his footsteps.

I follow him around a sharp turn in the tunnel, curling my shoulder inward to protect Selena’s head. Then I step into a cavern bathed in sunlight .

While my eyes adjust to the change in light, Bellavesaria pushes past me. “I knew it! I knew I recognized that last tunnel.”

I blink. The cavern soars overhead to a distant ceiling, lost in brightness. Three of the walls are dotted with numerous smaller caves carved into the surface, each fronted by a wide ledge. The final wall contains a massive tunnel opening far larger than anything I’ve seen so far underground. A gentle river runs down one side of the room, the rest of the floor dotted with moss-covered rocks surrounding large areas of smoothed earth.

Everywhere, there are dragons. And not just any dragons, either.

“Baby dragons!” Selena shrieks, her voice hitting a high note of excitement. She wiggles, her body demanding to be put down without needing any words.

I set her on her feet, and she stands, hands clapped over her mouth, her entire body quivering with excitement.

Ranging from only a foot tall to almost Bellavesaria’s six feet, the younglings come in a range of colors, from green to purple and red. There are even a few metallic silver ones, as well as gold ones. As soon as they hear Selena, the whole cavern freezes for a prolonged second, a forest of long necks craning upward to get a good view.

Then, like a damn breaking, they stampede toward us in a rush. Some run. Some take little hops, flapping their wings to carry them through the jump. And a few of the larger ones on the far side of the wide space take to the air completely.

“I have completed my part of the bargain,” the gnome yells and backflips into the tunnel and out of sight .

“Uh, guys…” Dash takes a couple of steps backward.

But my Selena rushes forward, her arms outstretched. “Hello! Hello!”

One of the smallest reaches her first, having been relatively close to us.

She crouches in front of the tiny red dragon as their huge eyes latch onto her face. “Hi, there. I’m Selena.”

“I’m Reevie,” a little boy’s voice says. The youngling hops up onto her thighs and cocks his head in that way dragons have. “What are you?”

“I’m a human.”

The rest circle her by now, and whispers of “human” ripple through the crowd one after another as they stretch forward to get their foreheads rubbed.

“She’s my human,” Bellavesaria says, her head bobbing. “I’ve joined her for my wander years.”

“So that’s where you’ve been,” a deep alto booms as Sheevora the Magnificent enters from the large tunnel opening on the far side of the cavern. Several long strides carry her quickly across to us.

“Mother.” Bellavesaria dips her head. “I’m taking part in the grand quest to find the antidote that will protect our human allies from deathsleep.”

The great dragon remains quiet for several moments. Then one huge taloned foot reaches out and pulls the younger dragon to her, tucking Bellavesaria into her side. “Daughter, you make me proud.”

“Really?” Bellavesaria’s feathery crest rises.

“I would have preferred if you told me of your plans, but I realize it is part of growing up to become somewhat… reticent with one’s parents.” Sheevora’s gaze moves to me. “It is good to see you again, orc, and to know you’ve succeeded in your quest. You will dine with us tonight, and I hope you will gift us all with a song.”

“It will be an honor,” I say, using all of the diplomacy I learned from my years serving King Aldronn.

Selena smiles up at me, a look of pride on her face.

It warms me, filling my chest until I stand taller than before. I like that she sees me like this, as someone important enough to sing for dragons. As someone worthy.

It stirs a prideful, possessive feeling inside me. One I like far too much.