Chapter 40

Rayna

“Get those guys,” she said to the three soldiers watching her back. “I can take care of the dragon on my own.”

They hesitated a moment before running to intercept four infected Kandoran. Hugo had been transferred a couple of days ago to another coalition slayer who’d lost their partner in a heated battle. Rayna was sent to help the Faegud since their pendragon, Hildegard, told the NAC commander she needed her on their side. No one cared what she wanted. They did give her several well-trained soldiers to watch her back, so at least she had that.

Facing the Kandoran dragon with sword in hand, she waited for it to strike. The beast had shredded wings thanks to a shifter above, but otherwise, it didn’t have any significant injuries to slow it down.

“Come on, big guy. What do you got?” she taunted.

She learned early on not to try speaking to them telepathically. It caused an instant migraine when they resisted, and they never responded. God only knew what that infection did to their brains. She wondered if they could even communicate with each other or if the sorcerer trio held complete control.

The dragon snarled and opened its mouth to speak in a hoarse, scary voice. “You’re gonna die, slayer.”

Shit! She got a talking one, which was bad, very bad.

Green flames ignited in its throat. This Kandoran had a sorcerer directly controlling it, rendering it a helluva lot harder to kill. Rayna leaped into a forward roll, barely dodging the ball of fire. She kept going into a log roll across the ground as more flaming spheres shot toward her.

One grazed her calf, and she screamed. “Ahhh, dammit.”

She’d had countless injuries in her life, but that green fire was the absolute worst. It was like having acid poured on her skin. When the attack stopped, she grabbed some dirt to rub onto the wound. That was the only way to prevent it from burning her any further.

Rayna rose to her feet, knowing she had about a minute before the dragon would recharge and send more flame balls toward her. She needed to kill it before then. Almost every slayer who’d died in the war had been from these ultra-dangerous types, and she didn’t want to be added to the list. More than anything, she wanted to witness her side winning the war, and she would do her best to live for that.

Grabbing a handful of dirt, she flung it into the dragon’s eyes. As it pawed at its face and made high-pitched shrieks, she threw another handful of dirt into its open mouth. With it entirely distracted, she stumbled onto the beast’s back, ignoring the agonizing pain in her leg.

Rayna landed in a heap across its spine. She pulled herself forward by grabbing its spikes until she reached the beast’s neck, and with her free hand, grabbed her dagger from her belt. The dragon lifted its head. Before it could turn on her, she stabbed the base of its skull where the soft spot lay. The blade went down to the hilt. A moment later, the body crashed to the ground, and she rolled away.

She gulped deep breaths as she gazed around her. The three soldiers had finished the human Kandoran, and the rest of the enemy fled to the west. Sunrise must be coming. No matter where they were in a fight, they’d race back in perfect synchronization about a half hour before dawn. She wondered if they were mentally called or programmed to do it. No one knew for sure, though it didn’t matter either way. Everyone was glad for the break when it came.

“You alright?” the lead female soldier, Cassidy, asked.

Rayna rose unsteadily to her feet, leaning on her good leg. “Yeah, got burned a little is all.”

She and the two guys with her gaped at her leg. She glanced down, realizing it was even worse than she realized. The green flames had burned a large hole in her lower pants and taken half the muscles in her calf. No wonder it hurt so bad.

Damn, she was going to have to see Galadon’s mother, again.

Rayna had avoided that particular bunker since she’d nearly died and the lone shifter brought her there, so she’d chosen to go to the next one down the line to get food and supplies. Her new position was directly between the two.

“I’m gonna need to go to the north bunker,” she said, attempting to take a step and nearly falling over.

Cassidy put her arm around Rayna to steady her. “I thought you didn’t like that one.”

More like she didn’t want to run into Galadon and face him after he’d saved her life. It was mortifying. Sure, she appreciated what he’d done for her, but it also hurt her pride. A dragon who’d made his hatred for her abundantly clear was the only reason she still lived—well, also because of his mother. They must have thought she was totally inept to get hurt that badly. It didn’t matter that she’d been vastly outnumbered, considering Hugo stayed on his feet longer than her.

She wanted Galadon to see her as strong. The lone shifter had been forced to save her from certain death by killing her enemies for her, and then carrying her a long distance for help. The one thing that confused Rayna the most was the fear in his eyes when he’d found her.

Usually, he hid his emotions so well, except for annoyance and anger. That day, he’d been genuinely terrified and concerned for her. What was she supposed to do with that? Was it a good thing or a bad thing? She had so many contradictory emotions and didn’t know if she could face him. Had something changed between them, or was it wishful thinking? She was a total mess when it came to figuring out how to handle him at this point.

“The best healer in the area is at the north bunker,” Rayna said, hobbling along. “And technically, it’s closer. If I want to be back in the fight tonight, that’s where I have to go.”

Another one of the soldiers took her other side, and her progress became faster after that. They were two miles away, so the quicker, the better. She was glad to have the coalition soldiers with her. They had her back and fought hard in every battle with impressive courage despite not having the advantages of a slayer. While Hugo had been great, she hadn’t lost anything in the trade.

Rayna considered calling her horse halfway there when she got within range of Onyx but decided against it. The naughty animal had snuck onto the battlefield the previous night and broken his leg when he tripped over a fallen enemy. A Faegud shifter had healed the bone but said it would take a couple of days before the limb returned to full strength. In the meantime, her stallion was supposed to avoid killing infected humans and eating dead dragons. An order that would work with any other horse.

Onyx had refused to listen to her pleas to stop over the last few weeks. From what little she got out of him, he’d discovered he became stronger when he ate the beasts, and he liked helping kill the enemy.

She’d needed to explain he had to take care of himself as well. The stallion had promised to stay out of the fight until his leg was better, and she had some people watching him closely to make sure he didn’t change his mind.

Cassidy looked at her. “Why do you avoid the north bunker?”

“The lone shifter goes there,” Rayna replied through gritted teeth. The pain in her leg was throbbing, and every little movement made it worse.

The female soldier’s eyes rounded. “Is that the same one who rips through the Kandoran like they’re paper?”

While they hadn’t run into him on the ground, they had seen Galadon in the air a few times. Thankfully, he’d had no reason to get any closer to them. She did catch his gaze once when he was between fighting enemies, but she’d quickly looked away. No use in drawing the predator to her so he could mock her weakness for nearly getting herself killed. Maybe he’d shown concern that one day, but surely he’d be back to his usual self now. Perhaps she’d caught him in a rare kind mood, and that’s why he’d saved her, or maybe he had temporary insanity. Yes, that was most likely. She had so many confused emotions from that night and no idea how to process them.

“That’s the one. Even I wouldn’t want to fight Galadon, and no other dragon has ever scared me,” Rayna admitted. Cassidy didn’t need to know his impressive power and fighting capabilities attracted her to him, and she dreamed of the shifter at night.

“He’s scary as shit,” one of the male soldiers said.

The other guy who kept pace with them shuddered. “Hope we don’t see him there today.”

Rayna glanced at him. “He wouldn’t hurt you as long as you don’t bother him, but keeping your distance is best.”

“You got no argument from me there.”

They continued walking in silence, for which she was grateful. Time seemed to crawl as they made their way over high grass, falling fences, and numerous other things that aggravated her leg. It was a relief when the bunker appeared in the distance.

As they moved closer, a large male form came toward them from the side wall where he’d been leaning. Rayna cursed under her breath when she recognized him. No one else could walk with such strength and lethal grace.

“Is that him?” Cassidy whispered, eyes wide.

She swallowed down her pain, trying to hide it from her features. “Yes.”

“Why is he coming toward us?”

Before Rayna could answer, Galadon stopped before them and crossed his arms. “You’ve been hurt again?”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, glaring at him. Of course, he was back to his surly self, as she’d suspected.

“You’ve been burned by green fire,” he noted, staring at her leg.

Normally, she was the one to annoy him, but of course, he would take advantage of the situation. “Your powers of observation are impressive as usual, Galadon. I’ll be fine, and you can go away.”

The soldiers with her gaped. They didn’t understand that she couldn’t help herself around this shifter. Even when she knew better, her mouth got her into trouble. Rayna hated appearing weak in front of someone so powerful.

“At least you’re not near death this time,” he said, narrowing his flame-colored eyes.

She wanted to throw more sarcasm at him, but she supposed she should show some gratitude for what he’d done. “Thank you for saving me. I know you could have just left me to die, and I appreciate that you didn’t.”

The three soldiers were now glancing between them with rapt attention.

“For now, your impressive ability to kill my kind is useful,” he said flatly.

Honestly, the way he ran hot and cold drove her crazy!

She sighed. “Could you please move so I can go see your mother?”

More surprised looks from her companions. She had no doubt there would be many questions later, but at least it would be after she got healed.

“You two can let her go,” Galadon commanded, and they instantly pulled away. “I’ve got her.”

Before Rayna could argue or fall on her face, he scooped her into his arms.

She glared at him. “Are you serious?”

“It’s clear you’re in pain, so I thought I’d save you the trouble of walking any farther.”

Damn. She hadn’t hidden it well enough.

Cassidy followed close behind them. “Should we, uh, stay with you, Rayna?”

“Go get your food and rest,” Galadon ordered over his shoulder. “I’ve got her.”

A moment later, the three soldiers hurried ahead of them as if they’d been compelled by the shifter and had to obey immediately. Only Cassidy cast a worried glance in her direction. Rayna wantedto bury her face in her hands from pure embarrassment, but the male holding her was watching her reactions too closely.

“Did I embarrass you?” he asked, amusement in his expression.

She’d never seen him like this before, and it was even more awkward than expected.

“You’re paying me back for everything I’ve said to you in recent months, aren’t you?” Rayna asked.

A smile stretched his lips. “I’ve been waiting for my chance to retaliate.”

God, she wanted to memorize that expression since she doubted she’d ever see it again.

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “Fine, you win this round, big guy.”

He stiffened but kept walking. At least she got him with that move. It was chilly outside in the morning light, but his heated skin was more than enough to warm her. Despite the pain in her leg, she didn’t want to think too hard about how comfortable she felt with him holding her. He could say it was payback, but he was voluntarily helping her. That had to mean something.

Before she knew it, Galadon gently laid her onto a cot covered with a camrium blanket. He glanced at his mother, who spoke with another patient.

“Rayna needs your help again,” he said in a booming voice.

She winced as all the shifters in the room turned to look at her. For God’s sake, every time she thought he was being kind, he’d do something to ruin it. If not for the pain in her leg, she would have kicked him.

Ujala hurried over and made a tsking sound as she looked at Rayna’s calf. “Please tell me you killed the one who did this.”

“Of course I did.”

“Good. I’ve lost too many patients to that fire.”

Galadon crouched on the floor, watching his mother work. “Will you be able to heal her fully?”

“Yes.” Ujala held her hands over the burn wound. “Rayna was smart enough to smother it with dirt, or else she would have lost half her leg before arriving here. So many don’t think to do that.”

She’d learned her lesson after what happened to others during the war.

“Good.” He stood. “I’ll get her some food while you work.”

After he was out of earshot, Rayna couldn’t resist asking, “Why is he rude to me one minute and nice the next?”

“Because he likes you and hates himself for it,” she replied without looking up. It was as if she’d already considered the topic and come to that conclusion.

Rayna shook her head. “He doesn’t like me at all and has made that clear.”

“Then why does he worry over you so much?” Ujala asked, lifting a brow.

“He just appreciates that I can kill a lot of Kandoran.”

The healer laughed. “Yes, that too.”

Galadon returned a moment later with a wrapped bundle of food and handed it to Rayna. Ujala had already mended her calf enough that the pain was almost gone. She tore into her sandwich, desperate for nourishment.

“Someone was hungry,” he observed.

She finished chewing her latest bite. “Yes, thank you.”

“That’s the second time you’ve thanked me today.”

Rayna paused with her sandwich. “I’ll try not to make a habit of it if you prefer.”

“Good.”

By the time she finished eating, the healer had sealed her leg. “Let it air out while you rest, and put this ointment on once before you sleep and again when you wake.” She grabbed a jar off the table and handed it to her. “Check in with me this evening so I can make sure you’re recovered enough to go back out again.”

“You’re amazing, as always,” Rayna said, gripping the jar.

Ujala’s eyes twinkled as she walked away.

“Okay.” She carefully rose to her feet. “I’ve got to go.”

“You should stay and rest,” Galadon said, frowning.

Rayna ground her teeth. “For one, I would rather rest somewhere there isn’t a bunch of shifters glaring at me and considering my imminent demise.” There were five in the room whose gazes could have shot daggers. “For two, I have to pee.”

She carefully tested her leg and found it could hold her weight. It was still tender and weak, but she could almost walk without a limp. She headed for the door, making her way around the cots full of hostile shifters. Galadon followed close behind her, and they quickly turned their heads away. Was he giving them his dirty looks?

They stepped outside, and she turned to face him. “You aren’t going with me.”

“I won’t follow you inside, but I’m not leaving you alone when you’re not at full strength.” The look in his eyes told her it would be useless to argue.

She made a frustrated sound. “Fine.”

Rayna headed for one of the outhouses the humans had built so they didn’t have to do their business in the open. She slammed the door behind her and prayed Galadon wasn’t listening while she peed. The shifter seemed determined to embarrass her today.

After she came out, he gave her another grin. “I didn’t know a small, human woman could hold that much.”

“Well, maybe, if the enemy gave us more potty breaks, I wouldn’t have to hold it so long.” Not to mention the long walk back and the pain distracting her from it before.

He brushed past her and went inside. A moment later, Rayna could hear him urinating. She suspected he was doing it to mark his territory and cover her scent, which was crazy. There had to be dozens of people’s pee down there.

She decided not to stick around for more of his annoying comments. Scanning the area around her, she spotted a few tents on the other side of some trees a couple of hundred feet away that looked like they belonged to the coalition. They were the same design as the ones at the other bunkers—plain green canvas. She’d slept in them at other locations with no trouble.

Rayna began heading in that direction. Her leg still ached, so she couldn’t move too quickly. She made it a whole fifty feet before Galadon’s hand grabbed her bicep and spun her around to face him.

“Where are you going?” he asked, appearing annoyed.

She pointed toward the tents. “To sleep with the coalition soldiers. What do you care?”

“You’re still limping.”

Rayna clenched her fists. “So? Do you want to point out any more of my flawswhile you’re at it?”

Why did he have to be extra annoying today, and why was he the one pursuing her?

“You’re going to need this.” He held up her jar of ointment. “You left it on the shelf in the outhouse.”

She gritted her teeth. “Give it back.”

“If you want it, you’re going to have to follow me,” Galadon saidand strutted away.

She gritted her teeth. “You always go out of your way to avoid me, but not now. Why?”

“I have my reasons, but you’ll have to come with me to find out.”

He walked slowly enough that she caught up to him as he led her past the coalition tents. They eventually came to a street with a giant crater in the middle of it.Just past that, she spotted a yellow farmhouse with fences and pasture around it. After so much war and fighting, it almost didn’t seem real.

“I claimed this place for myself,” he said, leading her straight to the house.

She looked at him incredulously. “And you’re taking me to your lair?”

“I’ve covered the windows so it’s darker for sleep, and there is a fireplace for warmth,” he replied as if that explained everything. “You will be safe and comfortable.”

For a moment, she considered if he was bringing her somewhere private to kill her, but that was stupid. He’d gone through too much trouble to keep her alive and healthy up until now. So, what did he want?

They climbed the steps to a wraparound porch, and then he opened the door, gesturing forher to pass him and go inside. Rayna hesitated momentarily, trying to read his face, but his expression told her nothing. Fine, she was too curious and had to see it through.

There was a large living room right past the entrance with wood floors. A solitary couch sat across from the fireplace with a black camrium blanket covering it, but no other furniture was in the room. Though dim, one of the curtains had been pulled back to allow some morning light. Her heart was thundering in her chest, but she made herself sit calmly on the couch. It felt good to get off her leg.

Galadon moved to the fireplace, whichwas already full of dry wood. He cocked his head and blew a light stream of yellow-orange flames until the tender caught. Since she’d spent plenty of time around shifters, she knew that if they concentrated hard enough, they could create a fire that would continue to burn after they stopped blowing. From what she understood, it could only be accomplished on a small scale like he’d done.

Once he finished, he came toward her with the ointment jar. “Give me your leg.”

“I can put it on, you know,” she said.

He lifted his brows. “Do I frighten you too much to let me do it?”

“You know very well I’m not scared of you.” Not entirely, anyway.

Galadon held out his hand. “Then prove it to me, brave slayer.”

“Is this some kind of test?”

He said nothing and merely stared at her. Damn him—she was no coward. Rayna lifted her leg, allowing him to take it with his warm hand. He carefully unlaced and slid off her boot, which thankfully had not been damaged, and then pulled off her sock.

“It’s still quite red,” he said, knitting his brows as he examined her skin.

She nodded, having forgotten where her voice went. His touch made her forget everything. Galadon could not possibly understand how much he affected her right now while he behaved gently and kindly. It broke down her barriers against him.

He set her foot on his knee and then grabbed the jar, opening it. A pungent aroma came from within. Galadon wrinkled his nose at the same time she did, though it was likely stronger for him with his shifter senses.

Rayna finally found her ability to speak. “I can do it, so you don’t have to…”

“I’ll do it,” he interrupted. The flames in his eyes were the most vivid she’d ever seen. “You need to relax.”

“It’s hard to do that with you,” she admitted.

His lips quirked, though he didn’t meet her gaze. Galadon began slowly rubbing the ointment into her skin, taking such care that it barely hurt when it should have made her want to leap out of her body. The pain had intensified every time she brushed her leg against the tall grasses outside.

He kept his gaze on her calf. “I could say the same of you.”

“Then why bring me here?”

He didn’t reply until he finished with her leg and set it down. His eyes blazed when he lifted his head, and the emotions reflecting in them shocked her. For the first time, Galadon wasn’t hiding the intense emotions he felt. She saw frustration, tenderness, and lust all tangled together.

“What was the reason you gave for why I’m always so uptight?” he asked.

She cleared her throat. “I can’t remember at the moment.”

“Liar.”

She really was, but he was so close to her now that she could feel his heated breath. “I said you needed to get laid.”

His voice dropped seductive and low. “Didn’t you imply you’d be happy to help me with that problem?”

“I didn’t think you’d ever take me up on that offer,” she said, licking her lips. Where was he heading with this?

He stared at her mouth. “I’ve had some time to think on the matter, and perhaps you’re right.”

“Oh?”

Galadon lifted a hand and ran his fingertips down her neck. Her skin tingled at the sensation. God help her, she tipped her head back to make it easier for him. “My touch doesn’t repulse you at all, does it?”

Rayna swallowed and met his gaze. “Not even a little.”

“What would you do if I kissed you?”

She’d never been more attracted to a man, and it frightened her. “Kiss you back.”

“I’ve never met a female like you, and it drives me insane,” he said, finishing with a growl, and then his hot lips were on hers.

It was like an explosion went off.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her until she was off the couch and straddling him. His body was huge and dwarfed hers. Rayna had never felt smaller, yet he touched her with an incredible amount of tenderness as desire consumed them.

There was no missing the hardness beneath her. But why had he changed his mind? As their mouths opened and the kiss deepened with their tongues tangling, she decided it didn’t matter. She wanted him more than her next breath.

Galadon pulled back a few inches to search her face. “I expected you to stab me and run screaming from the house.”

“Liar.” She repeated his earlier response to her and ran a hand down his chest. “You had to know it was never just a taunt.”

He kissed her again, full of heat and passion. Rayna caressed his shoulders and arms, enjoying her free reign to touch him for the first time. There was no fighting the need between them as they worked their clothes off each other.

Then they were both naked. Galadon was every bit as impressive as she’d expected with smooth, tan skin and hard, bulging muscles. He was larger than other shifters in his dragon form, and huge in his human body.

As she drank in the sight of him, Rayna found herself on her back with him hovering over her. Damn, but the intense look in his eyes terrified and thrilled her at the same time. There were so many unnamed emotions there. Power crackled between them as their magical currents entwined in a way she’d never seen before. Galadon felt so right. Maybe that seer hadn’t been wrong, and they were made for each other.

“We only do this once,” he said abruptly.

Rayna frowned, jolted from the passionate haze. “What? Why?”

“This is a temporary truce, remember?” He ran his fingers along her stomach, pausing at the new scars where she’d been gutted over two weeks ago. The damage had been too severe to heal fully. “If we win this war, you’ll be my enemy again afterward.”

Rayna knew once wouldn’t be enough for her and surely not for him, either. She’d known it the moment she met him. Galadon attracted her in a way that made her want to forsake all other men. There was some kind of mystical tether between them that she’d known to expect years ago when the Straegud sorceress predicted their meeting. It was something she couldn’t tell him now, not after what he’d just said. He didn’t see things the same way as her.

“I could never kill you, Galadon,” she said, trying to show the truth of that in her eyes.

He continued tracing his fingertips along her body, which were incredibly tender and alluring. Their magic followed his touch with sizzling sparks and heightened the pleasure, especially when he reached her nipples. She wanted more—a lot more. He could do that for the rest of the day, and she wouldn’t care if she lost much-needed sleep. It would be worth it.

He shook his head slowly. “You can’t make that promise. All it would take is a week of finding no other dragons to kill, and then you’d look at me as prey. I wouldn’t even blame you for it. It’s what slayers do, and nothing can change your instincts.”

“You know what’s ironic?” she asked, grabbing his bare ass to bring him closer. “My first thought when I met you wasn’t how I could kill you. It was how amazingly good-looking you were, and my second was that I’d finally met a dragon who I knew—without a doubt—could defeat me in battle. It turned me on.”

He took her hands and held them above her head. “You willingly lie beneath me, believing I could kill you?”

“Am I wrong?” she asked, arching her bare breasts toward him. She was playing with fire, which made her even hotter than the flames he’d lit a short time ago.

“Rayna, promise me that today is the only day we do this.” He pressed himself against her entrance, and she groaned at the pressure. “We will not discuss it afterward, and you will not try to seduce me in the future. What we do in this room is all that will ever happen between us. It is the only way.”

“But Bailey and Aidan…”

Galadon shook his head. “We are not them—not even close. You must promise me.”

She looked up at him, hating the sheer desperation in his eyes for her to agree. This was how he’d justified it in his mind. He must think that if they did it now, it would help him get rid of his desire for her. She doubted it would for either of them, but he wanted to believe the lie.

“Please don’t make me say it. We can make it work if you just give it a chance.”

“No,” he said, starting to pull away.

Rayna tried wrapping her legs around him, but he was stronger and nudged them back down. Despite his immense strength, he was still gentle about it. She was so damn desperate for him, and the evidence of his arousal proved he wanted her, too. Something was holding him back.

As he began to rise, resolution and regret filled his gaze. She’d lose this chance with him if she didn’t agree to his terms. At that moment, Rayna would have sold her soul to feel his body inside hers. If he could just see they were meant for each other, maybe he’d come around to the idea.

“Fine, damn you. I promise.” She hated that he’d made her say it, but she would have to hope this brief time together would be worth it.

Relief filled his features. “Good.”

He wanted to give in to his desire, but only with specific boundaries in place.

“You better make it worth it,” she said as he lowered to cover her again.

A feral grin spread across his lips. “Oh, I plan on it.”

Galadon pulled her into his arms again, kissing her with a passion even greater than before. Their bodies collided in heat and magic so powerful Rayna would wonder about it later. She took everything the lone shifter offered and let all her worries go.