Chapter 24

WHEN KNOX WOKE UP,his entire head, shoulders, and neck felt like they were on fire. He blinked and looked around. Ryder drank from a stream, and he lay on his back in the soft grass.

Eirwyn cursed as she stabbed down into the earth with a bloody dagger. Birds of all kinds swarmed around her head, randomly diving to the ground. His heart raced and he jumped up, preparing to lunge at whatever she was fighting.

But she looked over, straightening onto her knees as a look of annoyance flashed on her delicate face. Blood stained her pants but blended into her red shirt.

Her hood was still drawn, and her gloves protected her hands. She didn"t look to be in any more danger as she scowled at him. "You"re finally awake I see. Just in the nick of time, too."

She stood, kicking at the dirt in anger before striding to the stream to wash her blade. Some birds followed her and some pecked at the ground.

He stood on wobbly legs as dizziness washed over him. He stumbled a few steps to where she"d been, and his eyes widened as he looked back to her.

"Gods, Eirwyn, that"s a bloody adder," he said. "It must be six feet long."

She wiped the now clean blade on the hem of her cloak. "Well, it"s dead now, no thanks to you."

He frowned and strode to her, gripping her arms in fear. "Did it bite you? Are you alright?"

She frowned up at him, her small hands with bloody gloves fisting on his chest. "No, but it almost got you. What would I have done if you"d gotten bit and died? You can"t do this to me. I need you to–"

She gripped his shirt and shook, and he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. "Sh, it"s alright. I"m alright. We"re both alright."

She breathed heavily, then she slowly began to relax in his arms. His hands ran up and down her back.

"If you"re sure," she said softly into his chest. He let his hands drop and stepped away, rubbing at his eyes. His head was still fuzzy from the spider bite.

He walked to Ryder to get his canteen from the saddle bag. He sank to his knees to fill it in the stream, then drank almost all of it down before filling it again.

"Where are we?" He held out the canteen to her. He looked around, not recognizing this part of the forest.

She took it and shook her head. "I don"t know. I followed the path until I couldn"t see it anymore. Then I asked the birds for directions."

She took a drink and dabbed at her lips.

The forest was calm here, just normal sounds of the plants and animals faintly echoed over the swift flowing stream that led to the river in the south. A few birds settled on the branches above Eirwyn, multiple types all tweeting excitedly.

"The birds?"

She glanced up and shrugged. "I can feel things from birds. Sort of like talking with them, but it"s more impressions than anything."

His brows rose. "That"s pretty amazing. How many others have an ability like that?"

She frowned and shook her head. "I"m not sure. I"ve never met anyone who can do it who wasn"t a bird shifter. Helga told me when I was a kid not to talk about it."

She shrugged, taking another drink and kneeling to refill the canteen.

He rubbed his temples and nodded. "Alright, let me get the map then."

Ryder now stood beneath a tree in the shade near the bank. Knox went to his saddlebag and pulled out a palm sized disc about two inches thick. He leaned against the tree and pressed the gems on the side, making the glass light up. He pinched the red dot and zoomed out. Eirwyn stepped closer and looked at the device in his hands.

"What"s that?"

He tilted it to show her. "A wayfinder. The dwarves made it for me so I could always find my way in the woods."

Her jaw dropped as he pointed. "This dot is where we are. And this is the heart of the forest, better known as Hartsgrove."

"And you"ve never been there?"

He shook his head. "No, too dangerous and not worth it until now. There are assassin vines, helroses, and flytraps that don"t obey my magic at all."

She snorted. "Is that all?"

He shook his head again and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nope, there"s also a cursed oak grove. That"s as far as I"ve ever ventured before turning back. But I"ve heard stories..."

He trailed off and sighed as his arm dropped and he stared at the wayfinder. "I have to do this, don"t I? I have to go to Hartsgrove and find out who I am."

His tone was resigned, but he was afraid to hope that this would end his curse. He used to lie awake at night and dream of what he"d do if he could get close to someone.

"Who you are?" she asked softly.

He looked at her, the soft light playing with the shadows and light swirls that always surrounded her. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly. He reached up with one hand and scratched at the side of his head.

"I grew up thinking I"m a drakin."

Her eyes widened, and she blinked. "Oh, that makes so much sense. Why didn"t I realize?"

His brows rose. "Realize?"

"The scales, horns, poison breath. My great-great-grandfather had a tail, according to the royal portraits. I should have known. What else can you do?"

His tail flicked up, pushing the side of his cloak away. It came even with his head, curving out with the barb pointing down. Carefully, he kept it from pointing at her.

Her jaw dropped. "What is that?"

He pursed his lips. He was going to be stuck with her for several days alone in the forest. They"d flirted at the cottage, but he wanted to be clear on how dangerous this could be for her.

"A venom barbed tail."

She frowned. "It looks like a broom handle, not a barbed anything."

He arched a brow and crossed his arms. His vision sharpened as he concentrated, then a green sap began to secrete from the tip. Barbs shifted between the scales.

He tightened his stomach and grunted. The rounded end grew sharp points on the side as long as pine needles, and it lengthened to a dagger like point.

Two green drops fell to the ground. She reached out a hand as if to touch the tail, and he stepped back, holding a hand out.

"No, you can"t touch it. It"s dangerous, and I won"t have you getting hurt or worse."

Her eyes softened and she smiled softly. "You won"t hurt me, Knox."

"Not on purpose, but who knows what dragons are capable of anymore?"

She frowned. "Dragons have died out. Drakins are much tamer, even though Gastone will gladly argue that he"s the best, most powerful mage in the land."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "No, dragon"s haven"t all died out. Olive says I"m not a drakin, but a dragon."

She arched a brow and cocked a hip. "There"s no way."

He shrugged. "I hatched out of an egg. Do any of the royal drakin"s hatch out of eggs?"

Eirwyn"s eyebrows rose in surprise, and she tapped her chin with one delicate finger as she thought. "Well, drakin"s manifest all kinds of things. I have light and wind magic, plus some illusions. My brother has fire and dark magic. The Glathen royal family has ice, fire, and water. I can believe you"re drakin, but no one hatched. We"re all born like normal."

He winced, raking a hand over his scales. This was why he"d never wanted to show his face to anyone. He wasn"t normal, and he never would be.

She tilted her head, walking slowly around him. He kept one hand on his tail to keep it as far away from her as possible. It seemed to have a mind of its own around Eirwyn.

But the way she kept looking at him made him start to crave more of her attention, more of her acceptance, love, and desire.

He wanted everything from her.

Would she want to make a home with him? Would Eirwyn live in the wild, waiting for him to come home from protecting the forest? He"d never thought having kids was an option, since he might kill anyone he tried to–

Her small hand on his arm brought him back from his dreams and worries. She had stepped directly in front of him, and his tail still hovered slightly behind his ear.

She looked up at him with those gorgeous eyes that shone in the shadows of the gloomy, misty day.

"Is this your curse?" she asked softly.

He shuddered a breath, holding it as he nodded once. He was prepared to have all his hopes and dreams dashed on the rocks.

But she reached up a hand and cupped his cheek. "I don"t think you"re cursed, Knox. I think there"s more to this than either of us know. There are books in the palace that date back to our dragon ancestors. Surely one of those has something in it on how to live with your tail and breath."

Her fingers trailed softly over his scales to trace the tip of his small, triangular horn. A soft smile played on her lips. "As for the scales and horns... well, those are sexy as hell."

His brows rose, and he released his breath. "Truly?"

She nodded, pushing the hood back from his face. She ran both her hands over his head, and he growled, his eyes fluttering in ecstasy.

She"d said the same last night, but he was hesitant to trust her words. Words could change. But the way her hands felt on his body made him hope.

She pulled him down closer to her face, and his heart raced. Her lips tempted him like a shiny, red apple. He licked his own and tucked his chin to his chest as he breathed in the honeysuckle and jasmine that clung to her.

A faint line of green gas curled away from his nose and sank toward the ground, and he thanked the gods that he"d not blown it directly into her face.

His chest tightened. He couldn"t do this. He would hurt her or kill her. She could be poisoned so easily, and his tail ached at her touch.

Then she kissed his temple where the scales began, startling him. He froze in her hands.

"Truly, you are one sexy dragon that I can"t wait to ride," she whispered, her breath warm on the scales.

His heart raced and adrenaline began to snake through his stomach, twisting and turning as his dick grew to painful proportions. He licked his lips, keeping his head down, his eyes closed to focus on her hands, lips, breath, and words.

"Do you want that?" she asked.

He grunted. "Damn right I do."

"You don"t have to go to Hartsgrove if you don"t want to. We can look for answers at the palace after my brother leaves on his honeymoon. Assuming we make it out of the forest alive."

He straightened, stepping back a step and staring down at her intently. "We"ll make it. I"ll protect you, princess, and keep you safe."

Her eyes softened, and her hands fell to rest on his chest. "Well, when we do, I"m going to take you up on that offer of mutual exploration."

She wiggled her brows and winked.

He snorted a laugh, thankfully with no gas, and she grinned. Her face was in shadow, but he could see the twinkle in her eye. The heat from her hand sent awareness down his chest and straight to his dick.

He wanted her hands on him everywhere. He ached for her, this princess who was the exact opposite of every expectation.

She wasn"t some cold, calculating princess, out of reach of mere peasants like him.

No, she was alive and very real, warm and welcoming. He reached out a hand and wrapped it around her waist. Her eyes widened as his hands slid down to cup her juicy derrière. Then she grinned and tilted her head, arching her back and wiggling as he squeezed.

"Ah, are you an ass man?"

He shrugged. "I don"t know, but I"d love to find out."

She grasped his shirt and grinned, her eyes glittering in anticipation and desire. Her hands on his chest were so small, it made him feel like he needed to be gentle with her.

But she was no damsel in distress.

He grinned down at her. "We could do that right now, if you like?"

Her brows rose, and her arms slid up around his neck. He wanted to kiss her ripe lips. They called to him, and his own tingled.

"Maybe we can explore now and still keep you safe," he whispered, afraid to hope as his heart raced.

He dipped his head, sliding his mouth along her jaw to her ear. "What do you say, princess?"

"What kind of exploring do you want, big guy? I"ve never done anything outside before. How do you want to do things? What things do you want to explore? Where– oh," she broke off on a moan as his lips latched onto her ear lobe.

He sucked softly, and her hands clenched on his shirt. He pressed her closer, desperate to feel more of her. He licked his way down her neck, her pulse drawing him closer.

He flattened his tongue and licked up to the spot under her ear. "Hm, you taste so good, princess. Will you give me more?"

He straightened, still holding onto her, their bodies pressed so close yet not nearly close enough. He wanted to feel her naked against him.

But this wasn"t the time or the place. Hells, for his first time, he probably wouldn"t last long at all even after the release last night in the barn. He needed her, though.

Her blue gray eyes blinked up at him, her gaze hazy with desire.