Chapter 19

Chapter19

Briar

We don’t make it to the library for two more days. I can’t say I’m complaining. Our time is spent alternating between outstanding, filthy sex and softer moments where he takes care of me. Sol keeps watching me as if he expects me to crumple, but the second things start to heat up, his control snaps, and he’s wringing every bit of pleasure from my body possible.

Even so, I can’t shake the frisson of glee when I wake up and find him already dressed. He looks down at me, his eyes going hot, but he gives himself a sharp shake. “I promised you the library, Briar. Get dressed and we’ll go down.”

He got a bit creative with the healing balm last night, so I’m only vaguely achy as I climb to my feet and duck into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, I’m as ready as I’m going to be. Sol makes a move like he’s going to carry me but aborts it halfway through.

As much as I like being carried by him—and I do—it is rather nice to walk through the halls side by side. Sol matches his longer stride to mine, and the silence is perfectly comfortable. As we descend the stairs, I realize I’ve stopped watching him closely, waiting for some indication he’s hiding a true monster inside.

I won’t change my mind about having a child only to leave them behind, but I can’t deny that Sol seems to be a genuinely good person. He’s kind and caring and completely willing to play bedroom games with me without any judgment or shame. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.

Sol goes still, his crest rising the slightest bit as he sees who waits for us at the bottom of the stairs. “Aldis.”

She’s wearing what I’ve come to realize is customary dragon clothing. Her pants are a deep blue that contrasts her scales beautifully, and they swish about her legs and tail almost like a skirt. They’re much fancier than the plain—if luxurious—ones Sol seems to prefer. Her vest is a matching blue and, unlike how Sol wears his, she’s buttoned it up to cover her breasts. She looks lovely.

For her part, Aldis doesn’t even look at me.

I would take it as a slight but for the careful body language she’s conveying and the aggression wafting off Sol in waves. This is his cousin, but he’s treating her almost like how he dealt with Ramanu.

She bows slightly. “You’re two days behind on correspondence.”

Just like that, his crest deflates and his shoulders slump. “The others do realize I’m the one who runs this territory and, as a result, they should be fine waiting for me to reply at my leisure, correct?” The words should sound arrogant and brash but instead come out almost hopeful.

Aldis shakes her head. “You know that isn’t how it works.”

“Yes, I suppose I do.” He sighs. “Can I bother you to bring it into the library? I’ll wade through the paperwork there.”

“Of course.” She sketches out another bow. “Breakfast, as well?”

“If it’s not too much trouble.”

She makes a distinctly amused sound. “I’m more than willing to help out for now.” Aldis risks a glance at me, her dark eyes warm. “You look well, Briar.”

“I am, thank you.”

She turns on her heel to stride away from us before Sol can do more than hiss a bit. As soon as she turns the corner, his crest lowers completely. I eye him. “Mating frenzy, huh?”

“I can’t control it entirely right now.” He shakes himself. “It will get better with time.”

We head down the hall and into the library. I can’t help the little sigh of happiness at being in this space again. Most of the rooms in the keep are rather comfortable, but this one feels downright magical.

I take a step toward the stacks of books and stop short. “Is there anything in here I shouldn’t be handling?”

“Anything dangerous is locked up in our vault. Nothing here can hurt you.”

I was more asking about what I might damage, but I suppose that’s answer enough. I start forward, only to be brought up short when Sol hooks an arm around my waist. “Food first.”

“But—”

“I have a feeling I’m about to lose you for hours.” His voice is warm and indulgent and makes me feel strangely soft. “Food first, and then you can explore until lunch.”

I’m tempted to argue just to see what he’ll do, but it’s a fair ask, and truth be told, I am hungry. I turn in his arm and smile up at him. “Thank you. You didn’t have to ask Azazel to send Ramanu to tattoo me. I know you didn’t like it.”

“It had nothing to do with them spelling you and everything to do with them poking me until I wanted to bite their head off, horns and all.”

I’m not entirely certain he’s joking. In fact, I’m suddenly sure he’s doing that brutal honesty thing again. I should not find the idea of Sol biting someone’s head off in my defense charming, but I’m having a hard time keeping perspective. This realm is so different than the one I was born to. It seems brutal in some ways, but I’ve been met with more kindness in a short week than in all my life.

Azazel, strangely protective of his contracted humans.

Sol, so big and ferocious and gentle at the same time.

Even Ramanu. They’re aggravating in the extreme, but how long would Sol and I have avoided each other if they didn’t intervene?

Aldis appears with a plate of food, and Sol and I chat easily as we make quick work of it. It’s all small talk, which is partly my fault, because I keep shooting looks at the books. He finally sits back with a hissing laugh. “Go, Briar. Have fun exploring.”

I rise. I have every intention of hurrying to the stacks, but I impulsively throw myself into his arms. “Thank you.”

Sol hugs me close for a long moment and then sets me on my feet. “All you have to do is ask. If it’s within my power, it’s yours.”

An extravagant promise. He is the ruler of an entire territory, and while I might not fully understand how large that might be or what it entails, it doesn’t change the fact I could abuse this promise. There’s an element of trust in the offer. I’m not certain I deserve it.

I smile, my throat tight. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Entering the stacks feels like entering yet another world. It’s even quieter than the rest of the keep, and the soft sound of my dress swishing about my legs feels almost absurdly loud. I pick a book at random, a thick leather-bound tome. It’s heavy enough that I sink to the ground to open it, and I hold my breath as I do. Will Ramanu’s spell work?

The words give a sickening swirl and then reform before my eyes into English. I run my fingers over the ink wonderingly. Magic. Strange how I can encounter so much beyond comprehension, but this is the magic that has my heart filling with wonder.

The book, it turns out, is a textbook on the anatomy of a kraken and how it’s evolved with the introduction of humans to the bloodlines. I flip through a few pages, mildly curious, before I close the book and carefully slide it back into its place. It wasn’t a kraken who won me in the auction.

I’m more interested in dragons.

The sheer number of books quickly overwhelms me, so when I find what appears to be a children’s storybook section, I grab a stack of the books and haul them back to the main sitting area.

There, I find Sol wading through a stack of paperwork nearly as tall as he is. I blink at the thick vellum scrolls and sheaves. “What’s all this?”

“Correspondence.” He hisses with displeasure. “Harvest reports, which are slightly less upsetting.” Sol glances at me. “They’re very curious about you. Once things…ease…we’ll have to entertain.”

Thingsbeing this mating frenzy that makes him so aggressive. I worry my bottom lip. “Will things change with us when that eases?”

He gives me a long look. “No.”

I set my books on the low table between us, careful not to disrupt the papers. I kind of want to sit next to him, but surely that’s not necessary? We might be married, but we’re hardly…

“What are you doing, Briar?”

I stop in the middle of inching toward the empty couch. “Sitting down?”

He cocks his head to the side and studies me. I don’t know what my expression is doing, but Sol eventually says, “Would you like to sit with me?”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to lie. After everything we’ve done, I don’t know why this feels too intimate. But when I open my mouth, the truth emerges. “Yes.”

Sol shifts over, though the couch is plenty large enough for both of us. It’s obviously made for two dragons to sit on, with plenty of pillows instead of two larger back cushions like I’m used to. I feel like a child burrowing into them, arranging them around me in a little nest for maximum reading comfort. After I’m settled, Sol relaxes back and slides his tail partially around me.

I pick up the first book and settle down to read, though I’m achingly aware of how close he is. He watches me for a few seconds and then almost reluctantly turns back to his stack of correspondence and reports.

The book is fascinating. It doesn’t quite follow the same story structure that I’m used to, feeling more like a poem than a story, but a lot of older human stories were passed around in poem form, so I suppose that’s not so unfamiliar. What is familiar is that it’s a teaching story the same way so many children’s books seem to be.

I work through three of the books while Sol dramatically decreases his pile. Aldis appears at regular intervals to whisk away the completed work.

It’s…cozy.

I’ve never done this before, this casual sharing of space with no expectations and no tension. Growing up, my parents were of the mind that if one person is cleaning or working or doing something, then everyone needs to be doing it as well. And my mother was always cleaning. It wasn’t until later, when I found myself in my own unhappy marriage, that I realized she used it as a kind of escape. It wasn’t enough of an escape for me.

I frown down at my book, the words no longer comprehensible through no fault of the spell. “Sol?”

“Hmm?”

I frown harder. “What am I supposed to do?”

He finally looks at me, appearing to give me all his attention. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t do this all day.” I motion at myself, reclining and comfy and far too relaxed. Lazy, an insidious voice whispers in the back of my mind. If you don’t prove your worth, he’ll know you’re really worthless.

Sol hesitates. “Do you want to do something else?” He glances at the paperwork. “I really should get this done today, but if you want, we can spend some time outside the keep tomorrow.”

“That’s not what I mean.” I close my book and struggle to sit up, the cushions hampering the movement until he wraps his tail around my waist and helps. I shiver. “Am I supposed to spend seven years just lazing about?”

His attention narrows on me. “You’ve been here a week, Briar.”

“Yes, but—”

His tail flexes around my waist. “When was the last day you spent in leisure without worrying about lazing about?”

Heat flushes through me, and I can’t tell if it’s embarrassment or shame or something infinitely more complicated. “That’s not the point.”

“I would like you to answer the question.”

I really, truly don’t want to. I see where he’s going with this, and he might be right, but it feels like he cracked open my ribs and is staring at my still-beating heart. Too vulnerable. Too honest. I can’t hold his gaze. “I don’t remember.”

“Briar.” He gives me another gentle squeeze with his tail and catches my chin between his claws, guiding me to look at him again. “There is no shame in taking time for leisure. In giving yourself space to find your feet.”

It’s too good to be true. He’s saying this now, but surely he’ll start to resent me as time goes on. Unless he truly does see me as a pretty pet to be kept. The thought leaves me cold, but I can’t tell if it’s because the fear is unfounded or not. “I like having a purpose.”

Now is where Sol will tell me that my purpose is bouncing on his cocks. Or remind me I’m only here because he wants me to bear his child. Something to snap me back into reality and remind me this isn’t some lovely fantasy without teeth.

He finally releases my chin and sits back. “Very well. What would you like to do?”

That’s the thing.

I don’t actually know.