* * *
Aileana was waitingfor us when we got back. The mating bond was practically vibrating as the crumbling, decrepit cottage came into view. She was agitated, her emotions flooding through the bond and causing the hairs on the back of my neck to raise. The door flung open with a bang, and she hurried out, her red hair streaming behind her.
“You were gone for so long.” Aileana frowned, her eyes searching mine as though she was checking for an injury. She wore a fitted tunic the color of vibrant leaves and black leggings that blended into the land. The early light of the dawn glinted on the twin daggers strapped to her thighs. “I was worried about you and thought about reaching out through our connection. I was going to come look, but Daegal—”
“I told her I would go,” the Fortune Elf said. “We had things to discuss.”
“There’s nothing like a harrowing prophecy to round out a night,” I said, mostly joking.
Daegal grimaced. “Sorry.”
I shrugged. It was the way of our lives. Darkness was all around.
Aileana glanced between us both before touching Daegal’s shoulder. “Ryllae is awake.” Aileana smiled knowingly as a teasing glint entered her eye. “She’s waiting for you in the living room with a cup of tea.”
A grin broke out on Daegal’s face, and he hurried into the cottage.
I told you something is going on between them.Even in my mind, Aileana’s voice was smug.
I nodded.It looks like you were right, my love.
Rarely had I seen Daegal so happy, and I made a mental note to ask him about the two of them. Something must have happened between him and Ryllae on their trek to the Indigo Coast. The door slammed shut behind my friend, and Aileana stepped towards me. Gnawing on her lip, apprehension and worry came through the bond as she reached out, running her hand down my tunic.
“Did the flight help?” she asked, tracing a gentle line on my chest. “Do you feel… better?”
Better was the wrong word. The frustration and anger I’d felt earlier was gone, but better? No. I was firm, at least, in the knowledge of what we had to do. But I didn’t want to worry Aileana. My mate had enough on her plate without taking my worries on her as well.
Instead of answering the question, I gently grabbed her wrist where it was still drawing lines on my tunic and pulled her towards me.
Our mouths met in a clashing kiss that echoed throughout my entire body. Using my lips, I told her how much I loved her. I told her I would be here for her, no matter what. Her lips parted, and I slipped my tongue inside, tasting the sweet strawberry jam lingering in her mouth. She moaned, and I held her against me. Despite everything going on in Ithenmyr, I loved Aileana and wouldn’t let the turmoil with my sister ruin us. I would never give up on her. On us.
Together, we could do this. We would find the amulet and repair the balance. We could restore Ithenmyr back to the way it was meant to be.
Together, we could do anything.
The Chosen Six
AILEANA
If Xander thought he could distract me with his kisses, he was mistaken. Not that I didn’t enjoy them. On the contrary, I could lose myself in this strong dragon shifter. I would gladly spend hours alone with him, exploring each other in all the best ways.
But something was wrong.
I felt it through the bond, and I saw it in the lines on Xander’s face. He had aged in the past month and a half, and his exhaustion was evident. He thought he was hiding it from me, but he was lying to himself. I could read this male better than anyone else in my life.
I knew him like I knew my own mind.
But for now, I would let it go. If for no other reason than the way his lips tasted against mine. Xander’s kiss was warm with the fire that coursed through his body, and as he drew me tight against him, he chased away any early morning chills that might have plagued me.
Xander’s hand laced through my hair, and he held me close to him. Nipping at my bottom lip, he growled, “Gods, the things I want to do to you.”
The promise in his voice caused warmth to flood through me, and my core twisted. I could easily imagine what he was talking about. The way he would make me his. No longer was I the naïve female who had escaped her tower with no knowledge of the world. I was powerful now, and I was well-acquainted with the ways two bodies could become one. I knew exactly how pleasurable the things he was promising were. We had spent many hours together since we first confirmed our mating bond exploring each other. He knew every part of me intimately, and I knew him.
I wanted to take him up on what he was offering, but we weren’t alone. Not for the first time, I wished we could take a break from this insanity that was our lives. I would like nothing more than to pull on his hand and retreat to that waterfall where we initially solidified the bond that lay between us.
But we couldn’t run and hide. I glimpsed the blackened trees, and I shuddered. We had a job to do. A continent to save and a balance to repair.
Kissing and other things would have to wait.