His touch was warm, and her eyes widened as he fell to his knees on the cold, cavernous floor. She breathed his name, but he did not get up.
From his knees, Flynn met her gaze. “Octavia, I have been an ass.” He paused as if he was waiting for her to say something, butshe would not argue with him. He had been terrible. When he seemed to realize she wasn’t going to say anything, he continued, “I’m so sorry.”
Her eyes searched his. He seemed truly remorseful, and she wanted to believe that he regretted his actions. “You hurt me.” Her voice was soft, and the last word cracked. “I want to believe you. I want this. But how do I know you won’t do it again?”
His grip tightened on her fingers. “Please let me make this up to you,” he breathed. “Let me prove to you I won’t betray you ever again. I know I made mistakes and lied, but if you give me another chance, I vow to spend every single day proving myself to you. I will never lie or try to steal from you again. You have my word, as much as it’s worth.”
“Flynn—”
“Please let me finish,” he asked.
She drew in a breath and nodded. “Alright.”
“Octavia, I knew you were special the second we met in the cabin. Your aura called to me, and I never should’ve endangered what we had. I will forever regret trying to steal the rose. If you give me another chance, I will never, ever betray you again.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “As much as my word is worth, that is my promise to you.”
He fell silent then, and so did she. Her heart was beating a thunderous drum as she studied him. Gods, she wanted to believe him. Wanted to forgive him. Wantedhim.
She just had one question. “Do you regret kissing me when we were with the werewolves?”
“Fuck, no,” he said instantly. “I could never regret that. I may regret the actions that I took, but I will never, not in a million years, regret you, Octavia.”
Kydona help her, but Octavia believed him. She stared at this man on his knees before her, at the emotions in his eyes, and made up her mind.
“Do you promise you’ll never try to steal from me again?” She cocked a brow. “A dragon always knows how many coins they have.”
He shook his head. “Never. I’ll never betray you again.” He shifted to one knee, drawing his sword. Keeping the blade pointed to the ground, he pressed his forehead against the hilt. “I swear to you on my family’s steel, if you give me your heart, I will guard it with my sword, my magic, and my soul.”
Gods. Not only was he incredibly good-looking, but Flynn was damn good at apologizing, too. The sight of a groveling male on his knees was far more appealing than Octavia ever thought it would be.
She wouldn’t keep him waiting. Not now. Not after everything else they’d already been through. She reached down and placed her hands on top of his. He looked up, his eyes gleaming as they met hers. “Please stand,” she murmured.
He quickly rose to his feet, sheathing his sword. He remained silent, though, leaving the decision firmly up to her.
Octavia drew in a deep breath and whispered, “I forgive you.”
Life was too short to hold onto grudges, especially with Flynn.
My fated mate, she thought.
She’d never expected this to happen. It was rare, but not unheard of, for mating bonds to exist between species. Octavia would be damned if she gave hers up because of a mistake.
Kydona only knew she’d made more than a few of those over the course of her lifetime.
His eyes widened for a moment before a beaming grin spread across his face. Joy radiated off him, and right then, she knew she’d made the right decision.
Flynn wet his lips, his fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides. “I want to kiss you, Octavia,” he breathed. “May I?”
She didn’t even pretend to consider his request. “Yes,” she murmured. “Please do.”
She’d barely said the last word before his mouth crashed into hers. They both stumbled back.
This kiss was different from the others they’d shared. Deeper. Longer. More passionate. It was filled with thankfulness and relief. Every sweep of his lips over hers, every moment they kissed, was better than the last.
Octavia moaned. She couldn’t help it. This was, by far, the best kiss she’d ever had in her entire life. Flynn moved his mouth over hers with the precision of someone who knew how to kiss and did it well. One hand landed on her hip, the warmth of his flesh searing through her tunic. The other laced through her hair as he angled her head just so. He kept kissing her even as he walked them back towards the couch.
This kiss was a claiming. A declaration. A promise.
The back of her knees hit the couch, and Flynn’s lips moved from hers. He kissed her jaw as his fingers found the hem of her tunic. He rasped, “May I take this off?”