Page 52 of The Ice Prince's Fated Mate
Dirk wouldn’t be one of the dead. He couldn’t be. I would have known. Right? If my mate died, I would have sensed it.
Motion caught my eye, and I squinted as out of the orblit sky, a dragon slid into view, the familiar lines of his scales easily identifiable as he came in for a landing. The dragon’s snout swung left and right as he scanned the landing field until the blue-white eyes and their vertical slitted pupils landed on me and stuck fast.
I tried to stifle the gasp and the rising bubbling in my stomach as my organs tied themselves into knots and other parts ofme came alive, gorging themselves on the blood my heart was frantically pushing through my arteries as fast as it could.
It was him. My Dirk. He was back, and he was okay.
And I couldn’t tear my eyes free.
As soon as the passengers had disembarked down his wings, Dirk started walking across the parade ground. As he walked, he shifted, never breaking stride in a display of power and coordination that would have been impressive if I wasn’t busy staring at the body of a god, glistening under the orblight, muscles corded and swollen.
His eyes were almost white with the presence of his dragon as he walked up to me, never blinking, never looking away. I couldn’t move, though the weight of his gaze threatened to drop me to my knees.
Was this what it was like to feel … something?
A guard hurried over to press pants into Dirk’s hands. He put them on, only breaking eye contact when he swayed to catch his balance. I stepped forward, placing my hands on his bare skin and holding him still so he could dress.
Beside us, Anna ran forward and threw herself into Caz’s arms before he could put pants on, kissing him deeply.
Dirk’s face twitched, and I noticed a sort of wistfulness cross his features as he saw the display of affection. He did a credible job of burying it, but it was clear. The wish of “one day” was plainly written.
When he realized I was watching him, not my best friend, he blinked every emotion away. “Don’t worry. I don’t expect that from you.”
“No,” I said, staring up at him, shocked to realize how happy I was to see him, howgoodit felt to touch him, even if it was just a helping hand. “But you want it.”
“I wantyou,” he growled in a deep tone. “I don’t want it from just anyone.”
“And I’m not sure I can,” I said, preparing myself to ask him for more time. “I’m sorry, Dirk, I—”
He pressed a finger to my lips, hushing me. “We have time, Ella. I can be plenty happy knowing you enjoyed my flowers and that maybe you missed me a bit. That would be enough for me.”
I smiled up at him, not bothering to hold back. “I candefinitelysay I enjoyed the flowers and your notes. I was overwhelmed at first, but I’ve reread them every day since you left. It was very cute.”
“You did? You have?” his face burst into a boyish grin, the likes of which I hadn’t seen before. “That’s great.”
“And,” I said, licking my lips as the breeze picked up across the parade ground. “I did miss you, Dirk. More than I thought I would, if I …”
I broke off as the wind brought with it a wave of freshly cleaned flannel, a scent so delicious that it stole my voice. I inhaled deeply. Only one person smelled that good, and I hadn’t been graced with their scent since the mountains. It was warm and inviting, a surefire call to relax that I couldn’t get enough of.
“Ella, are you okay? I, ungh.”
My eyes refocused abruptly as Dirk hissed in pain. I stared as his face scrunched up and he grabbed at his chest.
“Dirk!” I cried, only to watch his face abruptly relax. His eyes rolled up and his mouth dropped open as he groaned.
Happily.
“What the …”
He dropped his hand away at my question, and we both stared at his chest. Covering his pec were a thousand tiny swirls, each one earthen brown shot through with brilliant gold.
A mate mark.
Mymate mark.
“Oh, my,” Dirk said, looking up at me with a smile that was quickly turning devilish.
I clapped my hands to my mouth, at a loss for words even as the deep woody notes of teakwood reached me, luring me forward with the soft musk and hint of spice.
