Page 178 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘You ought to use it,’ she said.
‘Only if it becomes necessary,’ Mareena replied. ‘It is best that the desert folk do not yet realise we possess such weapons.’
Alina nodded slowly. She looked at each of them in turn, her stare lingering as though she wished to say something more. Perhaps a farewell, in case she did not return victorious. But whatever words had risen to her lips remained unspoken.Instead, she straightened her shoulders and walked from the room.
Mareena followed close behind.
And suddenly Kai found himself alone with Dawn.
It was strange how quickly the shift unsettled him. In her presence he felt, absurdly, like a boy again. Awkward, uncertain and faintly foolish. Few would ever imagine Kai capable of such feelings, but in truth he had known them well in his youth. When he was young, nervousness had been his constant companion.
To be born secondborn was often spoken of as a great honour.
Yet for Kai it had always felt closer to a burden.
From the moment he could remember, his life had been shaped by a single purpose: to protect the future queen of their land. Every day had revolved around that duty. He had loved his sister Haven fiercely, and he had trained tirelessly to become the greatest warrior he could be. But the weight of that responsibility had often threatened to crush him.
Over the years he had learnt to conceal the strain, to bury the fear beneath easy laughter and careless humour. In time, no one could see the truth beneath the muscle and armour, the boy who lay awake at night, sick with worry for his sister, for his kingdom.
For everything that rested upon his shoulders.
All of it had depended upon his strength. And it had all vanished the moment Haven died.
Now Kai had no idea what he was meant to be. But one thing he knew with certainty, thanks to Dawn.
He would never again be the man he once was.
‘Thank you,’ he said, and a smile tugged at his mouth as her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
‘What for, commander?’
‘For making me better.’
He knew shedid not truly understand what he meant, but that hardly mattered. He did not need her to. Slowly he crossed the small distance between them, reaching past her to push the door shut. The quiet click of the lock echoed in the room, and his heart gave a small, reckless leap at the soft gasp that escaped her.
‘This isn’t our room, commander.’
‘So?’
Dawn smiled then, though her hands had already begun to glow faintly green. Smoke curled around her fingers, and within seconds the wyverian form she had worn dissolved away, revealing the real Dawn beneath.
‘About fucking time,’ Kai muttered.
He caught her face between his hands and kissed her hard.
For the briefest moment she stiffened in surprise, as though she had not expected such boldness from him. Then she melted against him, her body answering his with equal hunger.
Kai deepened the kiss, a quiet groan escaping him at the taste of her. He lifted her easily and carried her to the bed, lowering her down with unexpected care. Then he stepped back, standing at the edge of the mattress, simply watching her.
‘Do you enjoy staring, commander?’ Dawn teased.
‘Of course I fucking do.’
Dawn lifted a hand. Green smoke curled again around her tattooed fingers, and Kai watched in quiet awe as the black wyverian leather she wore seemed to unravel into nothing, dissolving from her skin as though it had never existed.
A moment later, Dawn lay bare upon the bed.
Kai swallowed hard.
