Page 60 of Feathers and Scales

According to Simon’s tale, she needed to kill demons to receive the feathers.

“I go on scavenging parties with my Fallen friend, Thea,” she said.

A wave of protectiveness washed over him. Though usually not as powerful as Tattered Ones, demons could be just as dangerous. He clamped down his dragon side as it rushed to the surface again. “Can you trust another Fallen?”

Sadness lurked in her drawn expression. “I’m not sure what leads a Fallen down the path to becoming an Archfiend. But Thea and I have lasted this long, and yes, I trust her, but still have some precautions of course.”

“Healers say they sense when a dragon will become Lost, unable to shift back into a human form.” His mouth dried as he set the food out on the table. “Would you allow me to go with you when you hunt next time?”

“You’d hinder more than help,” she said with just a hint of a smile. “With your protectiveness, you’d probably kill anything in sight.”

Daxton’s muscles tightened. She was right. He wouldn’t be able to stop his beast if something threatened her. Not yet, at least.

“I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I brought a little of everything,” he said.

She scanned the buffet, picked up a carrot, and pointed it toward the plate of meat. “What kind of jerky is that?”

As she put the vegetable into her mouth and chewed, her moist lips mesmerized him. He cleared his throat. Starved, he leaned over and took a carrot stick. “I’m not sure.”

“Oh?”

“When dragons get bored, we hunt.” He grabbed a piece of dry meat. “It’s game, but I can’t tell you the specifics.”

Biting into it, he tasted pepper and grilled flavoring among the chewy texture. He selected an apple wedge and offered it to her. She declined with a frown.

That’s not her normal stoic expression.“Don’t like apples?” he asked.

“Keiran demonstrated his dominance using one.” She tilted the journal up.

Her words sent his mood into a billow of fire. “When?”

Izzy’s eyes displayed a challenge of fury over the top of her book. “Need I explain, he did the demonstration to help me understand the struggle you have with your dragon. I didn’t come here to get between you and your Centurion.”

The heat in her tone warned him to rein in his protectiveness. Claws dug into his mind as he did so. He’d hoped visiting her would help calm him, but even sitting close to her, he found he walked a thin line with his control. He needed her touch.

Daxton’s bronze eyes scorched her as she sat across from him in the library. From the link, impressions of dominance flared against her skin.That’s what Keiran warned me about. He’s fighting his instinct to protect me.

She turned her attention back to the journal before her as he sat rigidly, trying to control his reaction. It had been a long couple of days filled with reading about Centurions and trying to keep Daxton out of her thoughts and failing.

What had he been up to? Why hadn’t he visited her? Did the same fear of getting closer keep him away? But sitting so close to him now, her mind eased. None of those questions mattered. All she wanted was to spend time with him, even when she knew she shouldn’t.

He peered at the book in her grasp, and she moved so he could read the title. It was another Centurion journal, from the time Columbus had sailed to the New World.

“What have you learned about the link?” he asked.

“I have a theory.” Her sigh did nothing to settle herself. “Dragons refer to their mating ritual as the Dance. In the animal kingdom, there are similar dances where a male will present what he has to offer.Whether that be plumage, protection, or house-building skills. I think when you Marked me, it was part of a mating ritual. A presentation of what you can offer me as a Fallen. The Mark helped us gain access into each other’s emotions, maybe to help us see what kind of people we are for each other?”

“It makes sense.”

“The why and what the outcome will be are still up in the air. But I’ve read of more traditions becoming lost after the dragons left the Garden.”

“Ah, yes, the Tribunal of six dragons that took on human form first. They hid our original traditions in codices and spread them around the globe.” He rubbed his chin.

He looks attractive with thick stubble. Her fingers twitched to feel whether the hair was like sandpaper or soft. She scowled and placed her hand under the table in a tight fist. “I asked Mrs. Renly for information about the codices, and I’ve located one that promises answers to our linking problem.”

His eyebrows rose. “It took our scholars years to find them.”

“So, you know their locations? Why haven’t you collected them?”