Page 40 of Dragon Unbound (Dragon Kings 3)
She carefully opened a pouch and let him look inside.
Cullen put his hand under the bag to feel the weight. Then he put his hand inside and felt the rough edges of the round coin. He got a good look at either side before using his magic to add twice as many coins, making sure he had some for himself, too.
“What if someone sees?” she hissed.
He released the pouch and stepped back with a smile. “You risk life and limb climbing a wall, but I do that, and you make a fuss?”
Her mouth opened, but she decided against whatever she was going to say. Instead, she pulled the strings of the bag closed.
“Shall we?” he asked as he held out his hand.
He was surprised at the happiness he felt at her hand in his. Cullen had offered it thinking it would ease her trepidation, but in the end, he was the one moved by it. Ever since their kiss, he’d been unable to think of anything but her taste and the feel of her. He ached to have her. The fact that they were alone now should make that easier.
There was something between them. It was a fact he couldn’t deny. This was the point where he would usually disappear, but that wasn’t possible with Tamlyn. He’d given his word, and he intended to keep it. Not to mention, he had his own mission.
He did have a choice, though. He could ignore whatever pulled them together for the sake of his assignment. Or he could give in to it. He didn’t want to hurt Tamlyn. He didn’t like to hurt anyone, but her most especially. There was something special about her. At first, he’d thought it was because she was a Banshee. Now, he realized it was just her.
Her beauty. Her spirit. Her courage. Her bravery. Her loyalty. The more he learned about her, the more he liked her.
And the more he knew he needed to get away.
She could have lost her life last night. Had he and Jenefer not been there to stop Tamlyn, she would likely be in enemy hands. She and her friends were doing something admirable, worthy. To walk away from them now would be akin to letting them die. That wasn’t something he would do.
So, he remained. All the while, putting himself through all kinds of self-inflicted torture for a Banshee he couldn’t stop thinking about. One he was now alone with.
He clenched his teeth as his balls tightened when he thought of how her arms had tightened around him during their kiss. How she had held nothing back.
How she had melted against him, seeking the pleasure that awaited them.
Yeah. He was in absolute agony.
“Fuck me,” he murmured as he felt his cock hardening.
Tamlyn looked at him. “What’s that?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.” He only wished it was. The knot growing in his gut told him it was anything but.
Cullen forced himself to focus on the city. The iron oxide in the sandstone gave the stone its reddish hue. It wasn’t a natural red, but more of a mixture of pink, brown, beige, and red. The architecture itself was beautiful. It reminded him of the ruins from ancient cities long lost on Earth. Cullen hadn’t expected to see such detail in the archways or the columns at the bottom level, but the designers made sure that the beauty of the buildings was from the entrance all the way to the top.
He shifted his attention from the structures to the people. They weren’t overtly friendly, but they weren’t rude, either. Few paid attention to either him or Tamlyn. The odd ones who did returned a nod or a smile, but that was it.
“I thought everyone would stare at me,” Tamlyn said.
He let his gaze linger on her profile, sweeping over her high cheekbones and down her long neck. “You’re beautiful enough.”
Her head ducked, a smile pulling her lips. Her eyes briefly met his. “That isn’t what I meant.”
“I know, but I speak the truth. You think you have a target on your back, and in a way, you do. However, these people doona know that. They doona know or care who you are, as long as you doona disrupt their lives.”
A smile filled her face when she turned her head to him. “You were right. About everything.”
“You know you shouldna say such things to men.”
She laughed, the sound musical and soothing. “I won’t say that too often, so you needn’t worry.”
His smile remained long after she looked away. The knot in his stomach grew. He didn’t want to enjoy spending time with her like this. It was too…intimate. Like they were lovers and going about their daily lives. His life had no room for a woman. Not even one as spectacular as Tamlyn.
They were on the second level when she pointed to a building on the left. “There’s a tavern that has rooms.”
“It’s a good place to get details of the city. Though that one looks a bit rough.”
“It is,” she said and jerked her chin farther up the street. “The place on the right is another.”
Cullen waited until they reached it to make his decision. It looked better than the first. If he were traveling alone, he might have taken his chances there, but he wasn’t alone. He had Tamlyn, and he had to consider several variables. “Any more on this level?”
“One. It’s this way.”
It wasn’t much better than the first or the second. Cullen raised his brows. “Next level?”
Tamlyn walked him to a set of steep stairs that they climbed to the next level. Immediately to his left was another tavern with rooms.
“Of course, you’d choose the most expensive,” she laughed when he pulled her toward the door.
Cullen waggled his brows at her. His smile was gone by the time they entered. The place was clean and filled with people. “There’s a table in the back. Wait for me there.”
She eyed him but didn’t argue. He waited until she was seated before walking to the bar. It didn’t take long for the balding bartender with a wide girth to make his way over.
“What can I get for you?” the man asked.
