Part 32 (1/2)
He'd been offered nirvana, and he'd very nearly allowed his pride to destroy it all.
Shuddering at the mere thought of an existence that didn't revolve around Rya, he lifted himself on his elbow to gaze down at her.
An odd ache clenched his heart.
Dear G.o.ddess. She was so lovely with her glossy black hair spread over the crimson cover, and her amber eyes still smoldering with the heat that had combusted between them.
He would never, ever grow tired of looking at her.
”So about our mating,” he murmured, suddenly anxious to have their relations.h.i.+p formally recognized. And not only by the dragons. He wanted to make sure that no one and nothing could try and claim it was anything but an eternal bond.
She arched a brow. ”What about it?”
”I thought you might prefer to follow the traditions of your mother,” he murmured.
”Oh.” A smile of pleasure curved her lips. ”Yes. That would be lovely.”
He released a breath he hadn't even known he was holding.
”Good.” He blinked in surprise when she suddenly giggled. ”What's so funny?”
”Shouldn't you ask what the traditions are?” she teased. ”You might have to crawl through lava. Or perform circus tricks.”
Did she truly think there was any demand that would be too great for him to claim her as his consort?
”Whatever makes you happy,” he a.s.sured her.
Her eyes glowed with an emotion that made his entire body warm with pleasure.
”You make me happy,” she murmured, lifting her hand to press it to his cheek.
He covered her hand with his own, turning his head so he could press his lips to the center of her palm.
”Thank the G.o.ddess. You're stuck with me for a very long time.” He paused, his lips twitching. ”There aren't any circus acts, are there?”
Her laughter rang through the air, a sound that resonated deep within him like the striking of a bell.
Yep. Nirvana.
”Not one,” she a.s.sured him, her thumb brus.h.i.+ng the line of his jaw. ”I promise it's a very simple ceremony where the elders bless our union and my mother offers a vision of our future-”
He abruptly interrupted her soft words. ”No.”
She studied him in confusion. ”No?”
He shook his head. As happy as he was that Kai's initial vision had prompted Synge to insist that Rya become his mate, it had also swayed the way he'd approached his life. And not in a good way.
”Visions never turn out like you imagine they will,” he muttered, bending his head down so he could brush his lips over her furrowed brow. ”Besides, I don't need magic to know what our future holds.”
Her fingers trailed down the side of his neck. ”What's that?”
”An eternity of happiness.”
”Mmm.” She stirred against him. ”I'll take that.”
He skimmed his hand down her naked back. He loved feeling the betrothal tattoo that was spread across her skin. Just as he loved the glint of gold from the delicate dragon marque that hung around her neck.
A primitive male need to lay claim to his mate?
d.a.m.n straight.
And he wasn't even a little ashamed.
He cleared his throat, trying to look casual. ”And perhaps a hatchling or two.”
Rya froze, as if shocked by his words. ”You want children?”
”I never thought about it until now,” he said with blunt honesty. Warriors rarely mated, let alone had families. It was a distraction that could get them killed. Now he was far more interested in an existence that included more than killing things. ”But I'm suddenly anxious to hold a tiny daughter with amber eyes in my arms.”
An unexpected yearning rippled over her face. As if she'd suddenly been struck with a maternal urge.
”Or a little boy who is always serious and loyal and as gorgeous as his father,” Rya suggested.
He kissed the tip of her nose. Her words didn't scare him at all.
h.e.l.l, he'd be happy if she wanted a dozen children.
”Maybe one of each to start with,” he murmured.
Her hands smoothed over his shoulders, her foot brus.h.i.+ng down his calf.
”First we'll need a lair of our own.”
Torque shuddered at the light caress. How the h.e.l.l was he supposed to think when his mind was filled with wicked images of having Rya flat on her back with his c.o.c.k pressed deep inside her?
”We could use mine,” he at last managed to offer, pressing a kiss to her lips that instantly parted in horror. Okay. He was beginning to understand why everyone thought his rooms were...barren. Certainly they didn't have the same sort of gracious comfort that Rya's offered. ”Before you say no, I promise you'll be given full authority to decorate it however you want,” he a.s.sured her.
She pulled back to study him with a curious expression. ”Do you intend to remain in Baine's service?”
He considered for a long minute. A part of him wanted to take this female and disappear where no one could ever find them. But he knew that wasn't possible.
Not only did he truly enjoy his role as Baine's guard, but he knew there was no place in this world, or any other, that was safer than Baine's lair.
Nothing and no one could get in.
”I'll admit that I will feel safer if we are living within the magical protection of a full-blooded dragon,” he told her. ”Especially if we have children. Besides, you'll have a fey near when you decide you're tired of my company and want to socialize with another female.”
”Who?” It took a second before her confusion cleared. ”Oh, you mean Baine's mate.”
He nodded. ”I think you'll like Tayla. She's very...” He searched for a word to describe the lovely, effervescent imp who Baine had chosen as his mate. ”Feyish.”