CHAPTER 35: A DIFFICULT CHOICE-3

She took a step forward, keeping ahold of his face in her hands, until her body was flush to his. His breathing froze—he froze, caught in the snare of her smoldering regard. She pulled him to her, stepping barefoot onto the toes of his boots to reach him. Then she brought her lips to his, destroying the world around him with one single action. His body exploded into sensation as her mouth moved over his. He responded, pulling her against him, wrapping one arm about her waist as he tangled the fingers of his other hand into her hair, pressing her more firmly against him. She fit into the curves of his body the way a cloudy sky fit over the mountains, making his core hum. Their kiss deepened. She moved her hands away from his face and twisted her fingers into his hair, trapping him against her. A low groan rumbled in his chest. Beneath the lids of his closed eyes, he saw a flash of red as the dragon inside him clawed to free itself, begging him to let go. His arousal heightened and his body hardened. His skin shimmered as the itch of scales rose like hairs of his skin standing on end. Claire let out a gasp and pulled her mouth away, breaking their kiss. He did not release her—would not—could not release her. "Claire..." Her name was a whisper on his lips. "I...I'm sorry," she gasped, breathless. "I didn't realize." She eyed his skin in confusion. "I didn't mean to agitate you." "You did nothing of the sort." His voice was husky. He sucked in air with deep pulls. "Oh." Her eyes gleamed as if she had achieved a monumental victory. She turned her gaze to a location on his neck where he was certain a patch of scales had not yet disappeared. She leaned forward and kissed him there. He shuddered. The scales receded. "That's curious," she whispered against him, letting her lips linger over his skin. This time he erupted in goose flesh where she touched him. "Curious indeed," he muttered. His arms had turned to iron. They remained fixed about her, unwilling to let go. She continued to stand on his boots, which brought her forehead high enough so that he could kiss it, which he did. "Does your skin always do that when you kiss girls?" she teased. The tone of her voice turned playful. He snorted. "I don't remember the last girl I kissed. But no. Only you. And don't mind the dragon," he added. "It doesn't like it when I control myself." "You mean you don't like when you control yourself." She poked his chest with her index finger. "Yes. Something like that." A smile tugged at his lips. "Why control yourself at all, then? We know what we want. Come on." She pushed herself away from him and took his hand in hers, pulling him towards the balcony doors. He took a few steps, drunk on her attention, on her kiss. He desperately craved another. After a few moments, his senses returned. He stopped just shy of the doors. "No. No, Claire, I can't. We...we can't." Hurt flashed over her features. She dropped his hand. "I thought I told you to stop fighting me." "I'm not fighting you. I've got to control myself. So do you. Otherwise we will be bonded before dawn. It's not...this isn't..." What was he saying?! What had gotten into him? The most intoxicating woman in the world stood before him. She cared for him, when no one else might. She wanted him, yet, he couldn't give her what she craved? What he craved? Was he mad?! He knew what he wanted more than anything. His black dragon clawed at the insides of his chest, taunting him, begging him. But he couldn't. He hardened his resolve. "There's a process," he said at last. "Oh." Her shoulders fell. "Right. The ceremony. But why do we have to do it in that order? Seems a little archaic to me." She was right. Tradition was tradition, but it could always be abandoned. "The order of events is not necessary if you're anyone but us...royalty." He took a step towards her. "It's more than that. I cannot seal our bond tonight, Claire. Not before you understand all that comes with it." She crossed her arms. "Then tell me." It had come to this. He knew it would eventually. He turned and walked back to the parapet wall where he took up his half-emptied goblet. After a sip, he turned to lean against the wall and regard her. "If I were any other Drengr, the matter would be simple." He waived his arm to encompass the rest of the world. "But I'm not simply any Drengr, and the matter is not simple." "I know that. You're the king. This is the part where you tell me I've got to become Dragonwall's queen, right?" She arched an eyebrow at him, challenging him. "Well, yes. There's that. But still, it's not that simple. Becoming queen sounds easy until you understand the responsibility attached to it. You've told me before that you don't fathom how I can handle the responsibility of being king, day after day, year after year, the responsibility of being a servant to my people. It would be no different for you."