Dylan and Terran entered the enclosure, ushering the rest of the women from the cell.
"Take this one, as well," Valerian said, motioning to Brenna without removing his gaze from Shaye.
"No," Brenna said, shaking her head. "No touching."
"Take her, but do not touch her," he corrected.
Brenna squeezed Shaye's hand before joining the group.
Ameena spotted Shaye and frowned. "Why are you still here?"
"Changed my mind," she said-to Valerian.
He flattened his palms at her temples, caging her in, becoming all she saw...all she wanted to see.
Business before pleasure! "Listen. I was chatting with the captured dragons and-" She pressed her lips together.
His nostrils flared. "You chatted with dragons?"
Uh, maybe now wasn't the best time for this conversation.
"I put you in that cell to protect you, Shaye. Not only did you escape, you visited with dangerous dragons."
She drew herself to her full height. "That's right. I did. So? I won't tolerate being locked away. I told you that. Where's my thanks for staying true to my word? Where's my thanks for staying down here when I could have gone back to the surface?"
"Your thanks? Your thanks?" He pounded a fist into the wall, cracking the rock. "The dragons could have spewed fire at you."
The heat drained from her cheeks. Well, crap! She'd never considered that.
"Did they touch you in any way?" he demanded.
"No. I'm fine," she said, using his own words against him. "And since we're on the subject, I think you should let them go. They're just boys, Valerian."
He straightened, backed away from her-as if he feared what he would do to her-and smoothed a hand down his face. "They are dragons, Shaye. You shouldn't go near them."
"So give them back to their king. Problem solved."
"That's my plan," he said, throwing his arms in the air. "I'm going to trade them for the nymph females Darius captured."
Oh. Maybe I should have had faith in my man? "Good."
"Good," he mocked. Then he sighed. "I like that you are stepping into your role of queen, and I even like that you are advising me and issuing orders. But you are in dire need of a tongue-lashing, woman."
Erotic shivers danced through her. Her eyes lowered. "Tongue-lash me, then. Go ahead. Do it. You know how much I hate it."
Any lingering hint of his anger evaporated in an instant, leaving only white-hot lust in his gaze. "You hate it? Truly?"
"So much," she whispered. Her stomach clenched.
This man...despite their separation, he'd never stopped making love to her, had he?
Her desires had simmered, waiting for the perfect moment to rise up and consume her...
Every moment with Valerian was perfect.
She, the woman who'd so often prided herself on remaining distant from everyone and everything, could no longer fight the nymph king's...what had the dragon boy called it? Allure.
Once she'd found comfort in a frosty attitude. Now she quaked with potent vulnerability, desperate and needy, raw and emotionally exposed.
She had no defenses with this man. With Valerian, she didn't need defenses. The girl who'd once felt as if she were standing on top of a mountain, screaming and begging for love and affection she'd never received, was now cherished.
Slowly, never breaking eye contact, she closed the small gap between them. This was the first time she'd ever willingly gone to him without being asked, and the closer she came, the hotter the air became, chasing away the chill. Her nipples beaded, as if reaching for him, definitely yearning for contact.
"You want me?" he asked, his voice as rough as sandpaper.
"I do."
His pupils flared, like ink spilling over an ocean. "I won't stop this time." A warning. "Not for war. Not even if the fortress burns down."
"Good. We agree about something else." Touch me. She didn't care that people were just beyond the rock. She only cared about Valerian. Finally they would assuage the ache they'd ignited in each other.
"Run," he said softly.
She blinked, certain she'd misheard him. "What?" Was he sending her away? Without-
"Run. Run to my room. Right now. Do not stop."
"Wh-why?" The breath in her throat snagged. She backed away from him, her heart skipping a beat. His expression was intense, savage and utterly wild.
"Run," he repeated. "Now."
Clutching the orange, she sprang forward, racing around him, careful not to touch him. Her arms pumped at her sides as she pounded up the stairs. She remembered the path to the room and whipped around the proper corners.
Soon, footsteps began to echo behind her.