Page 58 of Ashborne: Defiance

With a sigh, silently begging my body to calm the fuck down, I slid down the mounting strap until I was alongside her and could catch her hand, then pull her closer.

I unclipped her from the safety strap and we inched the rest of the way down together.

The moment my boots hit the ground I set her aside and made certain she was steady on her feet, then let go of her like she burned, turning so my body faced Kham and she could only see my back.

“Thank y—”

“It’s fine,” I muttered. “I need to unharness Kham. You should go with Koa. Find a place to relieve yourself and get a drink of water. If you see a nice hollow for a fire near the water, make a seat there. I’ll bring food for you soon. But first I have to, um, take care of him,” I ended lamely.

I could feel her gaze burning on the back of my neck, but I couldn’t turn to meet it. I couldn’t.

“Vane—”

“I’d really like a moment alone with my dragon.”

She hesitated and I almost turned. When she spoke, the hurt was evident in her tone and my chest pinched.

“Yes. Yes, of course. Good idea. I’ll take Koa and see you when you’re finished.”

I placed one palm flat on Kham’s leg and nodded. I couldn’t move. If I did, I’d break loose and grab her up. My body trembled with need and frustrated hunger. And she looked so soft and—

I cursed and raked a hand through my hair, curling my fingers into Kham’s scaled leg.

‘Voski… breathe.’

I nodded, but didn’t move. Just listened to the footsteps of Koa and the soft murmur of Grace’s voice as she spoke to her quietly.

“Are they out of sight?” I asked Kham eventually.

‘Yes.’

Blowing out a breath, I turned slowly to look and make sure he wasn’t teasing me. But, no. A large shadow moved beyond the trees, which would be Koa. I couldn’t see Grace at all.

Thank God.

Walking stiffly because my body refused to relax, I hurried around Kham, unbuckling and unstrapping, finally rolling his harness up and walking it over to the trees where I could leave it until we flew again in a few hours. By the time he was free and I had the harness off, my body had finally eased—but only so that my need was no longer visible. That humming behind my navel heralded the immediate return of arousal if I saw her, or heard her, or smelled her.

I threw the bag over one shoulder, but when I took a step, the ache that rolled through me threatened to take me off my feet. I stopped walking and just stood there. Helpless as my body trembled.

How was I going to do this for the five or six days it would take us to travel back? She couldn’t fly for twelve hours at a stretch like Gil and I had done on the way here to travel more quickly than that. I might wish I was alone, but I didn’t want to kill her.

And yet, we were only a few hours in and I was already walking the line of my control.

How the hell was I going to do this for a week?

‘You need to work together. Unify in purpose. Ease the battle. And for the Creator’s sake, tell her your name. A mate should not be unclear on such details.’

‘She isn’t my mate unless I accept—’

‘You must soften, Voski. Your rigidity will only create further problems.’

“My rigidity is the problem,” I muttered back, spluttering a humorless laugh.

But Kham didn’t entertain my attempt to deflect his wisdom. ‘Voski…’

It was so unlike my dragon to hesitate, I turned to look at him in shock. ‘What? What’s wrong?’

Kham sighed. ‘I know your pain. And your fear. I understand why she reminds you of—’