Page 55 of Her Silent Knight

He needed to leave before that happened. Careful of his tail, Kaede returned his gaze to his mate. She still hadn’t moved. He leaned down and nudged her side with his nose. She was so small, so fragile.

Yet, she was brave. Brave enough to stand up to him. Though, he couldn’t deny that her siding with Rhen had stung his pride and his heart. How was it possible to fall for someone so fast and so hard?

Damn mating pull. Why couldn’t it affect her also so that they could be experiencing the same emotions? Kaede wanted her. More importantly, he wanted her to want him. He wanted her to care for him. He sighed. Smoke billowed from his nostrils.

How could he be so foolish? If he wanted her to care for him, he had to prove to her he was someone worth caring for. He’d yet to do that. Instead, he’d insisted she give herself to him, mind, body, and heart, without proving to her he was worthy of those treasures.

“I’ll do that mate,” Kaede silently vowed to her. “I’ll show you that your heart, body, and mind is safe with me. I’ll show you that I’ll protect, cherish and love you for eternity. This I swear.”

He closed his eyes and bowed to her. Though she couldn’t see him, he would make sure his actions in the future reflected the vow he’d just made. She was a witch. She’d never feel the mating pull like he did.

That just meant he had to love her harder, so that one day she’d feel the pull of his love. And maybe one day, she’d give him her heart. Another shriek rent the air, reminding him that time was not on his side.

Kaede turned to the side and curled one of his huge wings around her body. It had been so long since he’d been in this form, it took a few tries for him to lift her up. It took a few more tries for him to place her on his back.

He had to wiggle and lean to the side to get her positioned in a location where she wouldn’t fall off while he was in flight. The space below his neck but between his wings was the only place she’d be safe at in his current condition.

Once he had her in position, Kaede flapped his wings and took to the sky. He was a little rusty. After wobbling a bit, his muscle memory kicked in. Wind whipped past him. He wanted to speed up, to feel the wind whipping against his scales.

He slowed down instead. He had a mate to protect. And protect her, he would. Forever. Next stop, the village outside the compound. Once his mate was properly clothed, awake and well-fed, they would have a long talk.

He hoped she didn’t try to kill him again.