Unleashed by Aria Glazki

Author:Aria Glazki [Glazki, Aria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aria Glazki
Published: 2023-08-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

He’d meant every word he said to Seraphina. And yet, it was the gifts that drove the point home inside him, transforming the traits he’d enumerated from abstractly observed to deeply personal. She couldn’t have materialized these, so she would have had to think of them before, back in the mortal realm. Starving and exhausted, wounded emotionally even if the physical injuries she’d suffered had healed, she’d still been considerate enough to remember his enjoyment of drawing and purchase these materials.

Azar paused in fiddling with the shading and held the pad up to compare his sketch to the incomparable dragon finally sleeping, bathed in the perfect light as if intentionally for him to draw. He’d drawn her before, back at the cabin. But whether human or dragon form, his attempts didn’t come close to capturing her.

Nevertheless he flipped to a fresh page. He kept drawing until the pencils grew dull, then opted for a swim in the pristine lake. Still Seraphina slept, undoubtedly needing the time to recover from whatever Laisren had done to her in that cave. Azar swam in circles, propelling himself through the water to help burn off his anger and frustration. The memory of his helplessness.

But she was safe now. Right there, in sight, body moving steadily with her breath.

Azar strode as carefully from the water as he had into it, trying not to make any unnecessary noise that may startle her. With no chance of being unexpectedly discovered, he didn’t bother materializing clothing, letting his skin soak up the light as he lay back on the waiting cloaks. His head fell to the side to keep Seraphina in view. With the picture of her at rest constant before his eyes, he too drifted off.

When he woke, minutes or hours later, she still slept. The softest little snorts accompanied the flow of her breath, making him smile. How simple it could have been if it were merely the two of them, apart from the politics and intrigue of the dragons. They could relax in the sun, take their time becoming acquainted with one another, enjoy each other’s company and, if they wanted, their bodies. Without hierarchy, obligation, or past miscalculations between them.

There were some indications Seraphina wanted that too. Her preference he not use her title. The thoughtfulness of her gift. Caring about his impression of her. Even her insistence that they treat the food she provided equitably.

Despite his regret, and the guilt that wouldn’t leave him until long after the haunted look left her eyes, Azar couldn’t continue to grovel before her. It didn’t serve either of them, and he truly wasn’t scared of her. She was stronger than him, but he was stronger than most dragons he’d met. Alone she was still more vulnerable than with him at her side. Something she would never believe if he kept vacillating between self-assurance and behaving like a cowering, barely coherent fool intimidated by her rank. Consistency was imperative in a trusted soldier, or advisor—whichever she needed him to be.

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