Pretty Painful - K.A Knight Page 0,41

my anxiety, because his words are exactly what I need to hear. Laying myself down on his neck, still holding on, I cuddle my dragon as he cuts through the night, the mood somber now with the bloodshed that is to come.

I know. Thank you, Nyre, for bringing me peace. Now, let’s go kill some people.

I tease and he laughs, the sound rumbling beneath me and making me groan when it vibrates in places it shouldn’t.

Oh, we have plans for that.

I can’t wait.

Dabria

We soar over the city, heading for a strip of land near the forest surrounding it. I let both Mishal and Nyre search the city, knowing they haven’t seen it. I bet when they were here, it was nothing like it is now.

Just a small village, how times have changed, he whispers slowly, and I can hear him wondering what else has changed, what he has missed.

We’ll explore it all together, I vow.

We soar above the city, making sure not to get spotted until Nyre takes us down and lands softly in a clearing in the trees on the outskirts. He tilts to the side again and I slip off his back, steadying myself against his side. His tail curls around us and he turns his head to see me, those giant, golden eyes unblinking. Grinning, I step up to his snout with no fear and drop a soft kiss where I can reach.

“Thank you, Nyre,” I say softly, stroking his scales. They are solid, like metal.

Always, mi cielo, kiss me again? he requests, closing those eyes like he daren’t look if I do.

So, I lean closer and pepper kisses across his face, knowing they both need love.

He purrs before stepping back, his body curling in on itself, and a flash happening before Mishal stands in his place. I cover the distance between us, flinging myself at him. He catches me mid-air as I wrap my legs around his waist, my lips fumbling until I find his and we both groan at the contact.

“Missed me, little one?” he inquires, his hand rubbing at my back as the other grips my ass.

“Always.” I grin, kissing him again.

A soft smile curls his mouth, those black eyes locked on me. “Fuck, you are going to be the death of me,” he grumbles, gripping me tighter.

“I guess we should find the warehouse,” I whisper, knowing we need to, but I’m dreading stepping foot back in there. I keep seeing flashes of Rachel’s body in my mind, and I know it will kill me if it’s still there when we crash that place. It will all become real again.

“Little one,” Mishal growls, but I’m lost in my thoughts. My body is in his arms, but my head is stuck on the sight of Rachel’s body jerking when the bullet hits her. Again, and again on replay, like a stuck record, until I’m almost screaming in my head, begging for it to stop, like a car cash you can’t look away from, my eyes glued to her.

“Dabria, you fucking look at me right now,” Mishal roars.

Rachel, I sob, trying to reach for Mishal, but I can’t seem to find him.

“I swear, if you don’t fucking look at me, I’m going to tan your arse red,” he threatens, and it cuts through the panic and grief. As if in slow motion, I raise my eyes to his, blinking away the tears.

“I—”

“Shh, little one, you just got lost for a moment. It’s okay, we’re here, I’m here,” he assures me, walking us across the field until we reach a tree, then he sits at the base and pulls me into his lap, holding me while I cry again. I don’t want to, it’s weak and I know we need to get moving, but I can’t help it.

“Shh, let it out, we have time. It’s okay, little one,” he soothes, rocking me in his arms as his heat seeps inside my cold heart, warming me and forcing me to let all my pain out.

“If she is there, it will be okay, we will bury her. We can offer her the rest she needs, little one. I promise you aren’t facing this alone,” he tells me, repeating it over and over again until my sobs slow to soft tears trickling down my face, the pain manageable and not all-consuming. I don’t even know what set it off, but I can’t pretend to be embarrassed.

“You remember how I told you we killed our parents?” he asks and I blink,