met his stare with her own. Slowly, she drew the sword from its sheath and held it out between them. “Just. Try. It.”
Xavier’s growl shook the walls, but she stood her ground.
“Damn it, woman. I canna fight Lachlan and protect ye too!”
“I snuck into the castle and freed you from under his nose. I don’t need your protection.”
Xavier strode slowly around the table, his blue eyes never leaving hers. He didn’t stop until the tip of the sword pressed against the skin of his chest. “There’s a price on yer head. Ye don’t have invisibility. Every clan member will be searching for ye.”
Somewhere, deep inside, she knew he was right, but she refused to admit it. She absolutely would not leave him to do this alone. “He’ll smell you coming, Xavier.”
He tipped his head. “I can take care of maself, lass.”
“So can I.” Her narrowed gaze lowered to the tip of the sword resting on his chest.
Glenna hissed, her wings jutting out from her back defensively.
Xavier held up his hand to her and shook his head. “Leave us. I’ll call for ye if I need ye.”
The oread scowled at Avery before dissolving into thin air.
Xavier turned back to her and curled his lip at the sword. “Will you run me through, Avery? Kill me before Lachlan has the chance?”
She glared up at him. “No. But I won’t let you force me to go.”
For three long breaths, they stared at each other in silence until he finally softened. “All right. If I promise not to force ye ta do anything, would ye lower the sword then?”
She withdrew the tip from his skin and slid it back into its sheath. “Yes.”
He moved toward her slowly as if she were a skittish animal. “Only a few moments ago, I offered ye my mating bond, my very heart exposed.” He gestured to his chest where the sword had just been.
“Yeah… I’m sorry about that—”
“I’m not looking for an apology, Avery. Did my brother teach ye nothing about a dragon’s instincts?”
She shook her head.
His lids sank low and heavy over his eyes. “We only offer the bond to someone our dragon chooses, and a potential mate doesna come along often. You, in fact, were ma first. You can deny me, deny the bond, but ma dragon wants ye in the most feral way. My deepest instinct is to protect ye. If ye come wi’ me tomorrow, I won’t be able ta concentrate. I won’t be able to do what I need to do to kill Lachlan, because ma every thought will be of protecting ye. Dragons are immortal, but we can be killed. I’m confident I can defeat Lachlan in a one-on-one battle, but if it came down to ye, I’d let him have ma head.”
A lump formed in Avery’s throat. It wasn’t only his words. Xavier’s expression was nothing short of genuine. He wanted her. Wanted her permanently. “Do you love me Xavier?”
“The human word for love doesn’t fully encompass a dragon’s need to bond, but I suppose it is as good a human word as any.”
He took another step closer. Everything he’d said rang true. She’d seen the dragon mating bond in action with Raven and Gabriel and with Nathaniel and Clarissa. And the truth was, although she couldn’t accept Xavier’s bond for all the reasons she’d mentioned before, she too felt an inexplicable link between them. She would never want to do anything to put him in danger. And he was right—she would be a distraction.
“Okay.” She glanced at her feet. And then she closed the space between them and took him into her arms.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Xavier took Avery into his arms and buried his face in her hair. Wrapped around her like this, he was reminded how fragile she was, how incredibly human. He drew her scent into his lungs, sweet and clean. It would be so easy to give in to his urge to take her. The way she leaned into him indicated her willingness certain enough. What was it she’d said in the barn? If he hadn’t mentioned the mating bond, she’d be leaving footprints on the ceiling.
All his instincts told him she’d be as accommodating now. But could he make love to her without the bond? Not without hurting himself. He was already in too deep. And she’d be leaving soon.
“We should eat and rest. We’ll part ways in the morning.”
She gave him a small nod, her eyes watery. He reckoned she felt it too, this immediate, consuming connection.
Stepping