ANMELDENMeanwhile, miles away from the stench of blood and the suffocating darkness of the dungeons, evening had settled over the grand capital of Norctis.Rosen stared at it all in awe.Norctis.The streets were clean and wide, lined with elegant buildings and high-end shops spilling warm golden light onto the pavement.Maybe it was because of his memory loss, but everything felt impossibly new. He wanted to see everything.Beside him, Killian walked like a spectre of death. He was clad entirely in a tailored black trench coat, with dark sunglasses concealing his golden eyes despite the fact that the sun had already set. His posture was cold and lethal, his presence so imposing that pedestrians instinctively moved out of his path without waiting to be asked.Yet every time he looked down at the boy beside him, that severe expression softened into something dangerously close to adoration.Rosen's cheeks were flushed from the evening breeze. His blue eyes were bright, and his raven-black hair
The dungeon stank.Rot. Damp stone. Old blood. And beneath it all — the stench of molten rock bubbling in an iron basin at the centre of the cell.Kenna Aldrone hung suspended from the wall by her wrists.Her silk gown was gone, replaced by a coarse prisoner's shift that scratched her skin raw. Her hair — once pinned with pearls and gold — hung in tangled, greasy ropes around her face. Her wrists were chafed where the iron cuffs bit into them.Standing beside the glowing basin was an execution guard. Thick-necked, with a stubbled jaw and a yellow-toothed grin, he held a long iron rod in his hand. Its tip glowed a dangerous, angry red.He stepped in front of her and turned it slowly so she could watch it burn."Well, well," he drawled, "Isn't this the grand noble's daughter? You used to walk past us like we were dirt on your boots. Held your little lace hanky to your nose." He leaned in and breathed directly into her face. "How's the smell now, lady? Not so bad up close, eh?"Kenna gag
Rosen sat in Killian's lap, his brain experiencing a complete shutdown."Wait. Let me up!"He squirmed, planting both palms against the dragon's chest as he tried to push himself upright. This was absurd. There were perfectly good chairs surrounding the table. Why on earth had he chosen Killian's body as a cushion?Killian didn't move an inch.Instead, a low chuckle rolled through his chest, vibrating beneath Rosen's palms. The sound was so deep that Rosen felt it more than heard it."Stay," Killian murmured.His breath brushed the shell of Rosen's ear, and a slow, wicked smile tugged at the corners of his lips."You always sit in my lap while we eat. It's an old habit."Rosen stopped struggling.An old habit? His?He looked down at himself, then at the arm wrapped securely around his waist. Had he really been the sort of person who casually climbed onto his boyfriend's lap whenever he wanted breakfast?"It's embarrassing," he muttered."There is nothing embarrassing about muscle memo
* * The same design inked on Rosen’s thigh.Rosen stared at it, stunned. They had matching tattoos?Just how close had they been?“Is that…” He reached out slowly. “The same one?”Killian watched the bewilderment on Rosen’s face. He had hidden the scar left by his Dragon Core with the tattoo. The wound would have healed naturally with time, but he hadn’t wanted it to. He had wanted Rosen’s mark on him, permanently.A small piece of his mate, resting over the place where his heart beat.Rosen’s fingertip traced the stem, following the dark curve of the petals. He seemed fascinated by the tiny details, as though the tattoo might offer an answer to the dozens of questions crowding his head.The touch was featherlight. Curious.His finger wandered a little too close to Killian’s nipple.A low grunt escaped the dragon’s throat.“Seen enough?” Killian rasped.Rosen barely heard him. His gaze remained fixed on the matching ink.“I guess…” he murmured, half to himself. “You really are my boy
Killian's eyes remained fixed on the phone.Luken.That meddling doctor apparently still hadn't learned his place. Killian was beginning to wonder whether Luken had a death wish or simply enjoyed testing how much patience he possessed.He stepped farther into the bathroom.Rosen stiffened immediately, his fingers tightening around the phone. His scent spilled into the steam-warm air — sharp and sweet with fear.Killian had taken the suppressant just moments before. Luken had said it would dull the edge—quiet the inner beast and cool the lava in his blood.Yet as he stood in the doorway, Killian felt as though not a single thing had changed.So far, the suppressant's only noticeable effect was a mild headache. His cock had clearly not read the label.Then he caught the subtle shift in the air: Rosen was bracing himself. Not consciously, perhaps, but his body knew. His posture locked up, like a cornered animal preparing for impact.Something tender, and at the same time starving drummed
Upstairs, Killian led Rosen down a richly decorated corridor and pushed open a pair of double doors.The master suite was magnificent. A velvet-draped king-sized bed dominated the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows. A private balcony overlooking the garden."This is our room," Killian said.Our?Rosen cast him a glance. "We're going to stay in the same room?"Killian raised a dark, innocent eyebrow. "Of course. We've always shared a bed."Rosen's face went hot again.Always shared a bed? Then… have they…?"Did we just share a bed?" Rosen asked carefully. "As in — sleeping? Only sleeping?""What do you think boyfriends do?"Killian watched the chaos play out across Rosen's.“We are i-intimate? I can’t imagine it,” Rosen murmured. Killian thought he could demonstrate. The drought of the past few weeks — Rosen lying comatose while Killian's body burned with heat that had nowhere to go — surged hot through his veins. Weeks without touching him. Weeks without feeling that tight heat clamp ar







