* * *
When she woke up yet again, she saw that Olivier was next to her.
“We have some tea for you.”
“I don’t really like tea.”
“It’s an old Drakan family recipe to help you adjust.”
She accepted the mug from Olivier and took a sip. She felt it douse her inner fire just a little.
“What’s happening to me?”
“Your body is getting used to the dragon blood, that’s all.”
“So my symptoms are normal?”
“They’re to be expected, yeah.”
She stared at him, feeling a tug inside of her pulling her towards him. She got to her knees, then she was pulling him close and sealing his mouth with hers.
With her tongue in his mouth, she could feel him. All of him. Every bit of his pain and frustration. All of his joy, the razor blade of loss that cut him every day that he didn’t have his mother.
“You aren’t alone, Olivier. You have me.” She kissed him again, lightly and sweetly. She had no idea why she’d said that, but the words had flowed out of her as if from her sleeping mind.
Olivier was extroverted, but he still held a part of him apart from other people, including his own twin. But she could feel his feelings when she was on top of him.
She wondered why she hadn’t noticed before. Was it because she couldn’t do it during sex or did she just not
notice because there was so much going on?
Pushing her way inside of him again, she instantly felt everything that he felt, everything that he was made up of.
She felt the raging fire, all-consuming and ever-burning.
This time, he was the one to pull back.
“I’ll get Gahariet. Wait here.”
She touched her kiss-swollen lips. “I’ll be right here,” she promised.
30
Cabin Fever
Phuong
The next day, she was bored out of her mind. Her cabin fever was growing by leaps and bounds. The twins had wanted her to stay in the castle until she was better. She felt a lot better, and she needed to leave.
She went to the kitchen to ask the cook a question.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes?” The cook took out a knife and chopped a head of lettuce. “How can I help you?”
Phuong eyed the enormous knife. “I was just wondering where the twins were.”
“They went to Assembly. They’ll be back late afternoon. Do you want breakfast?”