A Heart of Blood and Ashes (A Gathering of Dragons, #1)

by Milla Vane

Finally she faced forward again, her shoulders straight, her spine stiff. “You no longer need to fear that I want more from you, warrior. I require neither your affection nor your trust. All I require is your seed and your protection.”

It seemed none of her pleasures could ever simply be pleasures; always her heart was torn. A ragged and bloodied ache accompanied her every joy.

So many promises he’d made and not fulfilled this night. Not only to Yvenne, but to himself. For he might have protected Yvenne from her brother, but he hadn’t protected her from himself. And he’d not truly had her. And now he might have lost her.