Nerves stretched so thin her muscles felt like wet noodles, Amantha allowed Wallaig to lift her over the railing and onto the deck of the ocean freighter. How he managed to the scale the smooth steel hull, she didn’t know. Didn’t care to either. She’d refused to look, squeezing her eyes closed, pressing her face against the nape of his neck, trying to pretend she wasn’t clinging to a guy climbing the side of a ship.

An idiotic thing to do. She never stuck her head in the sand. Facing things was more her style, but…not tonight. No matter how independent she strived to be, she ended up relying on Wallaig. Damned embarrassing. A bit of a setback on the feminist front but after all the crazy dragon stuff, she couldn’t handle any more. No hiccups. Zero bumps. Just a whole lot of smooth sailing on the way to wherever he was taking her.

She hoped it was somewhere warm. Being half frozen wasn’t any fun.

Drawing a shaky breath, Amantha pried her hands from the lapels of his coat. Her fingers burned with the cold, making her joints ache and her skin hurt. A shiver rattled her bones. Wallaig cursed and, pulling her closer, yanked off her mittens. Tossing the soggy pair over his shoulder, he cupped her hands. Heat streamed from him into her, making her moan in gratitude.

Another tremor racked her. “God, you’re so warm.”

“The upside of being a fire dragon.” Dipping his head, he blew hot air on her fingers.

“Fantastic perk.”

“No question,” he murmured, his tone as warm as his body. “Especially after being dunked in a harbor.”

“In the middle of winter.” A snowflake drifted past her nose. Water dripped off the hem of her coat, leaving puddles on the deck. Her teeth started to chatter. “We’re not doing that again, are we?”

“Nah, we’re going to steal a bed instead.”

The news gave her hope. “Where?”

He tipped his head toward the stern of the freighter. “Inside. Ships like this always have empty cabins…a suite for corporate VIPs. How be we find it?”

She nodded, liking the plan.

Shifting focus, he transferred both of her hands into one of his, sharing his heat as he turned toward the afterhouse and headed toward the back of the ship. Large steel hatches covered the cargo holds, tall booms rising between each one. She didn’t know a lot about boats, but the one she stood on seemed like a good one, capable of carrying vast amounts of cargo to ports all over the world. An efficient machine. Beautiful in its own way, and…Amantha glanced around at the deck. Smooth steal, no dings or dents, not a rusty spot in sight. Even the smokestack boasted a coat of shiny red paint.

Her gaze jumped to the bridge on the top floor of the afterhouse. Men stood behind wide windows, busy navigating the ship out of the port and—

Amantha jolted. “Can they see us?”

“Nay, lass, not while we’re cloaked. Donnae worry.”

She blinked. “We’re cloaked?”

“Aye. Completely invisible to human eyes.”

“Another of those dragon perks.”

“A necessary one,” he said, stepping around a large spool bolted to the deck. “Can you imagine what would happen if humans saw a pack of dragons flying around late at night.”

“Keys to nuclear launch codes would get dusted off.”

He snorted.

Her mouth curved, reacting to his amusement. “Why only late at night?”

“Dragonkind doesn’t tolerate sunlight.”

“At all?”

His expression tightened. Wallaig shook his head. “UV rays burn our scales and damage our eyes. If one of my kind stays out too long, the sun will reduce him to ash.”

The quiet fury in his tone put her on high alert. Her hands flexed around his much larger one. The strange connection she sensed growing between them flickered, then opened like a faucet inside her head. Pain and anger poured through the link, making her stomach dip and her chest go tight. And just like that, she could feel him—all the anguish Wallaig fought to hide and…oh, God. Something bad had happened to him. Something to do with the sun.

Instinct guiding her, she rubbed her cheek against his arm. “What happened, Wallaig? Did you stay out too long and get burned?”

He stopped mid-stride. His chin dipped a moment before his brows furrowed behind his wraparounds. One second ticked into more as she stood unmoving, wanting to give him space, needing him to speak. She didn’t push him for an answer. Amantha waited instead, heart thumping, worry for him rising, so desperate to ease his pain she ached on the inside. A strange reaction, one she didn’t understand. Couldn’t begin to explain either. What she felt for him—his odd hold on her—bordered on insanity. He was half dragon, a man who shifted forms at will, a completely different species. And yet, as she held her breath, praying he would open up and tell her what was wrong, she realized he didn’t scare her.

Wallaig would never hurt her.

He’d proven it over and over tonight.

“If you don’t want to tell me,” she said. “I’ll understand. It’s just—”

“One of my brothers-in-arms betrayed our pack and I got ambushed. I was injured in the fight and woke up in a field north of Aberdeen.” A muscle twitched along his jaw as he took off his sunglasses and turned to face her. “I didn’t make it home in time.”

Raising his lashes, he met her gaze for the first time.

Amantha’s breath hitched. Merde de dieu. He was blind, his irises so badly scarred each one flashed white in the dim light. Empathy hit her like a hurricane, ripping her out by the roots. Unmoored, unable to help herself, she reached up to touch his face. Her fingertips brushed over his cheekbones just below his eyes. Tense beneath her hands, he allowed the caress. Needing to ease his despair, she rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his eyelid—first one, then the other, trying to kiss away the pain.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered against his skin. “It isn’t fair.”

“Fairness doesn’t count for much in my world,” he murmured, holding still as she kissed him again. “Donnae feel sorry for me, lass. I’m not completely blind. I see in my own way.”

She opened her mouth to ask him how.

“Come, kazlita.” With a gentle tug, Wallaig got her moving, then walked toward the stairs at the base of the afterhouse. “Dawn will arrive any minute. We need to get inside.”

Towing her behind him, he took the steps two at a time. Feet banging on steel treads, Amantha kept pace, staying right behind him. But as Wallaig reached the landing, pulled the heavy door open and guided her inside, she faltered. She had so many questions. And not nearly enough answers. Which meant time to put the screws to Wallaig and find out exactly what being with him entailed…before she got in so deep she couldn’t get out.