Chapter 19: Bastian

Months passed and we settled into our life. Acasia was my blessing and I cherished our time. It hurt me when I felt her sadness. She would offer a smile, but I knew the sadness was there. Often, making love would take the feeling away, but sometimes she went into a melancholy that lasted days. It frustrated me because my other brides rarely did this once they settled. Acasia was different. She loved deeper than any human I'd ever met.

I flew to my bedroom perch and shifted to human form. I could hear her in the library, her soft breathing an ever present part of me. I showered and changed into jeans and a t-shirt because I liked the look in her eyes when she saw me thus.

I needed to speak to her about a raid I had planned with Laryn. The dragon's foul moods were too much for me, and I wanted to take his mind elsewhere. I could not bring Acasia with me, and dreaded her being alone. This was not a conversation I looked forward to.

She sat at the end of the table at the back of the lib