Free Reckoning (Book 5) by Megg Jensen Page B

of his life. Not even for one night.
    Pia blew a lock of hair out of her face. "Well, if you ever change your mind..."
    "I won't," Bastian said.
    Pia stood in a huff. "You are the father of my son. You are a good man. I was simply trying to comfort and reassure you. I was not asking for your hand in marriage. What happened to the man I bedded back in Ashoom? You were aggressive. You knew exactly what you wanted and how to take it. I enjoyed every moment of it. I thought you did, too."
    Bastian thought back to that night. He remembered his anger at realizing he'd lost Tressa. He’d taken his frustration out on the first whore who propositioned him. Apparently that night had meant far more to Pia than it had to him. Yet, here they were. Danger loomed again. Tressa hadn't made any effort to see him. She continued to avoid him, making his blood boil. That damn woman shouldn't have so much control over him.
    Bastian stood. He grabbed Pia's arm, pulling her close. She gasped in surprise, then pushed her body against his, her hands roaming his back.
    "Bastian," she said breathily, her lips hovering dangerously close to his. "Take me. I'm yours."
    He crushed his lips into hers, feeling her eager response. Her tongue slipped between his lips as her mouth opened for him. Bastian kissed her back, hungrily, then quickly pulled away.
    Pia's breasts heaved. Her brow was covered in a sheen of sweat. "Don't stop." She his arse, thrusting his hips towards hers.
    "No." Bastian pulled away until they weren't touching at all. He couldn't stop thinking about Tressa. Even when he closed his eyes, it was her face, her lips that haunted him.
    "I am leaving in the morning with the first group." Pia wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "You may want to try to see your son one last time. You know where to find us." She spun on one heel and walked away.
    Bastian took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He'd been more turned on than he wanted. He reminded himself over and over again that it wasn't Pia he wanted until his body finally agreed with his mind. He had to stop plowing every beautiful woman who offered herself to him. Since he'd awoken with the dragon inside, it had been easier. He wasn't sure if it was maturity, resurrection, or the dragon that had tempered him. Until he had a chance to see Tressa again, he promised himself he wouldn't touch another woman in that way.
    Bastian knew he would stay in the Dragonlands. He would fight. He might lose his newborn son and his daughter to the sea. He would send them, along with the others, to find safety in another land. If he survived, then he would make his way to them.
    Bastian stalked back to the church. The others were still inside the interior room, deep in conversation. He cleared his throat, and they looked up, surprised to see him. "I will stay and fight."
    "I knew you would," Blythe said with a smile. "You are the warlord prophecy spoke of. If there is any chance for us to succeed in escaping, it will be in thanks to you."
    Connor's grim expression didn't give Bastian any clue as to what his friend was thinking. It was Hazel, whose hand was clamped on Connor's arm as if she was trying to pull him back from the brink that told him what decision his friend had made.
    "Though I would like to think differently, I am no warrior," Hazel said. "I will go with the children across the sea."
    Bastian nodded at his friend's wife. He turned his gaze back to Connor. He wanted his friend to declare his position without prompting. It had to be Connor's choice.
    "I will stay," Connor said. "You need me. I can fight. I also know more of what lurks underground. I want to be of help."
    Bastian clapped his friend's shoulder. "I don’t want to force you."
    Connor's hazel eyes locked on Bastian's. "It’s the right thing to do." He glanced at his wife, whose grip on Connor's arm had only grown tighter. "And Hazel understands."
    "There are no easy decisions to be made," she said. "The day the two