by T. A. White
The brush of fingers against her exposed stomach warned her Ryu was near. How did the man move so damn quietly? Then there was a sharp tug and Tate's head popped out of the shirt, her hair wild and snarled, her eyes bright and glittering, as she frowned up at him.
His lips quirked and he dropped a kiss on her nose as if he couldn't help himself.
Tate leaned towards him, like a flower drawn to sunlight, before reason reasserted itself. She shook her head firmly. None of that now, she had a devious asshole to make sure was still where Ryu had left him.
She knew she should be upset with herself for letting them dally and sate themselves on each other, but she couldn't quite bring herself to feel regret. This had been a long time coming. Since the first time she'd spotted him watching her. In many ways it had been inevitable. She could no more have delayed or avoided it than she could have avoided breathing.
Already Ryu felt like an essential piece given back to her.
When she fell, she knew she’d fall hard. For someone who had entered this world more alone than most, she knew if she ever found the person who fit all her jagged edges and broken bits, she'd never let them go. She'd burn the world down to protect them if necessary.
She wasn't quite to the point where she’d sacrifice everything to save him, but she knew if given half a chance, she'd get there. It was scary and thrilling, all at the same time.
Love wasn't a sudden thing. It was something built over time and hundreds of small interactions. It was the little stuff and the big stuff.
Already the depth of emotion she felt toward Ryu was disconcerting given their relatively short relationship. It bore examination. Later, when she didn't have a prisoner to check on.
The warm sound of Ryu's chuckle followed Tate as she left the oasis, heading down the short dirt path and past the boulders framing the entrance. The moons were high above and it was nearly as easy to see as if the sun had already risen.
Tate strode past the boulders, already scanning the ground, half expecting Christopher to be gone or at least pointing a weapon at her.
Neither vision greeted her.
The ground was empty with the exception of the remains of the wagon, half-blackened with soot, its mangled carcass at home in the stark landscape.
Tate took several wide steps into the desert, alarm beginning to take hold. If Christopher had escaped, he'd be long gone by now. That meant she'd either have to waste time tracking him down or let him escape. Again.
A muffled sound came from the boulders behind her. She glanced at the entrance, noting where Ryu had slouched against one boulder, his arms folded casually over his now clothed chest. Where had he gotten the clothes, she thought distractedly.
His change this time had been rough. She hadn’t seen any clothes before now.
Ryu tipped his chin to the boulder on his other side. At first, she missed it, her eyes scanning right past them.
It was like looking at a painting and not comprehending the subject matter for several seconds, until your brain caught up to what your eyes were seeing. And then you couldn't un-see it.
Tate noticed the hand sticking out of the smooth face of the rock first, then she noticed the nose, followed by a pair of eyes and a mouth. Her eyes went comically wide as her brain finally started making sense of the scene.
Christopher glared at her, his face and neck just barely breaking the surface of the boulder. Peter was next to him, upside down as he blinked at her in dismay.
Tate choked and sputtered. "How? Wha--WHY ARE THEY ENCASED IN STONE?"
Ryu's shrug was unconcerned. "You wouldn't let me kill them. This was the best way to make sure they didn't go anywhere while we were otherwise occupied."
Tate gaped at him in disbelief. His thinking was twisted. She only stared at him for a moment before her eyes were drawn unerringly back to the two men.
How had he managed this?
It should have been impossible. This wasn't a hole he'd punched into the boulder before stuffing them inside. No, it was as if the rock had been melted and then hardened around them. There were no seams, no evidence of how he'd managed to stick them in there like flies caught in amber.
This explained why he'd been so unconcerned with the possibility of escape. Neither man was going anywhere soon—at least not without someone taking a pick ax to the stone.
"Can I do this?" Tate asked abruptly. She didn't know what it said about her that she was more interested in the answer than she was in freeing them.
"I don't know. Each dragon's talents vary slightly. This is something unique to mine. I'm not sure if it can be taught. No one has been interested before."
Tate's attention shifted to him. She'd noticed that about the other dragon-ridden. Each was solitary in their own way. They cared about each other, that much was obvious when Jacob had gone missing, but they also had no problem disappearing on their own missions for years, sometimes decades, at a time.
"I'd like to learn," she said simply. A trick like that could come in handy if she was ever in a situation where she needed to immobilize someone without killing them.
He inclined his head. "I look forward to it."
He sent her a wolfish smile, his thoughts already turning to other paths. She leveled a look on him that said she wasn't in the mood for his shenanigans. His eyes glinted appreciatively. Somehow, she had a feeling she'd just thrown down the gauntlet and he was all too eager to pick it up again.
"How do we get them out?" she asked, getting back to business.
"Do we really need to let them out?" Ryu straightened from the boulders and joined her. "We could leave them there for the night. We'd both sleep better that way."
He had a point. She rubbed her forehead, caught between expediency and the knowledge this was messed up on so many levels.
"It doesn't hurt them," Ryu assured her. "They won't feel pain. They're simply forced to wait until I release them."
"How did you do this?"
That was the part Tate was stuck on.
He shrugged. "The dragon asked the stone to hold them, so it did."
"The stone dragon," Christopher said. "I always thought those were just stories."
Ryu's expression was cruel as he smiled at Christopher. "Now you know better."
Christopher glanced at Tate. "Your lover was once known for keeping those hunting him encased in stone until he was ready to kill them. He developed quite the reputation. What did they call you again? Ardent’s judgement? I hear there isn’t even a ruin marking the spot where that city once stood. You did a very thorough job of demolishing it."
Ryu's face was granite hard, his expression slightly murderous.
"Is it really a good idea to antagonize the man holding you prisoner?" Tate asked.
Peter made a sound like he agreed.
Christopher focused on her, his expression just as crafty as it had been when she was using his own shirt to choke him. "Strange, that he found you so quickly."
Tate was conscious of Ryu straightening beside her.
"It's almost like he knew exactly where you were."
Tate's eyes narrowed as Ryu made a sound suspiciously close to a rumble. "What are you implying?"
Tate got the sense of Christopher's shrug even as the stone held him motionless. "Nothing. There's so much we still don't know about dragons. Such as where they come from? Why they come through the rift? What is their purpose here? These questions must have occurred to you."
Tate didn't answer. Of course, they'd crossed her mind. From the few things Ilith had let slip, she got the sense the dragons were from another plane of existence, similar to the elementals the mages could summon. Unlike most elementals, dragons were sentient, capable of more than just simple emotions and concepts.
They also couldn't survive on this plane without a host, so in that they were similar to parasites. From Tate's studies, she knew the dragon’s latching onto a human host didn't always have a happy ending. Instead, the possibility existed that the joining co
uld drain the human of their life force before killing both host and dragon. In other cases, they were able to establish a symbiotic relationship, one where both benefited.
"Get to the point," Tate said, losing patience with his sideways logic.
"It's almost like he was drawn here, wouldn't you say?" Christopher shot her a look. "There's never been a female dragon who lived beyond their first week before you. Who is to say dragons don't share traits with the Silva?"
"What does that mean?" Tate asked.
Peter was the one to answer. "The Silva tend to form mental bonds with those they take as mate. Once established, they'll always know the other's location."
Tate considered the Silva whose quiet and unassuming presence lent believability to his claim. "I’ve never heard of that before."
"It's not something my people often advertise to outsiders," he said quietly.
"Because there would be those who seek to use it against you."
He made a small sound of agreement.
Tate shot Ryu a sideways look.
"I found you because there are only so many watering holes you could stop at between here and the Harridan's city," Ryu said, never taking his eyes off Christopher.
Tate started, looking over at him in surprise.
His gaze cut to her and he dipped his chin in a small nod. "This road is less traveled than others, but it eventually leads to the city."
"Why would you take me there?" she asked.
Christopher's expression didn't shift as he stared down at her. "I'm not answering any more questions until I'm out of this rock."
Tate studied him for several seconds. Christopher didn't look like he was planning to budge. Pity. He’d been unusually helpful until he'd turned stubborn. Tate shrugged. Two could play that game. "Fine. Enjoy your timeout. We'll see you at sunrise."
CHAPTER TEN
Tate walked past the temporary prison, returning to the oasis, Ryu silent as he followed.
She stopped when she reached the small trickle of water flowing over rock before disappearing back into the ground. Now that she knew what to look for, she saw the signs of human presence all around. Disturbed dirt from shoes and feet, markings on the walls. Even a stray piece of pottery, half-buried in the dirt.
Ryu lingered behind her. She sensed if she gave him an inkling that she wanted comfort, he'd take her up on it.
Tempting, but as much as she might want to sometimes let someone else take the reins, she couldn’t.
He touched her back, a silent acknowledgment he was there, that she didn't have to do this alone. It steadied her, where before she'd wavered.
Love, or whatever this was, didn't have to only take. You didn't have to sacrifice who you were or bend to someone else's notions of who you should be. Rather, it joined two separate halves making them greater than the sum of their parts.
She let herself lean into him, just a little bit, drawing strength from his touch and warmth, before she made herself straighten, becoming the mediator once more.
"Tell me what happened after you discovered I was missing," Tate said, returning them to the subject at the top of her mind. “I assume the drink was drugged.”
She wanted to kick herself for not picking up on it at the time.
Ryu shook his head. “The drink was fine. It was the incense they left burning. The people who did this were very smart. They dipped the lower half of the incense in ever oil. Its effects wouldn’t have become apparent until it burned down to where the sedative was. Roslyn and I caught the barest edge of it, but you would have been exposed to a full dose. Your two scamps are the ones who discovered you'd been taken after none of us came down for breakfast. The effects for Roslyn and I meant we slept a little later than usual."
Tate bit her lip. Incense. She never would have thought to check that.
"Dewdrop and Night had already started the search by the time I’d shaken off the last effects of the drug. I'm not sure how they did it, but they had Tala's people listening to them. I knew we couldn’t linger without endangering the mediation so I sent Roslyn and Jacob as well as the Order’s men ahead to let the Harridan know we would be delayed."
"Why the Order's men?" Tate asked.
"Because if they'd stayed in that house any longer, there would have been bloodshed. I'll be surprised if they make it to the Harridan's city in one piece."
Tate snorted. Somehow that didn't surprise her. When she'd disappeared, James and Ward would have likely used it as an excuse to push their own agenda. Insulting their hosts would have been a bonus.
A thought occurred to her. "Wait, you sent Jacob?"
The broken dragon wouldn't have been her first choice to send into a potentially dangerous and explosive situation without one of them there to monitor.
"Why didn't you go?" Tate blurted out, only hearing how it would sound once it was out of her mouth. Inwardly, she cringed.
"I wasn't going without you," he said stiffly.
She stared at him, trying to understand. If this had been someone else, she could see it. Dewdrop or Night wouldn't have left her behind—no matter the situation.
They were family, despite not sharing a drop of blood, and perhaps closer because of it. They were her friends, bonded to her on a level most would never experience. They wouldn't have left her in danger regardless of the cost; she'd do the same for them.
That was them, this was Ryu—the man who always put his mission first, second and last. He might have feelings for her, but she'd fully expected the safety and wellbeing of the empire to trump them.
"But—"
His eyes softened. He stepped close, his head looming over her as his hands reached for her shoulders and he drew her into his chest. Her head fit just under his chin as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Priorities shift. You are mine."
The words were simple; the promise and sentiment behind them, surprisingly not.
She put a hand on his chest and let herself simply feel his resolve. It wasn't the most elegant of declarations but it held a depth of emotion that couldn’t be faked or replicated.
Tate didn't know how to respond, so in the end she didn't. "Do you know who was responsible?"
"I'd assumed it was the two I encased in stone," he said mildly, letting her change the subject to one that felt less dangerous.
Tate shook her head. "No. Strange as it might seem, they rescued me from my kidnappers."
He canted his head as if he was trying to follow what she'd said. "How is that possible?"
Tate raised her hands as if to say she don't know. "How is any of this possible?"
They were both silent as they considered.
A thought occurred to Tate. "Blade couldn't have had anything to do with this, could he?"
Ryu's eyes sharpened with interest. "Why do you ask?"
"He showed up in my room after you and Rosalyn left." Tate fell silent as she tried to remember exactly what had happened.
“Why?”
Tate shook her head. “I’m not sure. It seemed like he was checking up on Roslyn. He asked if she’d told me it was the Morain in the city.”
Ryu gazed into the distance, his expression pensive.
Tate waited.
It seemed farfetched. What reason would Blade have for arranging her kidnapping?
"He was supposed to report anything he’d heard to me,” Ryu finally said. “I find it interesting you were the one he chose to approach.” Ryu looked away as he considered. “It’s possible he could be involved if he or the Luciuses saw some way to profit from it, but I sincerely doubt it. They'd burn a lot of goodwill and they wouldn’t want to cross me."
Tate was inclined to agree, if she was honest. This didn’t feel like something the Night Lords or Blade would do.
"We’re both in need of rest. We'll sleep here for a few hours and then start our journey,” Ryu said.
Tate nodded. She was still tired from the day. Rest would be welcome.
“Where did you get the clot
hes?” Tate asked.
“They had a cache stored near here,” he said, nodding toward their prisoners.
“Were there containers for water?” she asked.
He shook his head.
"Too bad someone destroyed our only means of transport." Tate leveled a dagger-filled look at Ryu.
His chin lifted as his jaw tightened. “The horses might still return before we leave.”
They had been terrified when they took off running. She doubted anything could compel them to return.
Ryu looked for all the world like a little boy who'd gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar, reticent, slightly ashamed, but still proud of himself.
Tate shook her head. Men—especially those who shared their soul with a dragon—she'd never understand them.
*
Tate's calves and quads burned as she followed the footprints in the sand. Her was head down as she forced herself forward, cursing Ryu and his dragon the entire way.
It'd been slightly funny, in a terrifying sort of way, to watch the wagon's destruction. Even in the early hours of the morning when the sun was still hours from the horizon, she'd shaken her head at its carcass as Ryu retrieved the other two from the boulder where they'd spent the night. The dragon had been utterly thorough in its task.
The horses hadn’t returned by the time they were preparing to leave, and a short survey of the area turned up no trace of them. They’d been forced to go on without them.
As the morning approached and they left the hard-packed road in favor of the looser sand and more difficult footing of the dunes, Tate's opinion of things had begun to change. She missed the wagon.
Great Saviors, did she miss it.
Tate was in decent shape from climbing up and down the Hill of Aurelia so many times, but this journey was testing her. Trekking across dunes of sand as tall as the highest point in the palace was no easy task and had left in her a foul mood.
It almost made her wish to revisit the topic of using Ryu’s dragon to catch a ride to the city—an idea Ryu had dismissed. He said the dragon was still too volatile and there was a chance he might decide to eat their two prisoners instead. That was something Tate hadn't wanted to risk before, but now she was seriously rethinking her stance.
