by Sarah Noffke
Chapter Sixty-Seven
“I apologize for my dragon’s sense of humor,” Sophia said to Alex when he paused a few feet away, a curious expression on his face. “Actually, let me go ahead and apologize in advance for all things that Lunis says and does from this point forward. I’m not responsible if he calls your dragon names other than Frost or plays pranks on you and the other riders.”
For the first time since arriving, Alex released a small amused smile, barely visible under his hood. “Your dragon isn’t like the others.”
Sophia giggled. “My dragon isn’t like anyone ever. He has more personality than I can take at times.”
He nodded. “I think he takes after you.”
Sophia smiled proudly. “Maybe. We’ve been together since before he hatched and grew up together.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “Really? I’ve never heard of a rider magnetizing to their dragon before they hatched.”
“We’re a unique case,” Sophia admitted.
“You were the first female dragonrider in history, too,” Alex stated. “So you are doubly unique.”
“Yes, and the first new dragonrider in a hundred years,” Sophia offered. “But whereas the Dragon Elite were stagnant when we first came here, they’re evolving now. Hiker is much more open than he used to be. The guys are more accepting.”
Alex slid his hands into his pockets and nodded, but the movement wasn’t full of confidence. “Yeah, maybe. I still think that old ways are hard to change. Perceptions are hard to change.”
“That didn’t stop you from confessing to being a werewolf,” Sophia pointed out.
He shrugged. “I’ve been treated differently throughout my entire life for being a werewolf. I’m used to that.”
“You haven’t been treated differently for being a girl,” Sophia stated boldly, making Alex’s eyes widen with alarm. “You didn’t want to come into this new life that’s dominated by men and be this young werewolf who is also a female and treated differently for so many reasons.”
Sophia was guessing with all that, but the look on Alex’s face told her she was correct.
“How did you know…that I was…that I’m a girl?”
Alex couldn’t have been any older than Sophia. She was guessing that, similar to her situation, the chi of the dragon accelerated Alex’s maturity when she magnetized to Frost so that they could be together properly. Only a magician of age could ride and train with a dragon, and if what Liv had told her about this girl was right, she would have only been about ten years old at this point. Instead, like Sophia, she was matured to the age of nineteen or twenty.
“You admitted that my sister Liv saved your father’s life. Fane is his name, correct?” Sophia asked.
Alex nodded.
“Well, Liv spoke fondly of her time in Lupei back in the day,” Sophia continued. “She admired your father. She also told me stories of his very brave little girl named Alina.” She leveled her gaze at the werewolf. “As far as my sister was aware, Fane didn’t have a son. Actually, since your mother abandoned him for the Bulgarian pack, there probably wouldn’t have been any other children.”
Alex’s—or rather, Alina’s—expression darkened. “It’s all true. I should have known that Liv had told you. She’s the bravest magician I’ve ever known to stroll into Lupei without her magic, a town dominated by werewolves, all so she could protect the greater good.”
Sophia nodded proudly. “That sounds like my sister. I’m glad she could help to save your pack.”
“She did, and helped my father to become leader,” Alina stated. “Yes, I’m the only child to my father—a girl.”
Sophia smiled at the other dragonrider. “You’re a woman. It might be rare among dragonriders, but it’s something to be proud of. I suspect that in time, there will be many more of us at the Gullington. Until then, it isn’t something to hide.”
“But the guys will treat me differently—”
“So?” Sophia immediately cut her off. “Look, I get it. When I first came here, I tried to dress differently. I tried to downplay the fact that I was a woman. I got offended if they called me princess. Now, I relish it.”
“I don’t know.” Alex’s eyes shifted to the side.
“I’m going to give you the same advice that King Rudolf gave me when I did the same as you and downplayed my femininity upon joining the Dragon Elite,” Sophia stated. “I can’t believe it, but that dumb fae gives really solid advice.”
Hope sprang to Alex’s eyes. “What? What did he tell you?”
“He told me to remind them that I’m a female and young and inexperienced,” Sophia began. “Not to downplay it. And to do it while I’m kicking ass. I remember him saying that it was pretty amazing when a five-hundred-year-old dragonrider won a battle, looking all courageous and rugged. But you know what?”
“What?” Alina asked, her brown eyes dazzling with sudden excitement.
“It’s simply chilling when a dragonrider who is just shy of two decades old stands victoriously on that battlefield, her long hair blowing in the wind and her beauty simply breathtaking while she wipes the grit of battle off her face.” She looked at the sky as if picturing it. “She has her sword in her hand and the blood of her enemies under her fingernails, and she’s simply exceptional. She isn’t successful despite being a woman and young. She’s badass because of those things. This woman tackles problems with a fresh mind and a different perspective.” Sophia looked back at Alina. “That’s what the king of the fae told me, and since that day, I don’t hide the fact that I’m a woman. Instead, I remind these crusty old dragonriders of it every day while handing them their butts.”
Alina’s grin widened, making Sophia’s heart swell. “You’re right. I won’t hide it any longer. I’ll be who I am. I’ll be Alina, the woman who is a dragonrider and a werewolf and not ashamed of any part of that.”
Then she reached up and pulled her hood down, revealing not only a head of long, glistening brown hair, but a beautiful face, finally unobstructed.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Word that Alina was a female spread fast at the Gullington. By the time Sophia got to Hiker’s office in the Castle, it seemed that most knew the brand-new news.
“She’s a girl?” Hiker asked when Sophia entered his study, the guys all peering around him, gawking out the window.
There would be no mistaking that Alina was a female even at a distance. She was beautiful, and when she changed from the baggy clothes she’d been wearing, Sophia suspected she’d show a lot of curves.
“She’s a woman,” Sophia corrected. “Have you all been staring out the window the entire time?”
“We wanted to see what you were up to since I had a suspicion it was something naughty,” Evan replied.
“You knew she was a woman?” Hiker turned and put his back to the window.
Sophia nodded. “Liv worked with her father, Fane, and had spoken about his daughter Alina.”
Hiker sighed and strode over to his desk. “So her name isn’t Alex?”
Mama Jamba clicked her tongue while flipping through a magazine that specialized in luggage. “You really are obtuse sometimes, son.” She pointed at the Elite globe in the corner. “A simple look at that would have told you that her name was Alina after she arrived at the Gullington.”
He glanced at the Elite globe. “I didn’t think to study that for dragonriders that are under the Castle’s roof. I’ve been a little preoccupied with settling disputes the Rogue Riders started and planning a wedding.”
“That last part I never thought I’d hear you say, sir,” Evan confessed, leaning against the bookcase and giving Hiker a proud look. “Our leader is all grown up and going off on his own.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Hiker seethed, pinning his hands on his desk.
“Do you think Ainsley will stay in her quarters after you’re married?” Evan teased. “I hear that’s the best way to preserve marriage relationships. Lots and lots of boundaries. And no sha
ring a bathroom. Or covers. Or holidays.”
Wilder shook his head. “Trin caught herself a real romantic.”
“She really did,” Evan gushed.
Wilder laughed. “I think the best way for you especially to preserve your relationship with another person, Evan, is not to be around them. The less of you, the better, I’ve always found.”
“Can we not talk about Evan’s bad relationship?” Hiker looked at Sophia. “When were you going to tell me that one of my riders was masquerading as a boy and lying about her name?”
“I wasn’t,” Sophia answered simply.
“That insubordination has to be grounds for termination, sir,” Evan pleaded.
Hiker ignored him. “If you know something about one of my riders, Sophia, I expect you to tell me.”
“It wasn’t my business to tell, and it should have zero bearing on how you treat her,” Sophia argued.
“She was lying to me!” Hiker boomed, pointing out the window to the Expanse where the newbie dragonriders were training in the snow.
“Because she feared that you’d treat her differently,” Sophia stated, her tone calm and voice low, the opposite of Hiker’s. “The fact that you think it was important proves her point.”
He rolled his eyes. “I won’t treat her differently. Just like I never treated you differently.”
Wilder and Evan both burst into laughter but quickly covered their mouths, trying to hide their reaction.
“What?” Hiker growled.
“Nothing, sir,” Evan said between his fits of laughter. “It’s only that I never thought you were the type of person to lie to yourself.”
Hiker narrowed his eyes at him. “I didn’t treat Sophia differently.”
“You nearly fainted when a girl dragonrider popped into the Castle the first time,” Wilder explained and sat next to Mama Jamba.
“I would have liked to have seen that.” The old woman appeared amused.
Wilder nodded. “Then over the next several months, Hiker didn’t know what to do when this LA girl showed up for meals wearing…” He snapped his fingers as if trying to remember something. “What’s that stuff called?”
“Color?” Sophia supplied with a laugh and glanced at their leader. “They’re right, sir. You went back and forth between acting scared of me to treating me with kid gloves.”
“You’ll also remember that you defied me at every turn, insisted on getting cases and that we should be doing more as the Dragon Elite,” Hiker countered.
“Again, grounds for firing, sir,” Evan sang.
“My point,” Sophia began, “is that Alina hid the fact that she’s a woman because she didn’t want you or the others treating her differently. She’s one of only three dragonriders in history that’s female. It’s a relatively new concept, and old ways are hard to shake. Dragonriders for centuries have always been men. When it came to sharing the information about her being a werewolf, I explained that. So if it’s important, I will always share it with you.”
Hiker nodded, accepting this.
“A female werewolf dragonrider.” Evan sounded impressed. “Man, that’s one hell of a conversation starter.” He tilted his head back and forth and pretended to flip his imaginary long brown hair off his shoulder. “Why yes, I’m one of only three known female dragonriders in history.” He batted his eyelashes. “Oh, and I happen to be a werewolf too.” Glancing at his nails, he grinned. “Why no, there’s nothing else interesting about me. I believe that’s enough.”
“Her father is the leader of the werewolf pack in Lupei, the birthplace of the werewolves, making him the most powerful one on the planet,” Sophia offered.
“Damn it.” Evan shook his head. “Why couldn’t my parents be more interesting? They were only farmers.”
“I happen to think that farmers are wonderful and necessary people,” Mama Jamba commented, still flipping through her magazine and eyeing a piece of luggage with cheetah print.
“Did you know?” Hiker asked, looking at the old woman.
Mother Nature glanced up from her magazine. “Well, of course, I did. I agree with Sophia that it wasn’t her place to tell, and you do treat women differently.”
“They are different,” he seethed.
“True,” Mama Jamba chirped. “As long as you celebrate those differences rather than making it a competition, then I approve. The different genders were created that way to achieve balance and harmony.”
“So you didn’t create women to give me a headache?” Evan joked.
“No, but you were specifically created to give the rest of us a headache,” Wilder teased.
Hiker, apparently having met his threshold of the guys’ usual antics, snapped his fingers. “Let’s focus. I’ve had some interesting news that points to evidence that the Rogue Riders are behind most, if not all of the disputes that started globally.”
“News?” Mahkah asked. “You mean evidence that will support our assumptions?”
He nodded.
“Oh, I see my investigating paid off,” Evan bragged, puffing out his chest.
Hiker pointed at Sophia. “One of her secret contacts found evidence that proved that various Rogue Riders set up the disputes, planting incriminating and bogus evidence.”
“What contacts?” Evan questioned. “I think this is important and relevant information that you should confide in us straight away.”
“No,” Sophia stated at once, knowing that Evan would tease her mercilessly if she confessed she got most of her secret information from Brownies and a fairy godmother. It was better if he came up with his own wrong ideas on the subject. “Lee, my water treatment expert, also found evidence of dragon prints at the site in Asia, so I think it’s safe to say the Rogue Riders have been trying to create problems.”
“I suspect the problems were meant for us to fix, rather than about causing general turmoil for the world,” Hiker explained.
“Yes, from everything we’ve seen, Versalee is calculated,” Mahkah observed. “She wouldn’t do this simply to create chaos, but rather for a strategic reason.”
Evan sighed. “What’s up with women being all crafty? With a man, you get what you see. A woman tells you she’s happy when she’s sad. Then she says she doesn’t want anything for her birthday when she does. Why can’t you all be direct?”
Wilder shook his head. “Please tell me you didn’t not get something for Trin for her birthday?”
He shrugged. “She said she didn’t want anything.”
“Mate, you need serious help,” Wilder stated.
“The point here,” Hiker began, his tone stern, “is that we’ve now confirmed what we knew already. The Rogue Riders are creating global problems and they, specifically Versalee, have to be stopped. However, no one has seen any sign of them, which worries me.”
“That’s definitely suspicious,” Mahkah agreed.
“Yes, my contacts could only confirm that the Rogue Riders were behind the conflicts,” Sophia explained, having gotten a sparse report from Mortimer.
“What we need is to find their new location,” Hiker said, thinking. “They have to have found a new headquarters. Hiding a bunch of demon dragons isn’t easy, which makes me think that Versalee has gotten smarter and also more powerful.”
Mahkah nodded. “It would take a lot of magic to hide dragons.”
“If only we knew someone who knew exactly what was going on around the globe.” Evan combed his fingers over his chin with a twinkle in his eyes. “Like, someone who created the planet and knew it intimately.”
All eyes swiveled to Mama Jamba, who looked up absentmindedly.
“Oh, I don’t know where the Rogue Riders are,” she confessed. “I’ve been too busy.” She pointed at a page of her magazine and looked at Wilder beside her. “Do you think I should get a hard case suitcase or a softer one?”
“Mama…” Hiker said, an edge to his voice.
She nodded. “I think I can squish more into one made of fabric. It has more give
.”
“Mama…”
“Oh, son…” Mama Jamba looked up at Hiker. “I get it. You always want me to give you secrets. I hardly ever do. Yet, you want me to stick around as though I offer you all this insight when I don’t.”
“That’s not why I want you to stay at the Gullington,” he contradicted.
“Then why is it?” Mama Jamba challenged.
His gaze fell to the floor. “Because…I’ll miss you. It’s not the same without you here. When you were gone for all that time, before Sophia retrieved you, things felt incomplete.”
She beamed. “That’s nice to hear. I promise to return. I simply need to get out for a while. I’ll probably be back before you return from your honeymoon.”
“Which I’m not taking yet,” Hiker argued.
“Of course you are,” she stated. “The Dragon Elite will be fine in your absence.”
“But—”
“What’s the point in creating strong dragonriders who are supposed to save the world and not trusting them to manage in your absence?” Mama Jamba interrupted. “The sign of a good leader is to mold those who can perform well. The sign of a great leader is to mold those who can lead others.”
“We can discuss this later.” Hiker obviously realized he was losing this argument.
“No, I really don’t know where Versalee and the Rogue Riders are, son,” Mama Jamba continued. “It’s impossible for me to know everything about this planet. Yes, I could try, but I think you have other ways to find the information and shouldn’t rely on me. And yes, if I don’t readily know where Versalee is, then I do suspect she’s gotten very powerful and is using strong magic.”
Hiker turned his attention to Sophia. “Can you look into this? See if you can find their location?”
“I can do it, sir,” Evan offered before Sophia could respond.
Wilder threw his arms up. “In the meantime, we’ll all grow old and watch wars break out again.”
