Surprise lit his face, and he said, "You're a Prime, wow. I didn't believe it, but… you are. That's really, really rare for females."
I shrugged. "Okay, so I've heard."
"There's only one other Prime that I know of…" He trailed off, looking at the books. "That's why you're here, isn't it? To get answers… I take it the other rumors are true?"
"What rumors?"
"That you're new to the Dragonborn," he pulled a notebook from his bag.
I didn't answer.
According to outward appearances, Logan seemed friendly and trustworthy. But something about him made me uneasy. Maybe he was too good looking, or too familiar or too nice—or perhaps it was none of these at all.
Aaraeth? What's different about Logan? I asked.
This male is a Prime, she answered me.
I watched Logan's nicely shaped backside as he searched for another book.
So? I called out to my dragon, that means he has a dragon?
Trussssst yourssssself, she hissed by way of explanation.
Trust myself? I didn't understand. Why did Aaraeth have to talk in riddles?
Shaking it off, I smiled when Logan offered me a thick leather-bound beast of a book.
I ran my fingers over the smooth cover.
"I don't see a name, what's this book called?" I asked.
He shrugged and shook his head. "I'm sure it has one, but it's worn away."
"Should I be touching this? Should I use gloves or something?" I pointed to the box of cotton gloves on the counter.
He laughed. "No, it's okay."
Opening the book, I smiled at the ancient handwritten words scrawled onto the paper. The tomb smelled like dark chocolate—earthy and deep.
I began to scan the first pages, but there was no index, so I opted to start reading. Struggling with the long curving script, I heaved out a breath and realized that Logan still stood behind me.
Reaching around me, his body brushed my ponytail. "What exactly are you looking for? If I knew what you wanted to know, I could find it for you. I've studied this section backward and forward."
Without even asking, he flipped through several pages until he stopped at the beginning of a chapter, The birth of Primes.
Turning around, I found myself way too close to Captain America. The scent of detergent from his sweater filled my nose as he backed away from me, and sat down in his own chair.
Logan studied me before speaking, "There are a lot of rumors going around about you. Some say that you have no dragon, others that you're a prime like me—which I now know is true."
"Yeah, Aaraeth might have mentioned it."
"Rumors are that you've bonded with Miss Bryant's boyfriend. But, my dragon says the bond isn't complete." He laughed, a low rumbling sound.
I looked back at the book, uncomfortable with the way he casually brought up Ashe.
When he breathed out another laugh. "Wow. That's crazy. So, Carrick didn't complete the bond?" I lifted my head to meet his eye. "You know, just because you're bonded with him, that doesn't mean you have to seal it. You understand that, right? You still have free will, and a bond doesn't mean you'll be happy with him."
I chewed my lip, both disturbed and also relieved by his words.
"I mean, Carrick is a good guy, so I've heard, but in the end, the choice is really yours." He shrugged.
"What do you mean the choice is mine? Doesn't the choice belong to both of us?"
He shook his head. "No. You're the only prime female in a long time."
"How many female Primes are there?"
"I don't know. Maybe three, four in the world... . A male prime needs only one Prime parent, but a female needs both parents to be a Prime."
Frowning, I shook my head. "That's not possible. My dad's not even Dragonborn."
Logan gave me an incredulous expression and shrugged. He then tapped the open pages of the book before me. "It's in this book. I mean, look at my sister Becca, she doesn't even have a dragon, and she's from one Prime. Imagine the power of two Prime parents? Do you know what someone would do to ensure even one Prime child? If rumors are true and Ashe Carrick did leave Miss Bryant—then maybe it wasn't for the reasons people think."
Realization dawned on me. "Wait a minute, are you saying Ashe only wants me because I'm a Prime?"
"For his family, maybe. I don't know. I don't know his intentions, but if I'd have bonded with you," he leaned closer to me, bracketing me into the curved wooden seat, "then the bond would've been completed by now."
My insides clenched at the way his eyes roved over me hungrily.
Get away from him! Aaraeth growled.
Forcing myself to take even breaths, I cooly met Logan's eyes.
Part of me wanted to stay to see what Captain America might do. But another part of me agreed with Aaraeth.
No matter how enticing or how good-looking Logan was, the fact remained that he wasn't Ashe. Pushing my chair backward, I stood up out of his reach and grabbed my backpack.
"Thanks for your help... I... I need to grab some lunch," I reasoned, before turning to leave.
Logan stood and watched me. "See you later. Let me know if you need any more help."
12
Rushing up through the library and out into the main school building, I followed my steps to my after-lunch class for the Tuesday Thursday schedule.
Another new class, except today, I was prepared for the snide remarks. Entering the room with my guard up, I made my way to the professor's desk, Dr. Weaver. She pointed to my assigned seat and gave me a thick spiral-bound book.
As I slid into my desk, Logan's words fluttered through my head.
Both parents need to be a prime.
That was impossible…
Unless my dad was Dragonborn and just didn't know it.
Or…
My dad wasn't my dad.
I shook off that crazy notion. Of course, my dad was my dad.
But doubts began to flutter through my mind. We were both blond, but his eyes were a different color blue.
That's not strange, I told myself I look like my mom.
Dad always said, "You look just like your mom."
Because in truth, there wasn't much of a resemblance between him and I. Dad had thick fingers and short toes, and I had long bony fingers and toes.
I hid my face in my arms on the desk.
Stop it! I told myself, Just stop!
Honestly, it didn't matter because George Miller would always be my dad, blood or not.
For fuck’s sake! He has to be my dad!
Chewing my lip, I shook my head. Good grief!
In an attempt to pull myself out of my downward spiral, I focused on Dr. Weaver and realized that I finally had a class that I wanted to be in.
Dragon History.
Dr. Weaver stood by the chalkboard and pulled down an artistic map of a location I didn't recognize. Holding a long pointer, she tapped on a grouping of houses and miniature castles. The map was worn, and yellowed with age. The writing was hand drawn in intricate script.
"Last time we spoke of the battle of Point. Today we're going to talk about Prime Anca and Laurentiu. We learned that they and their knights had lost the battle of Point, and Prime Marin had taken control of the village and killed Anca's bond-mate Prime Laurentiu. Do any of you remember your lessons about Dragon bonds?"
Some of the class giggled at her question like little kids, and I rolled my eyes.
The professor's eyes strayed to me but quickly swept away. Motioning to the back, she called on a red-haired boy who'd raised his hand.
"They're like a marriage," He said.
She shook her head. "Kind of, but there's no divorce from a bond mate. If your parents are Wyverns, they might have a Dragon bond. But these bonds among Primes are rare."
"I thought Primes can't have Dragon bonds," hollered a Harrow girl who hadn't waited to be called on.
"No, Primes can have a bond. Today we're going to talk about a real Drag
on bond that was broken. There are many legends about bonded pairs, such as the two having magical abilities and control over others, but those are just myths." She smiled and pointed back to another spot on the map. "Let's go back to Anca and Laurentiu—their bond was broken when Laurentiu was killed in battle. Prime Marin took Anca back to his home at Lockgras Wells and formed a new bond with her. After that, she had six more children with Marin. Do you know what happened to her other three children from Laurentiu?"
"Miss Miller?" She called on me even though I hadn't raised my hand.
"Uh... they lived with their new family?" I suggested.
She shook her head. "No, the two males were killed. But the female was valuable to Prime Marin even though she wasn't his own. She would be used to create alliances, but only after she was loyal to him, which is why he raised her as his own daughter."
Her gaze lingered on me a beat too long before moving on.
I wanted to ask questions, but as Dr. Weaver began to lecture on more battles, we quickly were past the topic of Prime children and bond pairs.
My mother Celine must have been a Prime, and my grandmother. What other relatives were out there, besides Ms. Moorhead?
There seemed to be so many "primes" floating around, why did everyone act like there were so few?
After class ended, I strode through the hallway to my next lesson, but my mind was filled with Dr. Weaver's story and questions about my dad. What made Primes so special, and why were they always the rulers? None of this made sense to me. I didn't feel like having a dragon made me any better than any of the other Dragonborn or even humans for that matter.
Then there had been my strange encounter with Becca's brother, Captain America. Why would he try to make me doubt Ashe?
Logan had flirted with me in that non-flirt type of way. Reaching around me until his body touched mine. Brushing past as if to reach for something.
Becca's brother was nice and helpful, but even Aaraeth felt uneasy about him.
Sure, I'd been nervous with Ashe, but in a sexy, anticipatory kind of way.
The following class was one I had every day, and I settled into my seat.
Algebra.
I'd done the work and understood the basic concept, so instead of paying attention, I pulled out my phone. I hid it with my arm and typed back to Ashe.
* * *
Sorry for taking so long to write you back. I had to think about what you said. I guess I'll start at the beginning. My full name is Sydney Elizabeth Miller. I am sixteen and a half, my birthday is September 2nd. I am a US citizen, but I've never lived in one place longer than two years. I grew up all over the world because my dad is a scientist who studies disease vectors. So, I've helped him dig up permafrost in several places, catch mice, rats, bats, and insects just to find new diseases that might affect humans.
Okay, that's probably super boring for you.
I've never gone to school until Balaur. The only reason I'm here is that my dad and I were in a motorcycle accident. I walked away with just scratches, but dad has a head injury. It's pretty bad, and I've been freaking out ever since. They placed him in a coma to recover. Anyway, Elise came to Vietnam, told me I was her granddaughter, provided proof to the authorities, and made me go with her. I don't even know the Lamberts, and I had no idea that I had any living family before that day.
The worst part about this situation is that my dad's alone in the hospital. I've called to check on him, but it's complicated.
Anyway, why wasn't I at the academy? Like I said, I didn't know about the Dragonborn. The ritual was a complete surprise, as well. Also, how does the world not know about dragons?
Elijah said that he'd run away like you did because I'm a Lambert and Orthodox. I don't get that.
I'm thinking about leaving. I want to go. Half the students ignore me, and the other half are downright mean.
Here are more questions—someone told me that both parents need to be primes to have a female prime. Is this true?
Also, I've been told that we don't have to finish the bond. Is that what you want?
I hope that you're doing well wherever you're at.
To be honest, I miss you too. You're the only person I feel I can trust.
- Sydney
* * *
Biting my lip, I didn't even read through it again before sending it.
Class drug on and on, boredom set in, and when I tried to pay attention, my mind wandered again. I knew all this stuff anyway.
Then an email from Ashe came through, I opened it immediately.
* * *
I'm sorry about your dad. If you send me the name of the hospital, I'll check on him for you.
You can always trust and count on me.
I want the bond, how could either of us not want it? I can't imagine feeling like that with anyone else, can you? I know you're young, and that does worry me, but you seem a lot older than you are—for the record. (Maybe it's because you've only been around adults.) I don't know about bonds like this because no one that I know of has experienced one. I mean, dragon bonds in Wyverns are normal, but dragon bonds in Primes are unusual. I guess we'll have to see if we come into any special abilities, right? Speaking of which—are you having strange dreams?
About female Primes: Yes, both of your parents should've been Primes as far as I know. However, it sounds like your dad isn't Dragonborn, so... maybe I'm wrong. Ask Dr. Weaver or Headmistress Angeven. If anyone can answer your questions, it's them.
Last but not least—do not leave the academy. I know that you're safe there. I'm sorry about the students who are being mean to you.
It's probably because of my history with Lacy. I should have explained it to you back in the cave. Lacy is a popular teacher there. She was a popular student with the teachers, but I'm sure she wouldn't want others to treat you like that. The fact is that I will always have feelings for Lacy, but I don't have a bond with her. Do you understand?
She would always be second to you.
Remember to message me the name of the hospital and your dad's full name.
Cheer up. Balaur Academy is a great place to be. You should try to enjoy your time there.
- Ashe
* * *
The email was a lot to process, and when the bell rang, it startled me. The next few class periods went by in a blur of activity. Yet in the back of my mind, I thought of Ashe's email, dad, and the bond. He'd always have feelings for Lacy.
When my classes ended, my mind still swirling with contemplations about my situation, I walked straight to the library.
My stomach growled in protest, but my mind gnawed at me even worse, taking precedence.
I looked for the book I'd been shown by Logan during lunch in the basement, but it was gone. Searching the space, I guessed that he'd put it back up.
However, my mind was a mess, and I couldn't even remember where the stupid book had come from. I rested my head in my hands for a moment, before pulling out my laptop to reread Ashe's email. I'd already messaged him my dad's name and the hospital's name earlier, but now I needed to write a real reply.
* * *
You've given me a lot to think about. I feel like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, only instead of dwarves and witches, there are dragons and soul bonds. I'm not trying to belittle our bond, I'm just trying to find my footing.
I messaged you all my dad's information earlier, did you get it? I'm the only person in the world that my dad has. Sure, he has friends, but they don't know what's happened to him or where he is.
I feel like you're the type of guy to have a plan for our situation. So, what are we going to do? I can't stay here. I don't want to be here. You told me to stay, but I need to know that it's for a good reason and not to just have a good time.
Also, yes, I had a very intense dream involving you. Aaraeth says it's because of the bond. We can't be dreaming the same thing, can we?
TTYL
-Sydney
* * *
Twisting my mother
's ring around my finger, I thought of my dream last night, and my body began to ache.
Trying to shake off that feeling, I turned my attention to more pressing matters—my dad. Composing an email, I sent it to several of his friends. I detailed the accident, and what hospital my dad was at. His on and off girlfriend, Lori, lived in Denmark. She was a fellow researcher who sometimes worked the same projects as dad. I sent an email to her as well.
My next matter was to figure out exactly where I was. I suspected somewhere on the west coast of America, roughly along the Canadian and US border. I'd flown into Seattle with my grandmother, and then she'd walked me to a second smaller flight that landed in a town I didn't remember. I'd been so tired and overwhelmed that I couldn't recall the name. From there, I met up with a woman who walked me to the small plane. I should have paid more attention, but at the time I thought it didn't matter.
Opening up google maps, I tried to pinpoint my location.
"Oh my God," I whispered after flicking between the satellite and map view. I literally was in the middle of nowhere, and the darn marker for my location kept flicking between Idaho, British Columbia, and Washington state.
Pursing my lips, I searched the map, but I couldn't remember the town's name where the regional airport had been. Was it Spokane?
Aaraeth? I called out into the void of my mind. Where did she go when she was silent?
Yesssssss, came her cautious reply.
Did you see the email Ashe sent?
Yessssss. I'm here, always here.
You're in my head, do you know all my thoughts? I asked her curiously.
She hesitated. Most of them. Why do you ask me this?
I licked my lips.
Aaraeth spoke first. You and I are tied to one another for life by a soul bond. I am your guardian and friend. You should always be honest with me because in a sense, you and I are the same.
I nodded in agreement. Well, I want to leave this place.
Cracked Open: The Dragon Born Academy Page 11
