“Why did a tattoo appear on my ankle with your name on it?”
He leaned back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re lying. Why?”
He was so infuriating. She barely talked to him at all, and when she finally asked him a question he could answer, he clammed up.
“Did you talk to your sister?”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “Yep. She was a little vague.”
“I think you should talk to her again.”
“Why? The name on my ankle is Valentine, not Aspen.”
“Because she can explain it better than I can.”
Hazel was confused. “How does she know about it?”
“Ask her.”
“I did. She said to ask you.” Hazel hated being left in the dark. Both Val and Aspen were hiding what they really knew. They tried to play dumb, but Hazel saw right through them.
“Maybe none of us really understand what they mean.”
“Then why didn’t you just say that instead of being evasive.”
“Because we have suspicions. But I don’t want to scare you with suspicions.”
Now they were getting somewhere. If Hazel kept him talking, she might actually get the answers she sought.
A humming noise came from in front of her. Hazel strained her ears. It was the wedding march. Who would be humming the wedding march? After a few seconds, she realized that it was coming from underneath the seat in front of her. Runa. Hazel kicked the carrier. Not hard, just enough to let Runa knew she was out of line. Runa responded with a loud, “Ow,” and then a growl. Thankfully Hazel was pretty sure that only she and Val could hear it. Maybe the person whose seat she was under, but he didn’t turn around or anything, so perhaps they got lucky.
Hazel crossed her arms. “Suspicions are better than nothing.”
Val squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Do you have one too?”
“You mean a mark on my ankle?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded. Hazel wondered what it looked like. Over that past few days, she’d grown to really like hers. It was beautiful.
“So tell me. Why do you think we have the marks?”
“I don’t know. It just happens sometimes around the dragons. Aspen has a better understanding, but even she seems as lost as the rest of us.”
Hazel was pretty sure he was lying. This mystery was huge, but with the search for Rowan, she couldn’t give it too much thought, but as soon as they found him and brought him back home safely, she’d get to the bottom of this.
She leaned closer to him, figuring she’d give this one last shot. “If I kiss you again, will another one appear?”
Val blinked at her. Then he shook his head.
“Fine. Don’t tell me.” She’d given him every opportunity to explain. She’d even offered him the one thing she knew he’d wanted since they arrived in Montana. Then again, maybe he didn’t. Maybe she’d just been thinking he wanted more, but he didn’t, and here she was throwing herself at him like a fool.
She pulled out her phone, put on her headphones, and turned on the music. She looked out the window, and they didn’t say another word to each other the rest of the flight.
But she did let him hold her hand as they landed.
VAL WAS FRUSTRATED. He’d had her talking on the airplane, and then she went prickly because he wouldn’t tell her about the mark. How could he? Every time he opened his mouth he was afraid he’d tell her too much. For a second he thought about telling her everything. But he couldn’t risk her running. He needed her to really want to be with him first. Otherwise she could get scared, and he might never see her again.
At least that was what Aspen said.
And so far Aspen was usually right.
Val waited with Runa while Hazel rented the car. He felt so helpless as a human. He didn’t know how to do things most of them took for granted. Like driving. When Hazel started talking to him again, he’d ask her to teach him.
She waved him over, and he followed her outside.
“Sid booked the car. I had no idea he loved me so much,” she said with a grin.
“What do you mean?”
“Because we’re driving that.” She pointed to the car in front of them. It was a pretty blue.
“It’s missing the top half,” Val said.
“Yep. Convertible. Come on.”
She tossed her backpack into the back and jumped into the driver’s seat.
He put Runa’s carrier on the backseat and eased himself down into the passenger side.
“Can I come out now?” Runa asked.
“We need to get out of the airport first. You still have to hide, but you won’t have to ride in the carrier.”
“I want to see the ocean.”
“Runa, we came here to find my brother. If we have time after that, we’ll take you to the ocean, but for now, we’re heading inland. We’ve got a couple hours’ drive. We’ll stop at the gas station and get some snacks. I’ll let you out then, but you may need to sit on the floor so no one sees you.”
Something about the convertible changed Hazel. She was happy, excited. She chattered as they drove. Mostly about silly things. He was comfortable, and if he let himself forget he was supposed to be winning her over, he almost relaxed.
They drove up a winding mountain road, and the scenery started to change. The trees got taller and air cooler. Hazel handed the park ranger a card, and he waved her on in.
“We’ll go to the main visitor center first, and then we’ll fan out to the outer ones. Do you have the pictures?”
As soon as she put the car into park, he handed her a picture Aspen had taken of Rowan and Skye together. They looked like a happy couple. Hazel creased her eyebrows when she saw the picture.
“What’s wrong?”
“I guess I’ve never seen Rowan so happy before. And Aspen was right. Skye’s a knockout.”
Val shrugged and held Hazel’s gaze. “I’ve seen prettier.”
She blushed, and he was pleased he got a reaction out of her. She focused her attention on Runa.
“You ready?”
“Yes. I’m so tired of hiding.”
They took Runa’s carrier out into the woods where no one could see them. They let her out, and she stretched out her wings. Val watched as she changed her body to a bright yellow.
“Can I pass for a river dragon?”
Val nodded.
Hazel crouched down. “I know you’re excited to be somewhere new, but it’s very important that you look for Rowan and Skye.”
“I care about them too, you know.” Runa flapped her wings.
Hazel stood. “Meet us back here when it gets dark.”
She took off, and Hazel and Val headed back to the visitor center.
They asked the rangers and guests if they’d seen Skye and Rowan, but everyone shook their heads. After an hour, they made their way across the parking lot to the general store. The sun was dipping low in the sky, and Val knew they’d have to find a place to stay.
They spread out, and both took a couple of pictures. A few people remarked that they’d know if they’d seen Skye. But mostly they shrugged and said no.
“Let’s get some food and a couple rooms at the lodge,” Hazel said with a frown. “Then we’ll need to go find Runa. It’s getting late.”
Hazel took Val’s hand, and they wove through the crowded aisles. Val hoped his hand wouldn’t sweat too much. A little girl ran in front of him, and as he dodged her, he ran into a rack of keychains and sent several scattering onto the floor. Hazel bent down to help him pick them up.
“All these people and not a single one has seen Skye or Rowan. Maybe our intel was bad.”
Val shrugged. “Maybe. We’ll keep asking. All we need is one person.”
Hazel hung up the last keychain, which said “Mary” on it. Then grabbed his hand again.
“Come on, I’m hungry.”
The store
aisles gave way to a large tiled space with tables scattered about. Every single table was full of hoodie-wearing families and hikers. They joined the line of people waiting for food.
Hazel ordered a chicken sandwich and fries, and Val asked for the same.
“Will that be everything?” the man behind the counter asked.
Hazel looked back up at the menu. “Can I get a rotisserie chicken as well?”
“You hungry?” Val asked.
“No, but Runa will be.”
“Good thinking.”
As they were paying for the food, Hazel handed the picture to the cashier.
“This is my brother and his girlfriend. They were in Yosemite last week, and we lost contact with them. Have you seen them?”
The man studied the picture for a second.
“Yeah. I have. They were in here yesterday getting food. But the boy didn’t have any glasses on. They looked a little rough around the edges. Like they’d been camping for a while.”
Hazel’s eyes lit up. “Did they give you any indication of where they might be staying?”
The man shook his head. “But they were definitely here.”
“If you see them again, will you call me?” Hazel took a pad of Post-its out of her backpack and scrawled her number on it. Val admired her ability to think quickly. He still was so unsure of himself. In human form anyway.
“Sure thing,” the man said with a nod.
They carried away their food. “Let’s eat before we get a room. I don’t want the food getting cold.” They sat at a picnic table near the lodge and discussed possibilities as they ate.
“They’re probably in a campground in the park. They wouldn’t come all the way in here to get food if they were camping outside the park.” Hazel studied the map. “We’ll hit up all the campgrounds tomorrow and see if we can find them. We’re close. I can feel it.” She stared up at Val, and his heart beat faster. “Is Skye really in danger?”
Val nodded. “There’s a list of seven people who could be killed. Two of them are already dead.” Val hated to think that his dad was on that list as well. He’d just found him and didn’t want his time to be cut short.
Hazel’s shoulders drooped. “They probably wouldn’t hesitate to kill Rowan either, would they?”
“No, they wouldn’t.” Val hated thinking about the possibilities of his own survival, let alone the danger all of his friends were in.
“What kind of a family do you belong to anyway?”
“A power hungry one. Let’s go get a room, and then we’ll fetch Runa.”
“We’ve got time. I want to know more about your family.”
“There’s really not much to tell.” Val wanted to tell Hazel everything. He really did. But she was just starting to open up to him. He didn’t want to scare her away.
“You’re being pretty vague.”
“My family is protective of its secrets. I can’t go telling just anyone.”
Hazel harrumphed. “I’m not just anyone. I bet Aspen knows.”
“Then ask Aspen,” Val said and gathered up his tray. He walked away from her because he knew if he kept talking, he’d tell her too much. Hazel strode past him into the lodge without a backwards glance, thoroughly peeved. Val couldn’t help but admire the view from behind. He wondered how pissed she’d be if she knew he was looking.
“WHAT DO YOU mean there’s only one room left?” Hazel gaped at the man standing behind the front desk. This was like a bad romance movie.
“Ma’am, it’s a Saturday night. You’re lucky it’s January. If it were June, there’d be no rooms left.”
Hazel scratched her head. “At least tell me it has two beds.”
The man grinned. “Yeah, it does. Here’s your key.”
Val waited in the lobby watching a family argue near the doors. Sometimes he acted completely normal, but other times it was as if he’d never been around humans at all. However, his kiss spoke of years of experience. Hazel squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. She shouldn’t think about that. Not when she was about to sleep five feet from him.
She kicked his boot to get his attention. “Hey, we’ve got a room. You ready?”
He shrugged and picked up his backpack. “That family over there, why do you think they’re fighting?”
There was a mom and a dad, two teenagers, and one toddler. The mom looked about fifteen years younger than the dad.
“I’d guess the teenagers belong to the dad and the toddler is the love child. Chances are the teens hate their new stepmother, and dad is frustrated by their insolence. This exact scene is playing out all over the nation. Though I have friends who love their stepparents.”
They walked back outside and into the darkening woods. Hazel hoped Runa would be there already. She didn’t really relish the thought of waiting out here long.
“What’s a stepparent?”
“You know, when parents get divorced and remarried. It’s quite common.”
They found the grove of trees where Runa flew off that morning. She wasn’t there. Hazel settled on the ground and leaned up against a tree. Val sat across from her.
“What’s divorce?” he asked, playing with a few pine needles on the ground.
“Divorce is where you get unmarried.” Hazel was slightly uncomfortable. She couldn’t believe he’d never even heard of divorce. It wasn’t a happy topic to discuss.
Val creased his eyebrows. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would someone get unmarried? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Lots of reasons. Mostly because they fall out of love. They grow apart and want a chance to love again.” Hazel always figured if she got married, she’d end up divorced. Good thing she was never going to do such a thing.
“How do people fall out of love?”
Hazel snorted. “It happens. Trust me. I’m glad too, or I’d still be pining over Teddy.”
“Maybe you never loved him in the first place.”
“No, it hurt bad. If that wasn’t love, I don’t want to know what it feels like to fall in love and get crushed.” Hazel studied him. “You’re telling me you’ve never known anyone who’s gotten married and then divorced?”
“No, but then again, my circle was small.”
“Well, what happened if someone died? Would they get remarried then?”
“No, they’d live alone.” Val looked up to the sky, but it was still Runa free.
“That sounds depressing.”
“You’re alone.”
Hazel laughed. “No, I’m not. I’m not in an exclusive relationship, but I never lack for company.”
Val frowned at her. “I hope someday you change your mind. There’s something magical about so desperately wanting to be with someone that you never tire of their company. Something magical about having your souls connected in such a way that it’s hard to see where you stop and they begin.”
Hazel blinked for a second and crossed her arms. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
He shook his head. “No, but I’ve seen it, and I won’t settle for anything less.”
Hazel didn’t know how to respond, so she changed the subject. “Where do you think Runa is?”
Val shrugged. “Maybe she’s holed up somewhere else. I say we wait another fifteen minutes or so and then go to bed. Even if she has to sleep out here, she’ll be fine.”
“That doesn’t sound very nice. I wouldn’t want to be stuck outside.” Hazel was surprised she just defended Runa. What was happening to her?
Val stood and held out his hand for her. “She’s a dragon. She’s probably halfway to the ocean by now. But let’s walk for a little bit and see if she just has the wrong spot.”
They called her name as they stalked through the forest, but Runa didn’t respond. After a half hour, they gave up and went into the lodge. Val didn’t seem bothered by the fact that Runa was missing, but Hazel had a sinking feeling in her stomach. What if she was in trouble? In
spite of Hazel’s feelings for dragons, Runa had grown on her. She seemed almost human.
They quickly got ready for bed. Hazel lay awake for a long time that night, Val’s words about love running over and over in her head. She’d thought she was in love with Teddy, but she never felt the same way about him that she felt about Val. Maybe Val was right. She didn’t think she was missing out on anything, but now her heart ached for that kind of love he spoke of. She’d never wanted it before. What would it be like to feel like that about someone? Had she ever seen it before?
Sure. Her parents. They were united in every decision. They worked together, but they never tired of each other’s company.
A light was streaming in through the crack in the curtains, and she could see Val’s face. He was beautiful. There was no denying that. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face.
He seemed fascinated with her for some reason. She had no idea why. She was scared of falling for him though, because if she did, that would mean opening her heart up for shattering again. Maybe Val was different.
VAL WOKE EARLY the next morning. Hazel sprawled out on her bed, her hair spread everywhere and her limbs all tangled in her blanket. The conversation they had last night bothered him. Her ideas of relationships and love were completely different from his. He knew she was to be his queen, but he didn’t know how to convince her of that.
He took a shower, and when he got out, she was sitting up in bed.
“I’m going to shower real quick. Can you go check and see if Runa is sleeping in the woods?”
Val nodded. He didn’t admit it to her last night, but Runa missing bothered him as well. Sure, she was a dragon, but he didn’t think she’d just not show up when she was supposed to. She was a little ornery, but she listened when it counted.
He threw on a hoodie, hiked back to the woods, and called out for Runa. There was no response but his own voice. He searched the trees, hoping to spot anything bright yellow, but there was nothing. High up in a pine, a golden eagle watched him. He whistled and waved the eagle down. Sid had told him they would carry messages for them.
The eagle landed and bowed deeply.
Can I help you, Your Majesty?
Val froze for a second. He didn’t know if he’d ever get used to being called that. “I’m missing a friend. She’s a small river dragon. Can you put out the word that she’s missing and I want her found.”
Valentine (The Dragon Kings Book 3) Page 12
