by Rinelle Grey
She hadn’t realised how lonely she’d been, how much she’d felt she couldn’t trust anyone other than herself, until Calrian had offered her a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen.
In the back of her mind, there had always been a tiny voice saying that maybe she was wrong. Maybe Eric hadn’t been so bad, and she’d just been over-reacting. Enough people had told her she was that she had struggled to silence the doubts.
But Calrian hadn’t wavered. He’d listened and believed her. He hadn’t questioned her experience or her decisions once. In fact, he’d said it was her choice. That she knew what was best for her. That thought was almost revolutionary, even though it shouldn’t have been.
Already she felt stronger than she had in days. Like she just might be able to do this. She might be able to stand up to her father, find a job, and create a happy, satisfying life for her and Rowan.
She knew that she’d never be able to repay him for helping her believe that.
There was one thing she could do, but though her body loudly proclaimed its willingness with a jolt of desire, her mind wasn’t so ready. What she felt for him was still a messy jumble in her head, compounded by the magic of the Mesmer bond.
Sleeping with him wasn’t her only option though. There was something else. Something they’d already decided to do.
“We should go and find your family,” she said firmly.
Calrian’s eyes widened. “Now? Are you sure? There’s no rush. It can wait until you are feeling better.”
Rylee shook her head. “No. I want to do this. I want to help you as you have helped me.”
Calrian looked confused. “What did I do?”
She stared at him for a moment, but his bewildered expression was sincere. He truly had no idea.
“You listened to me, and you believed me,” she said softly. “It has been a long time since anyone has done either of those things.”
Calrian hesitated for a moment, then he took a step closer and put a hand up to her cheek. “It was no hardship. I listened to you because I wanted to hear what you had to say, and I believed you because you have never given me any reason to doubt. I am sorry that others do not see the same thing I see.”
His words took her breath away. They were the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her.
Her willpower wavered again.
She desperately wanted to sleep with him, and this time the reason had little to do with the fact that she felt she owed him or even with the desire that flooded through her from the magical bond between them.
She wanted to sleep with him because she wanted to know what it would be like to be with someone who truly cared about her. Who saw her as she really was and didn’t want to change her in any way. Who was interested in what she thought.
That lure was far more tempting than even the pull of the Mesmer bond.
And far more dangerous.
Not because of him. She trusted him to treat her well and to never try to control her as Eric had done.
No, it was herself she didn’t trust. Though she could see how she had slipped under Eric’s control slowly, bit by bit, his manipulation had been so insidious that she’d barely even noticed it. She might blame Eric, and he certainly did deserve the lion’s share of the blame, but she couldn’t deny her own responsibility. She’d given him that control, surrendered it without even a fight or protest. And she didn’t trust herself not to do it again.
She needed to keep her distance from Calrian, at least until she had grown a little herself.
By then, of course, he’d be long gone. If they found his family today, that time could come far sooner than she was ready for.
The thought saddened her.
But for some reason, resisting him, resisting the powerful draw she felt to him, made her feel more sure of herself. More powerful. More in control.
So instead of throwing herself into his arms and kissing him like she never wanted to stop, she said, “Let’s go find your family.
*****
Rylee’s heart thudded with excitement as the black cliffs ahead of them came into view.
This was it. This was her chance to repay Calrian for all that he had given her. She just hoped they were successful.
“Warrian’s Mesmer chamber is at the south end,” Calrian told her, pointing.
Rylee veered that way. There was no road out here, no bitumen anyway, just a faint track in the dirt. Unlike the stunning Wave Rock, no one came all this way to stare at the menacing black cliffs. They didn’t draw tourists or locals. There was nothing here other than dust.
“We’ll drive past first,” Calrian said, “and I’ll see if I can spot the Trima dragon. You just keep moving and circle back around the way we came in case we have to make a run for it.”
Rylee nodded, biting her lip in concentration as she drove towards the towering cliffs. She tried to keep her focus on where she was driving, but she couldn’t help glancing towards the cliffs, searching for a dragon, bracing for lightning hurtling towards her, and trying to see where Calrian’s brother might be.
Luckily the area around was flat and bare, with nothing to run into. Still, she swerved a little closer to the cliffs than she would have liked. She didn’t need Calrian’s, “Careful,” to urge her to turn further away.
“I can see him, the Trima dragon.” Calrian’s voice was low, almost as though he was afraid the other dragon might hear him, even though they couldn’t be that close.
Rylee stared out the window again, but couldn’t see anything even resembling a dragon.
“He’s up on top of the cliff,” Calrian told her. “You won’t be able to see him, he’s well hidden, but I can sense him, so I know where to look. We’re in luck though, I think he’s asleep. Circle around, and I’ll watch to see if he moves.”
Rylee turned away from the cliffs in a large circle, coming back in again near where she’d started.
Calrian didn’t make a sound, and his face was a picture of concentration. Rylee didn’t dare say anything. She didn’t want to interrupt him. Or the other dragon to hear her. Although the car had to be far louder than her voice.
Her heart, beating at a thousand beats a minute, wasn’t quiet either. She was surprised Calrian didn’t tell her to make it beat more quietly.
But he just watched intently for a few moments before saying, “Pull up, over there.” He pointed to a spot in the shadow of the cliffs.
Rylee pulled up as indicated and was about to turn the key when Calrian said, “No, keep it running. Cutting out the sound will alert him more than it continuing. Wait here, and be ready to flee if something goes wrong.”
Rylee bit her lip and nodded. She wanted to go with Calrian, to help him, but she was also terrified to leave the car. So she waited inside, hardly daring to breathe, as Calrian gathered up the tools she’d found and stepped out into the dust. He stared up at the cliffs above intently for a few moments. Then he turned and headed into the shadows.
Chapter 22
Calrian stared at the lock protecting his brother’s Mesmer chamber. To touch it, he would have to reach through the life magic that protected the chamber, protected his brother. But he took heart from the fact that it was still intact. That suggested that his brother was still inside.
Didn’t it?
The trouble was, as soon as he touched the barrier, there was a good chance the Trima dragon above would sense his presence. His own magic level was still low, it was true, but Calrian wasn’t sure it was low enough that he wouldn’t be recognised as a dragon, especially not after that long cuddle he’d had with Rylee just before they’d arrived.
There was only one way to find out. He reached out, feeling the magic surge through him as his fingers brushed the invisible barrier. Calrian stared up, craning his neck, even though he knew it was impossible for him to see the enemy dragon from this angle.
He didn’t need to. The ear-splitting screech told him all he needed to know. The Trima dragon wouldn’t have given
his position away to anyone but another dragon.
Calrian hesitated, his heart thudding.
He would have time. With the tools Rylee had given him, he was pretty sure he could be inside before the Trima dragon could fly down to him.
But that would leave Rylee unprotected. The thought sent Calrian’s whole body cold.
And it would ultimately achieve nothing. It wouldn’t take the Trima dragon long to realise that she was human, not a dragon, and it would be back before he and Warrian could escape from the Mesmer chamber. Neither of them would be at full strength, not even half strength.
They had no hope of taking on the Trima dragon, even both of them together.
He had no choice but to leave.
Rylee was gesturing frantically for him to hurry, glancing up at the cliffs as the Trima dragon swooped down.
Calrian took one last look at his brother’s resting place. It was so hard to leave when he was so close, but continuing would only endanger them both. At least if the barrier were still intact, his brother would be safe.
That thought propelled Calrian to move. He ran to the car, pulling open the door and shouting, “Go,” even as he climbed inside.
Rylee didn’t need to be told twice. The car was already moving as Calrian swung the door shut. He twisted in the seat, watching as the Trima dragon plunged down, angling past the Mesmer chamber to check that it was still shut, before following the car.
That split second bought them some time. Enough that they were several hundred metres from the cliffs before it started chasing them.
It wasn’t enough.
The car didn’t drive as fast on the rough dirt roads as it did on the smooth bitumen. The Trima dragon was on their tail, its roar reverberating through the metal body of the vehicle. It was angry.
Calrian had made a mistake. Possibly a fatal one.
The whole car rattled and shook on the rough road as Rylee urged greater and greater speed from it.
Until a loud crack sounded, and the whole car lit up.
Calrian threw himself over Rylee as though he thought he could somehow protect her from the Trima dragon’s lightning. She squealed, pulling her legs up and tucking her hands into her body.
“Don’t touch the metal,” she told Calrian.
He had no idea how that would help, but either way, he wasn’t letting go of her. They were both still alive, but he wasn’t sure for how long. The glow from the lightning bolt had faded, but Calrian knew there were more coming.
Without input from Rylee, the vehicle began to slow, the jolting only increasing.
“Let me go, we have to keep moving,” Rylee said, shaking him off.
Calrian didn’t want to. He was the one who had put her in danger, he should be the one protecting her. The trouble was, he didn’t know how. The only one who could help them escape this was Rylee, and he needed to let her, even if it was risky.
Reluctantly, Calrian released her, and she put her hands to the wheel and her feet back on the pedals. The lightning had dissipated, but more was sure to be coming any second now.
And there was nothing Calrian could do to stop it. His water magic, even if he could find the energy to summon it, would only channel the lightning back to them.
As Rylee pushed the car back up to speed, dark clouds began to gather overhead. Lightning and thunder crackled in the air, though no more of it hit them directly. Calrian could feel the water gathering in the air, though rain wasn’t falling. Why? He knew the Trima dragon could make it rain, so why wasn’t he?
Did he realise Calrian was a water dragon and think he’d be more powerful if it rained? But he must know about water’s effect on lightning just as much as Calrian did. The lightning dragon surely realised that the decreased visibility would slow them down and make it easier to catch them.
Of course, it would make it harder for the Trima dragon too. It couldn’t see in the rain any more than they could. It could make it rain, but it couldn’t manipulate the water.
This could be their one chance.
“Is it doing that?” Rylee asked, her voice tight.
“Yes,” Calrian said. “Can you keep driving if it rains?”
Rylee glanced around, then pursed her lips. “I’m certainly not going to stop. There’s nothing to hit, so we don’t have much to lose.”
Calrian nodded, feeling determination welling up in him.
The clouds gathered ominously, but no rain fell, only thunder and lightning crackled around them. The dragon swooped in over them, dancing above their heads. Playing with them. It thought it had them right where it wanted them.
It clearly had no idea Calrian was a water dragon.
Taking a deep breath, Calrian drew on all the reserves he could summon, glad now, for that cuddle with Rylee earlier. He craned his neck, looking up at the clouds above, sensing the water vapour gathering in them. He focused on that water, his brow furrowing in concentration, forcing and smashing the water molecules together until they couldn’t resist.
Huge raindrops began to fall, plopping in loud, isolated splashes on the car and the road around them. More and more of them fell until the water was like a curtain in front of them. Lightning crashed through the rain, echoed by a frustrated roar from the Trima dragon, more distant now. Its visibility was impeded as much as theirs. It could no longer fly under the clouds, the rain was too heavy. And from above, it couldn’t see them through the rain and the thick cloud cover.
Calrian’s magic gave out then, and he slumped into the seat in exhaustion. He’d only managed to do that much because the rain had already been close to falling. He’d had just enough power to encourage it and no more.
Hopefully it would be enough.
Rylee drove on through the rain, even though she could barely see more than a few feet in front of her. She must be guessing where she was driving. Calrian hoped she was right.
He lifted himself in the seat enough to stare behind them, but there was no sign of the lightning dragon through the rain. He heard a distant, angry screech. Then nothing.
A few moments later they were driving through bright sunshine, the only evidence of the storm the raindrops around the edge of the windscreen where the wipers didn’t reach.
“Did we lose it?” Rylee asked, her voice breathless.
Calrian stared behind them at the clouds rolling away, squinting against the light, but he could see no sign of the lightning dragon. “I think so.”
It had likely returned to guard his brother’s Mesmer chamber again.
Rylee didn’t say anything else, but she kept glancing over at him every few minutes. “Are you okay?”
Calrian shrugged.
What was there to say? His brother was still probably inside the chamber, but on his own, Calrian had little hope of waking him.
“If you were at full strength, could you beat that dragon?” Rylee asked, as though guessing the turn his thoughts had taken.”
Calrian wanted to say yes. He wanted to turn around and tear that dragon limb from limb then rescue his brother.
But the truth was, he couldn’t.
“Lightning magic is far more powerful than water. In a straight out fight, I would be no match for him.” His voice was dull. Hopeless.
Rylee put a hand on his knee. “We’ll find a way,” she promised.
As though it were that easy.
Even the heat he felt from the Mesmer bond, though it warmed him and helped his energy begin to return, did little to ease the helplessness he was feeling.
Calrian knew there wasn’t a way to safely wake them. Not without the support of his clan. But his clan was gone, and he had no idea how to find them.
Rylee drove back to her home in silence.
Chapter 23
Rylee felt helpless as Calrian sat down on the lounge and stared off into space. He looked so lost and despondent, she desperately wanted to do something to help. She just had no idea what.
She sat down beside him and put a hand on his knee. “Ca
lrian?”
He looked up at her, his eyes bleak. “There’s nothing I can do to help them.”
He sounded so lost, and Rylee’s heart ached for him.
“What if…” she searched for any possibilities, then sucked in her breath as one occurred to her. Did she dare? Could she do it? Could she not? “What if I went and woke him?” she suggested.
Calrian’s eyes flicked to hers, the dullness gone. “You can’t. I won’t let you.”
Rylee frowned. “You won’t let me?”
He was only trying to protect her. That was all he was thinking.
But that was the excuse Eric had always used. Rylee lifted her chin and stared at him defiantly. “I don’t think you get to tell me what to do.”
Suddenly she wasn’t afraid. This was the right thing to do, she knew that.
“You said that a human could go in their undetected, right? That’s how Rowan woke you. Well, if Rowan could wake you, then it stands to reason I could wake your brother without that dragon noticing.”
The more she spoke, the more the idea grew on her.
“You don’t understand,” Calrian said, his eyes serious. “I don’t know what would happen if you woke Warrian. I don’t know if it would even work while we’re still in the Mesmer bond. Or even if the bond might switch to Warrian instead of me.”
Something flashed in his eyes as he said that, and they changed into the narrow pupils she’d come to associate with his dragon half. He stared at her, his expression intense.
None of that had even occurred to Rylee.
For a short time, she’d forgotten about the Mesmer bond. She’d been feeling this intense attraction to Calrian for so long now, it felt normal and natural. Like it was part of her instead of an artificial, magically induced desire.
Her determination faltered.
She couldn’t imagine feeling this way about anyone else. She didn’t want to.
And even if she did, it seemed fraught with risks. If she couldn’t even wake Calrian’s brother, it would all be for nothing. And if she did…
“What would happen to you if the bond transferred to your brother?”
