by Ruby Dixon
Ah. So he means class instead of race. Are you following any of this, Dakh? Does it sound familiar to you?
I…I do not know. Dakh’s mind feels distant, as if he’s turning inward on himself. It does not sound wrong, but I am looking for memories of it and I find nothing but ravens.
It’s okay, babe. He could be lying.
I do not think he is.
“You seek to see if I am telling the truth? Does your dragon remember, then?” Azar’s gaze is laser-focused on me.
For a moment, I think he’s snooping in our thoughts. But I’ve probably just paused for a long, quiet moment and he figured it out. “He doesn’t remember,” I tell him, figuring that’s safe enough to offer. Which is another thing, but I don’t want to change subjects. “So you’re not like the other drakoni because…why? Because you’re not a fighter?”
“I am not,” he agrees, inclining his head. “The drakoni that you know of serve my kind. We took them out of the deserts where they huddled in their mud huts and squabbled like children and brought them up to serve us. They are our warriors, our defenders, our troops.” His smile grows broader, even more smug. “No, I am not like them at all.”
Deserts, Dakh says thoughtfully. I remember this. We serve…his kind. Not willingly, but we serve.
What are his kind?
They inhabit a place called Salorian. It is like your Fort Dallas but much larger. And strange.
Interesting. I decide to try and toss this back at Azar. “So his kind are a desert people that you, what, enslaved?”
“They have a unique ability that is lost to my kind.” He takes a sip of water and picks at his pancakes, less interested in eating than he is in talking to me.
“Dragon form?”
He makes a pfft noise, as if I’ve insulted him. “I can change to battle form if I choose. I am not as skilled at it as they are, as I am not, ah…” He ponders, considering the right word. “Bred for it.”
“Ah.” Well this conversation just gets more and more distasteful.
“The drakoni are brought up to be warriors from the time they are born. They train for it and have rituals. They do not care how much blood they shed. And they breathe fire, unlike myself. It makes them far more effective when they berserk.”
So he can’t breathe fire. Good to know. Another word pricks my attention, though. “Berserk?”
“Yes. One of the reasons why they are so prized as fighters is their ability to easily slip to berserk. It is something they are taught at a young age. When they are challenged, they can berserk and lose themselves in a fight. I think it is why they are so crazed now, here in this world.” He gestures with one pale golden hand. “Something here triggers their ability to rage, and there’s not a good way to turn it off.”
He does not know of what he speaks. The rage is brought on by mating lust.
So he’s wrong? About everything?
Not…everything. The words he is saying sound familiar. My people are controlled by his—the Salorians. I am remembering more now. I do not like him. Or his people.
I understand. “So you use them because they berserk,” I say, focusing on Azar in front of me. “You can’t do it? Salorians can’t?”
His brows go up. “So you know what I am.”
“I know a little,” I tell him. “But my dragon doesn’t remember much.”
“Not a surprise. This place eats at their minds.” He sniffs and picks at one of his pancakes. “Perhaps if I switched to battle form, I would be as affected as the others are in this foul land. I will not risk it, though.”
“Is…is that why you know so much? Why you remember and the other dragons don’t? Why you’re sane?”
Azar nods slowly. He taps his brow. “When the Rift opened up and pulled us through, I was on the back of a drakoni warrior, leading my troops to protect our borders. My people—the Salorians,” he clarifies, giving me a pointed look. “Do not change to battle form. It is considered, how do you say in your language…ill bred.” He shrugs. “When we were pulled through, my mount lost control. He crashed to the ground, knocking me from his back, and left me stranded while he flailed about like a mad thing. I thought it was just him at first, but when I looked up, I saw others falling from the sky to this place, and none could respond to my orders. It was chaos.”
I listen without interruption. I want to hear more of this, to understand. Even Dakh is silent in my mind. I think he does, too.
“I was broken and abandoned when the disaster struck, and I went into hiding as my troops went mad, destroying everything in their path. No orders worked on them. Their minds were gone. As time passed, I realized that if I were to blend in with the humans here, I would need to learn their language. To look like them. I rid myself of my horns and my claws. I filed my teeth down to these ineffective squares. “He bares them at me in a half-snarl. “And I learned to mimic humans. It has served me well all this time, but I grow weary of these games, and this place.”
“Is that where I come in?” I cross my arms over my chest, ignoring the food in front of me. “What is it you want?”
“Your dragon, of course.” His smile is thin. “I thought that was obvious.”
“Uh huh.” I wait.
He just smiles enigmatically.
When he doesn’t go on, I start to get irritated. “You already have a dragon, buddy.”
Azar’s brows go up, and I have to admit, it feels good to take him down a peg. “Someone’s been spreading rumors it seems,” he murmurs. “I have a dragon, yes, but he suffers from the same madness as they all do, so he’s no good to me right now. Yours, however…” His eyes gleam, and he leans forward. “Yours is perfect.”
I resist the urge to shiver at the quiet menace in his gaze. “You can’t have mine.”
“I figured you were talking to him when he did not come charging in to rescue you, as I expected.” He shakes a finger at me, and his little smile returns. “That was when I knew, this one had potential. This one could hold back instead of going mad. This one could do the trick. And since I have his mate, I assume he’ll want to do as I say.”
I force myself to show no expression, no alarm. “What is it you want?”
“I want him to go through the Rift, of course. I want to see if it’s even possible.” He gives me a fake benevolent smile. “That’s all that I ask—that he fly to it and see if he can pass through.”
“You can turn into a dragon. You have a battle form. You do it.”
“And risk turning into a mad, frothing creature like the rest of them?” Azar chuckles. “I think not. It’s far too dangerous for me to contemplate. Until I know that it’s safe to switch forms, I am stuck as a ‘human.’” He says the word with obvious distaste and picks at his food once more. “That is why I am interested in your friend. He can fly up there and try to go through.”
“Is that safe?”
He shrugs. “All the more reason to have someone else test it other than me.”
If it were easy, would we not have already tried it? The Rift is very high up. I do not know if I can make it without injuring myself.
I don’t even want you to try, I send back to him quickly. Azar’s attitude is freaking me out. Easy to be casual when you’re not the one risking your neck.
I can attempt it, Dakh tells me.
And what if you go through and can’t come back? I panic at the thought. I don’t want you to leave me here alone. Just the thought terrifies me. You can’t leave me, Dakh. Not when we’ve just found each other. The thought of spending the rest of my life without him seems…unbearable.
“You are discussing it, I can tell,” Azar says smoothly. “What are your thoughts?”
“We’re going to decline,” I tell him. “There is zero incentive for my dragon to risk himself trying to fly back through.” I shake my head. “We don’t know that he’d be able to make it back.”
“Ah, but you are his mate. If there is a chance to come back, he would take it to be at your side.” He g
ives me another one of those strange smiles. “It is yet another reason that your dragon is far more optimal than my own. He has a reason to return.”
“No. Just no.”
He picks up a piece of pancake that he’s shredded with his fingers. “Perhaps I’m not expressing myself well. It is so difficult to do so with spoken words instead of thoughts.” His eyes narrow at me. “You can tell your dragon that if he does not fly to the Rift and report back, I am going to kill his mate. Horribly.”
I stare at him, shocked.
“I’m afraid I grow tired of playing nice.” His little smile is polite despite his awful words. “I know you think to outsmart me, my dear, so let me, as you humans say, put all the cards out on the table. I know you are holding your dragon back.”
I say nothing.
He arches an eyebrow at me. “Come, I know your little game. I know drakoni instinct. I know he should have charged in here, breathing fire, looking to rescue his sweet little mate from our clutches. And when that didn’t happen, I figured you were either stupid or bargaining with him. So I had my men free you. Give you information about this place, just in case you were too dull-witted to figure things out on your own. Still no dragon, which tells me that you think you can beat me at my own game.” The look he gives me is scornful. “I am Salorian. Why do you think your precious drakoni serve us? It is because we are far more intelligent than them. They cannot hope to beat us in games of wit or skill. They are our brute force. And humans are certainly no match for us.”
“Well, all of this really just makes me want to help you,” I tell him, glad my voice doesn’t wobble when I reply. I’m terrified, though. I don’t know what to think of this guy—he’s polite one moment and coolly cruel the next.
“I don’t care what you want. You are simply a tool. I want your dragon to come here and give himself over to me. If he wants you to live, he will do so before the sun rises tomorrow.” Azar points a finger at the tabletop. “If he does not, I will start by cutting your limbs off. First your hands. Then your feet. Then I will move up your arms, slicing my way as I go and cauterizing the wound each time so you do not bleed out. Then we’ll move on to your legs and keep cutting upward. It is a very long, very painful way to die, and he’s going to experience every moment of it with you. Do you understand me?”
Frightened, I nod. My body is cold with sweat.
“Good.” He sits back in his chair. “Eat your food. Supplies are harder to come by every year.” He grins at me, showing those oddly square teeth. “That’s a human saying I’ve picked up. Quite effective, don’t you think? I say that and they all think I’m one of them.” He chuckles. “It’s almost too easy.”
I just stare at him. Wordlessly, I pick up a pancake and take a bite out of it, chewing. My mind is racing. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to think.
We have to figure out a way out of this, Dakh.
There is a simple answer—I will come for you.
No! I won’t have you risk your life for mine! That’s craziness! I fight back a surge of exhaustion. I can’t let you.
All he wants is for me to fly to the Rift in exchange for your safety. I can do so.
And what if you’re fried the moment you get close? What if you can’t come back? What if he decides that he doesn’t want just that? What if he decides he wants you to be his pet murdering dragon? He’ll keep using me as leverage against you. There’s no winning this.
I won’t leave you, Sasha. The thought is unbearable. His mind is full of anguish and rage. Ravens flutter blackly in his thoughts, so loud I can hear them cawing.
We have to think of something. I continue shoving pancake in my face so I don’t have to talk to Azar, who’s watching me closely as I eat. We just need time. God, I’m so tired, but there’s no time for that. I have to focus. My thoughts feel strained with exhaustion.
I must be there before the sun rises. You heard him. I cannot risk you, my Sasha. You are my heart. You know this. I will connect my mind to his—
No! Babe, don’t. For me. Please. I don’t trust him not to have some crazy juju that will take you over. We’re going to figure a way out of this, I promise. Just give me a few hours to think of a plan. Maybe Emma will come back and we can work something out—
“My,” Azar drawls. “You certainly are thinking hard, my little Sasha.”
I hate this man. I hate everything that he is and everything that he stands for. “Not your little Sasha.”
“No? I suppose not. It’s clear you’re holding the reins when it comes to your dragon, though. Your silence tells me a lot, you know. It tells me that you’re frantically trying to think of a plan.” His brows go up, as if challenging me. “Am I wrong?”
I’m silent. I hate that he’s able to read me so easily. I tear off another piece of pancake and chew angrily.
“Given a full day, perhaps you would have time to form a good plan.” Azar relaxes in his seat and picks at another piece of fruit cocktail. “Which is why I’ve drugged your breakfast.”
I stop chewing immediately. “What?”
“You’re going to be falling asleep very soon, and I imagine you’ll sleep right on through until morning. This is so you can’t convince your poor, crazed drakoni that my plan is a bad one.” He gestures at the half-eaten pancake in my hands. “Might as well finish that, you know. The damage is already done.”
“You bastard.” I fling it down on the plate, mentally testing myself. I feel sluggish, but I thought that was because I hadn’t slept well.
“Remember.” Azar points his fork at me. “Your dragon has until morning or you die in pieces.”
Dakh’s growl of frustration in my head is overwhelming. I am coming for you.
No! Please don’t. He can’t kill me—he needs leverage.
He threatens your life. I will not sit and watch! You are my mate! Mine to protect! I can feel his rage. I feel his anger and frustration. I feel…
Sleepy.
No no no. Dakh, please. Love, do as I say. Stay away. We’ll think of something. Just don’t give yourself up. Don’t—
My thoughts grow fuzzy, and I weave in my chair.
“Mmm, that was faster than anticipated.” Azar leans back and studies me. “When your dragon gets here, I’ll tell him he made the right decision.”
I manage to shove my middle finger into the air before I slump over.
48
SASHA
Sasha…
Wake up Sasha…
Something cold splashes on my face. “Wake up, Sasha!”
I rouse with a sputtering gasp.
“Thank God,” Emma breathes, putting aside a bucket. “That’s the third dunking I’ve given you.”
Even now, my eyelids threaten to slide back shut again. “Drugged,” I manage thickly.
“I know. I found out afterwards.” She grabs me under one arm. “Come on. Sit upright. You need to walk this shit off.”
It feels like monumental effort to get to my feet. I stagger, leaning heavily on her. “Wh…what are you doing here?” Even my mouth feels tired.
“Brought you food. We have to break you out, though. Shit’s going down.”
Shit? I blink at her.
Sasha! Dakh’s voice feels very close, which is odd. My mate! You are awake!
Dakh! I’m so relieved to hear him, though I’m a little worried about how near his mental voice seems. I’m sort of awake, I reassure him. I glance around, trying to figure out my surroundings. I’m back in the hotel room, and the cardboard is hanging off the side of the window. It’s dark outside. Shit. How long have I been asleep?
A long, long time. I get an impression of smoke and ash, just as the sound of someone screaming touches my ears.
That wakes me up. “What’s going on?”
“Your dragon’s attacking.” Emma puts an arm around my waist. “Azar’s thugs are waiting for him to swing close enough so they can throw some fireproof nets over him and bind his wings, like they did with Zohr.�
��
“Zohr?” I rub my forehead, because I must be more out of it than I realized. “Who’s Zohr?”
“The other dragon.” She hauls me up against her side when my legs wobble. “You need to walk this off, girl, because we don’t have much time. Tell Dakh not to come closer or he plays right into Azar’s plan.”
Babe, why are you here? I send out, miserable at the thought. I told you to stay away.
Because I will not let them hurt you. The thoughts are dominant, strong. Proud. Brutal. You are mine, and I am taking you back. I do not care if he is Salorian. He has no control over me in this world, not if I do not tap my mind to his and give him control. I will take my mate back and we will get out of here. Show me which window you are at.
“He wants to come to the window,” I tell Emma. “Where are we at?”
“He can’t,” she emphasizes again. “Are you listening to me? They expect him to come for you. There are men waiting in the rooms above, below, and to the sides of this one with nets. If they get his wings, he’ll fall to the ground, and then Azar will have him. He needs to stay high in the air until we figure out how to get you out of here.”
Oh. Right. I communicate this all to Dakh, who isn’t thrilled with the idea. We can’t risk Emma, I tell him. Or you. We’ll find a different way.
Then I will keep attacking, he tells me. But the moment you are in danger…
I know, babe. I promise, I’ll be safe. I pat Emma’s shoulder. “I think I’m awake now. What’s the plan?”
She hands me a can of what looks like an old energy drink. I pop the top and gulp it down, grimacing at the awful taste. I don’t know if it’ll even work considering that it’s seven years expired, but I’ll give it a shot. “There are two guards outside this room. We need to create a diversion and then distract them and steal their weapons. Once we do, we can try to sneak out of the building. Then I want to go and save Zohr.”
The other dragon—she knows his name. “Are you and him…did you…”
