by Rinelle Grey
But it was too late for regrets. He needed to get her there now.
There was just one problem.
Warrian stared around them, at the dust swirling everywhere. Where was the car? He squinted, ignoring the dust blowing into his eyes, but he could barely see a few metres in front of his face. How was he supposed to find anything in this?
His vision was useless, so Warrian turned to his other senses. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, his mind seeking out the metal of the vehicle. It was so large it was impossible to miss. Its presence hung there in the dust, solid and unmoving.
That was enough to orientate him. “This way.”
Rita struggled to her feet, her head down, pulling her clothes around her as she went. She pulled the neck of her shirt up to cover her mouth, trying to block out some of the dust. Warrian suspected it was a futile hope. He took her hand and led her towards the car, and she stumbled along behind him.
It seemed to take forever to reach the vehicle through the billowing dust, but Warrian could feel its dependable metal calling to him, and he led them unerringly until the car’s bulk loomed out of the dust.
Rita pulled open the door and tumbled in, and Warrian followed her, not even bothering to find a different door. Rita scooted across, and Warrian pulled the door shut behind them.
Instantly the sound was dampened. The swirling dust took a little longer to settle, but at least it wasn’t stinging anymore. Rita coughed a few times, spitting out dust, and Warrian did the same. He wished he’d had the forethought to grab a few bottles of water, as he desperately would have liked to rinse out his mouth and wash his eyes.
Rita sat beside him, gasping in air for a few moments. “That…” she stopped to cough up some more dust. “That wasn’t pleasant.”
That was an understatement. “Are you okay?” Warrian asked in concern.
She coughed a few more times, but her nod reassured him.
Only now that she was safe did he relax a little. Only then did all the craziness of the last few hours start to sink in. What a ride. Warrian was pretty sure the adrenaline rush far outclassed any he had experienced flying over one of the dust storms.
He’d gone from fear, to the thrill of being about to mate, back to fear. And now, finally, relief.
Rita seemed to be experiencing something similar. She slumped back in the seat beside him and closed her eyes for a few moments. When she opened them to look over at him again, her smile was wry. “That was different.”
Warrian gave a laugh. Different didn’t even begin to describe it. “Not quite what I was expecting when I woke up this morning.”
Rita laughed too. “Me neither. Certainly an adventure though.” She paused for a minute, then her cheeks reddened slightly. “Sorry we didn’t get to… you know…” she waved her hand, and Warrian had no trouble interpreting her gesture.
He was sorry they hadn’t had a chance to finish either, but not for the reasons he suspected she meant. “I was looking forward to it,” he said softly.
She stared out at the dust, not looking in his direction. “I bet. You must be so frustrated not being at full strength yet. I bet that storm wouldn’t have bothered you in the least if you were.”
“No, it wouldn’t,” Warrian agreed. “But that is not why I was disappointed.”
Her eyes flew to his, and he could see the understanding in them, mingled with disbelief. “Really?” Her voice held a longing that echoed through Warrian’s heart.
Did he dare hope she might be feeling the same thing he was? That she might also wish this experience, this connection they shared, could outlast the Mesmer bond? That they could outlast the Mesmer bond?
He searched her face, and what he found there lifted his heart even though he couldn’t quite describe why. But every time he looked at her, she seemed less other, less human, and more a part of him he’d never realised was missing.
“Maybe one day I’ll get another chance to show you what it’s like to fly above the storm.”
It wasn’t what he wanted to say. It wasn’t even close. But he suspected words couldn’t explain the feeling in his heart. He wasn’t really sure he understood it. He certainly wasn’t sure what to do with it.
He couldn’t do what he wanted to. The reality was, he didn’t have time for this. Somewhere, out there, his clan was waiting for him. He hoped.
He had responsibilities that outweighed any personal feelings he might have. And he would always have those responsibilities. He shouldn’t let himself be drawn to Rita. He definitely shouldn’t let himself actually act on those feelings.
He’d rebuked his own sister for doing just this.
How could he possibly be considering it himself?
Perhaps this was his punishment for his actions? Perhaps he deserved to know the pain Sarian must have felt when she had refused Ultrian? It certainly gave him a new understanding of the anguish she must have experienced—how hard that action must have been.
And why she had wavered.
Maybe even why Ultrian had.
But none of that changed reality. Making a sacrifice for one’s clan was sometimes necessary. Just as it was right now.
But when Rita softly replied, “I’d like that,” that knowledge didn’t change the way her words lit up his heart. It didn’t remove any of the longing he felt. It only made it hurt more.
That was the price he had to pay.
Chapter 11
It took nearly thirty minutes for the dust storm to blow itself out. When it was finally gone, Rita surveyed their ruined camp site. The tent had been completely ripped to shreds. The huge branch from the gum tree might have missed them, but it had landed on their remaining box of food and water, damaging most of it. They salvaged a couple of bottles of water to rinse the dust from their mouths, but that was it.
And everything, absolutely everything, was covered in a thick coat of red dust.
There were no other options. “We’re going to have to go back into town.”
In some ways, Rita was glad. While this interlude with Warrian had been entertaining, she knew she was getting too close. She was at risk of giving up everything for him, and she couldn’t even trust that Warrian would appreciate it. Not when he had enough issues of his own to deal with. He didn’t need a romance any more than she did.
She needed to refocus on her goals. She’d almost forgotten about them there for a while, and that wouldn’t do. She had more than enough to keep her busy. It was time to find out what was going on in the world. To find out if she’d missed anything.
“Yes,” she repeated, her voice getting stronger. “Time to go home. Todd will have forgotten all about chasing us by now. We can be comfortable for a bit.” She grinned at Warrian. “And find some air conditioning.” That would cool things down, wouldn’t it?
As if he was thinking the same thing, Warrian met her eyes. “Air conditioning sounds very good.” His gaze was all heat.
Whatever else she decided, it really was time to complete the Mesmer ritual. Surely whatever Ultrima had wanted her to distract Warrian from was done now? Surely he didn’t expect her to keep the Rian prince busy forever? It had been five days.
It was time for both of them to move on.
She had a job to do, and not just to report the truth to the people. No, this was bigger now. She needed to help the world find a way for dragons and humans to exist in harmony, and they couldn’t do that without knowing the information she had gathered. That was important.
That would distract her. That would give her something worthwhile to focus on.
Then it would only hurt a little bit when she had to say goodbye to Warrian. Wouldn’t it?
A part of her didn’t really believe that, but she ignored it too.
“Right, let’s get this packed up and get out of here.” If she put on a brave face, maybe she might even start to believe it herself.
Even so, she couldn’t help feeling bittersweet as she and Warrian worked side by side to pack everything back
into her car. It might be a completely mundane, boring task, but somehow, his company made it almost seem like fun.
Somehow, everything she did with Warrian was fun. Pitching a tent, playing Snap, even surviving a dust storm. And throughout it all he’d been kind and sweet and hadn’t even pressured her, no matter how much pressure he must have felt himself. When she’d first woken him, she hadn’t expected him to be anything like this.
She hadn’t felt so bad about lying to him when he’d been demanding and annoying. But somewhere along the way all of that irritation had faded away, and she realised with an ache in her heart, that she genuinely liked him. He was a good person… dragon… whatever.
And what she was doing to him, keeping him from his family, deceiving him about his clan, working with his enemy, wasn’t right. Her throat tightened up as she crammed a box of shredded tent pieces into the car. Warrian deserved far better than that.
She owed him the truth. That was the least she could do, wasn’t it? He might hate her for it, he might want nothing more to do with her after she told him, but she owed it to him to be honest. And to take him home to his clan.
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, and she turned to see him bringing across one last box of damaged cans of food. The smile he gave her could have melted a far stronger heart that hers.
But there was no avoiding it. He would find out eventually anyway, even if she didn’t tell him. She’d had enough contact with his clan to know someone would mention her name at some point, and he’d realise. But she wouldn’t be there to see it. Wouldn’t be there to witness his disappointment.
Nor would she have a chance to explain or tell her side of the story.
Would that make any difference to him?
She hoped it would. She hoped he wouldn’t hate her. Because if she played her cards right, if she could somehow become the one who connected the dragons to the human world, then maybe, just maybe, she’d have a chance to see him again.
And the only way that had any chance of working was if she was honest with him. Even if it had taken her a while.
Rita took the box from Warrian and as she put it into the car, not looking at him, she said, “There’s something I have to tell you.”
Warrian leaned on the side of the car, and she could feel his eyes boring into her as she fiddled unnecessarily with fitting things in. “I’d say there’s lots of things you have to tell me.” The tone of his voice was knowing, as if he’d been waiting for this.
Rita’s eyes flicked up to meet his. Yes, they were perceptive and curious. But so far, not accusing. Did she have a chance? Would he understand?
She was going to find out, one way or another.
“Look, I’m not exactly who you think I am,” she started. “And… well… I know a bit more than I let on.”
Warrian nodded. “I figured.” The light in his eyes was intense, their dragon steeliness focused on her. He wasn’t angry, not quite, but he was… stiff. Did that mean he was prepared to hear her out, to give her a chance?
Rita took a deep breath and tried to force the admission out.
But before she could, a screech echoed through the air, drowning out any words she might have tried to utter.
Tried being the optimal word, because she stood frozen to the ground, fear coursing through her. Even moving seemed dangerous. Risky.
What she wanted to do was curl up in a little ball with her hands over her head and hide.
The stupidity of that notion pulled her out of her panic a little. Cowering on the ground would do nothing to help against the dragon that had uttered that screech.
“Surrender now and we might consider not killing you.” The menacing voice echoed through her head, making it thump painfully. The fear paralysed her, but she tried to shake it off.
Rita turned her eyes skyward, searching, and quickly picked up the snowy white hide against the remnants of red dust clouding the sky. “What type of dragon is a white one?” She turned to Warrian, only to see his face almost as pale as the dragon’s hide.
“A life dragon.” His voice was full of hopelessness and doom, and it sent another chill of fear through Rita. If Warrian was scared, that was a very bad thing.
“Wasn’t that the kind your family was trying to make by mating your sister to that old guy?”
Could this be a Rian dragon? Warrian had said all the Trima dragons were silver, so it should be. But Rian clan wouldn’t threaten them… would they? Her maybe, but not Warrian.
This dragon had to be Trima. The enemy.
One of Ultrima’s dragons. Sent by him. What could that possibly mean? Was it here for her? The threat seemed to indicate so, but it made no sense. Why would Ultrima want her to surrender? Could it possibly be here to release her from her deal? Or check that she was following it? But that didn’t make sense either.
Rita swallowed. She wasn’t sure if she wished she’d had time to make her full confession to Warrian, or not.
“Ultrima will not be pleased that you are considering breaking your deal with him.” The voice in her head was ominous, as was the fact that it seemed to know what she was thinking. Ultrima hadn’t been able to read her mind. Had he?
Rita wished she could reply. She’d give that dragon a talking to. As if she had any need to stick to her deal with Ultrima after what he’d done to Warrian’s sister.
“Ultrima did nothing to Sarian. The princess cared for him as much as he cared for her, and she did not want to reject his advances. It was her pressure from her clan that led her to deny him, not her own choice.”
Rita felt her eyes widening. The dragon had almost seemed to reply to her thoughts. Could it have somehow known what she was thinking? No wonder the Rian clan dragons had been so intent on having one. It would certainly be hard to have a traitor in your clan if you could read minds.
The life dragon spoke as if it were telling her something she didn’t know, but the explanation wasn’t that different to what Warrian had told her. He’d indicated that his sister’s mating choice had little to do with preference. He hadn’t hidden the fact that she felt something for Ultrima.
And it didn’t matter. Sarian’s reason for rejecting Ultrima was irrelevant. If she had rejected him, then he should have respected that, just as Warrian had respected her refusal to mate, even though he could probably tell she wanted to.
“Are you sure he didn’t respect that?” the life dragon asked. “Were you there, watching? No. The only one who was there was Warrian. How far do you think he was prepared to go to keep them apart?”
Rita felt her jaw drop. The life dragon’s implication was obvious, and if it were true…
“Warrian has lied to you. As he lied to his entire clan. This is why Ultrima wishes to keep him away. Warrian will stop the princess from making a free and unbiased choice. Again. Or do you think it is right that a dragon gives up love in the hopes of creating an all powerful dragon that can turn the tide of any war?”
An uncomfortable weight settled in Rita’s stomach.
Unfortunately, the accusation rang far too true. Rita might have tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t deny she’d suspected Warrian wasn’t giving her the whole story when he’d told her about his sister.
It hadn’t even occurred to her he could be making the whole thing up.
Rita glanced over at Warrian to see if he was hearing the dragon voices as well, wondering if he would tell her what had really happened. But his face was pale, and he was still staring at the sky.
The voice spoke to her alone. The information was hers to deal with alone.
Her heart constricted, and she wanted to insist that this had nothing to do with her. That what had happened between Warrian and his sister or his clan wasn’t her problem.
But she couldn’t just ignore it. If this was true, it changed everything.
It changed who she thought Warrian was.
If he had manipulated his sister like that, made up that story, then how could she trust him with anything el
se? If he would lie to his whole clan to prevent his sister mating someone she loved, then how could she believe anything he said?
And if he had lied about that, what else had he lied about?
She’d thought for a moment there that he might really care about her. She’d actually started to let herself believe he was different. That he might not hurt her.
Some mistake that had been.
The life dragon’s words just rammed home the fact that there could never be anything between them. She was nothing to him. Just a human who he was using to get to where he needed to be. If she’d needed any confirmation of that, this was it. Clearly that was all this was.
Warrian didn’t value love at all. Not if he had sacrificed his sister’s chance at happiness because her mating another was more beneficial to his clan. He hadn’t mentioned the advantages a life dragon would have in a war, but if it could read minds, then it would be unbeatable.
Warrian hadn’t just been trying to help his clan survive, he’d been looking for a way to wage war. To be the most powerful. And he’d been prepared to sacrifice his sister’s happiness to get it.
He certainly wasn’t the kind of dragon she wanted to hang around with. The kindness he displayed was an act. He had no softer inner side. Not if he’d made that choice.
Rita hardened her heart. She needed to keep her distance.
And she would. Once they’d escaped from the Trima dragon.
Chapter 12
The life dragon’s order to surrender echoed through Warrian’s head, drowning out Rita’s words. It was hard to even begin to think with the life dragon fear pounding into his brain, telling him all was helpless, and his best choice was to give up now.
That was crazy talk. He would not let a little fear weaken him, even if it was life dragon magic. This life dragon had to belong to Trima clan, Rian clan would not threaten him so.
But how had Trima clan, with only lightning dragons, managed to breed a life dragon?
“We have to try to outrun it.” Rita was shaking his shoulders, and only then did Warrian realise he’d been frozen to the spot, staring blankly at nothing. “Get into the car.”
