Aaraeth? How do I do this? I asked her.
How? She snorted in amusement. When you need to heal, you will.
Closing my eyes, I flung my awareness into Ashe. His arm where he was shot throbbed with an orange and red glow, and other parts of his body glowed yellow with injury.
My palms burned like hot coals, and sweat formed on my brow. Then, something inside me flowed into my almost-mate, then returned like a circular stream.
Ashe had reached out, his hands gripping my hips to steady us, his breath, sweet from the banana, mingling with my own.
If I'd ever doubted the connection, I wouldn't doubt it any longer.
Something shifted, and the strings that bound us pulled tighter, the connection growing stronger.
My power or energy poured into Ashe in healing waves—and we stood at the brink of something big, something important.
It was as if I could almost hear his thoughts, feel him again like I did in the cave.
Yes, crooned Aaraeth into my mind. It is so close. Push forward.
Ashe reacted to her words and slipped from my grasp.
I panted. "What was that?
"I think… I think we almost completed the bond," he whispered incredulously.
"I felt that too. I thought..."
Shaking his head, he replied, "Yeah, I don't know. Maybe Aaraeth just freaked me out."
I sucked in a shaky breath. "You heard Aaraeth urge me on?"
He nodded, his movement discernible in the dark. "Yeah. I heard you too."
Light reflected off his eyes as he looked at me. I wanted to ask why he'd stopped, but I was afraid of his answer.
Could Logan be right? Was it only a matter of time before Ashe left me?
My heart sank into my stomach, and I pulled my bent legs into my chest.
Ashe must have his reasons. I could feel his mind, his emotions, his thoughts.
It felt like love.
"Come here," he breathed, pulling me into him.
I closed my eyes as the wind ripped through me, just like my emotions.
We waited and waited until finally a roar of an engine caught our attention. The car neared, its tires slowly rolling over the gravel shoulder before speeding away on the pavement.
"They're gone," he whispered, his muscles bunching as he prepared to climb down. The dark maw of the drop below made my palms begin to sweat. Ashe slid down the embankment and waited for me on the ledge.
The moon was gone, and visibility was even worse than before.
Creeping down, on my butt and hands, I teetered on the ledge.
Ashe walked across it like it was no big deal, but I stayed put, my hands glued to the slope.
"Ashe!" I called out, hesitant to follow.
"Come on." He whipped around, ready to climb up the side of the bridge. His foot slipped, and small rocks tumbled down, bounding off my narrow walkway before plummeting into the gorge.
"Can't we just fly from here?"
His dark shape moved back toward me. "There's not a lot of room, but I guess we could."
I trembled. I didn't really want to mount Aaraeth here, but the thought of climbing the ledge seemed even more dangerous.
"Do you want me to go first or you?" I asked.
"Either. What do you want to do?"
"I'll go," I told him, my voice echoing a bit off the concrete and steel around us. I didn't want to be under there all alone.
"All right. Prepare yourself; Aaraeth will probably jump and fall a little at first."
"Okay," I breathed.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my shorts and took a deep breath to try to slow my racing heart.
"Okay, Aaraeth, are you ready?" I asked, my voice a bit wobbly.
Are you? She questioned.
"Yes, let's go!"
She flew from my body, bursting out onto the narrow walkway between Ashe and me. With her wings tucked, she maneuvered the space to allow me to mount her.
Once again, drying my hands on my shorts, I reached out, stepped on her forepaw, and threw a leg over.
But she tilted, and before I knew it, I was dangling from the other side of her body.
I screamed out, gripping just one of Aaraeth's spikes. My sweaty hands started to slip, until only my fingertips held her… then nothing.
A scream escaped from my chest as I fell.
I was sure this was the end until Aaraeth's paw grabbed my leg, and I jerked to a stop.
I swung into the concrete support, and the wind was forced from my lungs when I hit it hard.
Hanging upside down, stars danced in my vision. Aaraeth's strong wings beat a fast rhythm that lifted us up and onto the road.
Ashe was there and guided Aaraeth to him. His hands clasped my waist and spun me upright, taking me from the dragon's claw.
"Sydney! Are you okay?" He released me, and I slid into a standing position, sagging against his body.
"Yeah, I'm… Just give me a minute."
He touched my face, smoothing strands away, before hugging me to him. "Fuck! You scared me to death! It looked like you hit your head,” he said, as he started to probe my scalp.
"Ahhh! Ouch! Stop!" I yelled.
"At least you aren't bleeding. Do you have cell service?"
I checked my phone. "No. I can ride, though."
"Okay, let's get out of here," he told me, helping me climb back onto my dragon. "Be careful; tell Aaraeth if you need to stop."
"I will."
"I'll call Evgeni when I get a signal," he told me before prodding Eondian into the sky.
Our dragons headed toward the bright lights of the city, covering the distance more quickly than I thought possible.
I rested my cheek against Aaraeth's scaly body and let her follow Eondian.
I usually loved flying, but I was cold and exhausted.
After following the road a while longer, Eondian dropped from the sky and landed next to two parked cars. My dragon followed, fluttering down and landing softly on the gravel shoulder beside them.
Spotting Evgeni and his henchmen, I vowed to never laugh at his security measures ever again.
Aaraeth's feet touched the ground, and I was immediately being pulled off by Evgeni. His face was a mask of worry as he carried me and laid me in the back seat of the Rolls Royce.
Struggling to sit up, I watched him storm off angrily toward Ashe.
Using what little strength I had, I sat up and called out, "Evgeni?! Evgeni?" When he turned to face me, I croaked out, "Don't be mad at Ashe. He saved me—he protected me."
His eyes flashed before resuming his course.
I didn't watch what happened next. Instead, I laid down, not intending to sleep.
The car coming to a stop and voices roused me at Evgeni's house. I was met with the babushkas and even Katie. They ushered me to my bathroom and stripped my clothes off before steering me into the bath, steaming with herbal scents.
This was not the way I wanted my first bath in here to go—with an audience of strangers. But nudity never bothered me, and I knew they were only trying to help.
Katie hurried off, returning with a t-shirt and underwear before scurrying off again.
Babushka #1 scrubbed me with a soapy washcloth, while Babushka #2 had hold of the sprayer, making me seriously wonder if she was trying to drown me with it.
As soon as the two older women felt I was clean enough, they pulled me from the water and wrapped me in fluffy towels. Then I was given more hugs and kisses along with nervous chatter and an unwanted cheek pinch.
I hastily pulled on the clothes Katie had brought, but I wasn't free yet.
#1 made me sit on the vanity stool as she inspected me for injuries.
"I'm fine!” I told them, not knowing where my phone had gone.
The two spoke to each other in Russian, and I watched, my eyes darting back and forth.
I still hadn't seen Ashe, but I hoped he was sleeping instead of being bathed like a baby.
When the babushkas were satisf
ied that I was undamaged, they tucked me into my bed and disappeared.
Just as I closed my eyes, I sensed Evgeni mere moments before he wandered into my bedroom, Baldy and Ponytail in tow.
"Where's Ashe?" I asked, pulling the covers up to my neck.
"He's settled in the guest bedroom," Evgeni grunted as he paced my room, his mind obviously troubled over the day's events. "I had an idea that you might be a target; I just didn't realize the lengths they would go to to get you."
"Who do you suspect did this?"
He tilted his head, "Everyone. Everyone is a suspect. No one can be counted out."
When he neared me, he took my chin in his hand and tilted my face to examine me better. "You are the key to more power than any of us have seen in a long time."
I narrowed my brows, "What does that mean?"
He shook his head, "Don't worry about it. You're safe. That's all that matters."
I kept quiet and watched as the three men left my room.
Evgeni's disconcerting statement couldn’t compete with my exhaustion, soft sheets, fluffy pillows, and the quiet house as they lulled me to sleep.
Epilogue
Ashe
Knowing what’s right and doing what’s right are two very different things.
I knew what I had to do, and I knew that there was no other way.
I had to set her free.
I had to let her go, even though my heart ached in my chest and my body cried out to finish what we’d started.
And if I was right, Sydney would still choose me in the end.
She had to. Because there’d never be anyone else for me.
Being with her, I became the man everyone thought I was—brave, strong, a leader.
And when she touched me and looked at me with those iridescent eyes, she was everything.
Then I’d remember how young and innocent she was, and I wanted her even more—while hating myself for it.
I wavered between lust and… disgust at myself.
But I could wait.
I would wait.
For her.
After the car chase and the night under the bridge, I couldn’t sleep. Instead, I walked to Sydney’s room and watched her as she lay silently in her bed. All the while, steeling myself for the words I’d have to say.
I drank her in—wishing time would stand still. But she didn’t sleep much longer, even though I wished that she would. It would’ve given me more time to etch the memory of her face, her lips, and her pert little nose into my mind.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at me with that carefree joy. She had this spark inside her; it was like a beacon shining brightness into the world.
And I didn’t want to be the one to douse that light… not on purpose, but by forcing a destiny on her that she wasn’t ready for.
Syd laughed, a tinkling sound that almost made me smile.
Her lips were in a pout as she asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I braced myself. Get it over with.
Eondian growled at me, you should’ve bedded the girl in the cave.
He felt this was foolish and didn’t understand.
But I’d run the scenarios in my head—and knew she had to be given a choice, not forced.
I sat down on the edge of her bed. “I need to talk, and I need you to listen to me and not argue.”
She blinked and pulled herself up into a sitting position. “Okay.”
Even after all we’d been through, sun, heat, cold, a car wreck, and being shot at, she looked at me and smiled.
I narrowed my eyes back at her.
She had no idea how much restraint it took just to be around her. Being with her was the ultimate compulsion. It wasn’t a matter of want, need, or even desire. Sooner or later, I would slip up.
“I need to end this—our relationship,” my voice came out low and gravelly.
“What?” She spat shrilly, and I braced myself.
Continuing, I said, “We aren’t a couple, and you need to be free to live your life. You’re too young to deal with a bond like this. It’s making you grow up too quickly, taking away all those experiences you’re supposed to have. George already took away your childhood, and I’d be just as bad if I continued to do the same. You deserve to have a life. You deserve to be a teenager and do all those things you’re supposed to do. Mess up and get in trouble.”
“You’re talking about George? At least he treated me like a person. You’re making this decision on your own as if I have no say. As if I were a child.”
“You are a child! That’s the issue,” I cried, standing up, my arms outspread.
I paced the room, my back to her as I pulled myself together. My eyes stung, and my throat was tight, but I had to do this. This was for both of us.
Turning around, I forced myself to look at her.
Sydney’s face was flushed with emotion, her lips pressed together to hold in a sob.
Hardening myself, I stared back at her coldly.
I had to make her understand. “I’m trying to do what’s right for you.”
“What’s right for me? Or what’s right for you? If you don’t want to be with me, then don’t be a coward. Just say it!” Her voice came out thick as she spoke. A few tears made their way down her face, cutting over her dry cheeks.
“I’m trying to make you understand. I can’t move forward, knowing you’ll have regrets. There’s too much left undone for you. Too much to experience. And if there wasn’t that, there’s Logan.”
She shook her head, an angry laugh escaping her red lips. “There’s nothing between Logan and me! I choose you.”
I continued, “You need to figure out if you have something with him. You need to see if there’s anything there before we can be together. If you don’t do it, then you’ll always have doubts. It’ll always be in the back of your mind. Wondering. He’ll always be a ‘what if’ to you and be a wedge between us. I know you have feelings for him, and I won’t stand in your way. But you need to figure out what you want.”
She scoffed, swiping at her tears. “I know what I want. What I don’t get is why you’re doing this.”
I reached out, but she recoiled from my touch.
My emotions were starting to get the better of me. I had to end this before I broke.
My voice came out rough as I spoke, “I’m doing what’s right here. I want you to grow into an adult without me like a millstone around your neck. Kiss boys…” I was going to say have sex, but I couldn’t bring myself to. “Live your life, have fun.”
I more than loved Sydney—she was a part of me. A part of me that I’d lose if she never came back.
My eyes pleaded for her to understand.
Instead, her face crumpled, and she screeched, “Get out! Just leave! If that’s what you want!”
When I stood there staring, she grabbed the nearest object, her empty cup, and threw it in my direction.
I ducked and called out to her, “Syd?”
“No. You want to be done with me, then fine. Here’s your chance! Go. But I won’t sit here while you try to ease your conscience with bullshit words. Just go!” She spat through a tear-streaked face.
I stared at the tiles on the floor as I strode to the door, my chest aching, and my mind condemning me.
Eondian growled, but he understood. He knew I had my reasons and in the human world, he let me lead.
Unseeing and unhearing, I wandered outside of her bedroom.
Lev and Edgar met me in the hallway, on alert.
“What the fuck did you just do?” Lev asked me in Russian.
I swallowed and stared at the floor before I whispered my reply in the same language, “I’m doing the right thing—for her.”
Lev breathed out a sigh of judgment, his words laced with skepticism, “If you say so.”
When Sydney’s sobs came from behind me, I couldn’t stand there and listen.
Because if I did, I’d turn around and go back into that room and promi
se things that I knew I shouldn’t.
So, I ran.
I ran down the hallway and down the staircase, my hand gliding along the railing as I jumped several steps at a time.
Once outside past the palms and pools, I called on Eondian, and he appeared before me. Not caring who saw, I pulled myself onto his back.
No words had to pass between us for him to leap into the air. As Eondian’s inky black wings pulled us higher and higher into the sky, my eyes filled and my vision blurred.
I’d left part of myself in that room, hurt and broken. But if I didn’t do this now, there would always be doubts and regrets.
I would always wonder if she stayed for me or because of the bond.
And those were questions that I couldn’t live with.
Want to keep reading?
Thank you for joining me for Over Easy. Sydney’s story continues in Hard Boiled, the thrilling continuation of The Dragon Born Academy.
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- T.L. Christianson
Also by T.L. Christianson
* * *
The Dragon Born Academy Series
Cracked Open
Over Easy
Hard Boiled
Frying Night
* * *
The Shades of Red Series
CRIMSON: Secrets and Lies of a Living Vampire
SCARLET: Taming the Thirst
RUBY: Blood is Thicker Than Water
Carmine: Blood and Thunder
Vermillion: A Vampire Novella
Bloodthirsty Bastard (A Cocky Hero Club Novel)
Over Easy Page 24
