Ryu shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
Tate hesitated, chewing on her lip as a thought occurred to her. “Could it be a symptom of touching the dragon’s world?”
Ryu’s gaze sharpened as he lifted himself halfway up. “What are you talking about?”
“It was only for a few brief moments, but Ilith touched on her world when we shifted forms.”
Ryu studied her with an intent gaze for several seconds before flopping onto his back and covering his eyes with his arm.
“Ryu?”
“You’ve been there too. That’s why Ilith is much more powerful than before.”
Tate went still. “The more we touch that world, the more powerful our dragons and us get.”
What did it mean then if Nathan had touched that world? Ilith claimed Tate wouldn’t survive there for more than a few seconds had they been in human form, but she’d also thought the Rift was only one way. There was room for error in Ilith’s predictions.
This time it was Tate who flopped onto her back, staring up at her patterned ceiling with a frown. How much more powerful would Nathan be if that was the case? Or worse, what if he had a dragon-ridden on his side who’d used the Rift to power up?
No, the last would be difficult with the way the empire recorded and tracked all dragon-ridden who came through the Rift. On the other hand, they hadn’t known about Tate until she showed up on Jost’s ship. Perhaps there were other dragon-ridden like her who predated the empire and spent centuries in sleep. Nathan could have woken them up.
There was also Ryu, who was evidence the Rift wasn’t always a necessary ingredient to form a bond.
Tate pinched the bridge of her nose, already getting a headache from all the possibilities.
Ryu lifted onto his elbow and dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. His lips brushed her skin as he asked. “What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Doomsday scenarios.”
His lips curved against her skin.
She turned her face toward him. “I forgot to ask what you thought of that other world.”
“It was—”
“Indescribable,” she finished for him when he trailed off.
The skin around his eyes crinkled. “Something like that.”
Words couldn’t encapsulate that other place. If Tate believed in such things, she would have called it paradise.
Tate looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know how Ilith ever left.”
“From the things Rath shared, it had its dark side.”
Tate pressed her head deeper into the pillow to get a better look at Ryu’s face. He looked lost in thought, his gaze distant.
“I get the feeling there is something essential missing in a dragon’s existence and somehow humans fill in the holes. If that makes sense.”
“A little,” Tate said, thinking about her dream. She only remembered bits and pieces, some of it already fading, but what remained with her was a sense of apathy and loneliness. A void that nothing, not even the splendor of that other world, could fill.
“That reminds me. A council will be held tomorrow afternoon to discuss what happened to Earl Comber, and the attack. Your presence is expected,” he informed her, changing the subject.
Her scowl made his eyes twinkle.
“Why do I have to attend? I never have before.”
“Before you weren’t presented to court. Now that you’ve been formally recognized you’re allowed in the council chambers.” His fingers tapped against her arm. “Also, you only completed one step of the process.”
