Interesting.
Dain stopped, hovering on the edge of the camp, his head swaying slightly. I could almost see the war being fought inside him. Thing was, my brother had a brutal apprenticeship on the streets of Blackreach and if he had persisted on dithering around, he wouldn’t have lasted a year, let alone made it to adulthood. He came to a stop at the opposite side of the fire to Fern and then said his piece.
“I wish to apologise for my actions, milady.” His voice was the sound of gravel being ground under a horse’s hooves. “There was no intention on my part to approach the lake. I…” With a shake of his head, he pulled away, going to sit on the log furthest from the fire. “I’m sorry.”
Fern blinked, but before she could reply, Lance returned with an armful of logs. He dropped them beside the fire, resulting in us coughing at the cloud of dust.
“We’ll need to build the fire up high.” He glanced at the sky. “It will be a cold one tonight. If you lay your bedroll next to mine, Fern, I’ll ensure you stay warm.”
“That’s a job best shared,” I said. Lance’s look of fury, Fern’s wide-eyed stare, it was exactly what I needed. “Two bodies sharing a bedroll is better than one for keeping you warm. Five is the best.”
“Something you’re well aware of, I assume?” The way Fern’s eyebrow cocked upwards was ten times better than her shocked expression. Her eyes sparked like well cut sapphires whenever she was riled. “I didn’t realise you were that close to your… brothers.”
“We—” Lorien started to splutter.
“We’ve had to share body heat before.” As I spoke the words, I remembered three skinny little boys huddling up in the corner of an abandoned warehouse, trying to avoid the steady drip of the cold rain. “Lorien’s farts always wake me up and Dain talks in his sleep.”
“They do not!” Lorien said. “And anyway, there’s nothing worse than being downwind of you after you’ve eaten a plate of your mother’s beans.”
“So you see, a sweet smelling bed partner.” My eyes slid down the girl’s body for the umpteenth time. It was hard to remember it wasn’t mine to touch, not yet, especially when Fern glared at me like that. “Would be a welcome change to our sleeping arrangements.”
“You’ll sleep with me.”
Lance was trying to be all growly and protective, but even Icould see that was the wrong tact to take. Fern stalked past the lot of us, retrieving her bedroll and flicking it out in the space between Auren and the fire.
“I appreciate the concern.” There was an icy quality to my girl’s voice, and I had to wonder what put it there. “But my dragon is more than capable of looking after me. We fly out at daybreak?” she asked.
“If not earlier, if everyone’s awake,” I replied. “Making good time will allow us more time to rest at the next stop in the journey.”
“Then thank you, Lorien, for the meal, and I bid you all good night.”
Before I could say anything further, Fern disappeared as Auren flapped out a wing, creating a shelter for the girl.
Did my eyes watch the dragon’s wing membranes, looking for signs of Fern? I wasn’t afraid to admit I did. Gods, there was something about that girl that drove me insane. I just wanted to get to the good part, where she was under me and I was driving her just as mad. Dain’s foul mood made more sense now. When every movement Fern made had me wanting to take a step closer, kept back only by the knowledge she wouldn’t want that. It wore on a man.
A male must fly hard as he pursues his mate.Slate’s head rose as he peered across the clearing at Auren.For as long as it takes to catch her.
Well, if I had Dain’s gift, I’d be racking my brain for ways to get me closer to Fern, not scurrying away like a whipped cur, I replied.If I could just make her see how good it will be between us. Lance scowled by the fire side, but he accepted the sandwich Lorien handed him with thanks.Even if we have to include that idiot.
Tomorrow is another day, Slate said.Sleep now, brother, and rise to chase her again in the morning.
With a yawn, I grabbed the rabbits, tossing one at each of the dragons. They snapped them up like they were nothing, fur and bones and all.
“Sandwich?” Lorien asked, holding one out for me.
“Thanks, brother, but…” I sat down beside him. “You think maybe you could’ve told me you had food before I went hunting?” With a wink at Lance, I continued. “I would’ve ‘helped’ get the firewood.”
Now I had both Dain and Lance scowling at me. Some devil inside me, it wasn’t happy unless people were reacting, so I took a bite of my sandwich and chewed it with enthusiasm.
After a quick, shivering wash and a careful stacking of firewood, we all retired to our bedrolls. I let out a sigh as I settled down on mine. All of the dragons had clustered close around the fire, so as to trap the warmth and to keep us safe from any predators lurking in the bushes. That allowed the tension in my muscles to slowly unwind. One long breath, then another, I conjured what I thought happened at the lake tonight. The way the moon bathed Fern’s naked form, turning her into some kind of primitive goddess, the mental model is what helped me slide into sleep.
Brother.I snorted and then rolled over in my bedroll, pulling my blanket over my head, but that wasn’t enough to drown out a voice that was echoing inside my head.Brother, your mate is awake and walking around the camp.
That was what it took to get me opening my eyes. With a blink, I noted the shadowy form of Fern shuffling across the campsite, wrapped tightly in a blanket. A muffled shout soon made clear why. Dain slept badly every single night, so Lorien and I had long learned to shut the sound of his nightmares out. Other people? Not so much. She crept closer to where my brother thrashed on his pallet.
“No…” he mumbled. “No, don’t go in there. No!”
The firelight cast the two of them in silhouette so I caught the moment her hand hovered just above his shoulder. Part of me wanted to warn her off waking him and the other? I had to wonder if this was Lady Fate’s next step. Dain let out a particularly pained sound and that hardened Fern’s resolve.
