"She'll be here," Shovia said. "Ravel wouldn't keep her past dinner."
"I know, which is why I'm worried. What if there was a Shedun attack?" I finally gave voice to my concerns. "Or she made the wrong move and crashed them against the mountainside?"
Shovia nearly choked on a piece of bread. "Don't say things like that. They would have told us if something like that happened."
"How would they know?" I asked.
She looked at me as if I were dimwitted. "Commander Ravel's dragon would have informed Nyxath that they were under attack or that he was injured, and we would have seen multiple dragons flying out of the aviary to help them."
I should have known that. I did know that. My brain was just not functioning well when I was worried about Kailin. I had been right to think that she would be a distraction, but I no longer cared. I would do whatever I could to compensate for my preoccupation with her, but I wasn't willing to give her up, no matter what.
A few minutes later, Kailin walked into the mess hall, looking unharmed, and I finally took my first full breath in a while. All my earlier unease evaporated, replaced by a rush of anticipation for the evening ahead. I didn't even care about her extended time with Commander Ravel anymore.
She spotted us, waved, and joined the food line.
After collecting her tray, she walked over and slid onto the bench beside me with a smile that warmed me from the inside out.
"Sorry, I'm late," she said. "We were practicing…some special maneuvers."
The hesitation in her voice told me this was related to whatever special ability she possessed, the one she wasn't allowed to talk about.
"Did you enjoy the flight?" I asked to help her change the subject.
The truth was that all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and kiss her, but that would be grossly inappropriate. According to the rulebook, public displays of affection were discouraged at all times. Even the kiss on the cheek I'd given her earlier might have been too much, though no one had commented on it. Anything that could make the other cadets uncomfortable and was not related to our training was strongly discouraged.
"Very much so," Kailin said. "Onyx is amazing, but he's making things too easy for me. How was yours?"
It was interesting how she talked about the dragon as if he was a person.
"I had a different dragon and rider this time, which is essential in my opinion. Commander Ravel should let you train with other riders from time to time."
"True." She tore off a piece of bread and dunked it in the soup. "I wonder if I should suggest that or wait for him to do so. After all, he's a commander, and I'm just a cadet. He knows what he's doing."
Was that her polite way to tell me to back off?
Probably.
"What's the deal with that?" Shovia asked. "Why is a commander giving lessons to a first-year at all, and why does he pick you each time?"
Kailin lifted her finger to her lips. "Don't say that so loudly," she whispered. "I can't talk about it. I'm not allowed."
Codric and Shovia exchanged glances as if they had talked about it before, and Shovia had just confirmed something.
"Will you ever be allowed to tell us?" Codric asked quietly.
Kailin nodded. "Hopefully, after the bonding, but it's not guaranteed. It's up to the shaman." She looked up, scanning the room. "There is Morek. I was wondering where he was."
It was an obvious attempt to change the subject.
Morek had opted to sit at another table this time, next to Vessa, and given how they were looking at each other, Shovia and Codric were not the only ones with plans for tonight.
I waited impatiently for a moment when the others were distracted, and when it finally came, I leaned closer to Kailin, my lips nearly brushing her ear. "Shovia has made plans with Codric for tonight," I murmured, keeping my voice low.
Kailin's cheeks immediately flushed pink, a reaction I found incredibly sexy. Well, everything about Kailin was alluring. Even the way she was holding her fork and lifting small bites of roast to her beautiful mouth was sexy.
"When?" she whispered back, her voice catching slightly.
"At eight. Two hours before curfew. But maybe she will stay the night this time."
