“What do you mean Ican’t?” I asked.
Poppy inhaled a shaky breath. “Don’t… don’t fall in love with Rorik,” he murmured, sinking into his bunched shoulders. “It won’t end well.”
“Why?”
“I… I know him. He’s too far gone,” Poppy whispered. “He won’t stop until he accomplishes his goal.”
My head spun. So Rorik and Poppydidknow each other. But for a single question answered, it raised a million more. Why did Rorik flip out? Why was Poppy so shaken?
“WhatisRorik’s goal?” I asked.
Poppy held his tongue for a minute, as if gathering the courage to speak. Then he met my gaze sadly.
“You should ask him yourself.”
9
Rorik
I gaspedfor breath as I stumbled up the stairs, running like a madman up to my floor. At each landing I slammed my palm into the cold wall, pushing off with enough force to send a booming, eerie echo through the stairwell.
My chest felt tight. Each breath came as if sucked through a straw.
What was this awful feeling? I’d endured brutal training sessions, been punished and disciplined, gone without food or water… but this pain was something worse. Like claws raking down my ribs from the inside out.
When I crashed into my frigid room, my trembling knees gave out. I collapsed to the floor as I fought to catch my breath.
What the hells just happened?
I couldn’t wrap my mind around any of it. Why did Saffron intervene? Why did he put himself in danger for my sake?
And why did Ilikeit so much?
Sweat ran down my back. I shuddered and tossed off my shirt. The cold air rushing directly against my skin felt better. I blew out a long, haggard breath and tried to calm down.
Saffron was my enemy. The supposed dragon I was supposed to kill. But he’d intercepted that vengeful grizzly and ended the fight before it started. He’d thrown Kaskian’s body to the floor like a rag doll.
That was… strangely attractive.
I shook my head. Of course Saffron was attractive. He was good-looking. Small and annoying, sure, but a respectable and handsome alpha nonetheless.
But beneath that disarming exterior, raw power simmered. It was awe-inspiring dragon’s power.
Could he be stronger than Sheba and Knox? Stronger than Konrad?
My training kicked in, followed by a surge of guilt. I ground my teeth and put a stop to that line of thought. Sheba and Knox were my superiors. I wouldn’t dare imagine them losing a hypothetical fight, especially not to an enemy dragon.
But it was getting harder and harder to think of Saffron as my enemy.
Groaning, I sank forward and put my head in my hands. My mind raged like a deep winter blizzard. I was supposed to be a perfect warrior. I’d never had treasonous thoughts like these before. I didn’t know how to deal with them.
Sheba made a mistake. I wasn’t the bear for the job. I was a failure.
“Rorik.”
My blood chilled. That was Saffron’s voice outside my door. He’d followed me to my room.
My heart lurched with confusion. Back home, this would never happen. Alphas summoned omegas directly to them; they didn’t seek them out.
