“Let him go,” Rush whispered against my hair, which had fallen loose and was now sticking to my lips. I stilled, letting my weight sag against him. He held me up, tightly. “Let. Him. Go.”
As his words faded from my mind, my dragon faded from view, walking beside Duke Covington, who held the chain like he was leading away a monster.
CHAPTER 34
That night, I sat in my bed, staring out the window as two dragons hunted over the forest. Vanya, who’d done her best to comfort me with words I’d barely heard, snored softly in the bed a few feet away. My arms, crossed over my chest, felt every pounding heartbeat beneath my skin. Deep in my bones, I sensed Myth’s absence in a way I hadn’t when he was away at Rush’s lair. It was like someone had ripped out one of my ribs and there was no way to stop the bleeding.
In the morning, Fairfax was scheduled to arrive for a meeting with the headmaster. If the duke had managed to make Myth flame, I’d know by then. If Myth was killed, I wasn’t sure what that would do to me. Dragon bonds usually lasted an entire lifetime, considering dragons outlived their bonded human companions for many centuries. We’d read a few poems written by people who had lost their dragons, and the lines had evoked deep pain. I didn’t want to know what that felt like in reality.
Depending on what happened with Myth, this could be my last night in this room.
I rolled my head and stared at Vanya’s back. My best friend. I’d have to leave her too. The door to our bedroom burst openand clanged against the wall. I bolted upright in bed, fearing another attempt by Luther to get rid of me. A silhouette danced in the doorway, his broad-shouldered frame stumbling as he moved into the room.
“Rush?” I threw the covers off and hurried toward him, sparing a glance at Vanya, who, amazingly, was still asleep. As soon as I saw his face, I knew something was wrong. His expression was limp, lifeless, and his eyes wandered without finding my face. “What’s wrong?”
I took his wrists and tried to steady him, but he was like a lumbering giant. His breath smelled of alcohol, and I cringed away.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t look away.”
“You reek.”
A lazy smile spread on his face. “You’re blurry.” His voice slurred as he pushed past me and collapsed face down on my bed.
“Excuse me?” I hissed at him, trying not to wake Vanya.
He rolled and looked up at me. “He…” He took a labored breath. “He knows, Ar.”
“Who knows what?” But I knew who. I shivered. “About you or me or Myth?”
His face scrunched, and only then did I realize he was in pain. I dropped to my knees beside him. Panic bloomed inside me. Rush was sweating. “Where are you hurt?”
He laid one hand over his lower left side. That was the same side that had been bleeding when I’d first laid eyes on him.
“What can I do?” I didn’t see any blood, so perhaps he’d been hit. Punched? But there were no bruises on his face. His white shirt was wrinkled as if someone had grabbed it in a fist right in the center. Tossing a glance at Vanya’s sleeping form, I reached forward and touched Rush’s forehead. He was feverish.
“Father asked lots of questions.” He pushed one shoe off, then the other, the noise of them hitting the floor finally rousing Vanya.
She sat up and spotted Rush Covington in my bed. “Oy! What are you doing here?”
I stood quickly and said, “He’s drunk. Went to the wrong room.”
Vanya cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle laughter. “Drunk idiot.”
I frowned, but I hid the expression by turning back to face Rush. His white shirt was beginning to stick to his skin. There had to be something I could do because standing here staring at him suffering was pure misery.
“I’ll get him some water,” I announced, needing to feel useful.
“Are you just going to let him sleep there?” asked Vanya.
“He’s too heavy to move.”
Vanya tilted her head back and forth. “I bet together we could do it. He can at least walk. He’s not dead.” She emerged from her covers, but at my darting movement, she paused. “What is it?”
“They’re after me,” Rush managed between sharp breaths. I peered at the open door. “Saints,” Rush hissed. “Don’t let them find me.”
Vanya nodded. “Definitely drunk.”
I hurried to the door and closed it quietly. As I did so, I heard the faint sound of hushed voices and footfalls on the stairs. I leaned against the door and exhaled slowly. Rush lifted a finger to his lips. Vanya scowled at him, but she slithered back under her covers. Then she looked at me and lifted the blankets. “You coming?”
