“They rode dragons?” His lips part in surprise.
“They were allowed to, yes, but they had to do trials to show their worth. It’s complicated, but if they were seen as worthy, then they became riders. My mother’s dragon was one of the biggest dragons left in the world. Still is. My mother hears from her from time to time, checking in on her like a distant friend. So does my father with his dragon. He actually had two. Hisfirst dragon died in a war.” I tell him. “If I told them of what is happening here, they would come and use their magic to fight. They fought for a free world once, and they got it.”
“Dragon riding is not happening here. I guarantee one of those bastards would bite your leg off for even attempting it.” He smiles at me.
“Maybe these tests they do are similar to the ones in our world. Something they copied before they came here.” I shrug a shoulder. “My parents only told me a little of the trials they did.”
“Perhaps. Are you hungry?” He changes the subject.
“Not really. I’m still feeling a bit sick.” I admit.
His eyes soften. “The next game is tomorrow.” He clears his throat when I sigh. “The dragons will only give you till then. I bartered with them for more days, or they would have dragged you out of your sickbed unconscious.”
“Bastards.” I mutter.
“Agreed.” He smiles at me, and his smile makes me feel warm in a way no sunlight could. “I want to invite you to something. After the game that I have no doubt you will win.”
“Ah, you’re starting to have belief in me now, Hunter? I must look terribly sick.” I chuckle.
He laughs. “No... I think I was a fool for not believing in you the moment we met.” A moment passes between us. “Do you have mate bonds in your world, Wrenley?”
“Is that what you wanted to invite me to, a conversation about mate bonds?” I quip, but my heart races. Why would he ask that?
“No, but it’s important. I want to know if you know about them.” He pushes.
“My parents are mates. At least, mate bonds are a bit complicated in our world, but yes, it’s a draw to someone and you trust them immediately. My parents said that even though they were rivals at the start — enemies — my mum said shealways felt a draw to my father. My father said he was obsessed with my mother from the moment he saw her, and that never changed. My mother was a bit more complicated. She went through a lot and was probably very confused by everything.” I gnaw on my lip. “But their love? I grew up seeing it and wanting the same. The bond is beautiful.”
“It is.” He whispers, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Why did you ask about mate bonds, Hunter?” I whisper. I need him to say it, to confirm it.
“I wanted to invite you to something.” He changes the subject quickly, too quickly, and he looks away. “After the games, it’s a special night tomorrow. There’s a dance — a celebration. It’s when the moon goes so high in the sky that it almost looks like it hits the stars and the light reflects across them, making them look like they’re moving. Every year we have a celebration. People dance and party to celebrate. The dragons hate the light, so they hide and it’s safe. Come with me.”
“Okay.” I murmur, and he finally looks at me again. There is a light to his eyes that was never there before, and for a second, I let myself believe it was me that made his darkness fade.
CHAPTER 6
I’m ready by the time Hunter comes into my room in the morning. Well, as ready as I can be when I’ve just recovered from the snake bites. My fae healing kicked in pretty quickly and after some food and more water, I felt almost normal yesterday. Hunter didn’t leave my side, spending the day telling me stories of his childhood and asking for stories of mine. I barely noticed the day passing while we spoke, and by the time I yawned, it felt like seconds had passed instead of an entire day. I mess with my braided hair as I run my eyes over Hunter and the dark purple shirt and black trousers he has chosen today. The material clings to his thick arms and wide chest, and heat slithers down my spine the longer I stare. I have to pull my eyes up to meet his, pushing the desire to step closer to him away as he shuts the door. “I was wondering, when I go back to my world, why don’t you come with me? They won’t be able to get you there, right? We can just take the people here with us.”
“Are you asking me to move in with you? That’s a bit early in our relationship, don’t you think?” He playfully replies.
“Our relationship?” I blurt out.
“I am messing with you, Wren.” His smirk is sinful, and I feel it all the way down to my core. Damn this male. His smile fades.“I can’t leave the people here and the dragons will burn them before they let them leave with me. I could maybe defend them long enough, but to open a portal that big? I would need dragon blood, and buckets of it to power me. The only way to escape this world is to get rid of the dragons, and in all my years here, nothing has worked. No poison takes them down; weapons are useless when they can read your mind, and any attempts have ended in flames.” He steps closer, his hand snaking around my waist as he pulls me to him, pressing my body against his. His mouth rests against my ear as my head spins from the close proximity of him. “I’ll help you in this game, but don’t make it obvious. Don’t act surprised. You need to pretend for me, Wren. I will not let them kill you. I won’t let anyone take you from me.”
“Hunter, what are you?—”
He presses his finger against my lips. “Trust me. Trust that I won’t let you die... that I care about you. I know this is fast and fucking madness, but I wouldn’t want you any other way, Wren. Trust me, okay?”
He searches my eyes, and for a maddening second I realise that I do trust him. I trust the man who has kidnapped me, pulled me to this dangerous world and put me into games that are deadly. What the hell is wrong with me? I nod. He slowly removes his hand from my lips, his eyes tracing over where his finger was before he steps back, clearing his throat.
“Let’s go and get this over with.” He offers me his hand. I obviously take it without a moment’s hesitation. How can I trust him so soon? Why does it feel like I’ve known Hunter a lifetime instead of, what, a week? We walk together in silence, this time because I realise saying anything outside my room is a bad idea when the dragons are close. When we get out to the courtyard, I visibly wince. There’s glass everywhere, shards of it shattered across the courtyard. The sun is beating down and making them reflect and shimmer, and the dragons are up on their towersagain, looking down while the sun seems to make them look like glowing statues.
Hunter nods at me once, his whole body as tense as mine, and I let go of his hand to step out. He shuts the door behind me with a bang. I look down at my boots, then to the very large pieces of glass, and realise this is really, really going to hurt. I don’t know what idea Hunter has, but this is definitely going to hurt if he doesn’t help.
I lift my chin and look up at the dragons. “What is it you want me to do with all this glass?”
They don’t bother to answer for a long breath. “Walk to the other side. Your endurance is what matters here today. Bleed and we shall see whether you are strong enough to withstand our game.”
