That comment hits its mark. “Why would you say that?” I ask.
Farrah and Kinsley stare at me a moment and then look at each other. “Something totally happened with Rauk,” Farrah says, and Kinsely agrees.
I start to argue, but Farrah puts her hand up. “You’re talking to two females who are happily mated, but it doesn’t mean we don’t get frustrated as we learn to navigate these new roles. What did he do?”
Kinsley turns big eyes on me. “You can tell us, Harper. We have to be there for each other.”
And just like that, it spills out. “He left.”
They both blink. “What?” Farrah asks.
I glance away, staring at the door and keep a tight hold on my emotions. “He went back to his kingdom.”
It’s deathly silent in the room, and I almost regret it. “He’s not going to help,” Farrah says. It’s not a question, and I don’t treat it as one.
“What about your bond?” Kinsley asks, her voice full of emotion.
I scoff. “Was there ever a doubt in your minds? I mean you’ve met the man.” I wait a minute. “Okay, and you’ve met me too.”
“But I thought there was something there, between the two of you,” Farrah says. “I watched with my own eyes.”
“There’s not. Or if there was, it’s not enough to make him stay and help.” The words taste like ash coming from my mouth, but they’re the truth. He left, and we’re on our own in this war.
“I’m sorry, Harper,” Kinsley says softly. When Farrah echoes it, I stand up.
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Farrah says.
There's a knock at the door, and I’m so relieved. I practically run towards the door to open it. Rysden gives me a weird look when I jerk the door open, but then his eyes find his mate’s. “Hey, we need to get going.”
She takes one look at his face and straightens. “What happened?”
He glances at me. “You didn’t tell them?”
“Tell us what?” Farrah demands, standing from the bed and walking over to join us.
“Wait for me,” Kinsley says, scrambling off the bed as well.
“Are you supposed to be out of bed?” I ask.
She just scowls at me and joins our group. Rysden looks tome, and I sigh. “Rauk and I went out in search of guivres.”
“See?” Farrah says, pointing at me. Then she grimaces and drops her hand. “Sorry. Go ahead.”
“We couldn’t find any,” I continue. “But Red went on her own to investigate.” I don’t waste any time delivering the bad news. “They’re gathering...outside the Southern end of the kingdom. It looks like they’ve been there a little while, if the tents are anything to go by.”
Neither girl looks incredibly surprised. “What’s the plan?” Farrah asks Rysden.
His face is grim when he answers. “We go back home and prepare oursoldiers for war.”
Chapter 43
It takes five days. Five days of stressful preparing, wondering, questioning, and trying to prepare hundreds of people for what’s coming. During the day, we’ve been busy stocking the underground bunkers with enough food, water, and supplies needed for the elderly and the young in the Jaguar Kingdom. Kaldar and his team have been preparing their soldiers in endless training. Rysden and his army showed up yesterday. Unsurprisingly, Farrah was with them. I knew she wouldn’t stay behind. It's been insane trying to find places for this many people, while continuing training, and also trying to get two different armies to figure out how to work together.
Every morning, afternoon, and evening, Red and I take a flight to check on the guivre army. We never get close enough for me to see anything, but Redara’s able to use her dragon vision to see from nearly two miles away. I inform the leaders of both armies every time I get back. So far, there’s been nothing to report. Tensions are high, and this place feels like it’s a powder kegwaiting to blow. The days are long and stressful, but the nights? The nights are way worse. The nights are when I can’t stop my thoughts from plaguing me and keeping me from sleep. While I know in my heart that there’s nothing I could have done differently to convince Rauk to join in our fight, it’s hard for my head to get that. Most mornings, I wake up more tired than when I went to bed. On the sixth morning after Rauk left, I wake up, eat something for fuel, and then mount Redara. We make our usual flight to where the guivre camp is. But we don’t get as far as usual when she suddenly pulls up short. I tighten my thighs to keep my seat. Suddenly, she’s banking to the left and then turning around.
What is it?I ask her anxiously.
