With that thought in mind, he fully intended to leave this dragon to complete her quest.
Until he noticed she was walking in circles.
“What are you doing?”
She paused at his question and gave him an adorable smirk. “How do humans and unicorns know which direction they’re going?” She looked up at the sky, then around at the trees. “Everything looks the same from down here. Is there some special means you use to get your bearings? A magick homing beacon? Some inner compass? Is that what you have your horn for?”
He bit back a laugh at the frustration in her voice. In this form, she was as helpless as a child. “Where are you heading?”
“Auderley.”
Odd... that was his destination as well.
Leave her to her vengeance. She’s no concern of yours. You have a lot more to deal with and a lot more to worry about.
Dragons had declared war on unicorns to such an extent that they had once been virtually extinct. It was only now that his people were regaining their numbers.
And that was only thanks to him and the treaties he’d put in place.
Granted, but you swore you’d protectallyour people. Including dragons.
His horn itched, reminding him again of Renata and what he owed to his sister and people.
True. The dragon was nothing to him. Yet his mind merged her current human form with that of his sister and he couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to the dragon because he’d made a bargain with her and left her without her innate abilities and powers.
You swore you would protect all your people...
It always came back to that, didn’t it? He couldn’t forsake his oath. No matter what, the dragons were one of the Thirteen Kingdoms.
Fuck me.
He would respect her quest and help her with it as that was his duty, too. Not to mention, it was ultimately his responsibility to find the culprit who’d taken her brother’s head and make sure he didn’t do that to anyone else.
You could assign someone else to help her run the bastard down.
It was why he had stewards and others. Ryper came to mind. Be a good use of his talents, for once. That ruthless little bastard might even enjoy it.
But his quest was personal, and he knew hers was, too. Since they were headed the same way...
What would it really cost him other than some time?
Using his powers, he created a saddle for her. “Climb on my back, and I’ll take you there.”
By her expression, he could tell his offer surprised her as much as it irritated him. “Why are you being nice to me after our bargain?”
“I have no idea.” And he didn’t. It really wasn’t in his nature to be kind.
He was more likely to rip someone’s throat out than he was to speak with them. Even Renata had called him ‘jackass’ more than ‘brother.’
In truth, he prided himself on his surly nature. It tended to keep users and courtiers at bay.
Still, the dragon didn’t move to accept his offer. Rather, she stood by his side with a frown. “Can you not just wish me there?”
He let out an irritated sigh. “My powers don’t work that way. Again, all magick has a cost. Your clothes, the saddle and small such things are easy for me to pay. Magick is a hungry beast that always wants more and more to feed her. To teleport you that distance would require a much greater sacrifice. I can’t afford to weaken myself, and you have nothing else to give to make it worth my while.”
“Oh... then, thank you.”
Yeah... thank you,he mocked her silently, hiding just how truly aggravated he was. He didn’t need this distraction. He had so many other things to deal with.
