My mouth dropped open, then I snapped it shut. I didn’t know how to answer that question. Everything I’d seen and heard throughout my life screamed at me that this was wrong, that it needed to be stopped. But it was so impossibly hard to reconcile all that with what I’d seen since arriving on Hearthaven. And with the people I’d met in Wyndale—barring Gregor, of course. These people weren’t wild and dangerous. These dragons were peacefully sleeping youngsters. No one was burning anyone up in a fit of uncontrollable rage.Yet.
I heaved a sigh. Why did this have to be so damn hard?
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I finally said.
A low growl rumbled from the back of Rivelin’s throat. He took a step forward, and I took a step back, but my retreat was halted by the sleek stone wall of the cave. He leaned in and palmed the rock beside my head, his narrowed eyes churning with anger.
“I knew there was no getting through to you.” His hot breath caressed my neck. “I hoped if you saw the dragons with your own eyes, something might thaw in that ice-cold heart of yours. But no. You’re too stubborn for that.”
I lifted my chin. “Don’t act like you know anything about me.”
“I know you hide your truths behind a false smile. And I know you’d rather bite off your own tongue than admit you were wrong.”
“Well,Iknow you’re an insufferable bastard.”
“Unfortunately for you, this insufferable bastard is your ticket out of here. And right now, I’m not feeling particularly generous.”
I shoved at his chest. He didn’t budge. “Move.”
“So you can kill innocent baby dragons?”
“Fuck you.”
I glared up at him. His face was only inches from mine, and I could see every fleck of gold in his eyes. With his chest pressed tightly against mine, there was nowhere I could go. Nothing I could do but lift my chin in a silent challenge. He shifted against me, the ridges of his muscular chest hard and unyielding against the softness of my breasts. I hated that I noticed, and I especially hated how close his mouth was to mine and how the steam rising between us made something spark deep within me.
A spark of anger, of course. Nothing more.
My heart pounded when his eyes darted to my lips. His entire body tensed, and I stopped breathing. His face inched slightly closer. Our noses brushed.
Steam stormed between us.
Rivelin took a wide step back. “This was a mistake.”
He could have been referring to so many things, but I didn’t need to hear which one. He was right. Everything about my time on this island had been a mistake. I needed to get out of here and never come back.
18
DAELLA
Ileft Rivelin in the cave and found my own way back to Wyndale. But I didn’t stop when my feet hit the path that snaked through the buildings. Despite the warm glow of lanterns and the sweet scent of pastries drifting on the evening wind, I bypassed the cozy village and returned to the beach where I’d entered this nightmare.
Though…had it truly been a nightmare?
Sighing, I kicked off my boots and rolled up my trousers. I left them in a pile next to my satchel a few feet from the surf and walked into the sea. The water lapped at the raw skin on my ankles and toes, surging and receding like the steady beat of a drum. I dropped my head back and stared up at the inky sky. The stars were so bright, so numerous. It was like looking upon a field of fireflies.
It was so beautiful here, so unhurried, so serene. Fafnir had once been a gorgeous city, too, but it had a bustling, fraught energy about it, even in the dead of night. Until I’d spent my days trapped in a tower, I’d rarely had a moment to myself. There hadn’t been time just to sit and watch and appreciate the beauty of the world.
As the cool evening wind whipped at my face, I tried to think. What was I going to do now? I couldn’t leave the island yet unless I swam, and I definitely wasn’t a strong enough swimmer to make it all the way back to the mainland. And that wasifI didn’t run into the Elding again. It would be lurking somewhere nearby.
There were other villages on this island. I’d heard Rivelin mention them. But would they accept a half-orc with no coin? I’d been lucky Rivelin had offered me a place to stay, though deep down I knew it had nothing to do with luck. He’d wanted to keep an eye on me so I didn’t discover the dragons.
Even if I did leave, then what? When the ships came, could I truly sail back to Isveig’s side and tell him about this place, about these people? About Rivelin? The ice shard throbbed painfully in my hip. Isveig had sworn not to kill anyone I found, and he was not an oath-breaker, but…
“Daella,” a now-familiar voice called out from behind me.
I closed my eyes. I should have known he’d follow me. He would do anything to protect this island, which meant he would never let me leave.
“Daella,” he repeated when he reached my side. Even though he did not have an affinity for fire like I did, I could somehow still feel the heat of him invading my senses. “Listen, I didn’t really handle that well. I’d foolishly hoped you’d set your eyes on the dragons and instantly fall in love with them. And when you didn’t, I…reacted badly. Why don’t we try this again?”
