“I guess so.”
“I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling.”
“Should I start picking on you now? Or save that for later?”
“I mean… you already speak your mind plainly anyway. You’re not afraid to be honest.”
“True. Which is why I should remind you… it’s your father—our father—I plan to murder.”
I don’t flinch at her statement. Perhaps, once upon a time, I would have. Not anymore. His disrespect, arrogance, and complete lack of compassion for all life have sullied my opinion of him forever. There’s no going back. “As long as you let me have Meela’s father, should he be so unfortunate as to stumble onto my path.”
Her lips twist into a pitying smile. “You’re not a killer.”
“I might make an exception for him,” I say softly into the night air, turning back around.
“Good.”
I don’t say anything, but I imagine my father’s face. The complete shock to his ego as we break the thousand-year-old curse that’s helped him and all the royalty before him keep everyone else suffering under their thumbs.
We ride in silence for a long time without seeing any more beasts, which I find strange. Perhaps they’re running scared at the sight of two dragons. It would be wise of whatever is out there to keep its distance. Unless there’s something even more terrifying than a dragon.
Eventually, I feel safe, secure, even comfortable as I Iie on my side in the little divot of his back. The slow, rolling motion of his steps lulls me into a deep slumber.
Chapter 61
I’m lying crooked on something hard, but it’s incredibly comfortable at the same time. For some reason, I don’t want to open my eyes. I feel so safe in whatever little warm space I’m tucked into, and I don’t want to move from it. But then I hear movement close by, and I’m forced to peel my eyes open.
It’s dark. Really dark. I see a torch, and behind it, a glowing red ball of fire. No, that’s not right. It’s hair. Rhydra. My sister.
“Break time, I guess.” She nods her head, and I follow the direction of her eyes. Daegan is leaning his foreleg out, signaling for us to climb down.
“Damn. That’s the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
Rhydra laughs as she climbs down first.
As soon as we touch the ground, he looks us over with eyes that are bigger than my torso, and then he’s gone. I toss his bag into the darkness, hoping he’ll hear it land nearby. It’s too dark for me to see how the change transpired, but it was fast.
Raef’s massive red form disappears too, and then I hear footsteps approaching us. Rhydra holds out her light, squinting into the darkness.
“Hang on,” she yells before chucking a bag his way.
It’s met with the sound of Raef’s chuckles.
After a moment, both of them begin to emerge from the darkness.
“What’s going on?” I ask them before they’ve fully reached us.
“Needed a break.”
There he is.
He’s finally within the warm light of the torch, his eyes looking dark and exhausted. He keeps walking until he reaches me and wraps his arms around my shoulders, holding on tight. I wrap my arms around him in turn, breathingin the lingering smoky scent. It seems more intense now and I’m guessing it has to do with him having just been in his dragon form.
“Do you need a quick nap?” I ask with my cheek pressed against his chest. “We can take watch for a little while.
“Nah. We need to keep moving. We’ll all go on foot for a bit.”
“What’s wrong?” My brows knit with concern as I lean back and look up at him.
