Page 133 of Ashborne: Defiance

I took a step back.

As my brothers closed in around her, laughing and teasing each other—and especially Harle for now being out-flown by two women—I gaped.

Grace looked from one to the other, her face covered in red smears, and bloodstains turning brown on her sleeves, but her eyes still sparkled. “But, I fell?” she said finally when there was a break in the whooping and clapping.

Bren put a hand on her arm, beaming. “The point of that flight is for you to learn that you can trust the equipment, your dragon, and Ronen’s orders. Trust me, you proved that no trouble.”

“Congratulations, my Lady Flameborne,” Ronen said with a chuckle. “Welcome to the squad.”

Koa and Kham bugled, echoed immediately by the others.

My brothers closed in tighter around her, and I was torn—half of me wanting to reach between them to tear her out from under their gazes, the other screaming at me to leave her there and let her enjoy the moment.

She kept asking for affirmation, and when Ronen gave it, she threw her arms around Bren and the two of them hugged and bounced on their toes together.

I didn’t have the heart to remind her that they shouldn’t.

Maybe it was fine?

I took another step back—away from my brothers, and Grace, and that thought. Then another. Until I stood in the shadow of my dragon, who whistled with the others, but kept turning his head to check on me as well.

‘I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt. I’m just…’

Kham crooned, but didn’t send words. Eventually, Ronen called us to attend and everyone went quiet.

“Pretty sure that’s the shortest Acknowledgement flight in our history. But regardless, it means we can be early to lunch. Let’s go eat.”

Of course, my brothers all cheered at that too.

Ronen smiled at Grace and opened an arm, urging her to walk ahead. Bren hooked arms with her and both of them started across the meadow. The view of Grace dried the roof of my mouth—the laced vest hollowing her back, leathers tight on her ass and clinging to her thighs, her braid half-pulled out by the net and the fall and all the adventures of the morning. But when she turned her head to look up at Bren, Bren beamed back at her.

I took another step back.

“Come on, Voski.” The deep voice was quiet. I blinked and jerked to look at Ronen, standing there, arms folded, tipping his head in the direction the others were all walking. “It was a shock. She’s fine. I’ll make sure she sees a healer after she eats—she probably needs the food more than anything else.”

I nodded, but had to clear my throat before I could speak. “I’m not hungry.”

“I don’t care. You’ve had a shock, too. You come to lunch, and you congratulate our new sister, and when everyone scatters, then you can go.”

I wanted to argue, but the look in Ronen’s eyes made it clear if I did, we were going to have a problem. And I found I didn’t have the energy.

I was suddenly as limp and deflated as an old wine bladder.

Swallowing hard, I patted Kham’s leg. ‘Make sure Koa’s well. Tell me if Grace is hiding any pain.’ Dragons were usually loath to admit hurts, and I imagined the wild ones had instincts to obscure injury.

‘You’re a good man, Voski,’ Kham sent softly. ‘I’ll watch for my mate. You watch for yours.’

I gritted my teeth as I walked after the others, but I kept my paces slow. And no one noticed that I was several feet behind the rest of them.

No one, except Ronen, who kept glancing back over his shoulder. And when we stepped into the shadows of the wood between this clearing and the Academy, he slowed his pace to fall in step with me.

My hackles rose, but he didn’t speak immediately. He waited until I’d begun to hope he wouldn’t speak at all.

Fucker.

“You ready to tell me what’s wrong?” he asked quietly, under the noise of my brothers chatting and teasing ahead.

“I did tell you, I’m just spent,” I muttered. “Mission was difficult, and the travel extensive. I just need time with silence and no fucking near-death experiences.”