Chapter 11
Harlow
I keep trudging. One foot in front of the other. I want to ask Drake if we are nearly there, but I know he will bite my head off if I ask again so soon.
The heat is killing me. Sweat beads between my breasts, trickling down my stomach. My shirt is sticking to my back.
I make this sound of pure joy when the Academy buildings appear through the trees like a mirage. Relief floods through me to the point that my knees nearly give in. We made it. We actually made it back alive.
My stomach growls at the thought of food. I need a shower and an antihistamine… I scratch at my arm, looking down. Bug bites dot my arms and legs – angry red welts that itch constantly – but considering everything that could have gone wrong in that jungle, I can’t really complain.
Drake doesn’t have a single mark on him. Lucky bastard!
“Finally,” I push out, picking up my pace despite my aching muscles.
Drake walks ahead of me, his long strides eating up the ground with infuriating ease. Even after a night on the jungle floor, he looks good. All of those muscles of his rippling as he moves, the copper in his dark hair catching the sunlight. I force myself to look away before I get caught staring.
“Listen, Harlow.” His voice cuts through my wandering thoughts, and I realize he’s slowed down to walk next to me. His expression is serious, his jaw is tight. “Before we reach the others, we need to be clear about a few things.”
“Okay.” I swallow hard, suddenly nervous about what he’s going to say.
“I’ll be in touch with you about how we’re going to handle the bonding session,” he says. “We need to make sure no one discovers that you’ve already mind-bonded with my dragon. You understand how important this is, right?”
I nod. “Of course. I get it.”
“Good. And Harlow?” His eyes lock onto mine, and there’s something almost dangerous in his expression.
“You can’t trust anyone with this information.
Not your friends, not the other Tributes, not even the trainers.
No one. If my colleagues find out what happened between us, they might force you to stay. Force you to learn to ride me.”
The image hits me before I can stop it – sitting astride his massive dragon form, my hands gripping those copper-colored scales as we soar through the sky above the island. The wind whipping through my hair, the ground far below us, the incredible power of his wings carrying us higher and higher…
I blink hard, shaking my head to clear the vision. Why doesn’t that thought terrify me? It should. I should be imagining myself plummeting to my death, not feeling this strange flutter of…what? Excitement? That can’t be right.
It doesn’t matter. I’m going to ignore my bond with Drake. I won’t bond with anyone else either. I need to stop these silly fantasies. I’m not cut out to be a dragon rider. Not a klutz like me.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I promise him. “I understand what’s at stake.”
“Good.” Drake’s expression remains stern, but I catch a hint of something softer in his eyes before it disappears. “And going forward, you need to understand that we’re not friends. I’m still the Academy leader, and you’re still a Tribute. You need to maintain proper distance and respect.”
His tone is harsh, and it stings more than it should.
“I understand,” I say, trying not to let the hurt show in my voice. Again, I’m being silly. He’s absolutely right. I get it.
“I’m serious about this, Harlow.” His voice grows even more gruff. “Stay in your lane, follow the rules, and you’ll get to go home to your boyfriend. Step out of line, and things get complicated.”
“I get it already,” I snap, my temper flaring despite my best efforts to stay calm. “You don’t have to keep harping on about the same thing over and over. I’m not an idiot. I won’t tell anyone. I’ll treat you with respect, sir, Academy Leader, sir.” I fake-salute him.
Drake stops walking and turns to face me fully, his eyes blazing.
“That response right there? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. That’s being overly familiar with me. A regular Tribute wouldn’t dare talk back to me like that.”
I roll my eyes before I can stop myself.
“A regular Tribute also hasn’t had your naked ass on top of them, have they?
We’ve been through a few things, Drake… Sorry, Master Academy Leader, sir.
What is your problem? We’re not around anyone else right now.
I promise to kiss your feet and call you just plain ‘sir’ once we’re officially back, if it makes you happy? ”
“You wouldn’t have had my naked ass on top of you if you hadn’t acted like you were being killed.”
“How were you going to help me by climbing on top of me? That’s not how you fight off attacking wild animals.
I think it was an excuse to rub yourself against me.
I think you might need to be the one to keep your distance from me.
You might need to be the one who treats me like a regular Tribute.
You need to stop yourself from being overfamiliar. ”
“That’s absolute bullshit.” He starts walking again, and I fall into step beside him.
“You wish it was!” I’m being a little childish, but he doesn’t have to be such an asshole.
“Drop it already and stick to the plan.”
“Do you want to go through it with me one more time to be sure I understand?” My voice is flat. I’m pissed off.
He sighs, picking up the pace. I do too, just to annoy him.
The main Academy building looms larger as we approach. I ignore Drake and focus instead on thoughts of the hot shower I’m going to take, the cold water I’m going to drink, the food I’m going to devour.
Then I see movement at the building’s entrance.
“Holy shit! It’s them; they’re alive!”
The voice carries across the distance, and suddenly, people are spilling out of the building like ants from a disturbed hill. Tributes and trainers alike rush toward us, their faces a mixture of relief and excitement.
A trainer with shoulder-length black hair and tattoos covering his arms reaches us first. He’s carrying a large towel, which he immediately hands to Drake.
“It’s so good to see you…both of you,” the trainer says, his voice thick with relief. I recognize him but can’t quite remember his name. “We’ve been searching for you since yesterday.” He has the same powerful build as all the shifters.
“It’s good to see you, too, Night,” Drake says.
Night…that’s it!
“Are you both okay?” He looks from Drake back to me. “Are you hurt, Harlow? Do you need medical attention?” He starts to move toward me. “Do you need me to carry you? You must be exhausted after your ordeal.” His hand’s outstretched toward me, but Drake’s voice cuts through the air like a whip.
“She’s fine,” he growls, making Night and me look at him in surprise. Drake wraps the towel around his waist, his jaw tight. “Harlow doesn’t need to be carried. She’s quite capable.”
Night frowns. “I was just…um…”
“I’m okay,” I tell Night. “Thank you for caring.” I glare at Drake. “It’s sweet.”
“Harlow! Oh, my word! It’s you.”
My heart lifts as I hear Jordyn’s voice break through the noise of the growing crowd. She runs toward me, her blonde hair streaming behind her, tears already starting to well up in her eyes. Behind her are Carla and Dani. They are rushing to catch up.
Jordyn crashes into me with the force of a small hurricane, wrapping her arms around me so tightly I can barely breathe.
“I can’t believe you’re alive!” she sobs into my shoulder. “You scared the living shit out of me. We all thought you were dead, for sure.” She pulls back to look at me, her face streaked with tears. “I thought I was never going to see you again.”
“I’m okay,” I tell her, feeling my own eyes start to well up at her emotional reaction. “I’m here. I’m fine.” My lip wobbles, so I bite down on it.
Carla reaches us next, her brown eyes wide with concern as she pulls me into her own fierce hug.
“I was so scared,” she whispers. “I kept thinking about your friends back home, about Miles…”
Then Dani is there too, wrapping her arms around both of us.
“Welcome back,” she says into my hair.
We pull away from one another.
“I felt sick when I saw you fall,” she says, her voice trembling. “And then when the dragon grabbed you… We didn’t know it was Drake until they explained exactly what happened. They told us about shifters. They warned us that Drake might kill you. That he probably would.”
“Not Drake,” I correct her. “I mean…not the Academy leader, but rather his dragon. They turn into bloodthirsty animals when in their dragon form.”
“He didn’t, though.” Dani looks me over.
“He did, but I got lucky that he didn’t end up killing me.” I widen my eyes.
“That’s for sure,” Carla adds, her voice filled with awe. “I saw him shift. One second, he was standing there, and the next second, he was this colossal dragon launching himself through the air. It was incredible and terrifying at the same time.”
I glance over toward where Drake was standing, but he’s already walking away from us, heading toward the Academy building without so much as a goodbye. Not even a nod in my direction.
Rude. You would swear the last twenty-four hours never happened. I know we can’t be overly familiar, but this is going completely in the opposite direction of cordial.
“Come on,” Jordyn says, linking her arm through mine. “Let’s get you inside. You need food and a hot shower.”
“Actually, maybe the shower first,” I say, suddenly very aware of how I must look and smell after a night in the jungle. “Then food. Lots and lots of food.”
“You must be starved. You haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday.”
“Actually, Dra…Academy Leader Drake caught us…a jungle creature.” I don’t say that it was technically a rodent because it feels weird now that we’re back. “He barbecued it for dinner. I have to say that it was pretty good. But I haven’t eaten since then.”
“Still far too long, considering how far you had to walk. You poor thing,” Jordyn says.