Chapter 21
Harlow
The four of us stand on the same open field where everything fell apart this morning. The grass is still trampled where the dragons stood, and there are scorch marks on the ground where— I don’t want to think about it.
The sun beats down, and sweat beads along my hairline. I brush it away with the back of my arm, trying to steady my breathing.
This is it. The moment of truth.
Amelia stands with her arms crossed, her jaw set in a hard line. She looks determined, but I catch the tremor in her hands before she tucks them under her arms.
“Let’s get this over with,” she says, her voice clipped. She turns to Drake. “Please shift so I can prove once and for all that I’m still your primary rider.”
Drake’s expression is unreadable as he nods once. He starts undressing, his movements methodical and controlled.
I avert my gaze, even though I’ve already seen him naked multiple times. As I turn my head, my eyes land on Amelia and her reaction to Drake.
She’s watching him with an expression that’s stripped of all the hostility and anger I’ve come to expect from her.
Instead, there’s raw sorrow written across her features.
That and longing. She tracks his every movement as he removes his shirt, revealing all those tattoos and rippling muscles.
When he reaches for the button of his pants, her expression crumbles even more, and she has to look away, swallowing thickly.
In that moment, everything clicks into place.
Oh.
Of course. How could I not have known?
She’s in love with him.
Amelia isn’t just upset about losing her position as Drake’s primary rider. She’s terrified of losing him, full stop. That’s why she’s been so hostile toward me from the start – not just because I threaten her role as his rider, but because she sees me as a threat in every way.
That explains things. I couldn’t figure out why she was being such a bitch to me without even knowing me. Now I understand.
The sound of bones cracking pulls my attention back to Drake just as his transformation begins.
I watch, mesmerized despite having seen it before, as his body shifts and changes.
Scales ripple across expanding skin, wings unfurl, and within seconds, the massive copper-tinged dragon stands before us.
He’s magnificent. Terrifying and beautiful in equal measure.
Amelia moves immediately, her training and experience evident in every step. She bends down to grab the heavy saddle that’s nearby. I start forward instinctively, wanting to help, but she shoots me such a venomous look that I freeze mid-step.
“I don’t need your help,” she snaps.
I hold up my hands and back away, watching as she struggles with the weight.
Drake’s dragon lowers himself. The saddle is heavy, but Amelia manages just fine, heaving it onto Drake’s back despite the way her arms shake with the effort.
She works quickly, adjusting straps and tightening the cinch with movements that speak of their long partnership.
Once the saddle is secure, she grabs the pommel and swings herself up onto Drake’s back in one fluid move. She puts her feet in the stirrups and grabs the pommel, her body positioning itself with the confidence of someone who’s done this a thousand times before.
“Amelia, wait—” Reed starts, taking a step forward with her hand raised.
But Amelia either doesn’t hear her or chooses to ignore her. She leans forward, and Drake’s dragon launches himself into the sky with powerful beats of his wings. Within seconds, they’re airborne, climbing higher and higher into the cloudless blue.
“Dammit,” Reed mutters, shading her eyes as she watches them ascend. Her jaw is tight with irritation.
I can’t tear my eyes away from the sight of them soaring above us. They look amazing. So free. So happy. I feel a twinge of jealousy, but tamp it down. Things are as they should be.
Drake executes a smooth banking turn, and Amelia moves with him like they’re two parts of the same whole.
I’m just starting to breathe out a sigh of relief when it all goes belly up.
Drake banks sharply to the left, and I see Amelia lurch in the saddle.
Her body tips dangerously to one side, and she has to grab onto the pommel with both hands to keep from sliding off.
It happens again, this time to the right.
Drake’s dragon is flying in erratic zig-zags.
Amelia screams so loudly, we hear from far below.
“No,” I breathe, my heart leaping into my throat.
“Just as I feared.” Councilor Reed shakes her head, making a noise of frustration.
Drake’s dragon rolls, his massive body twisting in mid-air, and Amelia’s scream carries down to us once again.
By now, she’s clinging to the saddle, her legs wrapped tight around his back, but it’s clear she’s lost control of the beast. Drake blows a plume of fire into the sky, swooping down so fast, I’m shocked that Amelia doesn’t plummet to her death.
“We need to do something.” I turn to the Councilor, panic rising in my chest.
Reed’s expression is serious as she watches the aerial display.
“Amelia has some influence over him, but not nearly enough. You are his primary rider now. Of that I am certain.”
Above us, Drake executes another violent roll, and this time Amelia nearly loses her seat completely. She dangles from the saddle for a heart-stopping moment before managing to haul herself back up.
“She’s going to die,” I say, my voice high and tight. “Why did she do this? Why did she risk her life like this? Surely this isn’t what you intended?”
“Pride,” Reed says simply. “And desperation. She wanted to prove she was still in control.” She turns to me, her expression intense. “You need to reach out to him, Harlow. With your mind. If you can talk some sense into his dragon, you might be able to save Amelia’s life. It’s up to you.”
“I don’t know how!” The words come out in a rush. “I’ve never done this before…not really.”
“You need to try,” Reed insists. “Clear your mind. Focus on the bond. Reach out to him. You need to get him to calm down and to land.”
I close my eyes, trying to do as she says, but panic floods my system instead. Above us, Amelia screams again, and when I open my eyes, I see Drake’s dragon diving at an impossible angle.
Focus. I need to focus.
I close my eyes again and try to find that connection I felt before. That mental thread that links me to Drake’s dragon. But all I feel is my own terror, my own racing thoughts.
“I can’t!” Desperation claws at my throat. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Calm down,” Reed says. “You can do it. You need to clear your mind. Take a breath and another and another. Find the bond and follow it.”
How am I supposed to calm down when Amelia is about to fall to her death?
But I have to try. Drake will never forgive himself if anything happens to her. He may never forgive me.
I suck in a deep breath and force myself to block out everything else. The sounds of Drake’s wings beating, Amelia’s screams, Reed’s breathing beside me. I push it all away and search for that connection.
There.
It’s faint at first, like a whisper at the edge of my consciousness. But as I focus on it, it grows stronger. A golden thread that connects me to the massive beast soaring overhead.
Drake, I project at him, pushing the thought along that thread. Please. Stop this. You’re going to kill her.
Nothing. No response. The dragon continues his chaotic flight, banking and rolling with Amelia clinging to his back.
“Keep trying,” Reed coaches. “Keep your commands simple. Don’t try to force control – work with him. Dragons respond better to cooperation than domination.”
I try again, this time adjusting my approach. Instead of begging, I reach out with calm certainty.
Slow down, Drake.
I feel something shift. A flicker of acknowledgment.
“That’s it,” Reed murmurs beside me. She must see something in my expression. “You’re getting through to him. Keep going.”
Easy, I project along the bond, putting all my will behind it. Slow down. Steady.
Drake’s flight pattern begins to change. The violent banking softens, becoming less erratic. His rolls become shallower, more controlled.
Good, I think, encouragement flooding the bond. That’s good. Now, come closer. Come down to us. Slowly…easy.
Above us, Drake’s dragon circles once, twice, then begins a gradual descent. Amelia is still clinging to the saddle, her face pale and streaked with tears, but she’s no longer in immediate danger of falling.
“You’re doing it,” Reed says quietly. “Keep going. Bring him all the way down.”
Come to me. Land, I command, and this time there’s no hesitation. Drake’s dragon responds immediately, spiraling down toward the field in a controlled descent.
His massive claws hit the ground with enough force to make the earth tremble. For a moment, he stands there, sides heaving, smoke curling from his nostrils. Then he rears up on his hind legs and roars – a sound of frustration and fury that makes my bones vibrate.
Amelia slides from the saddle and hits the ground hard, rolling away from the dragon’s thrashing tail. She scrambles to her feet and backs away, putting distance between herself and the beast.
Shift, I project firmly. Do it now.
For a moment, I think he won’t listen.
Please, Drake. Shift back, I try again.
The dragon’s eyes are wild, feral, and I can feel the resistance along our bond. But I push harder, willing him to obey.
Please, I add, softening the command. It’s okay.
The transformation is slower this time, almost reluctant. Scales recede, wings fold back into skin, bones crack and reshape. Within moments, Drake stands before us in his human form, naked and breathing hard.
He turns immediately toward where Amelia has collapsed onto the grass. She’s sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around herself as she rocks back and forth. Tears stream down her face, and she’s making small, broken sounds that make my chest ache for her.