Chapter 24 #2
Of course he did, and it isn’t fair that he knows so much about me.
“You need to concentrate on flight school for now. I have a couple of potential candidates lined up for interviews this afternoon. I don’t think it’s where your focus should be right now.” He turns those gorgeous blue eyes on me and seems to look right into me.
Then he turns his attention back to the road, and I can breathe again.
“You’re right. Will there be some sort of written exam that we need to pass?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “It’s in your best interest to listen in class, to take notes, to make sure you understand and retain all of the information given. There’s no exam to fail, but you will pay with your life if you’re not prepared.”
“Way to give a girl confidence.”
He gives me the ghost of a smile, and my insides turn to mush.
“I think you’ll do just fine, Harlow.”
Thankfully, we pull up in the parking area in front of the huge field. The other vehicles pull up beside us, and we all climb out.
We make our way across the parking area and assemble at the start of the field.
A sound overhead makes me look up. Six dragons arrive, circling above us before descending to land at regular intervals around the perimeter of the field. Each one has a rider on their back, sitting tall and confident in their saddles.
“Don’t be distracted by the dragons and their riders,” Scar tells us. “They are here to assist until all of you have sufficient control over your beasts. Although no one is shifting today, I wanted them here so that you can get used to their presence.”
“I would like you all to spread out across the field,” he instructs.
“Give yourselves plenty of space. Today is about getting comfortable in this environment. Practice your breathing exercises. Meditate. Get to know your bonded shifter in their human form. Although our dragons are feral beasts, they still form a part of us and who we are. You’ll remain here for the next two hours. ”
“So, no one’s shifting today?” Georgia asks, her voice high and tight with barely contained panic. “Right? No dragons?”
“No shifting,” Scar confirms, and I see her shoulders sag with relief.
“It generally takes a week or two before you’re ready to work directly with your bonded dragons.
Now head out. I’ll see you back here in two hours, at which point we’ll return to the training facility for a lunch break and then physical conditioning.
You need to maintain your strength and stamina if you’re going to ride a dragon.
That means a training session five or six times a week. ”
We start to disperse, each bonded pair walking in different directions across the vast field. Drake and I head away from the others, angling toward the far corner, where the jungle encroaches on the open space.
Neither of us speaks until we’re well out of earshot of everyone else. Drake finally stops near a cluster of palms that provides a small amount of shade. He shrugs off a small backpack and sets it down.
“We should sit,” he says, his voice gruff.
I lower myself onto the grass, grateful to be off my feet. It’s been a long-ass day, and it’s not even lunchtime yet. Drake sits across from me.
What are we going to talk about?
This feels awkward.
He pulls two water bottles from his backpack and offers me one.
I take it. “Thanks,” I say, twisting off the lid.
“I need to confess something,” Drake says after a long moment of silence.
I freeze, the water bottle halfway to my lips. His expression is serious, almost pained, and his eyes are fixed on a point somewhere over my shoulder.
“Okay,” I say slowly, lowering the bottle.
He pulls in a deep lungful of air. “I took it upon myself to listen to your telephone conversation yesterday. The one with your friend Cathrine.” He holds up a hand.
“Before you say anything, it’s protocol to ensure that no classified information is being leaked and that you are honoring your NDA. I’m sorry…I had no choice.”
Heat floods my face.
I nod. “I understand.”
“I hope you do. I didn’t mean to pry,” Drake says, and there’s something in his eyes that looks almost like sympathy when they finally meet mine.
“I don’t want there to be lies between us.
Not if we’re going to make this partnership work.
” He leans forward. “I wanted you to know that I know. What they did to you was shitty, Harlow. Really shitty.”
I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant, even though my chest feels tight. “Miles and I weren’t really together. We never made any real promises to each other. He was free to do whatever he wanted.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Drake says firmly. “He was supposed to wait for you. And your best friend—” He shakes his head. “That’s a betrayal, no matter how you try to spin it.”
The compassion in his voice is almost worse than if he’d been cold about it. I blink rapidly, willing myself not to cry in front of him.
“At least now I know where I stand,” I say, forcing my voice to steady. “It’s helped me with my decision to stay. To really commit to working on this bond with you and your dragon.”
Drake nods slowly.
“Amelia came to see me last night,” I say, needing to change the subject. “Before she left.”
Something shifts in Drake’s expression. “Did she?”
“She apologized,” I tell him. “For how she treated me. She also gave me some advice about riding dragons and strengthening the bond.” I don’t mention her warning.
“I’m glad,” Drake says, and he sounds like he means it. “She’s a good person. This whole situation was just—”
“Shitty is a good word to describe that as well,” I supply.
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Yeah. That’s one way to put it.”
We sit in uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Sweat trickles down my back, between my shoulder blades, pooling at the base of my spine where the tank top ends. My bare arms are already sticky with humidity.
Drake opens his mouth to say something at the exact same moment I start to speak.
“This uniform is—”
“I wanted to ask—”
We both stop. Drake gestures for me to continue.
“I was just going to complain about this uniform,” I say, plucking at the leather tank top. “It’s stifling. I don’t understand why we have to dress like this, especially in this crazy humidity. I mean, I get that the pants are necessary, but couldn’t we wear something lighter on top?”
“You’ll understand once you start flying,” Drake says, and his eyes drop briefly to my tank top before snapping back to my face.
“Loose, flapping clothing isn’t ideal when you’re on the back of a dragon moving at high speeds.
It can catch the wind and throw off your balance.
Even worse, it can snag on something and cause you to fall.
” He pauses. “The leather also gives you protection. Dragon scales are rough in some places. Riders sometimes fall on landing. The leather will protect you.”
“Scar said the same. You guys must know what you’re talking about.
” I stand up, trying to move beneath the leather.
“I guess that’s why they make us wear it before we even start riding you guys…
your dragons, I mean. It’s so that we can get used to it.
” My underwear has decided to ride up, and the leather makes it impossible to adjust it discreetly.
“That would be correct.” His voice is a rough rasp.
I attempt an awkward wiggle, reaching around to try to pull the leather away from my body without being too obvious about it. It’s not working. I twist slightly, trying to hook my fingers under the waistband.
When I glance at Drake, I freeze.
He’s staring at me. More specifically, he’s staring at my ass, and the look in his eyes is unmistakable. It’s raw and hungry. It makes me feel something low in my belly. His gaze travels up slowly, taking in every inch of me.
Holy shit.
Our eyes meet, and for a split second, neither of us looks away. His pupils are dilated, his jaw clenched tight. His chest rising and falling quickly.
Then, Drake deliberately turns his gaze away, focusing on something in the distance. His hands clench into fists on his thighs.
Shit!
I think Amelia is right. I think he’s attracted to me.
This is bad. Really bad.
It’s one thing for me to be attracted to him, but another entirely for that feeling to be mutual.
It’s dangerous. It’s wrong. It’s a tightrope I don’t want to navigate. Thing is, I don’t have a choice. We’re in this together…as a team.