Chapter 28
Harlow
Drake’s dragon lands hard. Although he puts me down carefully, my legs buckle the second he releases me. It must be the shock or adrenaline. I stumble forward, tripping on nothing. Thankfully, I catch myself before I face-plant into the dirt.
I straighten up, brushing leaves and debris from my tank top with shaking hands. My heart is still hammering against my ribs so hard I can feel it in my throat. Every nerve in my body is firing, adrenaline still pumping through my veins like liquid lightning.
We could have died. We should have died.
Drake saved me.
What about the others?
I wipe my face, seeing smears of blood. It’s dragon blood.
I can’t believe that happened. It was the most frightening thing I have ever witnessed.
I turn to look at Drake’s dragon, expecting him to shift back immediately. Instead, he just stands there, perfectly still, his copper-scaled head tilted as he stares at me.
Those vivid blue eyes – Drake’s eyes – are locked onto mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch.
“What is it?” I ask his dragon, my voice coming out shakier than I’d like.
He doesn’t move. Just keeps staring at me like I’m supposed to understand something. Like I’m missing some crucial piece of information.
I feel a tugging on my mind. It’s subtle at first, like someone gently pulling on a thread inside my skull. But there’s nothing else. No words, no images, no clear communication. Just that persistent, insistent pull.
“What do you need?” I try again, taking a step closer. “What is it?” My voice is a little shrill.
Drake’s dragon makes a noise deep in his chest. It’s urgent, frantic even. The sound makes my own panic spike in response. Smoke wafts from his nostrils in thick gray plumes.
Something’s wrong. Something’s really wrong.
The tugging on my mind intensifies, becoming almost painful. I press my palms against my temples, trying to make sense of it. He’s trying to communicate with me.
“I don’t understand.” My voice is strained.
My head hurts. “What is it?” My tone rises with desperation.
I try to force him from my mind because the pain is getting so much worse by the second.
“You’re hurting me. I don’t understand you.
I’m trying, but I can’t—” I take a shaky breath.
“You should shift so that we can talk. Please…shift…please…”
More smoke curls from his nostrils. Then he shifts.
The relief is instant. My shoulders sag. I rub my temples, listening as bones crack and reshape. I open my eyes, watching scales melt away into smooth skin. Within seconds, Drake stands before me in all his naked glory.
Relief floods through me so suddenly and intensely that I don’t even think. Tears prick my eyes. I forget all about him being such an asshole to me. None of that matters right now.
I launch myself at him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I crash into his chest. The solid warmth of him grounds me, reminds me that we’re alive. That we survived.
“Oh my god, Drake.” The words tumble out in a rush against his bare shoulder. “I can’t believe that just happened. I’ve never been more afraid in my entire life.”
For a few heartbeats, he doesn’t move. Then his hand comes to rest on my back, warm and steady. The touch is brief, though. Too brief. Before I can fully process the comfort of it, he grips my shoulders and sets me away from him at arm’s length.
Right. Boundaries. I get it.
Except my heart is still racing, my hands are still shaking, and all I want is to feel grounded again.
“What was that?” I demand, wrapping my arms around myself instead. “How did all of those Reds get through? There were…a lot of them.”
“It happens from time to time.” Drake’s voice is rough, his jaw tight. “Wrong place, wrong time. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” I stare at him incredulously. “We were nearly killed!”
His expression is unreadable. “You’re fine. I’m fine.”
“All because of you. I froze back there. Thank you.” The words come out softer now.
“For saving me. For your quick thinking. I would have—” I can’t even finish the sentence.
The memory of those red-marked dragons diving toward the field makes my stomach turn.
“You need to shift back so we can return to the field. Right now. We need to get back to the others.”
Panic is clawing at my chest again.
“Someone might have been hurt or even killed,” I continue, my voice rising. “We need to go back right now so that we can help them.”
Drake gives me a dark look. One that makes my blood run cold.
“What?” I ask. “What is it?”
“I can’t shift back.” His voice is flat. “It’s against the rules, remember? Nothing has changed since the last time.”
“What do you mean? Screw the rules!” The words explode out of me. “This is an emergency. We need to get back there now. People could be dying while we’re standing here arguing about protocol!”
“I tried to get you to give me a command to take you back while I was still in dragon form.” Drake’s jaw clenches even tighter. “But you didn’t listen to me.”
“I—what?” I blink at him, confused. “When?”
“The entire time I was standing there staring at you. I was trying to tell you to command me to fly you back to the field, only you wouldn’t listen.”
“I tried. I swear. I didn’t understand you.” Frustration bubbles up inside me. “How was I supposed to know that’s what you wanted? It started to really hurt.”
“Because you were fighting me.” He huffs out a breath, sounding frustrated. Well, join the club. “You need to work on meditating and clearing your mind so that you can hear my dragon more clearly. The bond won’t work properly if you can’t understand basic communication.”
“Why didn’t you just take me back anyway?” I demand. “Emergency or not, surely getting back to help the others is more important than waiting for some command I didn’t know I was supposed to give?”
“Apparently, my dragon sees you as his rider.” The words come out carefully, like he’s trying to make me understand something important.
“He wants commands from you. He wants you to ride him. The only time he’ll act on his own is if your life is in danger, which it was.
That’s the only reason he grabbed you and flew us here in the first place.
Once the danger had passed, he needed direction from you.
Dragons are normally not so damned giving,” he says the last to himself more than me.
I’m not sure what he means by it. Or whether it’s good or bad.
“How was I supposed to know that? I’ve been to one lesson about dragon riding. One! I can’t command your dragon yet. I don’t even know how.”
“I know that.” Something that might be sympathy flashes across his face before disappearing. “But that doesn’t change the situation we’re in.”
“What now?” I throw my hands up in exasperation. “Don’t tell me we have to hike back. That’ll take hours! Surely the rules don’t count since it’s an emergency?”
“Like I said not so long ago, it’s no longer an emergency.
” His tone is infuriatingly calm. “We’re both safe.
No one is actively trying to kill us. The immediate danger has passed.
” Drake crosses his arms over his bare chest, and I force myself not to stare at the way his muscles flex with the movement.
“I’m only permitted to shift with others present to monitor me.
Only once you pass flight school will I be able to shift within the mind-bond without outside supervision. Until then—”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” The words are out before I can stop them.
Drake’s eyes narrow. “The rules are in place to keep you safe, Harlow. They’re there because riders have died in similar situations. There’s no way around them. I need to lead by example.”
“Can’t we pretend that you never shifted into human form?”
He looks at me like I lost my mind. “No, we can’t—”
A loud crashing sound cuts him off.
We both freeze.
Branches break with sharp, splintering cracks. There’s a solid thud of something heavy hitting the ground. Something big.
“What was—?” I start to say, but Drake immediately puts a finger to his lips. I narrow my eyes at him. “What is it?” I mouth the words.
He doesn’t answer. His entire body has gone rigid, every muscle tense. He’s listening intently to something I can’t hear.
“Is it—?” I start to mouth, but he gives a quick shake of the head.
There’s a snap of a twig somewhere to our left.
Drake moves faster than I can process, putting me behind him in one fluid motion. He seems to grow taller, broader, more muscular. He’s blocking my entire view of whatever’s out there.
A sniffing noise echoes through the trees. Long, deliberate inhales.
Is it an animal?
It sounds like an animal.
Someone groans deeply and sniffs again.
“I smell female.” The voice is so gruff I can barely understand the words. Each syllable sounds like it’s being dragged over gravel. “Smells…good.”
Every hair on my body stands on end.
I peer around Drake’s broad shoulder, my heart climbing into my throat.