Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
The afternoon wore on without another word from Fedra.
Marcus was still shaken from turning around to see her staring at him with a slightly dazed expression.
It had knocked the wind out of him. And though he had seen her eyes before, they seemed different now.
As if the ability to see had somehow changed them.
Every time he looked into the deep brown depths, it was like falling into her soul. While the bond that bound them strengthened, it left him perplexed and longing to keep gazing into her beautiful eyes.
His words had hurt her. The flash of pain he’d glimpsed before she looked away told him everything she would never say. Apparently, he had scratched at an old wound, and it made him wonder just what her life had been like. Though he could imagine if she lived around anyone with magic.
She lagged behind, causing him to slow down.
He had pushed her unnecessarily hard, simply because he had been confused—and worried—by his reaction to her.
It wasn’t her fault that she had been born with such abilities, just as it wasn’t his fault that he had been born a dragon.
Fate had decided all that for them. Which meant he owed her an apology.
The sun was sinking when they reached the edge of the forest. He decided to compromise and set up their camp for the night there, since she wanted to remain in the trees. If she noticed, she didn’t say anything.
While she settled in, he removed his cloak and went in search of wood for a fire.
She had her legs drawn up to her chest, staring off across the field, when he returned.
He debated whether to go hunt for food or use what they had, but something told him not to leave her alone.
Now that she could see, she would head to the dragons the first chance she got.
He found a tree and leaned against it with his legs outstretched in front of him after he got the fire going.
Fedra stood and moved out of the trees to get a better look at the vibrant orange sunset.
He found his eyes returning to her again and again.
There was no one there cautioning him to keep his distance from her, no one watching them.
She glanced his way before returning to her seat. He wondered what she was thinking, but he also knew he couldn’t trust anything she said. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to ask, however.
They ate their evening meal as silently as they had eaten lunch.
She didn’t look in his direction even once.
Everything about her demeanor told him she didn’t want to talk, so he didn’t force it.
She hadn’t exactly been open when they left Iron Hall that morning, but she had definitely closed herself off since regaining her sight. Which could only mean one thing.
It was after midnight when Marcus heard her rise. He pretended to sleep to give her a false sense of safety. As he expected, she was smart enough to take one of the bags of food and her walking stick before heading east—confirming that she knew exactly where the dragons were.
The problem was that the forest was too dense, and he had led them farther west, so she had no idea the Tunris Mountains stood in her way. But she would soon find out.
He waited until the night had swallowed her before getting to his feet and following her, leaving the rest of their supplies since they would be back soon.
To his surprise, she started running, seemingly unperturbed by the uneven terrain.
He trailed after her. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one in the forest who noticed her.
A wildcat jumped from a tree and locked onto her as its next meal.
Worse, Fedra had no idea she was being hunted by the big animal, since she was too intent on putting distance between him and her.
While Nari had defended the Dragon Kings, this wildcat might not do the same if Marcus shifted. And he wasn’t sure Fedra was far enough away to call to his dragon. Nor did he want to reveal that secret. He didn’t want to know what she would do if she learned that he was a Dragon King.
He ran faster and made enough noise for the wildcat to detect him. It didn’t do much good, since the animal was closer to Fedra and decided to take its chances and bring her down.
“Fedra!” he bellowed.
She looked over her shoulder, but it didn’t appear as if she saw the wildcat.
The night was dark, and the cat’s black spots on its black fur made it blend into the shadows, making it a flawless nocturnal predator.
Fedra was too worried about getting away from him to take note of anything else.
The only way to save her would be to reach her first.
Marcus pumped his legs faster, wishing he could shift and take to the skies.
He could scoop Fedra up in a flash, but that wasn’t an option.
He scanned the area in an attempt to find someplace where he might be able to force her to go.
They were coming up to a ravine and the mountains.
He couldn’t direct her to the right, because that would take them straight to the wildcat.
He needed to push Fedra to the left. Marcus shifted his position so it looked as if he were coming up on her right.
She was still a hundred yards away when she glanced behind her, and just as he wanted, she altered her course to the north.
Except she also spotted the wildcat. In her panic, she stumbled and lost the walking stick, allowing the cat to gain even more ground. Fedra jumped up and continued to run north without realizing she was headed for the river.
Marcus couldn’t reach Fedra in time, but neither could he get to the wildcat first. The river was too deep to cross, and if the wildcat reached Fedra before she swam into deeper water, it would be her doom.
Everything happened in slow motion. The wildcat leapt, its claws extended.
Fedra saw it and tripped and fell to the ground just as the cat swiped at her head.
Marcus bellowed and dove for the animal, but it was quick and slid out of his grasp.
He hit the rocky ground hard and rolled.
As he jumped to his feet, he saw that Fedra had done the only thing she could—she had gotten into the river.
The cat roared its fury and paced along the bank.
“Doona go any farther,” Marcus warned Fedra. “The current is too fast. You’ll be swept away.”
But she couldn’t hear him over the rushing water.
She kept backing up. He raced into the water after her, just as she lost her footing and went under.
He watched in horror as she was dragged away.
Marcus raced back to shore, only to have the wildcat launch itself at him.
He batted it away with a surge of magic that had the animal whimpering as it ran off.
Then he raced along the river’s edge, searching for any signs of Fedra.
He finally saw her head bobbing about twenty feet in front of him and ran to try to get ahead of her before she reached the rapids.
He got there just as she was passing him.
He grabbed hold of the edge of her cloak and pulled her toward him until he could grasp her arm.
Once he had a hold of her, he made his way to land and dropped to his knees.
She was unconscious, but breathing, at least. He glanced at the sky before gathering her up and starting the long walk back to the fire.
The temperatures dropped quickly, and with the wet clothes, there was a good chance she could get sick. Him, too, for that matter. His magic kept illnesses at bay, but without it, he was as susceptible as anyone else.
It took him an hour to spot their campfire.
She was shivering by the time he lowered her to his blanket.
His fingers were stiff with cold as he hurried to remove all her clothes but her underwear and wrap her in her blanket and the only other dry garment they had—his cloak.
He then shed his clothes and slid his body next to hers.
Her skin was cold to the touch, and her teeth were chattering.
He curled around her back and wrapped his arms around her to give her as much of his body heat as he could.
It took an eternity before she finally stopped shivering.
He kept envisioning her slipping beneath the water, the panic still stuck in his throat.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had been that scared.
He was dozing when she stirred. She made a soft sound and curled her fingers into his arm.
He knew the moment she woke and realized who was beside her by the way her body stiffened.
No doubt she’d realized they were both nearly naked.
When she tried to move away, he tightened his arms to hold her against him.
He should release her, but he wasn’t ready. She needed to warm up more.
“You stopped shaking a short time ago. Give your body more time, lass,” he murmured.
To his surprise, she didn’t push him away or argue. “Why did you save me?”
“I doona let people die if I can help it.”
“It would’ve been easier for both of us if you had.”
He released a long breath. “Maybe. Maybe no’.”
“Aren’t you angry that I ran away?”
“I knew you’d try.”
She moved her hair from her face. “Oh.”
“My words were too harsh yesterday. I shouldna have spoken to you like that.”
“I’m used to it.”
It was just as he thought. “No one should get used to such things. I take it you had it rough on your world?”
“Tyren, like Zora, was filled with magic. No one wanted me around, and they made sure I didn’t stay.”
“How?”
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I’m sure you can imagine.”
“Did they hurt you?”
“As I said, it would’ve been better if you’d let me die. I make people suffer even if I don’t mean to. Look what I did to you the other day.”
He rested his chin on her head. She fit perfectly against him. It had been a long time since he had been so comfortable. “I’m fine.”
“If the others hadn’t gotten to you in time, you wouldn’t be. I bring nothing but pain.”
“What if you could use your ability to help?”
She turned her head to the side to try to see him. “How do you propose I do that?”
“Have you heard of the Star People?”
“No. Who are they?”
“Immensely powerful siblings that roam the universe. Some might call them gods. Like any species, there are good and bad ones, and it just so happens one on Zora is targeting us.”
Fedra’s shoulders rose as she inhaled deeply. “Why?”
“Eurielle is out for destruction for reasons none of us know. Two of her sisters are here, as well. Lotti is at Iron Hall, and Villette is…somewhere.”
“Can’t they help you?”
“Lotti will, but Villette does her own thing. For some time, she was our enemy, but she joined with us to defeat another of their sisters not long ago. I’d still put her in the bad category, though.”
Fedra nestled her head against his arm. “It sounds like family drama you shouldn’t get involved in.”
“Unfortunately, that isna an option. The brineling herds that attacked were brought by her.”
“Oh.”
Marcus looked at the soft blue sky as dawn approached.
If only he could hold back time for another hour.
Maybe it was because they were skin-to-skin, or perhaps it was because she had nearly died.
Whatever the reason, they had reached somewhat neutral ground.
And he didn’t want to give it up. Though it felt as if it were already slipping through his fingers.
“If you can get near her, you can prevent her from using her magic.”
“Then what do you plan?”
“We’ll make sure she can no’ harm anyone else.”
Once more, Fedra turned her head to see him. “You want to kill her?”
“You sound outraged at the thought. Is that no’ what you plan to do to the dragons and the Dragon Kings?”
“I…”
He sighed, the disappointment tough to swallow.
“I never said we would take her life. We once called Eurielle a friend, but she changed recently. It might be something we can fix, but that’s for her siblings to handle.
We just want to make sure no other innocents are hurt, be they human or animals. ”