Chapter 27
Rayna
Galadon was gone when she woke. Rayna vaguely remembered him kissing her and saying he must do an early patrol today because he needed to speak to a certain Takaran guard about another one of his trade deals. As she rose, she noted a faint tremor in her hand and something else. Rayna closed her eyes and clenched her fists, feeling the strength coursing through her body that hadn’t been there for too long.
Her slayer side was back.
It wasn’t subtle like when the feeling slowly built the longer she went without killing a dragon. This was rising fast and hard. She wished she’d asked how it would work when the potion wore off, but it hadn’t occurred to her. This was a new thing.
She wasn’t lost to it yet, but she didn’t know how much time she had left before it became uncontrollable. By the feel of things, she needed to hunt today if she wanted to avoid hurting anyone who mattered. She dashed to Galadon’s wardrobe, pulling the doors open. He’d given her a couple of shelves to store her clothing, and she grabbed a set of black camrium warrior clothing, along with her new weapon’s harness.
Rayna pulled on one of Galadon’s dirty tunics to cover her long enough to get to the bathing chamber. Ujala wasn’t outside, thankfully, so she made it across the central clearing without any delay. She rushed through a quick wash with a shallow tub of water to scrub off the previous night’s activities.
Maybe if she hurried, she could race over to Takaran territory and find some annoying dragon to kill. The closest section of the border was a thirty-minute ride from here. Rayna would get her kill and put the whole thing behind her for a while, hopefully, before Galadon realized she was gone.
Exiting the bathing chambers, she went back to their living quarters, racing down the tunnel. She came to a halt when she found Galadon waiting for her. Shit. All she’d wanted was to avoid this conversation, but with him here, there was no way around it. The very thing they’d worked so hard to ignore had reared its ugly head.
He frowned. “You’re already dressed.”
“Yes.” She moved toward the weapons rack on the wall where he’d also made space for her blades. “I need to go out.”
“Where?” he asked, but something in his tone told her that he suspected.
Rayna forced herself to turn and meet his gaze. “To hunt.”
“It’s back,” he stated flatly.
She nodded. “It’s coming on hard, but if I hurry, I can take care of it today before it gets too bad.”
“I thought it would come on slower and give us more time to figure it out,” he said, rubbing at the back of his neck.
Rayna began fitting knives into their sheaths. She felt like a drug addict, rushing to get her next fix, except she needed to kill for hers. “This isn’t an option, Galadon. I have to go.”
His voice came out soft and gentle, “I have more potion.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Where will you hunt?” he asked.
“The Takaran territory, since it’s the closest.”
Irritation transformed his features. “I have allies there, and you can’t recognize which ones. While there are bad dragons among them, there are also many good.”
Rayna threw her hands up. “Fine. I’ll go farther to the Ghastanan, or do you have allies there as well?’
“I do, and with the Bogaran.”
“So I’m left with the Kandoran as the closest dragons I can kill, which will take three days to reach riding Onyx. I don’t have that kind of time, especially since the route up there is through Faegud land. The risk I’ll kill one of your clan members before I reach the Kandoran is too high,” she argued. He had to see reason on this.
Galadon worked his jaw. “If you take the potion, I’ll figure something out so you can hunt next time. We can be more prepared.”
“It lasts ten days.” Rayna threw her hands up. “I will lose my strength again when I need it for our battle with the Kandoran nest.”
He gave her a pleading look. “Let us take care of it.”
“No.” She pointed a finger at him. “I am the one who found them and asked for this battle. Never mind that I want revenge for what Astaroth did to us. Do not ask me to give that up!”
He growled. “Very well. I will fly you up to the edge of Kandoran territory, so you can be there by evening to hunt.”
“You’re going to hold me that close for hours while my need to hunt gets worse by the minute.” Rayna fitted her sword into its scabbard. “You won’t even get near me right now.”
She’d been watching him through their whole argument, and he’d kept a healthy distance from her. His old fears were returning just as she’d suspected they would, coming out when she needed his support.
He let out a string of curses in the dragon language. “Rayna, what do you expect me to do? I’m keeping my distance to make it easier on you.”
“Bullshit, Galadon,” she said, taking a step forward.
He flinched.
That hurt her worse than anything because it felt like she’d lost all the ground she’d gained over the last week and a half. There was no hate in his gaze, but there was unease. She just didn’t know specifically what he feared about her. That she might hurt him? That she’d leave? Or was it about killing a friend or ally? Maybe it was all of them.
The need to hunt was getting stronger as they stood there arguing. Staying near him for much longer was a bad idea. Whether he liked it or not, Rayna had to go.
“I’m running out of time.” She ran a brush through her hair and then began braiding it. “Give me a direction to go so I’m less likely to upset you with whoever I kill. That’s the best I can offer because I’m not taking that potion again. It makes me weak and vulnerable. That’s not who I am, and you shouldn’t ask that of me.”
He stood frozen in fear and anger. “You’re forcing me to choose who among my kind will die. I’ve lived on this land for centuries and know everyone who patrols my borders. Even the ones I dislike don’t necessarily warrant execution, and I’ve already killed the dragons who deserved death.”
Rayna had to get out of there. Her rising anger only worsened the need to hunt, and he wasn’t seeing reason. “Fine. I’ll just do Eeny, meeny, miny, moe .”
“You’ll what?” he asked, confused.
She tied off her braid and headed for the tunnel exit. “It’s a game kids play to decide which selection to pick.”
Rayna wouldn’t recite the rest, or he’d really think she lost it.
“Don’t go south,” he said in a pained voice.
Rayna didn’t look back. “Fine, I won’t.”
She hurried out of there like hellhounds were chasing her. Onyx came as soon as she mentally called for him, and she didn’t bother getting his tack. He could follow her directions when he understood her urgency.
They headed east since Galadon hadn’t ever mentioned anyone in that direction. Rayna hated that she had to consider it at all when she’d always been free to choose. Of course, she preferred to root out the evil dragons, but she usually didn’t let herself get to the point where she needed to kill fast.
For the first half hour, she kept looking behind her. Part of her hoped he’d come and give her better guidance on what to do, but as Onyx ate up the miles, no red dragon showed up. Would he forgive her for what she must do, or would this be what tore them apart?