24. MonClem
Chapter Twenty-Four
MonClem
HAEL
He took her to a fucking brothel.
I was still fuming with rage as Aura soared downward into the heart of MonClem.
Nollie passed out the moment we took to the skies and had been going in and out of consciousness ever since.
I had no idea what happened to her, but I wanted to murder Cash for bringing her there. She clearly had some sort of past trauma with being touched, it was obvious the day I brought her into Viven, and the fucking prick took her to the one place in the Grigg that was known for exploitation.
I hopped off Aura’s back, cradling Nollie against my chest. I wasn’t about to have her dangling from a claw while she was unconscious, and I refused to acknowledge what that meant.
The fact that Aura let her ride on her back was proof alone of what I’d been avoiding, of why I couldn’t control myself around her.
Using my invisibility, I erected a shield over us before anyone saw me carry Nollie up onto my dragon. I was fairly confident that whatever shock Nollie was going through, wouldn’t let her remember the ride either.
Aura huffed steam over us, coming out of her own invisibility the second I was off her back. Her piercing gaze lingered on the girl still unconscious in my arms, and it was getting harder and harder to deny it.
I just never thought it was possible…
I’m not going there right now, I snapped into my mind, our bond working so that Aura knew exactly what I meant.
She huffed again, her chest producing a low rattle, but I ignored it.
Even if our telepathy was one way—courtesy of the Vinculum bond, only dragons could read their rider’s thoughts—I still knew exactly what she meant.
It had been a century since I first bonded to her, and I swore I knew her antics better than my own.
Aura’s rattle grew before she took to the skies, leaving me alone with Nollie.
My eyes scanned the village as she started to stir in my arms. The training grounds were empty, and all the identical cabins lining the perimeter were deserted—for now. But we had to get off the main stretch of land before the Imassura ended or this place would be flooded with riders.
Nollie’s eyes blinked open and it nearly stopped me in my tracks. I watched her as realization dawned, as her face took in my features, then her eyes drifted down to my arms—one wrapped under her knee, the other behind her back—as I held her against me.
“Are you alright?” I asked, my voice quiet, but with how empty MonClem was, I knew she heard me.
I watched her inhale, waited as four seconds passed before her exhale filled the silence.
She blinked again, already trying to shift out of my arms. I obliged, gently setting her feet onto the ground as I watched her steady herself.
Her eyes widened when she finally pulled away from me and took in where we were.
She spun in a circle, noting how the mountain range completely smothered the village, trapping us in except for the single tunnel that led to the Dome. The only way in or out was the passage or the skies by our dragons.
Her eyes went to the sword still strapped to my back. It was no longer covered in blood, but I knew exactly what she was thinking as she took it in. It was what everyone was thinking whenever they learned I was the Drakin Leader, whenever they’d see me carrying out Elion’s orders.
She closed her eyes, doing another sharp inhale and exhale before she opened them again, this time, looking directly at me.
“Are you okay?” I asked again.
She nodded, her cheeks turning crimson before she whispered, “Where are we?”
“MonClem.”
Her head turned from side to side again, before she asked, “How do you get inside?”
“You don’t.” At least her question was confirmation that she didn’t remember riding Aura. It would help her from getting in trouble if Elion used Lira to question us. “Everyone else flies in or takes the tunnel,” I said.
“Right.”
She looked behind me, toward the large grassy plain past some of the cabins. It was our official training grounds, and although no riders were currently occupying it, the firelight still lit the fields in a glow.
“We should get off the streets,” I said, coming up behind her, praying she wasn’t looking too closely at what was happening.
The building next to it was an open structure without any walls, just pillars staked into the ground surrounding the hearths and tables for the rare times it rained. A thick, fire resistant tarp would connect to each end, keeping the precious metals dry while they were still being shaped.
A few drakins were working by the tables with thousands of weapons spread before them.
She blinked, then blinked more, and I knew she already saw it.
One of the riders was morphing a longsword in the air—except the only tool he was using was his mind.
It wasn’t supposed to matter. MonClem was for riders only, so using our powers here was fair game.
Except now, I had broken the rules by bringing her.
“Drakins won’t take it well if they see you here,” I said, trying to urge her to follow me.
“Because I’m from Moriann?” she asked, those bright gray eyes flitting to me.
“Because you aren’t a drakin,” I corrected. “You’re a Wielder.”
“I thought drakins were allowed to be with Wielders. If they were sterilized…” Her voice trailed off and her cheeks turned an even brighter shade of pink.
“We can fuck Wielders,” I said, “but that doesn’t mean we can bring them back here. MonClem is a sanctuary for riders, and while most drakins are at the sterilization and breeding ceremony right now, not everyone is. You could still be seen. Come on.”
I started walking and thanked the Moons when I heard her quicken her pace to follow.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“My cabin.”
Whatever she thought of that, she didn’t comment, just followed me silently as I walked her toward the edge of the village.
I held the door open for her, utterly aware of her taking in my lack of decorations. Most drakins had a floor mat, or banners and wreaths celebrating the Vargothi.
Mine was always empty.
She walked inside and froze in the doorway.
I stepped around her, making my way toward the kitchen.
The two windows that existed on the wood paneling were shut with the curtains drawn, and even then, the six moonlights did little to brighten the place.
I didn’t care. I only came here to sleep and occasionally eat.
I lit the candle I left on my table with a match before turning to Nollie.
“Bathroom is through there,” I gestured toward the other door.
“I—I don’t need it.”
I nodded, staring at her for a minute too long before I walked around the table toward my kitchenette.
My cabin was bare. The entire thing was one singular room minus the bath.
The kitchenette lined the wall to the left where I stood, and a large bed nestled along the adjacent wall across from Nollie, with a worn-in sofa to our right.
That was it.
I opened a cabinet, grabbing an empty glass before filling it with water. I turned, slowly walking back to her still frozen in the doorway before extending my hand.
She hesitantly took the glass, but didn’t move to drink it.
“Cash shouldn’t have taken you there. I’m sorry,” I said, having no idea what to say.
Honestly, I was fucking losing it for even bringing her here, but it was the safest—closest—place I could think of.
There was no way in hell I was bringing her back to the castle.
Especially since I found out Cash had been going into her room to train her.
I walked over to the table and slumped into a chair, already mentally preparing myself for the hell Elion was going to put me through for bringing her here.
I needed to get her out of here because I was terrified of how far I’d go just to keep her safe—
She slid into the seat across from me, clutching the glass of water I gave her.
“I told you to run,” I said, breaking the silence, hoping that maybe after tonight, she’d actually consider it. Things were only going to get a hell of a lot worse.
“I can’t,” she admitted, her knuckles turning white against the glass.
I leaned back in my chair, assessing her, having no idea what to make of what she just said. There was more to it than just escaping Moriann, I just couldn’t put my finger on it yet.
“What did I see back there?” she asked, changing the subject.
“You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“I saw metal move on its own…” Her voice trailed off as she met my stare, realizing I wasn’t surprised by her statement.
Instead of answering, I stood from my seat and started making a drink, only this time it wasn’t water.
I could feel her watching me, knew I should have continued to ignore her.
Things were easier when I did, but fuck it, I didn’t want to anymore.
I was already in over my head for bringing her into drakin territory, and I didn’t want to stay away anymore.
Nollie didn’t say anything as she waited for me to sit back down.
I took a long sip from my drink, contemplating what the hell I was even doing before I admitted, “We have magic. It’s part of the Vinculum bond.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “What kind of magic?”
“It depends on the dragon that bonded with you. What you saw back there was a rider bonded to a Ferro dragon.”
Her eyebrows furrowed, and damn if it wasn’t the cutest thing I ever saw. “So a gray dragon?” she asked, piecing everything together.
I nodded, then took another long sip. “Ferro dragons have metal manipulation. Any rider that has a Vinculum bond with one becomes a craftsman.”
“So they can make metal?”
“Some can.” I shrugged. “There are three different levels to a Vinculum bond.”
“What are they?” Her voice rose, but her body remained still, and I couldn’t read her.