Betrayal #3
“There. That should keep it clean for now,” Jade said, satisfied, but he looked at me with a pinched brow. “When we get you home, is there a healer nearby who can deal with this more thoroughly?”
Laying back on the ground, I nodded absently. “Yes, our clan has a great healer.”
“Clan?”
Shit, shit, shit! Maybe he’ll let it go.
“You’re a mercenary?” Jade asked.
There blows that idea.
I opened my eyes and sat up to look at him, gauging his reaction. His eyes shone with something that made me relax and release the breath I’d been holding.
Jade pointed to the emblem on his necklace he pulled out from his shirt. “I’m of the Hell Hawks. Where are you from?”
From my lessons, I knew each of the clan’s identifying symbols. Seeing the taloned foot holding a sword, I knew he was telling the truth as if the red dragon hadn’t added to his credibility too.
Do I tell him the truth? Do I come clean? I decided to go for it. Just because I was part of Raven Rose didn’t mean he’d know who I was. We were one of the biggest clans.
“Raven Rose clan,” I answered.
“You are very far from home, little bird,” Jade said, watching me with new eyes. I could see the wheels turning in his mind.
Not good.
“You thanked Tahir for coming to your call, not me. Did you really call him to you?”
I could feel my heart rate pick up. He was part of the clans, but Richard’s betrayal was fresh. I wasn’t willing to risk my life so soon after being on the verge of death.
“I was desperate, calling out to whoever or whatever would listen. I just assumed Tahir was the one who heard me since dragons have superior hearing,” I rambled lamely, knowing my lie wouldn’t work.
Tahir, not liking my answer, let out a low warning growl as he swung his head to look me in the eye. Jade grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him when all I wanted to do was avoid his piercing gaze.
“Why are you lying, Cassarah? We’re both of the clans, and we’re on the same team. You should know better than to lie to any of us.”
Taking a deep breath, I decided he was right. “I’m guessing my kidnapping has something to do with being paired with a dragon… a black dragon, to be specific.”
“Did you just say black dragon?”
“Yes. His name is Vasin, and I can only imagine how panicked he is not knowing where I am, not to mention Cole and Abbott. Oh Lord, Helena is going to kick their asses for letting Richard kidnap me right from under their noses,” I blurted nervously.
Jade snatched his hand away from me and sat back on his heels with a shocked look. His light green eyes looked at me like he was seeing a dragon with two heads that could talk.
“What?” I demanded, looking behind me, fearing that Richard might be coming back to finish me off. “Is someone coming? Do we need to hide?”
When I turned back to look at him, he was taking a knee, bowing to me. Now it was my turn to be surprised.
Unsure of what to do, I reached over and tapped him on the shoulder, trying to get him to look at me.
“Um, Jade? What are you doing?”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I didn’t know who you were.”
“Whoa, what?” I exclaimed, flustered with his drastic change in character. “Jade, relax. Stop that, will you?”
Is this what it’s going to be like when someone finds out who I am?
Now I was strangely grateful that my clan was harder to impress than Jade was. I wouldn’t have been able to make any friends or blend in at all if they all reacted this way. Jade slowly sat back on his heels, lifting his head and meeting my gaze with a cautious look.
“Seriously, knock it off. I’m not your queen yet. I haven’t even finished my training to be a full member of the clan,” I huffed. “Technically, you outrank me right now.”
Jade finally lifted his eyes to meet mine, full of curiosity. “How can you not be a sworn member of the clans yet?”
“I was raised outside of the mercenary life as a noble lady. When I pair-bonded with Vasin, Ballard and his team came to get me. I had no idea that my family came from a line of mercenaries until about six months ago. The clan decided I would have a year to be trained and make it through a job to prove I was worthy of becoming your queen,” I explained.
“They can’t decide that. The black dragon picked you, so it’s a moot point. You are our queen… end of story.”
I chuckled at his black-and-white view on the matter.
“If only it had been that easy. I was on a training exercise when a fellow clansman betrayed me, then kidnapped and dragged me out here. I still haven’t figured out how having the Queen of the Mercenaries hidden away on Errit soil does anything beneficial for the Lost King. ”
“I don’t know anything about a lost king, but it must have something to do with the crown prince’s disappearance,” Jade said. “Lord Everett is blaming us, claiming it’s retaliation for the mass killings he did in the capital. He’s trying to get the king and queen to start a second Great War.”
“How does that play into kidnapping me?” I still felt like I was missing something.
“Maybe we should check out the camp I saw on our way to you. It seemed like a large gathering of people, and there’s no reason anyone would be in these woods,” Jade informed me.
“Seems like as good a place to start as any.”