Chapter 13 #2
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Corin?
” the woman said while she nudged me closer to the huge front paw of the dragon.
It was a little scary to consider that the enormous claws were big enough to pick up a car.
The golden scales were the size of dinner plates along Sesethul’s flank, and when he tilted his head and curled his neck, I was staring into an eye with a long, slitted pupil.
A primal, atavistic response rose at the back of my brain, warning me to get away from a beast as huge as this.
Cosima was as calm as a cucumber when she pointed out the right hand- and footholds for me to climb onto the dragon.
She’d done it a million times by now, and she was as relaxed around the golden monster as she was around her golden mate.
From the shy and often depressed girl she’d been when we first got here, it was an amazing transformation.
I was happy for her, but I wasn’t happy that she was no longer too shy to pry into my personal life.
“What makes you say anything is going on?” I asked her while I carefully avoided looking at her.
I had the perfect excuse: I was scaling the paw of a dragon so I could sit on his back.
It needed all my concentration. She made a scoffing noise, and I could easily picture her rolling her eyes.
My hand located one of the evenly spaced spikes along Sesethul’s back, and I hauled myself to the top with a slight grunt.
She could roll her eyes, but I still didn’t want to talk, not until I’d figured this out. I didn’t want her pity.
I should have counted on the fact that Cosima was far better at climbing onto her mate’s dragon companion than I was.
She’d scaled that beastie in no time and perched backward between two spikes so she could look me in the eye.
“Now spill, Min-Ji. You’re my friend. You were there for me.
Let me help you.” How could I refuse that?
Meeting her stare, I groaned dramatically and then glanced down Ses’ flank to check if anyone was within hearing range.
That was high up; the dragon was really big.
I didn’t have a fear of heights, but it definitely made me feel a little uncomfortable.
The funny thing was, you could still be a pilot and fear standing on a ledge.
It felt very different being strapped into a harness inside a cockpit.
There was a group of Naga hunters to my right, watching from the direction of the meat-smoking shed with gloomy expressions.
I knew why they looked like that; they were upset that I was going to be alone with Corin on this mission.
They saw their chances of having a mate slip from their grasp.
Well, too bad. I was never going to be theirs anyway.
On the other side of Ses, by the statues that flanked the entrance into Haven’s town area, the rest of the humans and their Naga mates had gathered.
Vera waved when she saw me look, and then Kalani joined in.
I started to smile automatically and wave back just as enthusiastically.
“Come on, nobody can hear you. Talk!” Cosima wasn’t as patient as she used to be, either. It suited her.
“Nothing to say,” I insisted. “We’re not dating.
We’re not mates. We’re not anything.” I wanted to say that learning the real reason for all of this had changed things, but Corin was determined.
He’d taken my pistol so he could figure out a way to charge it, and that gave me hope, but things weren’t looking good.
Stupid Naga queens. They’d been nothing but trouble to all of us, and I had no clue how to make this one leave us alone.
I didn’t even know if she was still interested in Corin, or if he was right, and this was going to be a case of ‘if I can’t have him, then nobody can. ’
“But something changed,” Cosima insisted.
“I always thought you had a crush on him, but now he’s the one casting you longing glances.
Come on, you can tell me. I’m good with secrets.
It’ll feel good to let it out, trust me.
” I pursed my lips as I contemplated that, my heart pounding hopefully in my chest. Longing looks, huh?
It was tempting to search for Corin and see if it was true, but he was working with Artek and Zsekhet to get Reid’s unconscious body situated for the journey.
If anyone knew how good it was to finally talk, it was Cosima.
Until Zsekhet came along, I’d worked futilely for months to cheer her up and get her out of her shell.
Talking to the right person, being with the right person—it had transformed her.
She was also right that we had a moment to ourselves.
In not too long, Corin and Zsekhet would be up here with us. This was our only chance to talk.
“Fine!” I said, and I blew her a raspberry, but that was to cover how awkward I was feeling.
I was usually the one who took care of others, so I didn’t really know how to lean on Cosima.
Start at the beginning, I guess. I quickly told her what had happened, glossing over the spicy details, but explaining about the Thunder Rock Queen.
“Corin is absolutely convinced that if Zathar’s mother finds out I’m his mate, she’ll have me killed.
That’s why,” I flapped my hand a little helplessly.
It wasn’t fair to say he ignored me, because I knew that wasn’t true, but it was why everyone thought my feelings were one-sided.
When Cosima reached out and pulled me into a tight hug, I had to admit that it felt good.
A bit of tension left me, and what Kalani had started, the redhead seemed to finish.
I wasn’t at risk of getting kicked out of Haven, and I had friends—good ones.
I was not alone. Then Triff beeped, trapped in the satchel between our bodies. We both smiled.
“Corin is going to find out that you are stronger together. He’s not going to be able to stay away.” When a blush stained my cheeks at Cosima’s words, she gave me a knowing grin. “I’m sure there’s a way to defeat that stupid Queen. Why would she even care? She has no power in Haven.”
No, that’s what I kept thinking too. Why was Corin so worried when she couldn’t reach me at Ahoshaga?
Most Thunder Rock people were very superstitious about the place; they thought it was haunted, and we only allowed trusted aspirants at the campfire.
So why was he so worried? Unfortunately, I couldn’t talk more about it with Cosima because it seemed the final preparations were done.
Soon, Corin had climbed up Sesethul’s hind leg and strapped himself into place as far away from me as he could get, while Zsekhet nestled himself in front of Cosima and was double-checking that her flight harness was secure.
“Let me see your buckles too, Min-Ji,” the golden Naga grinned at me as he pulled on knots and cinches with the tip of his tail.
He did it professionally, not once touching me, but I still felt the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
A glance over my shoulder showed me a dark, intense look in Corin’s mercury eyes.
He’d even bared his fangs, and I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.
Zsekhet yanked his tail back, his golden eyes clashing with Corin’s silver ones.
Then our dragon rider grinned, slow and wide.
A mocking, irreverent, and fang-filled smile that was all about drawing Corin out even more.
I felt like I was trapped between two very dangerous, opposing forces for several long seconds.
“Ready to go?” Zsekhet asked, and as quickly as that intense, dangerous taunt had risen on his face, it disappeared.
With a whoop and a hiss, followed by loud cheering from below, Sesethul launched himself into the sky with the beating of his huge, leathery wings.
As we soared skyward, my belly remained behind, and when it caught up, I’d lost some of the heavy, sad feelings from before.
Another adventure, more time alone with my stubborn mate. I’d make this work. All I had to do was figure out how to defeat a Naga Queen. Easy peasy.