Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
Zarya snatched her hand away from the window as though it might sever their connection, but he was inside her head.
He was near. She looked out across the churning grey sky. He was coming. Now?
She closed her eyes and cast her thoughts out. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, but this felt right.
Rabin?
Zarya. The answer was so full of raw emotion that her knees melted out from under her as she sank to the floor. I’m coming.
Where are you?
Not far from the walls of Ishaan.
That made her eyes fly open again as she stumbled towards the window, gripping the frame so hard her knuckles turned white.
Can you see me?
She stared intently at the sky, where the falling rain obscured the horizon. And then she saw it—the smallest flare of iridescent light against the gloom. It might have been invisible if the sun was shining.
Meet me beyond the walls.
Her breath caught, but her feet were already moving. She found the long cloak she’d tossed on a chair a few days ago and stuffed her arms into the sleeves before she flung open the door.
“Zee?” Yasen asked as she thundered down the staircase, catching the alarm on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Rabin,” she said, cramming her feet into her boots.
“What about him?”
Doubt colored his voice as she laced them up furiously.
“He’s coming.”
“What?”
She brushed past him and towards the back door.
“Zee! Where are you going?”
She whirled around and grabbed Yasen’s wrist. “He came for me, Yas. I have to see him.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“No, not really. But I owe it to myself to hear him out.”
Yasen gripped her hand. “Just be careful.”
She nodded. “I’m always careful, Yas.” Then she pushed away, thumping down the hallway.
“I’ll be back!” she called to Vikas, who was busy in the waiting room.
She didn’t want to hear his reply as she ran out into the alley and circled her way around to the street.
Despite the weather, people were about, carrying fabric rain shields over their heads as they moved about their day. Zarya again searched the sky for the glow that signaled his approach—it had grown now, a black dot forming at the center. He was getting closer.
She started running, weaving through the people, some of whom called after her as she brushed past. The rain fell, soaking her hair and clothing. She felt nothing but an intense desire burning through her blood.
She stopped when she reached the city walls, pressing her hand to her chest and finding that spot expanding in the distance. She ran, her feet pounding along the road until she veered onto a stretch of grassy plain.
“Rabin!” she called into the rain, her voice torn away by the wind. She watched as he dropped through the sky, his majestic wings slowly flapping.
Then he dove, pulling up inches from the ground as he careened along the surface. Just as he was about to hit, he dissolved into a puff of black smoke before he shifted into the man who’d haunted her dreams for months.
She ran towards him, flinging herself into his arms as he swung her around. He was warm and solid, and that haze that always existed in their dream world was gone, and she felt him. The emotion she’d been keeping tethered inside her heart leaked between her ribs as she sobbed against him. He placed her on her feet and then framed her head with his hands as he leaned in and kissed her.
They stood in the rain, their hair and clothing sticking to them as they kissed, and she let every hurt and anger fade away at that moment. She’d forgotten how good he smelled and the way he tasted. She’d imagined kissing him so many times, but nothing could live up to the feel of his mouth and the warmth of his body.
He pulled away and touched her face, sweeping away a tear mingling with the rain.
“Zarya, will you come with me?”
“Where?”
“Somewhere I’ve always wanted to take you.”
She found herself nodding as he backed up.
“You’ll have to ride with me.” Then he returned to his dragon form and crouched low so she could scramble onto his back. She’d been terrified the last time she had done this, but fear wouldn’t stop her now. Once she was safely seated, she used a bubble of air to protect herself from the frigid rain and wind, and then Rabin launched himself into the sky.
Zarya looked over her shoulder as Ishaan quickly receded in the distance, wondering where Rabin was taking her and worried about leaving everyone behind. But she wouldn’t be gone long. Operation Starbreak was ready, but with no one coming to see them, there wasn’t much to do at the moment.
They streaked across the world, the ground beneath them blurring into nothing as her stomach leaped into her throat.
It took hours as she watched the landscape change, moving from the mountains and forests of Gi’ana to the desert sands of Svaasthy and then, in the distance, a brilliant patch of green. Zarya’s breath caught, and she wondered if her eyes were deceiving her. Was it Daragaab? Was he taking her home?
They neared the border while Zarya watched that blue ocean in the distance that she’d missed so much. Despite her magic, her hands and legs were numb from the cold and aching from clinging to Rabin’s slick scales. She could barely hold on any longer. Just when she was sure she might topple off from exhaustion, Rabin pitched down, heading for the surface.
She clung tighter with the last of her strength until they dove into the trees, and Rabin settled onto the earth. As soon as his feet touched the ground, she slid off, very nearly on the verge of fainting. She felt a woosh of air and then a pair of arms catching her before she fell.
“Zarya,” came a rough voice as he lifted her up. “We’re almost there.”
Then she felt him walking as they moved out of the rain. The warmth of his body and his arms roused her enough to open her eyes. They traveled through a forest with the tallest, lushest trees she’d ever seen. This was no ordinary place.
Tiny peri skipped through the air everywhere she looked, many of them carrying miniature balls of colorful light. They bounced through the leaves that were each rendered to look almost like lace. She recognized some of the plants—they’d been the same wondrous variety she’d admired at the Ravana estate.
While studying the shining branches dangling with crystals, she clung to Rabin as she continued to shake, her teeth chattering.
“This is…” she trailed off, completely at a loss for words. “What is this?”
“This is my refuge,” Rabin said. “Somewhere that belongs only to me.”
He walked a few more steps. “Do you think you can stand?”
She nodded. The humid air had thawed out her limbs enough that she felt a bit steadier. He gently set her on her feet and turned her around. She gaped at the house that stood before her. She’d never seen anything like it. Rendered from shimmering silver, it was layered with so many vines and flowers that it was hard to make out what was man-made and what was Rabin’s brand of organic magic.
“This is the home I built many years ago before I left Dharati,” Rabin said, taking her hand. “It was my sanctuary of escape when I needed to be alone.”
He tugged her further while she attempted to absorb the magnitude of their surroundings. This was easily the most magical place she’d ever seen.
“You made all of this?” she asked with a touch of breathless wonder.
“I did.” There was no pride in his voice—it held the same awe as hers, as though he also couldn’t believe he was capable of such miracles.
“You created the forests around your family’s home, too.” Zarya pointed to a small bud that resembled a paper lantern. “I remember thinking it was far too magical to be anything your father had created.”
Rabin let out a soft, derisive laugh. “He hated them. Thought it was a complete waste of my time.”
“I’m glad they survived.”
“He had no choice,” Rabin said, plucking a leaf off a tree before a new one immediately grew in its place. “Anything he cuts down just grows back. It drives him insane that he can’t undo it.”
She snorted a laugh and grinned.
“Come on,” Rabin said, scooping her up into his arms again. “I want to show you the rest.”
She could have argued with this possessive hold, but her legs were still numb from the ride across the continent, and she liked how warm he was. Not just warm, but solid. Substantial, like a mountain protecting her with the inevitability of its shadow.
They approached the front entrance, and she could see it was no ordinary door but rather a series of overlapping leaves and vines. They melted away when they passed under the archway before entering a foyer that was part home and part forest.
Marble floors gave way to green grass, and a wide staircase curved off to their right. Instead of a wall at the far end, a large opening framed the entrance to what looked like a massive garden.
“My lord,” came a soft voice, and Zarya turned her head to find a young woman wearing a green sari who pressed her hands in front of her heart. “Welcome home.”
Rabin nodded. “Sarika. I’ll be staying for a few days. This is Zarya.”
He gestured to her with his chin, and then she felt a bit silly cradled in his arms. As if reading her mind, he tightened his hold. “Please send up some dry clothes and food for us,” he said. “We are not to be disturbed for anything else.”
Then he spun around and swooped Zarya up the stairs.