20. Chapter 20
twenty
Rodi
M y head pounds as the light skims through the drapes. Soft shuffling around the room makes me groan, and as I open my eyes, I see a tall man in some sort of armor staring at me.
Rubbing my eyes, I blink away the fuzz and stare back at him.
“Who are you?” I ask as I grip the sheets around my body a little tighter.
“I’m your personal guard, Draconis,” he says as he bows his head.
A huff escapes me. “Don’t call me that, and I don’t need a guard.”
“Aetherion’s orders.” His tone’s flat. No emotions are showing through his stony gaze, but the colors on his shoulders don’ t go unnoticed.
I might have been kept in the dark for my entire life, but I do know what those mean. The purple indicates he is one of the honored dragon warriors, and the red beside it shows his rank—Sentinel.
“Why would a Sentinel be my bodyguard?”
His brow moves slightly, and I smile in triumph, hitting him where it hurts. He doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to be a babysitter. Because that’s what he is.
“I’m the Aetherion’s right hand, most trusted beside the Warden. I’m honored to protect you, Draconis.”
I chuckle softly. “Once you believe your own words, you can try again.”
Wrapping the sheet around my body, I turn on my side, letting my feet fall to the cold ground. “I’m sure you don’t have to protect me from my clothes?” I taunt.
He gives nothing other than a slight bow with his head before he turns and leaves.
As the door closes behind him, my anger rises. That asshole, Ares. What the hell is he thinking!
Every time I think we’re getting closer, that the distance between us diminishes, he does something like this, controlling every aspect of my life.
All because he believes I’m this reincarnation of his first love. Well, if that were true, then why is he the only one of us who remembers it?
Besides, from what I know, Aphrodite has long, blonde hair and toned, sun-kissed skin, and seeing my curly chestnut hair and pale skin, I don’t see it.
I grab one of the white cotton dresses and put it on, letting it glide over my body before stepping into my shoes.
As my hand hovers over the doorknob, an idea forms, one that will make me a better dragon rider and worthy of being alongside Ares and Ethan .
The grin on my lips won’t fall as I open the door and meet my Sentinel’s eyes.
“What’s your name?” I ask, stepping beside him.
“Grayson, Draconis.”
I sigh. “Rodi. Please, just Rodi.”
He stiffly nods as his gaze remains wary.
“Sentinels are great warriors, are they not?”
He stands a little taller. “Yes, we are.”
“So, it would be easy for you to train another.”
“Of course. Do you—”
“I need you to train me, in both riding a dragon and the knowledge that comes with it.”
Grayson’s eyes flicker, a hint of something human flashing through the granite fa?ade. “I don’t think the Aetherion wants me to touch you,” he mutters as his gaze drifts.
“And who am I?”
Clearing his throat, he stares into the distance. “You’re his rider, his mate, the Draconis.”
“And doesn’t that mean something?” I ask as I tilt my head.
Grayson hesitates, the gears of his mind grinding beneath his stoic mask. He looks at me, then away, then back. “Please don’t get me killed,” he finally rasps, a flicker of defiance momentarily battling the fear in his eyes.
I grin, the thrill of rebelling against Ares dancing in my belly. It’s a teensy rebellion, but it’s still a push back at his controlling ways. “No promises, Grayson.”
The shadows in the hallway seem to deepen as Grayson finally bows his head. “Alright… Rodi. But if the Aetherion hears about this, it’ll be his teeth and claws tearing me apart. ”
“You’ll be fine,” I say as a wave of exhilaration washes over me, pushing aside the fear and doubt. I’m no damsel in distress. I’m Rodi, a dragon rider, mate to the god of war, the Aetherion, and Warden Ethan. Mated to the two most powerful dragon shifters alive.
“I won’t let him eat you, I promise,” I say with a beaming smile.
With a stiff nod, he leads the way. At every corner, he pauses, checking whether Ares is lurking somewhere. Grayson’s caution still doesn’t affect my excitement. Staff members scatter as we head outside, no one daring to look twice as Grayson’s pace quickens toward the woods behind the estate.
“ He won’t see us here.”
I scoff. “As if he wouldn’t smell my sweat from a mile away.”
Grayson drags me through the woods and leaves scratch at my face. My lungs are on fire and my legs are like lead, but it won’t be enough to make me quit. Not today.
Sweat plasters my face, and Grayson’s eyes glint with worry as I stumble over a root. “What color is your dragon?” I ask as my breath comes out in pants.
“Obsidian with a glint of sapphire.” He watches me as his brows crease. “You didn’t get any training?”
I shake my head as my shoulders drop. “Nothing. I only know what Ethan told me, which isn’t a lot.”
He nods to himself. “Obsidian dragons don’t have any remarkable gifts like Azure Morpholiths, but since I also carry sapphire, I do have some tricks.” He grins, his face softening, and excitement shows itself in his eyes.
I pick up my pace, stepping closer. “Like what?”
“Most Sapphires are given the rank of Sentinel because we can see what’s coming.”
My brows crease. “Like the future. ”
“Not really. When I’m fighting, I know what my opponent is going to do before they do it. But I can’t see what’s going to happen in a few minutes.”
“Is there a way to shield yourself from the gift Sapphires have?”
He rakes his fingers through his tousled hair. “Some dragons can counter. They can use my tricks against me.”
As we step into a clearing, he stops and turns toward me.
“Which dragons?” I ask, trying to learn as much as possible.
“It’s not common knowledge, but from my experience, the Aetherion and certain Dominions.”
“Does it have something to do with the gold shimmer in his scales?”
He shrugs. “No, he’s the only dragon who has that. I don’t know what it means. He’s very guarded about his abilities.”
It doesn’t surprise me, and I don’t believe it’s wrong that he keeps his abilities a secret from the other dragon shifters. “So, it’s the color black, then?”
“The color Nocturne,” he points out. “The Aetherion is the only one where the color has expanded over his entire body, but most Dominions have the color Nocturne somewhere in their scales.”
He must see how I’m trying to hold on to every bit of information’s he’s giving as he rests his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “I can drop off some books to help you. If I’m not killed, that is.”
A chuckle rumbles in my chest. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”
He sighs. “Not yet. Now, show me what you got.” He gets into fighting position and I mimic his stance.
I’m used to getting beaten, I’m used to the pain, but I never get the chance to strike back, and that’s making me slow and weak.
He’s careful as he slowly moves, letting me dodge, but it’s not enough.
He grunts, gripping my hands and balling them into fists. “Defense,” he mutters, more like a prayer than an instruction .
My limbs feel like knotted rope, clumsy against his practiced grace. A flicker of pity in his eyes makes me want to spit fire.
I push myself harder, my muscles screaming protests they haven’t uttered in years.
Two hours later, sweat is stinging my eyes and Grayson mumbles something about stopping.
“We can’t stop,” I rasp. “I need to know where to hit to make it hurt.”
He hesitates again, then shows me jabs and hooks that feel clumsy in my hands. Sparring is brutal. Grayson holds back. His punches are light compared to what I can get in true battle.
My balance betrays me, sending me crashing to the dirt, the taste of blood dancing on my lips.
I cough, spitting the dirt from my mouth as I peek up at Grayson, watching as his face pales, his voice laced with a tremor. “Rodi? Are you okay?”
Fear flickers in his eyes, and I whimper, trying to force a smile. “I’m okay, promise.”
My jaw throbs, every touch sending fresh waves of pain, and as I push myself from the ground, I notice a grey rock painted in small droplets of my blood.
“Can we continue tomorrow?” I ask, wiping the blood from my lips.
“If I’m still alive,” Grayson mutters to himself.
I eye-roll in response and follow behind him as we make our way back to the house. Grayson is getting more anxious with every step we get closer to my new home. He doesn’t need to fear Ares. I won’t let him get punished for helping me train. I asked him. He did nothing wrong.
As the massive stone structure comes into view, Grayson slows.
“I’m going to clean myself up,” I say as I search his face. His excitement, the small glints I saw earlier, fades, and his stoic appearance is back tenfold .
I sigh in defeat. Even though I didn’t want him as my guard, didn’t feel like I need anyone, it was nice having someone who didn’t cower away from me when I looked at them or even just entered a room.
I miss Liza more than ever now. I miss having a friend, someone to talk to who isn’t my mate.
Shaking my head, I walk inside and up the stairs to my room. As I catch heavy footsteps closing in, I quicken my pace and run inside the bathroom to erase any evidence of what I’ve been doing.
But as I meet my own eyes in the mirror, I gasp. My fingers shake as I skim over the purple color on my jaw.
I need to get stronger. If I still bruise this easily, I can never train properly.