Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
Zander slipped from the bed with the ease of a trained warrior, muscles shifting beneath skin still flushed from our shared heat. He snagged a pair of black pants from the floor and tugged them on in one fluid motion, fingers working fast at the ties before heading for the door.
He cracked it open just enough to speak with the courier, body angled so no one could see past him into the room. His voice was low, calm, but commanding. A brief exchange. A folded parchment handed over. And then the door clicked shut again.
He didn’t open the missive. Just placed it unread on the stand beside his bed, as if whatever it held could wait.
I was still curled in the sheets, my pulse finally steady, but my thoughts weren’t.
Zander undressed and slid in beside me once more, his body warm against mine as he leaned down and kissed me again, soft, searching. His hand brushed over my cheek, and I leaned into it despite myself.
“What’s going on between you and Kaelith?” he asked quietly, his thumb stroking a strand of damp hair behind my ear. “It seemed like things were finally turning… but tonight?”
I swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the ceiling for a moment before I spoke. “I went to Hatchling Isle.”
His body stilled beside mine. “You what?”
I turned to face him. “She took me there. Told me it was the only way to eliminate some of the prophecies.”
His brows furrowed. “That’s… sacred ground. To my knowledge, no human has set foot there. And you saw… eggs?”
I nodded slowly. “A whole clutch. The moment I reached out with my magic, they responded. Moved in their shells like they could feel me.”
Zander sat up a little straighter, tension coiling through him like a wire pulled too tight. “That’s not normal, Ashe. That’s… dragon magic responding to you. Not Kaelith. Not even Hein has seen that.”
“I know.” I pulled the blankets up to my chest, suddenly cold. “Kaelith stopped me before they hatched. Said if they came too early, they’d die. But the way she looked at me after…” I met his gaze. “She was afraid. Not of me. Of what I could become.”
Zander’s expression shifted—something dark, protective. “She shouldn’t be afraid of you. No one should.”
I gave a bitter smile. “She thinks I could be used. That I could be twisted to enslave the next generation of dragons… or worse, help the Blood Fae become fertile again.”
Zander’s breath caught. “Is that even possible?”
I shrugged, aching. “I don’t know. But Kaelith does. And she hasn’t looked at me the same since.”
His hand found mine beneath the blanket, fingers threading through mine with slow, deliberate pressure. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll get through this.”
“You sound so sure,” I whispered.
He kissed my knuckles. “I have to be. For you. For us.”
I lay there for a long time, tucked against Zander’s side, his hand still wrapped in mine, the silence between us heavy with unspoken thoughts. I wanted to believe in him. In us. I wanted to believe that this, what we’d shared, was more than comfort or desperation.
But how could I, when Kaelith didn’t want me?
When every breath I took felt borrowed?
When an aspiring princess with a crown already halfway on her head was determined to rip him from me?
My throat tightened. I stared up at the ceiling until the patterns of the stone blurred.
Zander shifted beside me. “What are you thinking?”
I hesitated, then said it plain. “Kaelith doesn’t trust me. She barely talks to me anymore.” I swallowed. “But she talks to Hein. All the time. It’s like she confides in him more than she does her own rider.”
Zander was quiet for a moment. Then sighed, voice low. “Ashe… humans were never meant to be involved in dragon mating.”
I blinked, turned my head slowly. “What does that have to do with anything?”
He sat up slightly, resting his weight on one elbow. “Dragons wait until after they’ve fulfilled their service to the continent to choose a mate. It’s their choice. Their tradition.”
My brows furrowed. “Okay… but why are you—”
“Hein has waited for centuries, Ashe,” Zander said softly. “He’s waited for Kaelith to find her rider. He believes in the treaty, but there is no law that prevents mating, it’s just… considered rude not to wait.”
I pushed up slowly, the sheets slipping from my chest as I sat. “Hein wants to mate Kaelith?”
“Yes.”
The word dropped like a stone in my chest.
“He’s coveted her since the time of the Unification,” Zander added gently.
I stared at him, stunned. “Have you… always known?”
The words tasted like betrayal.
He didn’t look away. “Yes. Hein asked me to protect you the moment you stepped foot into the guild.”
I felt the sting behind my eyes before I could stop it. “You were angry,” I whispered. “That day in the courtyard. I thought it was because I was a commoner.”
“No.” His voice was raw. “I was angry because no other rider has ever been asked to protect another. That’s not how it works. Not in our world. I thought it was insulting, like he didn’t believe I could lead.”
I looked away.
“But then,” he continued, voice softer now, “I watched you stand up to nobles who wanted you dead. I watched you survive every trial, every near-death experience, every lie. I saw the way Kaelith looked at you… really looked at you.”
He reached for my hand again, brushing his thumb over my knuckles.
“That’s when I realized. You weren’t this fragile thing I had to guard. You were already fighting battles no one else could see. And Kaelith didn’t choose you by accident.”
His eyes met mine.
“You’re special, Ashe. And so is she. Don’t let their history make you feel like you don’t belong.”
But still, the ache lingered.
Because history wasn’t so easy to outrun.
Zander’s hand slid gently over my wrist, grounding me as my thoughts spun like loose leaves in a storm.
“I didn’t tell you this to hurt you,” he said quietly, his expression softening in the candlelight. “I told you because Hein… he’s done waiting, Ashe. You’re here now. And he wants Kaelith to choose him.”
My breath hitched.
“He wants her to choose me?”
Zander nodded slowly. “He’s on your side. More than you think.”
“That’s surprising,” I murmured, voice faint with disbelief.
“Not really,” Zander said, his thumb still brushing over the inside of my wrist. “You’re remarkable. It just took me a minute to realize it.”
“Siergen said the same thing. That… if he was compatible, he would’ve chosen me too.”
He blinked, his gaze snapping to mine. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
Zander stared at me, stunned. “But he had a rider.”
I gave a small nod. “He said they can choose again. They just… don’t. Not usually.”
“That’s…” Zander shook his head. “That’s unheard of.”
“I know he’s a small dragon,” I said, my voice quieting. “But he’s kind to me. He actually flirts.” A sad laugh escaped my lips. “I wish…”
Zander’s hand tightened slightly on my arm. “Don’t finish that sentence.” His voice was low, but composed.
I looked down at our hands. “Siergen shouldn’t have told me that, should he?”
“No,” Zander said, tone clipped. “He’s more than just a Courier, Ashe.”
“I know.” I swallowed. “He told me he helps supply the Hatchling Isle.”
Zander nodded. “That, and other things. He’s more involved in the safety of the continent than anyone realizes. He may not have a title, but he’s trusted by every High Council. Every kingdom. He moves freely across borders… advises us on threats we can’t see coming.”
“I figured as much,” I said softly. “He felt… far away the last time we spoke.”
Zander’s expression darkened slightly. “If he’s gone quiet, he’s likely working on something dangerous.”
A cold prickle danced down my spine.
I needed a distraction, anything to steer away from the ache in my chest, the weight of Hein’s intentions, of Siergen’s absence, of Kaelith’s silence. My gaze drifted to the folded parchment Zander had dropped earlier. I nodded toward it.
“Are you going to open that?”
He hesitated, scanning my face like he could read the desperation I didn’t bother to hide. Then he rolled over, picked up the sealed message, and cracked the wax open with a flick of his thumb. The firelight caught on the edge of the paper as he read, and I saw his jaw harden.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice already tight.
Zander’s eyes didn’t leave the page. “It’s a formal request.” A beat passed. “For a duel.”
My stomach flipped. “Someone wants to fight you?”
He shook his head slowly.
“Not me,” he said. “You.”
The air left my lungs.
“What? Who?”
Zander lowered the letter, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Perin. And I have no legal right to deny him.”
I blinked at him, the name hitting like ice water across my spine. “Perin challenged me?”
“All riders have the right,” Zander said, his voice measured. “Dueling isn’t just about strength. It’s ceremony. Tradition. Dragons test their reflexes. Their synergy with their riders. They welcome it.”
I sat up fully, the sheets slipping from my shoulders. “So Coldrath wants to go up against Kaelith?”
“That’s the surprising part,” Zander muttered, brow furrowing. “Coldrath is a red Swordtail. He’s fast, agile… but no match for Kaelith’s wingspan. The odds aren’t even close.”
“Then why invite that kind of humiliation?” I whispered.
Zander stared at me, his expression grim.
“Because he knows you aren’t anchored.”
The words landed like a blade.
“If he called for the duel,” Zander continued, “it means Coldrath chose him. He’s anchored now. Which means you’re the weakness, not Kaelith.”
The bottom fell out of my stomach.
“I’ll burn out in front of everyone,” I said, barely able to breathe. “I’m going to die.”
Zander moved fast, grabbing both my hands in his. “No. You’re not.”
Tears threatened, but I bit them back. “You saw what happened earlier, Zander. I can’t control it. I’m not stable.”
“Then we train,” he said fiercely. “We use the time we have. Tonight. I’ll find a way to anchor you if Kaelith won’t.”
His voice cracked, just barely. “I won’t let you die out there.”
But I knew the truth. Kaelith would have to choose.
And if she didn’t…
I wasn’t sure I’d survive the fall.