30. Welcome Home
SOUNDTRACK: Bleed by DEADLUVE
~ VOSKI ~
Kham lifted his head and screamed, his cry echoing across the mountains. Koa replied, and both of them flapped faster.
‘The Primarch lives and rules,’ Kham sent, his heart flooding with relief and pride.
‘Oh, thank God.’
“What’s going on?” Grace asked quickly. “Koa’s excited and struggling to find the words.”
“Donavyn made it to home safely—as did his dragon, Kgosi. They’re both safe,” I said quietly. My heart thudded in my ears, but I slumped with relief. I’d been waiting all morning for Kham to be close enough to reach the dragons at the Keep. And now, finally, we had confirmation.
“Is Bren there too?” she asked quickly.
‘Your mate honors her friend—’
‘Kham. Please.’
He sighed. ‘Reassure her. The commander and his mate are both safe—and have been upheld by the queen.’
I frowned. ‘The queen?’
‘The king met with a terrible accident and his heart gave out. Naturally, the queen has assumed the burden for the good of the people and stepped onto his throne,’ Kham sent dryly.
I hacked a humorless laugh. “Of course she did.”
“What’s happened?” Grace asked nervously. She was twisting to look at me, her eyes wide and no longer sparkling with excitement, but with fear.
I shook my head, amused.
But Grace’s eyes widened further. “What’s—”
“No, no,” I reassured her. “I shook my head, because you look more afraid now than you did when I told you to jump off a flying dragon’s back,” I chuckled.
She frowned. “People are far more terrifying than flying,” she said bluntly.
I couldn’t argue with that.
“The dragons will be excited when we land,” I said, changing the subject because I didn’t want to explore that. “We’ll need to stay out of their way. Hold onto me, and dismount the moment I tell you. Kham will be agitated, working to keep other males away from Koa until they understand she’s his.”
“She’s… his?” Grace asked with a frown. “Like, he owns her?”
“No. But they’re bonded. Just like you and she are. They belong to each other. The males can get pushy when a new female arrives. Especially if there’s any hint of her heat still on her scent. We’ll need to get off Kham as quickly as we can, and leave him to deal with the dragons. That’s all.”
She nodded and turned back to face forward, swallowing.
As we flew on, I kept asking questions, which Kham asked Kgosi and the others, but he was growing more agitated, distracted by the anticipation of standing for his mate as we drew closer, so the details were garbled.
I was just relieved to know we weren’t returning to a world we didn’t recognize, though Kham had gleaned enough that I was sure we had a story to hear.
But there was no more time to angst about what might have been because we approached the Keep. Dragons rose in the distance, circling and welcoming us home. My heart rose with them—relief warming me. But a thread of wary chill coiled tighter inside me.
I was just nervous about bringing a woman home. My brothers were going to ride my ass about her. I knew it.
Kham responded to the herd, his screams rising higher, and sharper, the closer we drew.
I tried to ignore them, focused on giving Grace instruction—she was tired and I didn’t want her to fall. But we also had to be ready to dismount quickly.
“Let me get down before you. I’ll cradle you down. We can’t risk you falling—Kham won’t be patient.”
She nodded, but I felt the jolt in her. She was scared. And not of dismounting.
“Grace, it’s going to be fine,” I said quietly, tightening one arm around her middle as the screaming dragons circled with us while Kham and Koa wheeled into descent over the launch hollow.
We were close enough now to see the men rushing out of the stables, and the dragons on the ground stamping their feet and lashing tails.
It was always exciting when those who’d been gone— to battle in the field, or in the ballroom—returned safely. Both dragons and any Furyknights present would celebrate.
But Kham rippled under us. Grace gasped and took a tighter grip on the neck strap as he surged.
“Relax, he’s posturing, warning the males that he’s coming in and they aren’t to approach.”
“Will he fight them?”
“If he has to. But with her already beyond her heat, I doubt any of them will challenge him for her—he’s high ranking in the herd,” I told her with quiet pride.
Then we dropped into the launch hollow, a deep depression in the earth that was wide enough to be seen from high in the sky.
Its steep sides gave the dragons purchase to slow their pace in a much shorter distance than they’d normally need.
Kham gave a deep call—almost a roar—as he hit the ground running, and galloped, back-flapping, his talons digging into the earth as he fought to slow his passage.
Grace squeaked and pitched forward, but even though I held her at the waist, she remembered to use the straps to pull herself into his spine. She bounced, but didn’t slip off sideways as she’d done the day before.
Then Kham drew to a halt and tossed his head, screaming and whistling in response to the chorus of cries and dragon song that rose from every side.
“Quickly,” I said, unclipping both of our safety straps. “Hold on while I get in position, then you put yourself in my lap and we just move, even if I have to carry you, you understand?”
Grace nodded. I leaned past her to grip the mounting strap and swing myself down, bracing my feet on Kham’s side.
But several males had come out of the nearby stables and were screaming.
Koa, who’d landed just behind and beside us, gave a squeal and tossed her head as she danced closer to Kham, who whirled, just as Grace was swinging her leg over.
She slipped, with a gasp, and fell into my arms at an awkward angle.
For a moment I feared I’d lose us both.
‘Kham, just give us a moment! Please!’
But my dragon didn’t hear me. He tossed his head, and bellowed at the males that were now descending the side of the launch hollow.
“There’s no time,” I instructed Grace. “Put your arms around my neck, your legs around my waist, and hold on!”
Eyes wide, she did as I said, clinging to my chest like a child and tucking her face under my jaw, holding me so tightly that as I let us slip down the strap, only giving enough resistance to control our fall, she barely moved when I caught our combined weight.
Two slides down, and we were just feet from the ground.
Two of the males reached the bottom of the hollow and Koa whirled.
Kham trumpeted and turned to find her—and we swung out far enough that my feet left Kham’s side.
He started forward and I cursed, cupped a hand over Grace’s head, and let the momentum of his turn throw us wide on the strap, then let go just as our weight caught and we would have been tugged back to him.
It was an awkward angle. Shouts went up as we dropped. I tucked myself around her and prepared to roll.
It must have rained here during the storm as well. The softness of the ground saved my tailbone as we hit the earth. I grunted and rolled immediately, but my elbow slammed against a rock on the ground and sent a numbing jolt through my arm.
Grace shrieked and we rolled two more times—then slid to a stop.
She was still clinging to me, her breath hot on my neck. And her ass in the air.
She moved to push away, but I held her there for a moment. “Stop. Assess,” I croaked in her ear.
And for a moment, amid dragon roars, the shouts of men, and the hubbub of a Furyknight reunion, we lay there, together.
My shoulder ached. My tailbone was bruised.
“Are you hurt?” I asked her in a strangled voice.
“No. No, you kept me safe,” she replied breathlessly.
Then her head popped up and she stared down at me, eyes wide. There was a split second when my mind tumbled back to those minutes when the dragons had just bonded and I kissed her. I saw myself cupping her face, pulling her back down, taking those sweet lips and—
My only warning was the flicker of a shadow in my peripheral vision.
I cursed and tugged her back down, rolling again and screaming at Kham to watch for us! He’d turned with such speed, his tail whipped around and the blades might have taken her head off.
Holy shit, that was close.
My brothers finally arrived, hands reaching to pick up Grace, and clasp my hand, pull me to my feet. Questions were peppered with shocked looks, claps on the back, and more than one warning to move.
Koa screamed and I grabbed Grace’s arm, pulling her with me, running toward the side of the launch hollow and out of reach of Kham’s wingspan or tail, not stopping until we were halfway up the steep slope and Grace stumbled.
I braced her weight, lifting that arm and turning to catch her at the waist.
My head spun. But soon we clambered together over the edge of the launch hollow and were safely above the dragons milling at its base.
I turned to face Kham, to watch, make certain he was safe. There were several males down there and Koa, in her alarm, crowded against him. I pulled Grace to my side, instinct chittering that she was to be protected also.
But, no. We were here. We were safe—now.
Grace was Chosen. And I’d brought her home.
Holy shit.
We’d done it.
As Kham darted past Koa and snarled at one of the other males who’d come too close, I turned from several hands grabbing my shoulder and clapping my back, pulling Grace with me when my name rose over the hubbub.
My squad leader, Ronen, jogged around the top of the launch hollow, beaming, his hair sweaty, but his smile bright enough to light a room.
“You’re safe, Vos! Thank God!”
He embraced me, thumping my back, then stepping back to question me, drill me.
And I answered as best I could. But my heart pounded in my skull and made it hard to hear.
My head spun. I kept turning to check for Kham, then back to Grace to make sure she was on her feet, then back to the dragons, all while attempting to respond to Ronen’s questions, and to the other men’s shouts of greeting and triumph that I’d made it home.