55. Back to Routine
~ VOSKI ~
A day and a half alone wasn’t enough, but it helped. By the time I returned to normal duties, I felt less like a bowstring quivering under too much tension.
That is, until I realized I’d been laying in silence and dark, recovering, while everyone else was extremely busy.
The Keep bustled. The queen had ordered more patrols of the borders than usual, and now included sweeps of the city, both in flight during the day, and Furyknight boots on the streets at night, with their dragons just outside the walls.
Some of our brothers complained about being used like common guards, but I didn’t mind.
On my first night shift in the city, I stationed Kham outside the walls where he’d be close enough to keep our link, and walked the streets talking to him for those hours.
I would call him in to hover, and look intimidating, if we found trouble.
Citizens didn’t understand how intelligent the dragons were.
They didn’t know a dragon would never use fire in the city outside of battle.
So, just the sight of a dragon overhead, circling, screaming, was usually enough to send footpads running, thieves back into their dens, and the drunks shitting their pants as they fled.
On my first patrol, I snuck up behind a fist of thieves clustered in an alleyway, attempting to break into a back window of one of the boarding houses.
They startled like children when I spoke a quiet word of warning behind them. And when they eyed each other, obviously considering using their numbers to overpower me, it was a simple matter of calling Kham in.
I indicated my leathers. “I wouldn’t do what you’re thinking about doing,” I offered casually.
As the leader, a burly man who’d stood back, instructing the others on how to pick the locks, stepped closer to me with a sneer on his face, I just shook my head.
The moment they heard Kham flapping and growling on his approach—they couldn’t even see him yet—they were gone, hissing curses and slipping into the shadows.
My dragon was disappointed when he reached me, and there were no criminals to frighten. ‘I looked forward to chasing one of them down a street. I imagine it’s a story they’d tell their grandchildren one day,’ he sighed as he flew off, and I continued on my patrol.
The sound of his self-pitying disappointment was the first time in days that I laughed.
‘I’ll see if I can find a footpad for you to frighten,’ I sent with a chuckle. ‘One that’s trying to rob women, or something equally nefarious.’
‘Ah, you see! These are the ways I know that you love me, Voski.’
I grinned.
The rest of the patrol was uneventful. As was the following day’s flight to check the borders with the unclaimed lands.
Yet, through it all, even as my heart and body eased, there was a niggle. A tug. Pressure in my chest. An unconscious awareness, always, of her. The direction in which she lay. The urge to turn my feet in that direction.
On Fifth Day, I was assigned an hour of practice with Grace before my patrols. And I felt fucking nervous. It made no sense.
I was tense all morning as I mentally prepared to see and speak to her.
I saw her briefly, most days. Usually in a squad briefing, or at a meal.
But we hadn’t been alone. Hadn’t spoken privately since that debacle in the stable.
Which had come right on the heels of me being forced to humble myself and acknowledge my harsh treatment of her.
The niggle in my heart pinched whenever I thought of that.
I’d meant my assurance that I wouldn’t lose my temper. I knew she was training hard and not just with Koa. I’d seen her from a distance several times, throwing knives. Once, barely after dawn, on the first shift I returned from the city. But today, it would be just the two of us.
Nervous energy crackled up my spine as I jogged through the stable. And yet, something in my chest went quiet when I reached the edge of the launch hollow and saw her at the base, harnessing Koa.
It wasn’t a change of shift, so the launch hollow was virtually empty.
Of course it was.
“You’ll find it easier to tack her up in her stable before coming down here, so you don’t have to carry the harness,” I called as I approached, trying to keep my voice casual.
Grace’s head snapped around to find me with her eyes, before she turned back to work the buckles of Koa’s harness.
“I still get the harness throw wrong sometimes in the closed space.” She had to raise her voice a little because I was still a short distance away. “Besides, I’ll get stronger and better at handling the harness the more I carry it.”
She’d turned away again and put her attention back on her dragon as she spoke, so she didn’t see my brows rise in surprise.
Flameborne were usually quite dedicated to their training, desperate to please their dragons, and eager to be assessed worthy to fly alone.
But they were also, usually exhausted. Any opportunity to use less energy to complete a task was always taken without question.
“That’s good,” I said, scratching the back of my neck as I stood there, waiting for her to finish harnessing.
The fact that she’d gotten the harness up and fixed without help was an excellent sign. Bren had still struggled with that at this point in her journey.
I folded my arms and waited until Grace double-checked everything, then stood at her dragon’s foreleg, as was correct etiquette. “Koa says it’s fine for you to approach now,” she said, a little breathless.
That sizzle of inexplicable nerves raised the hair on my nape, but I nodded once and approached, thanking Koa, then turning all my attention to the harness. Because I could feel Grace’s eyes on me, and it made my lungs tight.
Shit. I needed to get past this. She was my squad-sister now. I’d never felt like this with Bren. Never suffered humming skin, or nervous bolts in my belly.
Talking myself down from the increasing tension, I made quick work of checking the buckles and straps, nodding my approval. “Excellent job—you even remembered all the sleepers.”
They were the thin loops below every buckle that held any excess strap against the harness so it didn’t flap free and tangle with limbs or wings.
“Thank you. I’ve been practicing.”
I could see that. I swallowed and nodded. “Report, Flameborne. What strides have you made since we last flew, and what challenges are you facing? Where do we need to focus our attention?”
Grace took a deep breath, but didn’t shift her feet.
“I’m getting stronger at pulling myself into the landing and take-off.
I didn’t fall on take-off at all yesterday, even though we practiced for two hours with Gil.
I’ve gotten better at landings, but I can still get toppled off in that first impact.
Gil had to catch me twice yesterday. It was frustrating. ”
I suffered a burst of images in my head—Grace bent over Gil’s arm as he caught her in the landing. Both of them laughing. My brother’s gleaming eyes when her breasts pressed against his forearm—
The shriek of anger in my head was out of proportion with events.
We all caught Flameborne—male, or female—in their early days of learning.
It was why they weren’t allowed to fly alone.
It was entirely appropriate for Gil, or any of our brothers or sister, to ride with Grace and help her steady so she didn’t fall.
But my skin crawled, because all I could see in my mind’s eye was Gil standing in the stable with that smug fucking grin plastered all over his face, as he tried to imply—
Kham whistled and I blinked. He’d stopped at the water trough for a drink as I’d finished harnessing him. But he followed now, leaning back to take the heavy steps down the side of the launch hollow, chirping and whistling to his mate.
He was so fucking cheerful.
Koa greeted Kham, then Grace called to him as well. He chirped to her like he chirped to me, which made my shoulders hunch, but at least it made it easy when I needed her to mount him. I knew there’d be no complaints from him.
I was beginning to think my dragon liked Grace more than he liked me.
‘Poor little pouty warrior. I am touched by your envy.’
‘You aren’t funny.’
‘My mate assures me that I am.’
Both the dragons huffed—which meant he was sharing all of this with her, as well. I shot him a sideways scowl, then gestured to Grace. “Kham says you’re welcome to mount,” I said through clenched teeth.
But to my surprise, she didn’t move immediately, except to clasp her hands more tightly, so her knuckles turned white.
“May I ask your help with something?”
I hated that she asked that with such uncertainty. I knew I could be a grumpy bastard, but I was a dedicated—desired—teacher and trainer. I was angry with myself that she hadn’t had the chance to observe that in me. And my pride prickled a little bit as well.
“I won’t ever rebuke you for asking for help, Grace,” I said as tonelessly as I could manage.
“I know we got off to a rough start. I meant what I said in the clearing. I’m sorry that I frightened you, and overreacted.
I’m your squad-brother, and our dragons are mated.
I’m the first person you should ask for assistance. ”
I felt Kham, about to offer his airy commentary on that and snapped my mind closed so I wouldn’t hear it unless he forced me to.
He didn’t.
Grace’s eyes widened. “Thank you. I just wondered if we could ride Koa, instead of Kham?”
“The reason we have you ride multiple dragons at the beginning is both so that your dragon isn’t too tired, and also because riding with different strides and shapes will give you a better understanding of all dragons, not just your own.”
“Yes, and I have—in fact, we’ve ridden Koa very little.”
When I frowned she rushed on.