Chapter 35 #2
It didn't take long to get back to the manor. Within minutes, we hovered over the spired rooftop of the grand manor home and descended to the bottom of the garden, near the sparse clearing where I'd first seen Zyrra.
Wolfe touched down with his dragon—Pyrion—first and leaped to the ground.
Hedion and I landed with a soft thud across from them, and he put out his wing for me to step down. Once I did, Hedion carefully balanced me so I could get down to the ground with ease.
My legs wobbled from the flight, but that was the least of my worries.
Wolfe bounded toward me, closing the distance between us in three powerful strides.
I froze, rooted to the spot as I braced for his wrath.
When he reached me, his hands clamped down on my shoulders.
Not gently, but not cruel, either. His touch was urgent, desperate, completely at odds with the fury blazing in his eyes as he began checking me over with frantic intensity.
“Are you hurt?” The words came out rough, strained, as if they'd been torn from his throat.
“I'm fine,” I stuttered.
He still continued his search, turning me around to check my back before spinning me to face him.
“Wolfe, I'm fine,” I said with more insistence.
I probably shouldn't have reassured him so quickly. I should have said something more, anything, to hold on to that brief moment of tenderness, because the moment I spoke, fury flooded back into his eyes, twisting his features into something dark and terrible.
His concern vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and cold rage swept across his face like a storm reclaiming the sky.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” His hands gripped my shoulders, and he shook me. “I told you to stay away from the fucking caves.”
“I'm sorry. I—”
“What part of dangerous dragons don't you understand? And you flew?” His gaze cut from me to Hedion, who bowed his head in silent remorse.
“I'm fine. Hedion took care of me.”
Wolfe’s face paled and he released me. “How do you know his name?”
“He... told me. He spoke it to me in my mind. Pyrion and Hedion, twins from the same side of the moon. The last of the Ochia Aetherflame dragons.” I thought I was being clever by showing that I was absolutely fine, but the more I said, the more shock registered on Wolfe's face. “Was I not supposed to know that?”
He seethed and gave me a steely stare. “No. No, you aren't fucking supposed to know that, nor are you supposed to hear dragons' song, or them talking to you.” His voice rose higher and louder. “And you most certainly aren't supposed to be able to fly them!”
He shouted those last words so loudly my soul shook. He was about to unleash more of his fury when both dragons stepped forward beside me in perfect synchronization and roared at him, splitting the sky with a sound like mountains breaking apart.
All color drained from Wolfe's face as he stared at his dragons, his mouth falling open in stunned disbelief. Bewilderment filled his eyes, and he went perfectly still. For the first time since I'd known him, he looked genuinely surprised.
I was surprised, too. His own dragons had defied him and chosen me over him.
His gaze darted between the two of them as he tried to process what had just happened. What was still happening.
The dragons looked like they were about to attack him. They roared again, the sound shaking me to my core.
Wolfe was prepared this time. Shadows grew around him, like a mass of midnight and smoke, then he spoke a command in what sounded like Old Galaythian.
I couldn't make out what he said, but whatever it was had the dragons cowering like sheep, not the mighty beasts they were.
Both bowed to him, their loyalty restored, but he was still enraged.
“Al maniyel da bouche!” Wolfe shouted, pointing back to the caves in the distance.
At his command, the dragons took off and flew toward the cave. I guessed he must have ordered them to go back there.
He whirled around and faced me, eyes blazing. “You, listen to me. And listen well,” he began, moving so he was in my personal space. “Don't breathe a word of this to anyone. Do you hear me?”
“Why?”
“Because when I tell you to do something, you do it.”
I couldn't argue that I'd been wrong to go to the caves and fly his dragon, but there was no way I was going to allow him to speak to me like that.
“Don't talk to me like I'm a child,” I snapped, steeling my spine.
“Then stop acting like one.”
“I'm not. I know I shouldn't have gone to the caves, but I meant no harm. It doesn't mean you have to be an asshole to me.”
“Something could have happened to you.”
“I know, but nothing happened.”
“That doesn't make it okay.”
“Perhaps if you didn't ignore me and let me know what was going on, I wouldn't have gone there.” I hated the break in my voice betraying my emotions again.
“That's not an excuse,” he sneered. “You could have fucking died, then all my plans to find my ring would have gone to hell.”
His words shattered something inside me. Of course. The ring.
He was worried about the ring. Not me. Just his precious ring.
What remained of my hope withered and foolish disappointment settled in my stomach, cold and bitter.
I thought of everything else he'd done for me and realized the harsh truth.
His panic, that moment of tenderness, and even saving me on the ship. It all came down to the ring.
The hurt that lanced through my chest was sharper than I expected, and my former desolation returned a hundredfold.
I'd had enough and was done talking, so I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm.
“I'm not done talking to you.”
“I'm done listening.” I kept my tone free of emotion even though tears stung the backs of my eyes.
“No, you aren't. I have plenty more to say.”
“Well, you can save it. I understand perfectly. All you care about is your damn ring. What more is there to say?”
“Of course, I care about the ring. Everything I've done was about finding the ring. So I won't allow you and your foolishness to fuck it up.” More truth that cut me deeply spewed from his lips. “What in the hells do you think is happening here?”
“Nothing!” I spat out the word with deliberate venom. “Absolutely nothing, Lord Nightblade.” I'd never used his formal title before, and we both felt the sting of it and the distance it created between us.
Wolfe's face went carefully blank, but I caught the way his hands clenched at his sides. His jaw tightened, and those dark eyes flashed with something raw—pain maybe, or recognition of the wall I'd just thrown up between us.
Good. If the devil could actually feel pain, let him feel as foolish as I did for reading more into our dynamic than what was ever there.
A thousand things flickered in his eyes, and for one shattered moment, he looked like he might speak and remind me that he was Wolfe to me, not Lord Nightblade. But he didn't. He chose silence instead.
He took a step back and flicked his thumb over one of the warrior tattoos on his wrist. A second later, Garrick appeared before us as if he'd stepped out of thin air.
“What happened?” he asked, looking from me to Wolfe, his eyes narrowing with confusion.
Wolfe gave him a cold smile that held no humor. “Where were you?”
Garrick stiffened at his tone, and I knew that had Wolfe been anyone else, he wouldn't have gotten away with talking to him in such a manner. “Taking care of the elk. They've come down with rsusk sickness. I was healing them.”
Wolfe smirked, his eyes darkening. “Nice save.” He pointed to me. “Take her inside and make sure she doesn't sneak into the caves again.”
Garrick snapped his gaze to me, but I didn't look at him. I was still hollow from my awful exchange with Wolfe.
“Come along, Elariya.” Garrick waved his hand, motioning me forward.
I moved, walking ahead of him. He fell in step with me.
Wolfe stayed where he was. His eyes bore into me, but I didn't look back. There was no reason to.
As I walked away from him, a hollow ache formed in my chest as the truth crystallized. I was nothing more than a means to an end, so I was always the fool.
A fool who'd opened her heart to her villain.