Chapter 21
***RYAN***
Ryan fought against the hands holding him back, watching as Paula was dragged out of the meeting house, the dragon inside him awake and ready to fight for its mate. “Where are you taking her?” he growled, then struggled even harder. “Let me go. Do you hear me? You can’t do this.”
“Silence…” Zane roared. “The challenge was made, now you must prove there is a bond between you and Paula. The choice is out of our hands.”
Before he could respond, the door burst open again, and a man came striding in. “It’s done, sir,” he said. “The woman has been left at the secret location.”
His heart sank as panic began to well up inside him.
He searched his memory, trying to figure out what they’d done with Paula, but then realized he had no idea what happened when a challenge like this was issued.
Turning back to the council, he started to question them, but Zachary shook his head at him.
Then Zane stood up, and the room went silent again.
“You have until dawn tomorrow morning to find her. If she’s really your perfect mate, if there truly is a bond between you, it should be easy,” Zane said, then looked around the room.
“This meeting is adjourned pending the results of the challenge. Everyone should go home now. We’ll signal you when you can return. ”
Shocked, he just stood there, then he saw his mother smiling at him, a satisfied look on her face, and it all hit him at once.
Paula was out there somewhere in the forest, cold and alone, waiting for him to find her.
If he didn’t, she would freeze to death before morning.
Anger welled up inside him and he started to cross the room toward his mother, not sure what he was going to do, but angrier at her than he’d ever been.
Tami stepped in his way. “Leave her, she doesn’t matter right now. You can deal with her later,” she said, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Go find Paula. She needs you now. If you really love her, this is the time to prove it.”
He took one more look at his mother, then ran for the door, already letting his magic surge to the surface, focusing all his thoughts on Paula.
His dragon came surging through as soon as he was out of the meeting house and he took to the sky with one powerful leap.
Spreading his wings, he shot through the air, going higher and higher until he was hovering above the meeting house.
Closing his eyes, he pictured Paula in his mind and waited, holding his breath for some sign of where she was.
As the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, he began to feel desperate, then a warm blast of air hit him, ruffling his feathers and filling him with hope.
Following the current of air, he glided away from the clearing and the sound of voices, his entire focus on the woman that he loved.
Understanding that the dragon was better equipped to track Paula, he let the creature guide his movements as he flew, the forest slipping by beneath him as he flew farther and farther away from civilization.
***Paula***
Hands shaking, Paula unzipped the backpack, then let out a little cry of happiness when she reached in and pulled out a heavy winter coat.
After putting it on, she zipped it up and stuck her freezing hands into the pockets, doing a little dance when she felt a pair of gloves.
Slipping her hands into them, she rifled through the backpack, making a mental note of everything inside, then zipped it closed and walked back out into the clearing.
She was far from an expert at surviving in the wilderness, but one thing she knew was that trying to find her way out in the dark would be impossible.
Her best hope was to survive the night, giving Ryan time to find her, and then try to walk out in the morning if she was still stranded.
Trying to remember the survival lessons her father had taught her, she started looking for a place to build a fire, gathering kindling as she walked.
To her relief, she found a large outcropping of rocks not far from where she’d been dropped, and there was a perfect little indentation that would be just big enough for a fire.
Even better, the light from the fire would be reflected on the rocks, making it easier for Ryan to find her.
Feeling a renewed sense of hope, she scoured the surrounding area for firewood, only quitting when she was sure she had enough to last the night, then shivering, crawled up under the rock.
It took her several tries to get the fire started, but it finally leapt to life.
For a moment, she felt like crying as she watched the flames grow and consume her kindling.
She slowly added bigger and bigger pieces of wood to the fire until she had it burning merrily, then sat back and let the heat slowly sink into her frozen body.
When she was warm enough, she stripped off her gloves and dug into the backpack again, pulling out several energy bars and a bottle of water.
She ate slowly and sipped at the water, knowing she had to make her meager provisions last all night and possibly into the next day.
Forcing herself not to think about what was happening back at the meeting house, she thought about Ryan instead, willing him to come after her.
It was clear to her now that this was a test of some kind, and the only way that they would pass was if he found her out here in the middle of nowhere.
Deep down, she had no doubt that he would find her because she felt the connection between them, the bond that Ryan had spoken about humming deep inside her.
Focusing on that feeling, she sat feeding the fire, eating her meager meal, and watching the sky for the shadow of a dragon.
***Ryan***
Following the draft of warm air, Ryan flew through the winter night, unaware that clouds were slowly blocking out the light from the stars as a storm rolled in over the mountains.
It brought with it gusts of wind that confused him and several times he was forced to retrace his path when he realized the trail had gone cold.
He couldn’t help but feel like each time he did, he was failing Paula, that she was out there huddled in the woods, slowly freezing to death, while he flew around like an idiot.
Reminding himself that Paula was very capable of taking care of herself, that she was smart and resourceful, he pushed all the negative thoughts aside, knowing that they were clouding his brain.
Feeling clearheaded again, he flew on, his eyes trained on the ground for any sign of the woman he loved, then in the distance he saw a faint flicker of light.
At first, he wasn’t sure that he’d really seen anything, but as he watched the horizon, he saw it again, this time a little brighter.
Heart beginning to pound with excitement, he flew faster, the draft of warm air still with him, the light growling brighter as his wings ate up the miles.
He was still a few miles away when he realized that the light was a fire, and a surge of pride washed over him.
Paula was a fighter; he’d known she would find a way to take care of herself.
It only took him a few seconds to close the distance between them, and he wasn’t at all surprised to find her looking to the sky, waiting for him by a roaring fire.
He swept down to the ground, shifting just before he landed and was holding Paula in his arms only seconds later. “I knew that you’d come for me,” she said. “I knew if I just found a way to stay dry and warm you’d find me.”
“It was a test to see if we’re really bonded,” he said, holding her closer for a second, before pulling back and looking down at her. “I knew that you’d take care of yourself until I could find you. I followed a warm draft of air all the way here.”
“I was thinking about you the entire time,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Can we go home now? I think we passed their stupid test.”
“You’ll have to ride on my back,” he said, zipping up her jacket. “It’s going to be cold up there. Can you handle it?”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, pulling a pair of gloves out of her pocket. “But we should put out my fire before we leave.”
By the time they doused the fire and repacked the backpack, the wind had begun to blow, and big fat snowflakes had begun to fall.
Looking up into the sky, his stomach fell.
A storm had moved in, and flying with Paula on his back very far suddenly seemed a bit risky.
The thought of dropping her when they were hundreds of feet in the air left him feeling a little sick, and he realized that they weren’t going to make it home that night.
“Okay, all ready,” Paula said, putting up her hood. “It’s really starting to get bad out here. the snow is coming down hard. Are you sure this is going to be okay?”
“I think we might need to come up with a new plan,” he said, looking up at the sky. “We need to find some shelter, a cave or a cabin, and wait out the storm. I don’t want to fly too far with you on my back, it would be too dangerous.”
“Yeah, I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea either,” she said, starting to shiver. “Maybe you could go up without me and find something, then come back for me.”
“It won’t take long, I promise,” he said. “Go back over there by the rock. I’ll be right back.”
***Paula***
It was only a few minutes before Ryan returned, but in that short space of time, Paula had been soaked by the snow, which was falling heavier and heavier by the minute and making it hard to see even a few feet in front of her.
He landed only a few feet from her and then nodded his head.
She instinctively knew what he wanted, but hesitated a second, suddenly a little afraid of climbing up onto his back.
When Ryan crouched even lower, she reminded herself that it was the man she loved trying to keep her alive.
After that, the fear melted away, and she climbed onto his back without missing a breath.
She felt Ryan gathering his strength to take to the sky and flattened herself against his neck, bracing herself, not sure what to expect.
A second later, they were slowly rising into the air in a smooth motion, then they were soaring through the storm, the snow pinging her in the face, the wind swirling around them.
It never occurred to her that she should be scared; she never worried that he might drop her.
She felt safe and secure perched on his back, and she was right.
Only a few minutes later, they landed safe and sound on the ground in front of a tiny cabin.
Her legs were wobbly when she slid down off his back, but only a few seconds later, there was a whoosh and Ryan was wrapping his arms around her. “Are you okay?” he asked. “That was quite the ride, but we’ll be safe here for the night.”
“I’m okay,” she said, her teeth chattering whether from excitement or cold, she wasn’t sure. “I never thought I’d get the chance to fly.”
Ryan laughed, “And that’s just the beginning, sweetheart,” he said, grinning at her. “But first, let’s see if we can get inside and get warmed up.”
He managed to get the lock on the front door open, and they stepped inside out of the snow, shutting the door behind them.
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the cabin, but it was noticeably warmer, and she sighed with relief, glad to be out of the storm.
Ryan crossed over to the fireplace and started piling kindling into the cold hearth, then struck a match and set it all ablaze, filling the room with light.
Drawn to the light, she walked over to him and put her arms around him, then together they stood soaking up the warmth of the fire.
“We’ll be safe here until the storm passes,” he said, holding her close.
“That was a close one. I’m sure glad you’re a tough cookie; I was afraid I was going to lose you. ”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she teased. “You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”