Omari Haru #2
“Oh, yeah,” the dragon agreed. As Adrian got closer, he realized that the guard was actually Shou, the dragon who’d delivered the godstone shard to them in Bellcairn. “He told us to expect you late tonight and to let you go right in to see Haru.”
For a heartbeat, Adrian was pissed. All that talk about needing to rest and waiting until tomorrow was feeling like bullshit, except to Nori, it wasn’t. He probably believed it. But the dragon had also been smart enough to realize that Adrian wouldn’t wait a second longer than necessary.
Adrian charged in, his heart racing as he ran down the stairs lit by flickering torches.
He spotted another couple of dragons in human form, wearing robes that showed they were also from the Omari Clan.
He barely spared them a glance as he followed the low thrum of power that now beat in tandem with his heart. It was Haru. It had to be Haru.
At the end of the long, dark corridor that held a heavy mildew odor, he turned to see a large cell with black bars. Inside lay Haru in his dragon form, curled into a ball with his nose tucked under his long tail.
“Haru.” Adrian sighed, his name tripping out as it finally got past the blockage in his throat.
The dragon blinked slowly and lifted its head. He stared at Adrian, not seeming to react. Adrian had been about to race along the length of the hall to him, but Haru’s lack of reaction made him hesitate. What if Haru thought he was a hallucination? A nightmare sent to torment his mind?
“It’s okay, Haru. It’s really me,” Adrian coaxed. He ignored the way his voice trembled. He started forward, each step slow and cautious. Haru wouldn’t intentionally hurt him, but Adrian had no way of knowing how Yesuntei’s magic was affecting his mind at that moment.
The dragon blinked again, but this time his giant yellow eyes focused on him more sharply. His long body jolted, and Adrian froze.
“Haru?”
In a flash, Haru shifted into his human form. “My Adrian!” Those two words escaped him, hoarse and ragged, but there was so much relief in them. He took a step toward the bars, but his legs gave out and he sat down hard.
Adrian swallowed a cry and ran to him. He grabbed the bars of the door, preparing to rattle the fuckers until someone came to open them, but the door swung wildly open, nearly knocking Adrian on his ass at the first pull.
“I’m not a prisoner.” Haru huffed a laugh. “They only lock the cell when I ask them to.”
“Whatever,” Adrian muttered as he shoved the door out of the way and flew inside, throwing himself at Haru.
Dropping to his knees, he wrapped his arms around Haru, pulling him close enough that the dragon was practically sitting in his lap.
Immediately, he noticed that Haru felt thinner.
His body had already been lithe and slender as a willow, but Adrian swore he was even thinner to an unhealthy degree.
“You haven’t been eating properly. Don’t tell me that Nori has been starving his favorite child,” Adrian growled against his throat. He nuzzled his face into the soft hollow between his neck and shoulder.
A low hum rumbled from deep in Haru’s chest, and it was almost as if he were purring. He held Adrian tightly, pulling him even closer. “No, Nori has admonished me plenty about my poor eating habits. So has my cousin. You’ve seen him?”
Adrian grunted. “Don’t change the subject.”
“I have lost my appetite. I eat as my stomach allows. Most of my time was spent in meditation and talking nonsense with my clan mates while I waited for my Adrian to save me.”
Adrian’s heart squeezed so hard, it was in danger of being reduced to a fine powder. “You need to eat.” He forced those few words out through clenched teeth.
“I will. However, I was not expecting you so soon. I thought you would go save the people in Damardor first from the monsters.”
Adrian loosened his hold on Haru enough to stare at him.
There were dark circles under his blue eyes, which seemed to have lost some of their sparkle, as if exhaustion had dulled his brightness.
His cheeks were little more than hollows.
He didn’t look well at all. It didn’t appear as if he would have been able to last until after they settled the mess in Damardor—not that it was ever a consideration.
“We came here as fast as we could from Bellcairn. There was no way I was going to leave this thing inside you. Tyche said you agreed to it. I can’t believe you! I’ve never been so pissed and proud of you at the same time.”
Drayce’s chuckle echoed along the corridor leading to the cell. “Look at that. Adrian made a new word. Prissed!”
“Asshole,” Adrian muttered as he twisted to gaze at Tyche, Shey, and Drayce as they approached. Haru’s arms tightened on him as if he were afraid Adrian was going to leave him.
“Welcome to the Isle of Stone, Prince Shey and Tyche,” Haru greeted them with a weak smile.
“How are you feeling?” Shey asked.
“Tired.”
“Then let’s get that damn thing out of you.” Tyche stepped forward but stopped to frown at his surroundings. “Well, maybe this isn’t the greatest spot. We should probably wait until we’re at the clan home where things are cleaner.”
“Wait a minute,” Adrian snapped. “What’s that supposed to mean? How do you get it out of Haru?” He started to climb to his feet, but Haru held on to him, keeping him trapped in his arms.
“He has to cut it out of me.” The statement was horrible, but Haru’s voice was calm and even.
Adrian’s head jerked around so that he could glare at the dragon. His heart skipped a beat. “What? You knew this?”
“No, but I’m not surprised by the development. It’s not a big deal. It will be painful, but dragons heal fast. Everything will be fine.” Haru lifted his gaze to stare at Tyche. “We can’t take it out yet. I wish to hold on to it for a while longer.”
“Are you insane?” Adrian shouted.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Haru,” Tyche chimed in. “It would be better to get it out as quickly as possible. Your job was to protect it from Cirina, and you did that brilliantly. Let’s get you free of that thing.”
Adrian clung to Haru, fighting a swell of panic, while appreciating the calm, even tone and logic in Tyche’s voice.
At least one of them was keeping his head, because Adrian was about to demand someone knock the dragon out so he could cut the damn powers from Haru.
Shey had described what happened to him after he’d been hit with Yesuntei’s powers and he’d suffered from his own nightmares.
He could only imagine that what Haru was suffering was a hundred times worse.
“Yes, but Cirina is still out there. Kaes has even caused problems. We don’t even know the identity of the person behind the Damardor kidnappings and murders.
” As Haru listed each threat, he sent an icy spike through Adrian’s heart.
Any of them could try to make a grab for Yesuntei’s powers.
“Until we have a plan to protect them effectively, they are safer with me.”
What bothered Adrian most was that Haru was correct.
Any of them could make a play for the power he now held.
They might hold off the Goddess of Dreams, but he didn’t feel as confident with the God of Storms. Even this shadowy person behind the deaths in Damardor felt as frightening as a god.
Who else could stand up to them better than a dragon?
And yet…what was this doing to Haru? Would he be able to recover from it if they waited?
“I don’t like it,” Tyche grumbled under his breath. “But I can’t argue with him.”
“Would Caelan be able to shed some light on this?” Prince Shey inquired.
They all looked over at Drayce, who shrugged his narrow shoulders. “You can ask him. There are things about the gods that he keeps secret, even from me, and I’m fine with that. You lot are scary enough.”
“Okay.” Tyche heaved an enormous sigh that seemed to make him sink at least an inch.
“I’ll talk to King Caelan tomorrow. But!
” He stopped and pointed one finger at Haru, his expression turning as stern as Adrian had ever seen it.
“When I say it’s time for you to cough that sarira up, you give it up.
You got me? This was always meant to be temporary. The shorter the better, too.”
Haru nodded. “Agreed. I only wish to keep my Adrian safe.” As he spoke, he tightened his arms around Adrian, tucking him against his chest.
“Good.”
Adrian rested his chin on Haru’s shoulder. “You said you’re not a prisoner here.”
“Mn,” he grunted. “I thought it best while I was adjusting to the powers of the goddess that I put some distance between myself and the clan for their protection. I have gotten a handle on the powers much better. Especially now that I have my Adrian in my arms.”
Heat burned Adrian’s cheeks, but he ignored it. Right now, the only thing that mattered to him was Haru’s happiness and health. If he was feeling better holding Adrian, that was what he was going to do.
“Do you think it would be safe for you to move to the clan compound for the night? You could soak in a hot bath, and we can get you something to eat.”
Haru hummed. “And my Adrian will sleep beside me in my bed. Yes, this is an excellent plan.”
Oh yeah, they were blowing Nori’s plans for him to stay away from Haru out of the water. It was going to be okay. He hoped.