Chapter 52
KALLIE
Kallie rolled over onto her side. On the bed across from her, Ellie lay fast asleep, snoring softly.
The pads of her bare feet touched the ground.
Pushing off the bed, she tiptoed toward the door.
As her hand gripped the doorknob, she recalled the last time she had been in this very room with Dani knocked out and a letter opener the only thing to defend herself.
This time, she wasn’t planning on escaping anything but her own nightmares.
She cracked open the door and peered into the hallway. No candlelight flickered beneath the door across the hall where Graeson and Moris slept.
Closing the door behind her, she made her way to the stairs and descended them on light feet, her palm sliding against the wall.
Once she was outside, she let the cool air filter into her lungs. Head down, she headed over to the stable. One stall was open, and a large black snout peeked past it. At the sound of Kallie’s footsteps, Nyrri blinked an eye open and huffed.
"Are you really that predictable?"
Kallie halted, her gaze sweeping across the stable, searching for him. Movement atop a tall pile of hay caught her attention, and she looked up.
Graeson sat on the hay, one leg swinging in the air while the other was bent, his arm draped across it as he peered down at her with a curious brow.
"I—" She struggled for a response.
Graeson chuckled. "I’m only kidding, Kal." He cocked his head to the side, his gaze dipping down her frame and sending a flush of heat coursing through her. "Unless you really are escaping, then…"
Kallie smirked. "Not this time."
"Good. We both know how that ended last time."
Flashes of him atop her, his hands pinning hers to the ground, came to mind. Her gaze raked over him.
Not the time.
She cleared her throat and held up her hands. "Only wanting some fresh air."
"Can’t sleep?"
Kallie shook her head.
"Come on up." He patted the spot beside him on the hay bale.
Shrugging, she reached up and dug her hands into the hay, trying to gain purchase. As she went to step up, she felt something pushing up her injured leg. When she looked down, she saw Nyrri lifting her foot with her nose.
"Thanks, girl," Kallie said. Using her good arm, she reached for the ledge as Graeson grabbed her forearm and hoisted her up. Once safely atop the hay, she offered him a small smile in gratitude and then adjusted her cloak before sitting down.
"Does it still hurt?" Graeson asked, glancing at her injured arm.
"Not as much," she admitted. Over the past few days, the pain had lessened to a dull ache. She still needed to rest it more before she could fully use it again without grimacing. But progress was progress. "The arrow didn’t go deep enough to cause any serious harm."
He brushed his knuckles on the side of her arm, and the touch was warm and soothing. "I’m…I’m sorry. I should have been more careful. I shouldn’t have—"
"Hey," she said, cutting him off. "We’re alive, right?"
Graeson nodded, but she could still see the guilt in his gray eyes.
She turned toward him, her knee bumping into his thigh. She laid a hand on his cheek, the stubble beneath it scratching against her palm. "I’m okay. It’s not your fault."
"Says the woman who is known for taking the blame for things," Graeson retorted with a small smile.
Kallie playfully shoved him in the shoulder, and he laughed, the previous tension and concern fading.
Kallie rubbed the hay from her trousers as she scanned the stable. Most of the horses were sleeping, and Nyrri had plopped beside the hay bale as if not wanting to be too far from them.
"Why are you hanging out up here, anyway?" Kallie asked, curious.
Graeson lay down, propping an arm behind his head. He arched an eyebrow at her. "Lie down and find out for yourself."
She followed his instructions, carefully maneuvering backward so that her legs were stretched in front of her. Once beside him, she looked at him expectantly. "Now what?"
"Look up."
Kallie turned her head toward the roof. Menz had added a new skylight where a leaky hole had been. Past the glass, a sea of stars covered the night sky.
"You came in here for this?" she asked, curious why he hadn’t gone outside instead.
"No, not intentionally. After Moris fell asleep after his nightly ramble, I couldn’t sleep. So, I came out here to check on Nyrri and the horses. I didn’t really want to go back inside, so I sat up here for a moment. And, well, a moment turned into several."
She sensed his gaze turn to her, but she couldn’t get herself to look at him, her eyes darting from star to star. "What’s it like?" she asked.
"What’s what like?"
"Flying."
Graeson hummed as he thought of his response. "When I flew on Nyrri for the first time, it was absolutely terrifying. She almost killed me multiple times."
Kallie smirked. "I guessed as much after finding you almost crushed by her weight."
"I think she was trying to push me off the first few times we flew together," he said, facing the roof again. "She wasn’t too happy about the saddle."
Below them, Nyrri huffed in response, and Kallie chuckled.
"After a while, I got used to it, but it still felt…awkward."
"And now that you’ve flown on your own?"
He scratched his chest. "I’ve only done it once, so it’s too early to tell, but…it felt different. When I woke up the morning after, I barely remembered that night. But the memories have slowly come back. I think I was too terrified to truly appreciate what was happening."
"Maybe next time will be different."
"Maybe," he said, though his voice was strained.
"Are you nervous about shifting again?"
He brushed his hair away from his face. "I don’t know if 'nervous' is the right word. It was probably the most excruciating thing I’ve ever felt, but it also was the most freeing. Before, I always felt like something was wrong, like something was out of place. It used to be so loud inside my head, as if there were two sides of me fighting to grab control. Now, there’s a sense of peace that I can’t quite explain.
" Graeson released a nervous laugh. "It sounds silly now that I’ve said it aloud, but… " He shrugged.
"It doesn’t sound silly," Kallie said quietly. "While I obviously don’t know what it feels like to shift into a dragon, I understand the feeling that something isn’t right, that you’re not entirely you.
" She might not have known Myra had manipulated her emotions, but now that she was free of it, it seemed so obvious. "It’s a relief once you get to be…you."
"Yeah," he said. He took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he sank into the hay. "When I left you and Ellie, it got lonely flying after a while. I never realized how big the sky truly is."
Kallie turned her head toward Graeson, observing him for a moment.
His eyebrows were pinched, and he seemed to have retreated into himself.
She could only imagine how big the world would feel from the clouds.
But she also believed it could be freeing, too.
To soar through the sky, unbound by roads or mountains or seas.
Her hand twitched at her side, and her pinky brushed against his. "Maybe next time…"
"Next time what?" Graeson prompted, facing her. His hand slid atop hers, his fingers entangling with hers.
His eyes dipped to her lips, his pupils dilating.
"Maybe next time I can join you," Kallie suggested, swallowing the nervousness.
He quirked a brow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You wish…to ride me?"
Kallie’s eyes widened, and she jerked upright. "That’s—that’s not what I meant. What I meant to say was that I could take Nyrri, and we could join you."
"Ah," he said, nodding dramatically. "That’s what you meant."
"Of course," she said, lying back down.
He hummed as if in thought. With a tilt of his head, he said, "Probably for the best. Even if we commissioned a big enough saddle, I’m not sure if you could hold on tightly enough."
Kallie scoffed. "I’m sure I could handle you just fine. You’re not that big."
"Oh? Is that so?" Graeson propped himself on his elbows, a brow arched in challenge.
Kallie’s cheeks burned bright red, the cold stable suddenly becoming hot as Graeson looked at her, amused. But Kallie refused to let him win.
"You’re actually quite small for a dragon," she quipped.
"And you’re so familiar with my kind, are you?"
"Based on the books I’ve read, they’re supposed to be six times the size of humans."
"Did you see my wingspan?"
She shrugged. "Uninspiring."
Graeson laughed, the sound deep and full. "You’re a terrible liar, you know."
She shoved him, nearly knocking him onto his back. "I am not!"
"Then tell me what you really thought when you saw me."
"I thought…" Kallie fidgeted, and Graeson lifted his brow higher, patiently waiting. She dropped her gaze to his cloak. Pieces of straw clung to the wool. Without thinking, she brushed them off and mumbled a response.
He leaned forward, his breath tickling the tip of her nose. "I’m sorry. I didn’t quite hear that. What did you say?"
Kallie closed her eyes, as if she could hide from the embarrassment, and repeated herself, "I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen."
When she looked at him, she found him smirking, pride gleaming in his eyes. She went to slap him on his chest, but before she could make contact, he swiftly snagged her hand and tugged her toward him.
"You think I’m beautiful?" he whispered, his words lightly tickling her.
Kallie rolled her eyes. "Oh, don’t get a big ego now."
"Too late," he said, beaming.
"You are insufferable."
"As long as I’m still beautiful, I’m fine with that," he said with a wink.
Kallie laughed, and the sound bounced around the roof of the stable. Her arm gave out, and she collapsed on top of him. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt beneath his cloak. A horse released a loud huff as if annoyed, which only made both of them laugh more.