Chapter 92
"Do you know what killed her?" Jonah asked, and a look of rage and protectiveness appeared on his face. He took a threatening step toward Caspian, and both Lexus and I moved closer to the prince so that we could protect him from the angry Dragon Rider. "Who killed her, Boy? Was it you?"
"Joanh," Arden said as soon as those words left his mouth and before the prince could say another word. "What is the meaning of asking him if he killed her when he is a friend and under my care?"
"Because it could be a cover up, and everyone is in on it except for me. I do not want someone to pull a fast one on me and accuse me of not caring for the girl that my best friend left under my care."
"Would I be a part of this cover up if it is one, though?
" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, and Jonah looked at me with a hard look on his face.
"I mean, this is my death we are talking about, and I do not want to be protecting a boy that can kill me standing behind me when I am "defenseless" against any attack he would throw at me. "
(02/17/2026)
"And let's not forget that this is a boy who she is tied to in more ways than one," Shilan said and walked over to us while he rolled his eyes and lowered his ears closer to his head.
He sniffed Caspian, and Caapian grew a little tense with my dragon beside him, even though he didn't say a word about it.
"Shilan, don't do anything stupid, and leave him alone," I warned and narrowed my eyes until they were in slits, and he shrugged but moved away from Caspian. I breathed a small sigh of relief when he did that, earning a weird look from my dragon before he looked at Jonah.
"What does he mean by being tied to you, Marini?" Jonah asked before he looked between the two of us until he focused his gaze on me with a hard look on his face. "How is he tied to you?"
I bit back a tired sigh and moved a hand through my hair and across my face before I rubbed the bridge of my nose.
"So while that was happening, I looked through Shilan's eyes to see what he was seeing.
There were these auroras...around the two of us, and one of the auroras showed that we were connected in some way. "
"Like our lives and fates are intertwined with one another?" Caspian asked while he looked at me, and I nodded in confirmation. He furrowed his brows and looked at Arden. "Is that even possible?"
"Yes," Arden said and nodded. He looked at me and smiled. "I would like to see it, but you both need to be holding hands with each other. Do you mind humoring us for a bit and doing it?"
I hesitated and looked at Caspian to see that he was already looking at me. "Are you fine with it?" I asked, trying but failing to keep the hesitation out of my voice. "It won't be painful and will be quick."
Caspian bit back a small smile and tucked his head closer to his chest. Amusement filled his eyes, and I had a feeling that he wouldn't care about holding hands with me. "Are you going to be comfortable with it?" he asked while he held out his hands for me to take.
I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes, pursing my lips in annoyance. "It doesn't matter what I feel like doing or not," I said and placed my hands in his. My hands instantly grew warm, and my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound harder and faster in my chest.
Oh, for the love of the Great, why does this have to start now? I silently wondered, making sure that most of my feelings were under wraps, even though I knew that my dragon could feel all things that I was feeling.
"Kissy, kissy," he said playfully, and I bit back a small groan in annoyance while I made sure that my cheeks didn't turn as red as I knew that they wanted to be.
Ardern bit back a small chuckle when he heard what Shilan had said while Jonah scowled and narrowed his eyes, not liking the joke at all. "Are you wanting to kiss him?" he asked in his tongue, and my cheeks fully turned red while a blush appeared.
"Please, don't," I said, switching to his tongue while Caspain stared at me with an amused look on his face.
I ignored the look and continued to look at Jonah.
"I do not know why you are asking if I want to kiss him when I only tolerate him.
I don't like him like that, and I do not know why a bond has been put on us when he is a Prince, and I am merely a Commoner. "
Jonah chuckled softly and shook his head. "You are more than a Commoner, Marini, and you know that you are more than a Commoner. You are a highly respected member of the Hargen Tribe, and must I say that you are more respected than your father."
I gave him a weird look and furrowed my brows while I cocked my head to the side. "How am I more respected than my father?" I asked, switching back to the Common Tongue. "I have never been to a Tribe meeting or know anything about my tribe besides the moon calling us to meet them."
"Because you are," Arden said and bowed his head when I looked at him. "One of the reasons that you are respected is because you have chosen to stay with your family and people here rather than go find the Tribe, where you would not have to do anything that you are doing now."
"So they know everything about me?" I asked, and Arden nodded in confirmation. "Have any of my tribe shown themselves to me, and I didn't know it, or have I crossed paths with them?"
"Some of them have," Arden replied while he slowly nodded.
"Unfortunately, that is a conversation for another time.
Let's go ahead and get this done and over with so that you both can see what it means for you to be bonded together.
If the Old Man did it first, then it means that you two were supposed to meet and be together until the end of time, and he needs to start training in your ways as well and not just your siblings. "
Oh for the love of the Great have mercy on my soul...
Please.