Chapter 45 Annalise
Chapter forty-five
Annalise
It’s been two days.
Two days to panic.
Two days to stress.
Two days to tear my plan apart, only to realize it is still my only true option.
I don’t know who is more likely to kill me, Tyr when he sees me in class today, or Aiden and Matt when they see what I’m going to do.
Aiden practically bullied Lorenson into letting him “volunteer” to observe our mounting techniques, all so he could keep an eye on me, and Matt has barely left my side since breakfast yesterday morning.
They both know something’s wrong, and since I can’t lie to the two most important men in my life, I’ve just begged them to trust me.
Keeping this from them has been the hardest decision, but they would be losing their shit if they knew what I’m planning to do today.
We sit with our usual group at lunch, the noise and chaos a welcome distraction from the possible scenarios running through my mind, until Josh leans in and whispers, “Hey, I know I’m new here and everything, but even I’ve heard stories about Tyr.
” His tone isn’t dramatic or teasing. It’s grim.
Real. “Just—avoid him at all costs today. Maybe hide behind Matt until you’re dismissed to partner with a dragon? I don’t want you getting hurt, okay?”
“You all worry too much,” I laugh him off, “everything is going to be fine.”
When the guys head to refill their water bottles, I catch Sasha’s arm, pulling her into a big hug. To anyone else, it would just look like a quick goodbye, nothing suspicious, but Sasha stiffens the moment my arms tighten.
“What’s that for?” she asks quietly.
“I needed a little bit of your positive energy to rub off on me before riding class.”
“Well, in that case,” she grabs my wrist and tugs me into another hug before whispering against my shoulder, “I know you’re about to do something stupid if you’re waiting until they’re out of earshot to talk.
But you don’t do reckless things without thinking them through first, so I’m not going to tell you not to do it.
” She squeezes me tighter. “Please try not to die doing whatever insane scheme you came up with.”
I smile into her hair, the warmth of her hug grounding me for a moment.
“I promise, I’ll try not to.”
We pull apart, and her smile falters for just a moment, “You’re my best friend, you know that, right?”
“And you’re one of mine,” I smile back at her.
Every step out to the riding grounds feels like I have blocks of cement weighing me down.
Matt and Aiden each take up one of my sides, a position they seem to fall into naturally whenever it’s just the three of us together.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I feel several pairs of dragon eyes watching me as we approach the field, but I cannot falter. If I have any hope of ever bonding a dragon, I cannot let even an ounce of my fear show today.
An orange dragon huffs before flapping his wings in place, sending a storm cloud of dirt crashing into us. “I’m going to guess that means he’s not open to a bond,” I try to joke, but both men have gone on high alert, and I can see Aiden is talking to Hades in his mind.
When class starts in the tack house, Instructor Lorenson decides to have Aiden teach mounting procedure and techniques. She adds a few quips here and there, but for the most part, she seems pleased by his instruction and mentions him volunteering more often.
“Hades says Tyr is right in the middle of the riding grounds, and he looks on edge. I’m guessing he’s going to try to make it so you can’t pair with anyone for the lesson, but if you can get a dragon as soon as we walk out, you may be able to pair up before he notices you.”
I hear what he’s saying, and I know he’s right.
But as we all separate, Aiden to Lorenson’s side to do what he claimed to be here for, and Matt to find the blue dragon from Tuesday, I walk down the center row. I don’t stop at the first unpaired dragon, or the second, or even the third.
I should turn back. Try to follow Aiden’s guidance, but my feet carry me forward anyway.
Because Tyr is here.
The crimson alpha who stalked me, who roared in my face, and who Hades said would make bonding almost impossible for me.
He stands in the center of the riding grounds in front of me like a war-frenzied monster. His crimson scales look like fresh blood, his claws have sunk into the earth, and the smoke rolling from his nose isn’t measured, but sharp and angry.
As recruits begin to notice where I am headed, their voices ripple around me.
“She’s insane.”
“He’ll tear her in half.”
“Is someone going to stop her?”
Their panic barely registers as I walk straight toward him.
Tyr’s molten-gold eyes lock onto me with a fury burning hot. The ground vibrates as he pivots, crouching low, wings half spread in a threat posture.
I hear Matt, “LEE, STOP! LEE—”
Tyr roars.
The sound slams into me like a physical blow—hot wind, spittle, and a ringing in my ears that has only helped to block out the voices behind me. Several recruits drop to the ground and cover their heads. One screams.
But I don’t stop.
“Okay,” I force my breath to stay even, even as adrenaline spikes, and my heart races so hard, I’m sure Tyr can hear it.
He lowers his head, his lips curling up into a snarl. His teeth are longer than my forearm. His breath smells like smoke and iron, like he’s tasted blood recently.
Not human blood. Not human blood. Not human blood. I remind myself as I take another step forward anyway.
The air goes still across the field as Tyr’s pupils contract to slits, his nostrils flare, and a ripple of tension moves through the muscle under his scales. I can feel his heat now, and it's so hot I feel like I could burst into flames without ever touching him.
“Hi,” I say, my voice shaky but strong. “You scared the hell out of me the other day. And while you aren’t the first monster to scare me, you will be the last.”
He isn’t moving, just listening and glaring like he can make me disappear if he stares hard enough.
“I spent too long being afraid, but I won’t waste another moment like that, not even for you.” I take a deep breath, collecting myself, “All this to say, if you aren’t going to kill me now, then please, kindly, fuck off and let me have a real shot at finding a bond.”
A collective gasp rises behind me.
Tyr lowers his head until he is eye level with me before he huffs a blast of scorching air straight into my face and growls.
And then I do the unthinkable—I push his face away from mine.
He freezes.
Not because I hurt him, or even moved him—of course I didn’t—but because I dared.
Because I touched him without permission. Because I challenged him.
I can hear Matt and Aiden shouting, but their voices sound too far away to hear.
He growls again, deeper this time, but I know he’s testing me. Testing everything I just said.
The ground shakes like an earthquake as a dragon, Hades, lands behind me, followed by a roar that’s just as terrifying as Tyr’s.
And then reality shifts, and we’re no longer squaring off. Now, Tyr’s massive body is curled around me, wings folding close enough to shield me from view, a cage of shadow and smoke making everyone watching break into a panic.
A heat scorches under my skin, racing from my hand up my arm, and down my spine. It feels like my bones might disintegrate, but then there’s a pulse, ancient and heavy, like a heartbeat that isn’t mine beating inside my bones.
He presses his forehead lightly against my chest.
And then I hear it.
“Mine.”
“What—what are you doing?” I whisper, staring down at this living nightmare wrapped around me with something that feels dangerously close to affection.
Tyr lets out a low sound, vibration rattling my ribs—a purr, if a creature like him even can purr.
“You are mine, Little Faren.” he says it into my mind, the feeling both alien and like it’s always belonged.
“Faren? My name is Annalise.”
“I do not care what they call you. You are my Faren.”
“Wait, holy shit, did you hear me? I don’t think I said that out loud.” I don’t know how I started talking to him in my mind, but I am.
He snorts another blast of heat in my face, but it's not a threat like the one before. He’s laughing at me.
“Yes, I hear you. In the beginning, it’ll be easier when we are close together, but soon we’ll be able to talk from anywhere.”
Hades roars again, and I can feel Tyr roll his eyes in my mind.
“Your husband and his bonded are threatening to kill me if I don’t free you.”
It’s only then that I realize no one could see what has just happened.
“Maybe we should reassure them that I haven’t been chewed up? I’d prefer no one dies on my account today.”
“Fine. Then maybe Vivint will shut up, too,” he agrees. And while I don’t know who Vivint is, it seems like something that can wait for another time.
“Can we talk more about what this all means?”
“Yes. We will meet when we don’t have to listen to their temper tantrums,” he says, his wings pulling back and the sun suddenly blinding me.
“Ana, Honey, you’re ok,” Aiden says as he and Matt rush toward me.
“Tell me you aren’t married to both of them,” Tyr sighs as if they have already exhausted him.
As I laugh back to him, it escapes my lips too. This internal conversation thing is going to take some time to adjust to.
“No, I’m not married to either of them.”
Tyr’s head hovers just inches above my shoulder. Protective. Possessive.
“Aiden, on the right, is my boyfriend, and Matt, on the left, is my best friend,” I clarify. “They’re safe.”
Tyr lifts his head slightly, a hesitant acceptance of the men pulling me into their arms.
Matt doesn’t waste a second, “I swear to the gods, Lee, if you ever pull something like that again—”
A low growl comes from over my shoulder in warning, but Matt just smiles and winks up at Tyr, “You’ll understand what I’m saying soon enough. Her self-preservation skills leave a lot to be desired when you’re hell-bent on keeping her alive.”
“Are you sure he’s not your husband, too?”
“Yup! Positive—and he’s not exactly wrong,” I admit.
Lorenson amplifies her voice, reminding us all we’re still in class and we need to start mounting before we all get marked down.
Aiden gives me a long, slow kiss. His fear still palpable against my lips.
A throat clears beside us, “Since it seems you two are already well acquainted, Recruit Wells, why don’t you instruct Recruit Corvin on how to mount?” She asks, and then adds with a teasing lilt, “The dragon.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Aiden’s tone is playful, nothing like I’d expect from him when talking with an instructor.
Lorenson shakes her head before continuing, “Recruit Corvin, congratulations on being the earliest bonded of your class.”
I must look startled by the way she says it so casually, because she continues, voice just a touch softer.
“It’s not unheard of to have one or two early bonds per company; we just don’t advertise it, so parents aren’t pushing for their golden child to get more time on the riding grounds to bond.
“But, this will give you a bit of an advantage in training, and I’d be failing you if I didn’t warn you as well.
..” She pins me with a steady, knowing look.
“More eyes will be on you now than ever before. Early bonds tend to wield stronger magics, and stronger magics can draw a lot of attention. I recommend you keep the full range of your magic close to the chest when you discover what it is.”
At that, she turns and walks away.
Matt almost refuses to leave, but a silent conversation passes between Aiden and him, and whatever is said has him kissing me on the head and walking away to find a dragon for practice.