Ashe touched my face to force me to look at him. His voice gentle, "Durand doesn't know. We don't know for sure, but the facts we have add up to that. What he said has crossed everyone's mind."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, wiping my nose with the sleeve of my sweatshirt.
"Because you didn't need me to tell you. You were already figuring it out on your own."
I gazed heavenward and sucked in a shaky breath. Then looking around, I addressed the room, "Can we please have some privacy?"
Durand strode over to me and plucked me from Ashe's lap. Ashe let me go as some struggle between the two men occurred without words.
"Not a chance," came my uncle's voice. "Unlike your so-called father, I'm not going to take your choices away from you. So, I won't be leaving the two of you in the same room together."
His hands on me were solid like steel, but I could feel his intentions. As much as I wanted to hate Durand, he thought he was being honest with me and doing the right thing—for me. First, telling me about my dad, whether it was true or not, and second, by keeping me from solidifying the bond.
"Your mind is unsure, undecided." He told me. "You and Aaraeth are young... too young to be forced into a bond match."
Like Celine, Durand’s dragon whispered.
"Wait a minute... I would never…" Ashe's words were cut off by Durand.
"Not purposefully, but if this magnetism that the two of you are giving off... that the two of you are projecting to everyone… is what the two of you feel, then I get it. But, it's still not going to happen. Not on my watch."
"Does anyone else think this whole thing is idiotic?" Asked the young soldier. His name, Luke Simon, and a few other facts came to me as soon as my mind reached for them—another Dragonborn Prime gift I'd need to get used to. At nineteen, he was the youngest of the unit, his dragon Ipir was a red Eton.
We all turned toward the soldier that had been mostly quiet up until then.
"What's the point?" he asked, drawing everyone's attention. "How do we even know the Prime bond thing is real? What if they just bone and get it out of their systems? Why not? What's the problem?"
Taya gaped and shook her head. "She… she's only sixteen!"
Luke sank down into his chair across the room. "So. Explain this. Why will the two of them having sex affect anything? I don't get that. Everything has to have some logic to it, so explain this. What does it matter if the bond is complete… It couldn't be more annoying than it already is."
The room was in stunned, disbelieving silence for a moment.
"You idiot!" Taya told him after slapping him with a pillow.
"Just let them get it on!" He argued again.
"Stop," I stood and felt my command settle over the room. "You will not talk about Ashe and I like this."
Aaraeth coiled up inside me, her power seemingly radiating outward like the glow of the sun.
All around us stilled, except Ashe, who threaded his fingers with mine. "It's okay… they don't mean anything by it."
"I don't care. We aren't children, and I won't be spoken about as if this were anyone else's decision."
Tugging on his arm, I led him past my uncle and back into the bathroom. Durand followed behind, but I didn't care, not even when I shut the bathroom door in his face.
Gazing up at Ashe, I ran my hands down his chest. "I care what people say about us."
Durand pounded on the door. "Come out, right now!"
"Everyone talks in the community. It's just how it is." He touched my chin and leaned down to brush a kiss on my lips.
His need drilled into me, making me weak, making me want him.
"I want this over. Let's do this," I told him. "They can't prove anything."
"I swear to god!" Boomed my uncle's voice, "I will break this door down!"
Ashe froze, desire dilating his pupils, "I will if it's what you want."
18
His hands ran over my back, down my butt until he gripped my thighs and pulled my legs around him. And with one step, he trapped me against the wall, taking my mouth with his.
The connection between us burned, hot and overwhelming—driving us to a primal place.
The door rattled again.
Ashe broke the kiss and shouted, "This doesn't concern you, Durand!"
"The hell it doesn't!" Came the male voice from outside the door.
The knob rattled again.
"Durand? We're just talking. Please. Give us some privacy," I asked, trying to keep my voice from sounding as breathless as I felt.
"Bullshit," my uncle shouted before pounding his fist against the wood.
Bang, bang, bang.
My body aching, my core throbbed with need, but I slid down Ashe's body.
The spell our bond had over us had been cracked but not broken.
Holding my soldier away from me for a moment, I sucked in a shaky breath.
Ashe stood there, eyes intense, mind filled with mixed emotions. At that moment—If I wanted to complete the bond, I didn't doubt that he would've done it no matter the consequences.
But we honestly needed to talk.
The least I could do was reassure my uncle. Opening the door just a little, Durand overpowered me and pushed it wide before pulling me through. Once I was in the hallway, he dropped me to the ground like a rag doll.
"What the hell Carrick?" He yelled at Ashe.
I pulled at my uncle from my spot on the floor, almost drugged from the encounter with my unbound mate. Unfortunately, Ashe was in a similar state, except his lustful nature could be seen.
"Fuck!" Durand muttered, holding us apart. "Are you kidding me?"
Instead of helping our cause, I'd only made it worse.
Shaking off my stupor, I stood. "It's my fault. I only wanted to talk, I swear."
Durand just shook his head at me as if I were a child, then back to Ashe before closing the door on him.
Then my uncle motioned to me. "Talk. If you want to talk, talk."
I cocked my head to the side, and I growled, "In private."
"You lost that privilege." He shook his head and folded his massive arms over his chest.
Hearing Ashe lean against the door, I knew he sat on the other side. Pushing away my uncle—as much as he allowed—I placed my hand flat against the wood.
"I'm sorry. I meant to help, and I only made things worse," I whispered.
Ashe's scent lingered in my now dry hair, and I closed my eyes to breathe it in.
His voice barely above a whisper, he said, "I know. It's okay. I just wish... I wish that you weren't so young. It complicates things."
I laughed sardonically. "I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing. We'll be together. I can wait. You deserve to be a teenager. This isn't fair to you. Besides, what's a year or two compared to a lifetime? Nothing really, right?"
I squeezed my eyes shut. "A year or two," I breathed. "That's a long time."
"Two years?" I could hear him shaking with silent ironic laughter through the door. "Nah. That's how long I'm enlisted for. That's a piece of cake. I've already almost done a year. One more year... then one more year for us."
"That is so long," my voice came out a bit whiny, making me irritated with myself.
We were quiet for a while, which was stupid. I had so many things to talk to him about, but my uncle's presence made me clam up.
Finally, when Ashe spoke, it was in hushed tones. "It'll go by quickly. You can finish school and graduate. We'll be okay."
Static came over the radio with military chatter that I didn't understand.
Both Ashe and Durand stilled to listen.
"Inbound plane. Time to go," Durand told me. More gently than I would have thought, he pulled me to my feet.
"We're going? Where?" I asked but already knew the answer.
The Academy.
I needed to see my father even more now, but something told me to keep my mouth shut. Aaraeth pulsed beneath my skin, watching and listening.
&
nbsp; Durand towed me into the main room. "Lieutenant Warren," he barked. "I’m assigning you guard duty over Sydney until further notice."
"Yes sir," Taya answered.
Then he turned to me. "Lieutenant Warren is to shadow you. She will follow you wherever you go. If you have to use the washroom—Warren goes with you. The mess hall—Warren goes with you. She will even sleep in your room." With a finger at my chest, my uncle cleared his throat. "This way, you'll be safe."
"You mean as a prisoner?" I rolled my eyes.
"If it keeps you safe from George Miller."
Standing there in the hallway dwarfed by this burly man, I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned.
Frustration boiled in my veins. Sexual frustration had become the norm for me, but also just plain frustration that I'd ruined my own plans to escape.
If only we hadn't fallen.
If only I hadn't pushed Aaraeth too far, too long. She'd never flown with me before, and I pushed her. Now we were going back.
I had never felt controlled by my dad the way the Lambert family tried to control me. First, my grandmother, then Ms. Moorhead, and now Durand.
Ashe met my eye. His outward expression was calm, but inside he was reeling with anger and desire, hiding his emotions behind those calm eyes.
I didn't, though.
My narrowed gaze and anger were on full display, and I would've stomped if it weren't for my sore ankle.
Durand loomed over me, irritation written across his face. With a weary grunt, he ushered me back onto the couch.
Luke, the other soldier, watched us with open interest. I was tempted to stick my tongue out at him.
I sat, and Dr. Weaver pressed a cold coke into my hand.
After sitting there sipping the drink, I eyed the others in the room. Tensions were still high, so I attempted a smile, trying my luck with honey since vinegar wasn't working. "Okay, here's my question to you, Durand. Dr. Weaver says that there is official paperwork? But my legal parent is George Miller. I've seen my birth certificate, and his name is on there."
He sucked in a breath, "I'm sure everything is legal. Your grandparents wouldn't just uproot you without going through the legal process."
I called out to my would-be mate's dragon, Eondian? Pass a message to Ashe. Tell him to check into my guardianship if he can. We might find a loophole.
The dragon's mind swirled in confusion. Guardianship?
Yes. Tell him to look into it.
He snorted. Ashe caught my eye, and I knew Eondian was talking to him. Almost imperceptibly, my soldier nodded his head.
Aaraeth squirmed over my skin. Ashe fears your grandfather. He says he won't cross the PL. He is unable to disobey.
I pursed my lips and gave him a questioning expression.
"The airplane is here," Luke called, gazing around the room still thick with tension.
Durand stood, "Let's move out. Sydney, you're with me."
Gazing over at Dr. Weaver, I met her eyes and pleaded with her silently.
"You'll be all right. Let's go. I'll be with you all the way back to the Academy," she told me, not weakening one bit.
However, my uncle, apparently not trusting me, kept his hand on my shoulder and led me to the plane.
Being the brat I was, I winced at his touch. "Ouch, I still have a bruise there…" I told him, trying to look small and fragile.
Ashe kept his distance, but I felt his gaze on me.
The small plane barely fit all of us. We entered from the side door, sliding directly into our seats. You couldn't stand up, even if you wanted to. Dr. Weaver sat next to the pilot, while Durand and Luke sat in the next row. I sat with Ashe behind them, and Taya sat in the back row alone.
Ashe helped me strap in, before grabbing my hand in his.
The plane was crazy loud, and all I could think of as we took off was that this was the type of small aircraft that seemed to crash.
Ashe's eyes were narrowed, and he did that jaw clench thing.
I motioned for him to lean down so that he could hear me over the engine's noise. "Why are you making that face?"
"What face?" His frown deepened.
I shrugged, "What's going on in your brain?"
After surveying the surroundings again, he leaned down. "I wanted to take you to your dad. Dangerous or not, I think you deserve answers."
I pursed my lips and examined him.
Mine. I thought as I gazed up at my unbound mate.
Ashe's emotions didn't bounce around like my own; he was pretty level, which I needed. Was it his personality? Training? Or maturity?
He controlled his thoughts and emotions, and I realized that he could control how much I felt from him—like a broadcast signal. He could make it high or lower the volume.
"Thoughts?" I asked, hoping he could hear me, and Taya couldn't. "It would be helpful if we could think to each other like we do with the dragons."
A small smile curved one side of his broody lips. "They say that when two Primes are bonded, they can do that."
I spent the short flight still not content to just be near Ashe. Feeling his warm body beside my own as he held my hand in his, I wanted more. I wanted to remember every detail about him. Staring, I memorized the way his nails were neatly trimmed. His hands were the same hands that ran over my body in my dreams.
Those dreams were only dreams, but reality would be different. I wasn't very experienced when it came to guys. Sure, I'd kissed a few times, but sex, or anything else? Nope. But I wasn't completely ignorant.
Would it hurt? What if the bond was so intense that when we were finally left together... I wasn't fragile, but Ashe was strong.
I didn't look at him, afraid he could feel what I felt.
And he did.
Ducking his head, he tried to meet my eye with a questioning glance.
Damn this bond.
Pulling on him to lean down, I asked, "Do you think that we're sharing the same dreams, or do you think they're different?"
However, Ashe, ever the adult, gave me a stern shake of the head in warning, before uncomfortably adjusting his pants. "Stop, you're killing me. Do you realize you're broadcasting your emotions? I'm not the only one who can feel you."
I sank down in my seat and looked up at him through my long eyelashes, giving him a fake frown.
He rubbed his temples. "And, yes—you're safe with me. I promise. You'll always be safe with me," He told me before kissing my forehead.
But, how could I ever really feel safe separated from him? As soon as the plane would land, they'd take me away and keep me at that horrible school.
My heart sank, and anger rose up inside me.
Why was Ashe just accepting these things?
So, this guy, Durand is related to me. That doesn't mean he can just boss us around? Okay, so technically he was Ashe's boss. But why did Ashe have to serve in the Dragonborn militia anyway?
Eli said that Ashe worked hard to get where he got. Ashe went to MIT, a military school. Wasn't MIT really hard to get into? And he had a business degree. I didn't get it. Why would Ashe go to MIT for a business degree?
None of this made any sense to me.
The only thing that made sense was being near him... and wanting to check on my dad. My dad had always been honest with me. He would explain things. He would tell me…
Shit.
Did my dad have a tattoo?
I swallowed.
Did my formal, meticulous, glasses-wearing, British, dad-joke dad have a tattoo?
He always wore a t-shirt when swimming and long swim trunks. I couldn't remember. I thought maybe he did.
Was it a spider or a snake?
The vague ink was just a blur in my memory.
It could've been a dragon.
Could my dad have a motherfucking dragon tattoo?
Uneasiness filled me, almost making me shiver.
I flipped between acceptance and anger as the plane circled around the familiar airfield to land.
; On the one hand, I would be trapped at the Academy again. Maybe I should just accept my fate until my dad healed up and could come to get me.
On the other, this entire thing was bullshit—I needed to make another plan and figure out how to escape. I hadn't planned well enough, I rushed things, and now I landed myself a babysitter!
I mean, who built boarding schools in the middle of nowhere?
Oh yeah, Hogwarts. Still, it was bullshit. This was no Hogwarts, and I was never ever going to fit in.
A little over two years.
Two years of having to be there made my stomach turn.
Why had I allowed myself to be led here in the first place? Why hadn't I just fought my grandmother and told her no? Fought Durand?
I wanted to slap myself for just going with either of them.
For just walking out of that hospital because a woman had told me she was my grandmother. I'd just freaking gone with her.
Why?
Was this the power that Primes had, or was I in shock from the accident?
Maybe it had been a bit of both.
As the plane slowed to a stop, I swallowed hard. There was the red jeep, once again, to get me. It was time to get out. However, Ashe had to climb down first.
Holding his hand up to me, he helped me descend the steps to the icy tarmac.
We stood there while so many emotions went through my head.
My heart beat like crazy in my chest, and my breathing quickened.
Could I run?
Fly away on Aaraeth?
No, I probably couldn't. Durand was a prime and would easily catch us. His dragon, Parmoarth, was easily twice the size of Aaraeth.
Gazing up at Ashe, I knew he planned to leave with my uncle. I felt it.
He radiated determination and had pushed everything else down.
I latched onto his body, poking at his mental barriers. He held back grief and love and desire, and as I poked at his wall, those emotions trickled through to me.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I didn't care that the others could see or watch.
"Ashe?"
His arms circled me also, and I closed my eyes briefly.
He bent his head to mine and brushed a chaste kiss over my lips. But I wanted more than that. Pulling myself to my tippy toes, I grabbed his face and took his mouth with mine. I pressed my tongue between his slightly parted lips. Ashe couldn't fight me. Both of us knew we wanted this. We wanted more. But this deep and passionate kiss would have to do for now.
Cracked Open: The Dragon Born Academy Page 16