Ready to embrace her destiny, Jade thought that, as far as endings went, hers wasn’t that bad.
Then a large shadow darkened her sight, and she caught with the corner of her eye the fast approaching shape of the folded clockwork wings. Her hand shot in front of her as the falling gear passed flush with her body. The heavy wings almost dislodged her arm, but Jade didn’t let go.
She grabbed the leather and metal harness with her other hand, then worked against the natural forces that were pulling her down faster now that she held to the gear. Her wounded shoulder screamed at the movements, but she forced her body to endure the pain and pushed at its limits until she slid one arm under the harness.
For the second time in as many days, the river winding through the Rocky Domes rose toward her.
Her heels grazed water the moment she pushed the central command on the harness and the wings whirred to life, propelling her up.
Jade’s luck had definitely improved in the last hour.
28
The rain intensified, changing from a sprinkle to a summer tempest in a matter of minutes.
Dragon weathered the deluge as he tore a strip from his shirt and pressed the fabric against Carellian’s chest. “You’ll be fine, big boy.”
His majestic steed lay on the floor, wounded and broken, and he could only whisper soothing nonsenses to Carellian.
“The animal medicus will arrive shortly,” Lars repeated for the third time, louder this time to be heard above the pouring rain, staunching the wound on Carellian’s wing with another strip from Dragon’s shirt.
On Solaria, draglets were treated like part of the family. To a dragon shifter, those animals resembling so closely their dragons were like children. Only a perverted soul would harm a draglet.
In contrast with the commotion taking place on the terrace, Valerian stood silent, looking in the distance.
Lightning and thunder scared Carellian, who whimpered and trembled.
“I’m here, big boy. I’m here.” Dragon wanted his guards to come back with the mercenary, so he could pummel the bastard to a pulp. “Jade won’t hurt Contessa,” he said, sparing a glance at his lieutenant, whose ramrod stance radiated anger and fear.
“Jade…” Valerian scoffed. “We are on a first-name basis now.”
“Valerian,” Lars warned him.
Without turning, Valerian raised a finger. “And how could you possibly know that Jade won’t hurt Contessa?” Despite his belligerent attitude, the soft edge in his otherwise cold voice betrayed a sliver of hope.
“Because she could’ve escaped when I trapped her inside the cave, but she didn’t because Carellian stood in the way.” Dragon freed a hand to pet Carellian’s head. “And Contessa let Jade ride her.”
Draglets were empathic animals, and they had an uncanny ability to judge the moral worth of a person. Jade could have never ridden the draglet if Contessa didn’t approve of her.
Valerian turned and gave Dragon a long assessing look before focusing again on the night sky. “That’s the only reason I haven’t hopped behind one of the guards to find and kill your assassin.”
A cold shiver ran down Dragon’s spine at the thought that he would fight one of his best friends to keep Jade safe. “You don’t understand—”
“No, I can’t.” His lieutenant kept his voice low, but the previous softness wasn’t there any longer. “I can’t possibly understand how the luckiest man in the whole Fifth Moon System would risk his life and reputation for a woman whose mission is to kill him. And it is not as if she lied about her intentions or tricked you into thinking otherwise.” He shook his head, his dark mane escaping the leather tie that fell to the floor. “I also can’t understand how the same man, whose wedding day is in less than a month, would forget about his betrotheds.”
“I can’t fight my heart any more than you can control your sentiments—” Dragon let the sentence dangle.
The unsaid words floated between them, causing Lars to scratch his throat. Of course, their common friend had noted Valerian’s stolen glances at Gilda too.
“You don’t know what you are talking about,” Valerian said, but lacked the outrage such an insinuation would have provoked any other time.
“Valerian—” Dragon started.
The storm took a turn for the worse, with high winds causing the rain to fall in icy sheets in a cacophony of distorted sounds. Still, his shifter ears caught a feeble whistle, and he emptied his mind to hone his senses on the anomaly. His head swiveled to the right and then up, just in time to see an arrow fast approaching, just above his head. Its perfectly arched trajectory would have ended right inside his skull had his hearing been less sharp.
He moved to the side in the nick of time, and the deadly weapon skittered to the floor. His ceremonial dagger found its way into his hand before he drew his next breath.
Valerian and Lars screamed at the same time, “Move!” as a second and a third arrow rained down from the sky, hidden by the deluge.
Only Dragon’s shifter reflexes made it possible for him to skirt the incoming arrows and grab a third in midair as he spun his head around, his drenched hair whipping his face.
Without their draglets, they were like sitting ducks, and Dragon wished he could shift and let his beast take care of the threat. Damn those cosmic radiations that had crippled his ancestors and trapped their dragons inside their minds.
The assassin’s shadow moved whenever lightning illuminated the sky with brilliant white flashes. As soon as the sky turned black again, he blended perfectly within the darkness, making it impossible to guess from where the next arrow would arrive.
“We must take you inside.” Valerian covered Dragon’s back, brandishing his scimitar with both hands as he deflected the next volley of arrows.
Dragon hesitated. He didn’t want to leave Carellian out there defenseless, but armed only with his dagger, he wouldn’t be able to defend him anyway.
“Dragon!” Lars motioned for him to hurry, tilting his head toward the bedroom’s door as he used his katana to cut a few descending arrows in half.
The next arrow missed Dragon and fell close to Carellian’s head instead. The following shaft missed Carellian’s wing by a hairbreadth. Dragon couldn’t leave him behind.
Valerian ran to Dragon and grabbed his arm. “Those are poisoned tips.” He indicated the thick black substance dripping from the arrows on the floor, then moved a few steps to retrieve some of the shafts.
Dragon understood Valerian’s plan and picked a few of the discarded shafts as well. Then, when the lightning struck followed by a tremendous burst of thunder and the sky revealed the position of the assassin, they both aimed and threw the arrows at him. None of the shafts found their intended target, but the strategy was successful, because it slowed the assassin.
Lightning and thunder intensified, coming closer and closer until one bright flash struck the bridge in front of Dragon’s quarters. In the distance, clockwork wings silhouetted against the sky as the draglet squad flew toward the terrace, rapidly approaching.
At the sight of the draglets, the assassin chose a hasty retreat, going after the second pair of wings.
“You,” Dragon called one of the guards hovering over the terrace. “Stay with Carellian.”
A moment later, he was airborne, riding the guard’s draglet.
29
Custom-made for its owner, the clockwork wings were heavier than the ones Jade had left behind in the cave, and the large, leather harness hung loosely on her frame. The straps, meant for someone bigger than her, slid from her shoulders. The Academy had sent another man to finish the mission.
Was it another training partner? In the end, it didn’t matter. Only surviving did.
The right strap slid down her elbow, dragging the wing down and tipping her whole body to the side. Instead of riding the thermal, she cut through it, further unbalancing her trajectory. Buckets of water still poured from the sky, making any attempt to rectify her course difficult.
Struggling, she readjusted the strap, but her wounded shoulder lacked the strength to keep the wing in position, and the miniature clockwork engine that powered the gear spluttered and whirred louder than it should have. Metal and water didn’t go hand in hand, especially the alloy used for clockwork mechanisms that were Lupine’s technology.
Jade should have known that her luck wouldn’t last long, but when she heard the unmistakable flaps of another set of mechanical wings, she swore out loud, cursing all the gods in the sky.
The other assassin didn’t waste any time. The poisoned shaft whistled by her ear as she feigned right before angling her wings left.
Arrows. That was Maarlo’s specialty; the big Celestian made it a sport to break trainees’ bones. The sadist had mangled Jade’s body more times than she could remember. Probably he had volunteered for the mission. He couldn’t kill her, but he would toy with Jade before capturing her, of that she was certain.
Jade grabbed the straps with her hands and with her bent elbows forced the wings to flatten against her body, then dove. Ahead, a narrow canyon separated the Rocky Domes, and she intended to lure Maarlo there.
The burly assassin was all power but lacked finesse. At the moment, the only weapon at her disposal was her brain, and she would use every ounce of it.
A gust of wind transported her farther than she intended, but she corrected the course by opening her left wing. The weather could be an asset, but the darkness didn’t allow her to plan her turns much in advance. It would have been useful to know which direction to go a few seconds before she actually saw the opening in the rock walls, but she was still an assassin and would adapt.
The canyon narrowed until her wings couldn’t extend to their full span any longer, and she folded them. She was freefalling, but so was Maarlo.
Looking for one of the jutting ledges that announced the existence of a cave inside the rock walls, Jade turned herself up and pointed her feet toward the first of those natural terraces she saw. The landing was disastrous. Her wings were a hindrance and almost pulled her off the ledge when the wind billowed out from the cave and they opened. She pushed forward with all her might and scratched her feet first, then her knees, and finally the palm of her hands when momentum dragged her along the uneven floor. Her joints, muscles, skin, every single part of her body was in agony.
Maarlo attempted a similar maneuver, but he missed the ledge. His curses resonated above the squalling winds and the heavy rain. Then the faint echo of a splash traveled up the canyon.
She was safe, for now.
She didn’t have long to exult, though.
Atop a purple draglet, Dragon elegantly maneuvered the narrow entrance to the canyon and made a beeline for her. Out of habit, Jade calculated her chances to escape him, but she hesitated, and then it was too late. Dragon was already at the ledge, where he commanded his ride to perch on his short legs less than a meter from her.
“Is the assassin dead?” Dragon regarded her with one intense stare, his eyes roaming over her naked body and lingering on the scratches and bruises she knew marred her skin.
“The last time I saw him, he was fighting the river.”
Anger as cold as the winters on the Outer Belt planets showed in his eyes. He blinked and, as if he had reached a conclusion, extended his arm. “Leave the wings. Someone will retrieve them later.”
Jade couldn’t help but shake her head.
“I’ll take you home,” he said, beckoning her with curled fingers.
I’ll take you home.
Only a few words, but they burned a path from Jade’s ears to her heart. For a moment, she let herself forget who they were to each other and grabbed his hand, letting the gear fall behind her.
30
Dragon wanted to go after the assassin and tear him apart limb by limb, but having to decide between sating his need for revenge and Jade, he chose her. The tempest had abated, but the rain was still pouring, and attempting to cross the canyon would be the end of her. But he knew she would rather face her slim chances than stay with him.
When he was about to order her to take his proffered hand, much to his surprise, Jade reached for him. Dragon helped her climb over the draglet’s wing and sat her in front of him. Inside, he seethed at the state of her. Jade was cold and her body looked like it had gone through a grinder. She was covered in cuts and blood.
“Why do you keep trying to escape me?” he couldn’t help but ask, even though he knew the answer.
She remained silent, her posture stiffening when his hand pressed against her stomach. He needed to touch her, to make sure she hadn’t suffered serious injuries.
In his mind, his dragon surged on his legs, chest inflated and head high, roaring with all the power of his large lungs. The beast was so loud, Dragon wondered if she could hear him. The draglet he had borrowed did and became agitated and unresponsive to Dragon’s commands. Fortunately, Lars and Valerian were only a few minutes behind and would arrive any moment now.
At the thought that they would soon have company, instinctively, he pulled his shirt from over his head and lowered it on hers, sliding the fabric over her shoulders, mindful of her bruises.
“You are cold,” he said.
She was frigid under his touch, but he would have covered her anyway, because he didn’t want anyone else to see her naked.
A moment later, his friends arrived. Lars rode a borrowed ride, but Valerian came with Contessa. They didn’t attempt a landing, because there wasn’t enough space for the three draglets to stand on the rocky terrace. Instead, they hovered a few meters above.
“The assassin fell into the river,” Dragon informed them. “Send a squad after him.”
“Will do,” Valerian answered, patting Contessa. “Anything else?” His dark gaze was on Jade.
“I need to switch rides,” Dragon said, looking at Lars. He couldn’t ask for Contessa because Valerian would have a fit.
“Sure.” Lars maneuvered his steed lower and hooked his arm around Jade’s small waist as Dragon hoisted her up toward him.
For a moment, Jade was nestled between Lars’ legs, and inside Dragon, a dark emotion surged, burning his chest and traveling up his throat like the most corrosive acid. Jealousy and possession mixed, and his beast’s wings battered against his mental cage, demanding Dragon rip Lars’ hand from where it still lay against Jade’s stomach.
His ride reacted to his and Dragon’s beast’s combined energies and bucked under him. He was a seasoned rider and tightened his hold on the draglet, pressing his thighs against the animal’s flanks as he gently pulled at the reins. “Easy,” he whispered.
His dragon’s agitation wouldn’t abate until he gave into the beast’s urges and marked Jade. And if he were completely honest with himself, he was as unhinged as his dragon and in need of physical release. The fact that he wasn’t supposed to feel anything for the woman he held to like a lifeline scared him senseless, but he didn’t have the strength to fight the pull of his desire any longer.
He was at the mercy of a capricious fate that made a mockery of centuries of tradition. Triad unions didn’t necessarily start with love, but the dragon shifter always craved his brides. Their genetically engineered births ensured that dragon brides possessed the right pheromones that would entice their husband. Their unions were meant to have one result: the procreation of healthy dragon children. Affection and, in a few fortunate cases, love would eventually come. But how could Dragon bed his wives when his blood boiled for this assassin but didn’t stir in Lauren and Gilda’s presence?
“Hurry up and move out of the way,” Dragon forcefully said to Lars, pointing his chin at Contessa’s rump.
Both Lars and Valerian exchanged knowing looks but neither commented on what had spooked Dragon’s ride. Instead, as Dragon reached for the reins Lars lowered to him, Valerian helped Lars on his mount, and Dragon climbed behind Jade.
With the four of them distributed on two draglets, Dragon made sure that his former ride
was tethered to Contessa before saying, “I’ll come back later.”
“Where are you going?” Valerian slowly asked, holding Contessa back after he had just commanded her to fly away.
“I’ll spend the night at the Cove. Don’t disturb me unless the world is ending,” Dragon answered before turning his steed away from Contessa and the other draglet.
He had just made up his mind. It was an impulsive decision and the only way to calm his dragon and give him some respite. If they didn’t get some time alone with Jade before the night ended, Dragon would be pacing Sol Palace until he etched the marble floors with the undeletable sign of his passage. For someone who had seldom experienced unfulfilled carnal desire, the experience was downright unpleasant, bordering on painful with each breath he took.
Scratch that. Jade moved, pressing her bottom closer to him, and it shot from a mild ache to a full-blown throbbing that started between his legs and radiated everywhere else in his body. Dragon gritted his teeth and scooted away from her before he started growling in earnest.
“Dragon—” Valerian passed his free hand over his face, caressing the dark stubble on his jaw with a few compulsive strokes.
Lars stared at Dragon, his mouth open, but no sound escaped his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“See you tomorrow.” Dragon spurred his draglet ahead, leaving his appalled friends behind, and hoping that he could make it to the Cove without scaring Jade with his behavior.
31
“Where are you taking me?” Jade asked a few minutes later when he cleared the narrowest part of the canyon and they were flying above the Rainbow Falls.
“To my private retreat,” he answered.
His body was unyielding, like a marble surface behind her. His hand against her stomach was barely touching her as if he wanted to put as much distance as he could between them. It hurt her.
The Fifth Moon’s Dragon Page 10