by Rinelle Grey
© 2020 by Rinelle Grey
www.rinellegrey.com
All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
About the Author
Blurb
All their secrets are well and truly out in the open, and Rita and Warrian know they can never forgive each other. There’s no moving past this. There’s no point in even discussing it.
Trouble is, they’re trapped together in Ultrima’s lair, with no way out, and nothing to do but talk…
Forgiving the Dragon is Part 4 in the Dragon Forged Serial.
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Chapter 1
Rita gritted her teeth to keep from saying anything as Warrian paced back and forth, glancing out at the front of the tunnel leading into Ultrima’s main lair every third or fourth pass. His restlessness made her head hurt. She deliberately turned away so she couldn’t see him, facing the back wall, but it didn’t help much.
Even when he was out of sight, she could feel his presence like a finger running up and down her spine. The awareness kept her on edge, unable to relax. It was a constant reminder of the huge steaming pile of crap between them.
Even if she couldn’t entirely blame him for getting them into this mess in the first place, he certainly wasn’t doing anything to improve their situation. Ultrima had offered him a way out. All he’d asked for was a chance for Warrian’s sister to make up her own mind, and Warrian had even said Sarian had made up her own mind. But Warrian hadn’t been able to resist taunting Ultrima that she hadn’t chosen him.
And after all that, Warrian had the gall to refuse to speak to her. She’d tried a couple of times to encourage him to break his silence, but he wouldn’t even look at her. So she’d given up, and they’d spent the last couple of hours sitting in silence. Well, aside from Warrian’s soft footfalls on the sand as he paced.
“I could get you out of here,” Warrian said abruptly.
Rita bit back a sigh. “Not this again. It’s already failed once. Why do you think it would be any better this time?”
“Well, for starters, you could actually run when I provide you with a distraction, not come back and hover over me.”
“You’d been shot,” Rita reminded him. “What did you expect me to do? Leave you to the mercies of Trima clan, knowing that if you died, I’d die as well?”
Warrian turned to scowl at her. “You wouldn’t have to worry about that if you’d just mate with me.”
The words hung in the air between them, zinging about on the back of the anger, charging it with promise and passion. Despite her irritation with Warrian, strong desire surged through Rita immediately. But even considering the aforementioned crap between them, there were a few small problems with his suggestion. “Here, in the sand? With who knows how many Trima dragons listening in or about to walk in the door any minute?”
Warrian waved a hand as though those concerns were immaterial. “My dragon hearing would pick up anyone about to walk into the room in time to give you plenty of warning. The benefits far outweigh the risks. If we mated, the Mesmer ritual would be complete, and you could escape without any danger.” His face darkened and his eyes grew stormy. “Or is it part of your agreement with Ultrima that you don’t?”
Her desire abruptly fled, and Rita winced. She deserved that. She probably deserved much worse for making a deal with his enemy. So she ignored the dig and responded to his original idea. “Even if you were at full strength, it’ll never work. I’d have to get past a whole lair full of dragons, and even if I make it out, the mountain is surrounded by police.”
“The dragons would all be watching me,” Warrian argued. “You could slip past them. I’ll make a big enough fuss, I promise you. And the police wouldn’t stop you. You practically had them convinced to help us out earlier. I’m sure you could do it. Besides, don’t you owe it to your people? I bet they don’t know one of their own is mated to a dragon and working for Trima clan.”
Rita was surprised he had such confidence in her after all that had happened.
Then again, maybe her deal with Ultrima and the lies she’d told about it had helped convince Warrian she was capable of escaping from a lair full of dragons. Unfortunately, even if she had shared his trust in her abilities, it was a long way from convincing her to agree to a plan that risked his life.
Rita grimaced. Why was she worrying about Warrian’s life? Why, after all this mess, did she still care what happened to him? She could blame it on the Mesmer bond, but he was talking about completing that first.
Her doubt must have shown on her face, because Warrian’s voice turned coaxing. “Once you are free, you could go and tell my clan, and they could come and rescue me. It really is the best option, for both of us.”
Rita scowled at him. “If there’s anything left to rescue. What if Ultrima is only keeping you alive because of me? What if he decides to kill you once the Mesmer bond is complete?”
Warrian’s footsteps faltered. “I thought of that.” His words were quiet. “And if he is, that only makes it more imperative you escape. And if he’s so focused on me, it only increases your chance of getting out. It’s our only hope. We have to try.”
His anguish gripped Rita like a vice, making it hard to think. She found herself wanting to agree just to relieve his pain. But common sense reasserted itself. She wasn’t going to let him risk his life on such a tenuous plan. “Or we could just wait here. Someone is sure to come looking for us eventually.”
“Who?” Warrian raised an eyebrow. “Unless I’m mistaken, you haven’t even told my clan you woke me, right?”
Rita’s shoulders sagged. “No, I didn’t.”
Rian clan wouldn’t miss Warrian unless they went to his Mesmer chamber and tried to wake him. And even if they discovered him missing, they’d have no idea what had happened or where he was.
“Is someone going to miss you?” Warrian asked. “And if they are, what are the chances they’ll come looking for you in a dragon’s lair?”
Pretty good actually. Everyone in Mungaloo knew she’d been obsessed with the dragons. Her newspaper articles confirmed it.
If they actually realised she was missing.
Rita’s spirits sank. “Probably not. Unless you count Todd.” She gave a harsh laugh. Todd was the only one who’d even noticed she was away after five days in the outback with Warrian. Her parents hadn’t even tried to call or message her.
Relying on Todd to help was even more unlikely to succeed than Warrian’s plan. “Even if he does notice I’m missing, the only thing he’s going to do is try to steal my stories while I’m gone.” That was all he ever did.
“So no hope of rescue then.”
Warrian’s comment was blunt and matter of fact, but Rita could hardly argue with it. She heaved a resigned sigh. “I guess not.”
“Meaning our only hope is to escape.”
Of course he came back to that.
“Or you could, you know, forgive him, and he might just let us go.”
Warrian raised an eyebrow. “Really? I mean, I guess you must trust him, since you made a deal with him, but I didn’t think you were that stupid.”
His comment stung, especially when it was the same
insult her parents had levelled at her when she’d told them she wanted to be a journalist. It irritated her enough to snap back. “Well, I haven’t pissed him off by lying about him, so perhaps he’s less likely to want me dead.”
“Do you really think he gives a damn about you?” Warrian said flatly. “He’s just using you to get to me. If he wanted me dead, I’d already be dead. No, he apparently still has a use for me. Probably one that involves a way to get to my sister. I can’t let that happen.”
His sister. It was always about her. “Is your sister not big enough and scaly enough to stick up for herself?” Rita demanded. “Maybe your insistence that she needs to be protected has more to do with your own issues than Ultrima. Are you worried he’ll take your position in the clan or something?”
It was the wrong thing to say. Warrian stared at her for a few moments, a wounded expression on his face, and then he turned away and resumed his pacing.
Great. Rita wasn’t sure if the return to silence was any better than arguing with him. At least that had kept her from thinking of all the ways Ultrima could kill them if he got tired of playing with them.
Maybe the peace and quiet in Mungaloo, before the dragons had arrived of course, hadn’t been so bad after all.
Chapter 2
Rita’s presence was like an insect crawling over Warrian’s scales just out of his reach. Even when he didn’t look at her, he was painfully aware of her.
Aware of her scorn.
And still he wanted to save her.
He really was an idiot.
He should be worrying about himself. He had no idea what Ultrima had planned for him. The Trima leader had said he intended to let them rot here, but Warrian didn’t believe it. Ultrima was just letting them stew, wearing Warrian down until he was ready to break.
Ultrima would do whatever it took to get to Sarian, and he was convinced Warrian was the one standing in his way. Warrian knew he wasn’t leaving here alive unless the lightning dragon let him.
That was why getting a message to his clan was important. Couldn’t Rita see that? She was so focused on her own people she couldn’t even see the danger his clan was in. Just because Warrian had lied about Ultrima’s intentions towards his sister didn’t mean the Trima leader wasn’t a threat. Rita had to realise that. Or maybe she just didn’t care.
But Warrian couldn’t stop thinking about it. His clan needed to know what had happened to him. That was his goal. He might be telling Rita he was hoping for a rescue, but in reality, Warrian hoped they wouldn’t even attempt to come for him. If the Mesmer bond was completed and Rita was safe, there was no need to take the risk. He hoped his clan could see that.
He was prepared to sacrifice himself for them. He’d created this mess. He was more than willing to pay the price to fix it. But there was no reason Rita should suffer for his transgressions.
He looked over at her leaning against the rocky wall with her eyes closed and ground his teeth. Why did he care? If it weren’t for her and her deal with Ultrima… Warrian would still be asleep in his Mesmer chamber. And for who knew how long.
He wasn’t sure which was worse, being awake and knowing his family was alive and well, but being unable to join them or sleeping on, blissfully unaware.
If he were unaware, at least he wouldn’t be feeling so painfully guilty. At least he wouldn’t be facing down his enemy all on his own. At least he wouldn’t be aching for Rita, knowing he had no chance of her ever accepting him.
The Mesmer bond was more than halfway through. The urgency of the desire it created had dulled somewhat, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still want Rita. Desperately. He just had to face up to the fact that he couldn’t blame it on the Mesmer bond.
This was all him.
Somehow, despite knowing it was a very bad idea, despite not even really believing in love, he’d fallen for it. Fallen for her. Hard.
Ultrima had taunted him about that. Warrian clenched his fists. The lightning dragon had orchestrated this. He’d deliberately sent Rita to wake Warrian, hoping for this exact outcome.
The Trima leader clearly thought Warrian was as weak as he was, but that was far from the truth. Warrian might privately admit he felt something for Rita, but he wasn’t going to act on it. Not while he had a responsibility to his clan.
What he would do though, was whatever he could to save her, even if it meant risking his own life. Maybe his clan would even be better off without him. That thought left a sour taste in his mouth, but he couldn’t shake the idea.
Not that it mattered what he thought. Rita wouldn’t go along with any plan to get her out of here. She hated him so much she wouldn’t even accept his help.
It was all pointless.
Shifting sand in the passageway outside caught his attention. Someone was coming. Warrian abandoned his pacing and moved between Rita and the doorway. She continued to ignore him.
Warrian watched the entrance, all senses on alert.
He caught a whiff of the charred metallic smell characteristic of lightning dragons just before a young man stepped into the doorway. His hair gleamed silver in the light from the torches on the wall, and his face was young and unlined.
If only he’d had more time to convince Rita of his plan for her escape. As much as he itched to attack the approaching dragon, it was pointless until the Mesmer ritual was complete.
Since it wasn’t, Warrian bit his lip and did nothing.
Rita looked up, a vague stirring of interest in her gaze. It might have encouraged Warrian’s jealousy, except it was the wooden bowls the man held out that her eyes focused on.
“It’s not much,” the lightning dragon said. “But our clan shares what little we have. Once the humans have settled their issues and we can hunt again, there will be more food.”
Warrian sniffed at the stew, ignoring the rumbling of his stomach. He could smell nothing but meat, no hint of any kind of poison, but that didn’t reassure him. He might not have eaten since before the dust storm that morning, but he’d have to get a lot hungrier before he’d even consider eating something from Trima clan.
Rita had no such qualms. She jumped up and took a bowl gratefully. “Thank you, I’m starving. You kidnapped us just as I was about to cook lunch.”
She leaned against the wall and began to eat with her fingers, seemingly unbothered by the lack of utensils.
The man held out the other bowl to Warrian. “You should keep your strength up.”
“Because your leader intends to make an example of me?” Warrian asked suspiciously. He could think of no other reason to feed up your enemy.
The Trima dragon looked amused. “I was like you once. Rejecting every offer of help or friendship, determined to believe that the only way to be tough was to prove I could do everything myself.”
“And let me guess, you found love and now you’re reformed?” Warrian sneered.
The Trima dragon looked amused. “Perhaps. But that’s my story, not yours. Right now, you’re weak and you really should eat to keep your strength up.”
Warrian glared at him, but didn’t even bother to reply.
The young dragon shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’s no scales off my hide.”
He honestly didn’t seem to care if Warrian took the food or not. In fact, he turned away to leave, taking the bowl with him. No matter how hungry he was, Warrian had no intention of accepting the food. The dragon had already called him weak. He refused to prove it.
“I’ll have it.” Rita spoke up. She slurped the last of the stew out of her own bowl, then held out her hands towards the full one.
The dragon shot Warrian an amused look and handed the food to Rita. “Sure.”
Rita nursed the bowl, looking at the Trima dragon calculatingly. “What’s your name?”
For a moment, Warrian thought the man wouldn’t answer. Sharing information with your captives wasn’t good practice, after all. But after a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I’m Patrima.” Warrian thought that was all he was g
oing to say, but instead he added. “Hailey is my mate.” He watched them carefully as he spoke, assessing their reaction.
Warrian tried to hide his own surprise, but Rita didn’t even bother. “Hailey? So you’re her dragon. I knew she had something to do with Trima clan.” She looked satisfied to have her guess confirmed, but her reaction just irritated Warrian.
It reminded him of how much she’d been hiding from him. How had he been fooled by her for so long? Clearly she knew far more about dragons than he’d ever guessed.
The young dragon raised an eyebrow. “Are you surprised a dragon would mate with a human?” Even though Patrima was responding to Rita’s comment, it was Warrian he was looking at. Almost as if it were a trick question.
He’d probably been sent to bait them. Ultrima seemed obsessed with love and intent on Warrian admitting he felt it. As though that would somehow make Ultrima’s choices right.
Warrian had no intention of rewarding the dragon’s taunting. Besides, he wasn’t particularly surprised dragons were choosing to mate with humans. Rita had caught Warrian’s attention like no dragon ever had, and if his own situation were different, he might have already asked her to mate with him. Why would a young dragon with no responsibilities hesitate?
Rita eyed him sideways, and her gaze sent a warm flush through his body. Warrian ignored it, pushing it away. He would not give in to Ultrima’s scheme. He would not admit what he felt for Rita.
He couldn’t afford to. Especially not now. Ultrima wanted Warrian to admit he had feelings for Rita so he could use them against Warrian. That would put everyone in danger, even Rita.
Rita had no idea of his concerns, and they probably wouldn’t have changed her reaction even if she did know what he was thinking. She responded completely innocently. “Not surprised at all. I don’t see any reason why a human and dragon couldn’t fall in love. Not all dragons are like Warrian, after all.” The look she shot him this time was prickly and triumphant at the same time.