by Rinelle Grey
“That was where you got the picture you put in the paper?” Warrian couldn’t help being fascinated in spite of himself. Her story was not only telling him a little more about herself and her life, but also about some of what he’d missed while he’d been asleep. The cliffs she described were the resting place of his brother, Verrian. Was he awake now too?
“No,” Rita said sheepishly. “By the time I got my camera out, they were all gone. So I chased one of the cars as it was leaving, there must have been some humans helping them, but they got away. I headed back to the cliffs, knowing no one would ever believe me without photo evidence, and I got lucky. A purple dragon was flying over the plains, and this time I got a picture. Not a very good one, but better than nothing.”
“That must have been my brother, Verrian.” It was a relief to know his brother was alive and awake. Or he had been at least. “How long ago was this?”
Rita scrunched up her nose. “Must be nearly two weeks ago now. Your brother was with Lisa, a local girl. I went to school with her brother. She tried to tell me some story about the dragon being a rock star, but I knew the truth. And I was determined to find out more. So I followed them into town. They hid out at her parents’ house for a couple of days, but it must have gotten too hot for them, and they ran. I would never have found them, except Lisa’s brother, the one I went to school with, had lent Lisa his car and hidden a phone in it. We were able to track them to an abandoned house, where I got some excellent pictures of the purple dragon fighting with one of those silver ones on the bonnet of my car.”
Rita sounded almost proud of this, and despite the fact that the violent photos probably didn’t show his clan’s good side, Warrian would have been happy for her. If he weren’t too busy being concerned for his brother. “Was Verrian okay? He never was the best fighter. He was far more into music and singing.”
“He seemed to be holding his own.” Rita grinned, then her expression sobered. “The police arrived before the fight went too far. But in the confusion, Lisa stole my camera and the pictures, so I didn’t get to publish any of them.” She scowled at that. “Lisa’s bastard brother, Paul, did though. He took my scoop. I failed again. I always trust the wrong people.”
Warrian winced. She probably thought she’d made the same mistake with him, and he couldn’t entirely deny it.
But that wasn’t how he saw things at all. He saw a woman who never gave up. Who kept trying, despite setbacks. He loved that about her. It made sense that determination applied to her working life too. It was just a pity it had caused problems for his clan. That made him feel a little guilty about admiring her tenacity. “That’s hardly your fault,” he pointed out instead.
“How is it not my fault? If I wasn’t so stupidly trusting, then I wouldn’t keep getting screwed over.” She paused for a long moment, as though considering something, and Warrian held his breath. He was sure a big revelation was coming.
And eventually he was rewarded when she muttered half under her breath, “Sometimes I think I’m not tough enough to be a reporter. I never push hard enough, and I let far too many stories get away because I don’t want to hurt people. But I can’t seem to do any differently, no matter how much I try to change.” Her voice was anguished on the last word, and her pain ate away at Warrian.
He couldn’t help it. He reached over and put a finger under her chin, ignoring the tingle of warmth the touch sent through him, and lifted her head until he could look into her eyes. He didn’t want her to doubt him when he said this. “You are perfect just the way you are.”
Her cheeks flushed and her eyes darkened, and she stared back at him with a need so great it almost took his breath away.
Then she pulled her chin away and shook her head. “I’m not. I’m a failure. And if I keep letting concerns about people’s feelings get in the way of actually advancing my career, I’m never going to get anywhere. I can’t get a decent story to save my life.”
Warrian ached for her pain. He wanted to fix things for her, to make her feel better. He knew she was wrong. He knew far more about actual failure than she ever would. But he didn’t know how to make her see she wasn’t failing.
“Look, I’m not much for telling stories, that was my brother Verrian’s talent. But once, when I was recounting a battle to the clan, he told me something that helped a lot.” She watched him, her head tipped to one side, listening. He had her attention, now he just had to not botch it. He hoped his words got through to her the way Verrian’s had to him.
“Verrian told me that good stories weren’t about the events themselves. They were about people and how those events affected them. That’s where your talent lies. You can see those people. You really understand what they’re feeling and what they will respond to. I’m sure, in my heart, that those things make you a good reporter, even if you can’t see it yet.”
Her jaw dropped slightly, and her eyes widened. Warrian hoped Verrian’s words touched a nerve in her. Maybe she’d see the wisdom in them later, once all this was over.
But she wasn’t ready to yet. Her shoulders slumped, and she muttered, “If I wasn’t so trusting, I never would have agreed to Lisa’s stupid deal.” She looked up at him, anger on her face. “I trusted her, too, and she tricked me. Rian clan never intended to contact me when they were ready to go public.”
Warrian frowned. “How did Lisa make a deal on behalf of my clan? Didn’t you say she was a human?” Lisa might have been with his brother, but that wouldn’t give her the power to negotiate for his clan. She must have been up to something. It was far more likely Lisa had tricked Rita than one of his clan.
His question roused Rita out of her misery enough to scowl. “I don’t know why she was speaking for your clan. Maybe because there was something going on between Lisa and Verrian. Either way, when she took my photos, she said I could have an exclusive on the story when they were ready to talk to the world.”
Warrian nodded. The deal itself seemed fair, the offer a fair reward for Rita’s silence. And if she had stuck to her side of the deal, then he could feel confident she was honourable. He didn’t need to feel guilty about forgiving her. “Is that all? You said you’d done everything they’d asked. Was that just keeping quiet?”
“No, there was more. A few days after we made that deal, Ultrima flew over the city. That was when Lisa rang me again. I thought she was going to rant about Paul’s photos, which had nothing to do with me, but this time she actually wanted me to call the police. The police were hunting her and Verrian you see. Lisa wanted me to direct them to Ultrima’s lair, away from her and Verrian. And in exchange, I could publish the information she’d given me. Which wasn’t very much, really, and without photos, it was pretty useless.”
“So you mean you helped Lisa and Verrian escape from the police?” Warrian wasn’t sure why he felt the need to confirm it. Of course Rita was a hero. He never should have doubted her.
“Yeah. But fat lot of good it did me. When they had their next bit of news, real news this time, they called Todd!”
Warrian was having trouble keeping it all straight. “So what part of the story did Todd get?”
Rita’s scowl deepened. “The Director-General of Security met with the leaders of your clan, some of your brothers and sisters, at Wave Rock not long after I woke you. Apparently they’re having peace talks, trying to figure out how humans and dragons can live together without fighting. This is the biggest thing that’s ever happened in Mungaloo, probably in Australia, and they just passed me over as if I’d done nothing for them.”
Rita’s words were aggrieved, and Warrian knew he should be trying to understand why this bothered her so much, but her words had shocked Warrian so much he rocked back on his heals. “Humans and dragons in peace talks?” He wasn’t quite sure what he’d expected, but that wasn’t it. That changed everything.
Rita was completely unaware of his world spinning. She was so focused on her own story. “Yeah. Todd was gloating about it to me. That’s what the mes
sages were earlier. I told him I had a way better story, but he didn’t believe me. Until he saw you.” Then, to Warrian’s surprise, Rita blushed.
Warrian pulled himself out of his shock long enough to focus on Rita’s concerns again, and he could immediately see where she was going. “I was your story,” he guessed. “That was the reason you became involved with Ultrima.” He could hardly blame her, really, not after his clan had contacted her enemy over her. They probably had no idea of the animosity between her and Todd, but if they had offered her the story, they should have given it to her.
Rita bit her lip. “Sort of. But I made the deal with Ultrima before I knew your clan had given the story to Todd, so I can’t really use that as an excuse.” She stared at him, her face uncertain, as though waiting for him to blame her.
But Warrian couldn’t find it in him, not after everything she’d gone through and all the disappointments she’d faced.
Rita kept talking, her voice a little high and fast, obviously afraid he was angry. “I followed the police back to the station after they arrested Ultrima, hoping just to get a story about his arrest. Not that the police would even let me close enough to get a photo. But I didn’t need to be close for Ultrima to talk into my head. He gave me your location and said all I had to do was keep you away from your clan for a while. It was the best lead I’d had in weeks.”
Warrian could just imagine it. She would have been thrilled to get a scoop like that, after all her disappointments.
“You see,” Rita twisted her hands together. “I thought the reason I always missed out on the best stories was because I was too honest. And even though I couldn’t know they’d give that story to Todd then, the fact of the matter is that being honest didn’t help me one bit. If I hadn’t made that deal with Ultrima, I’d still have no story.” Her chin stuck out as though she thought she was being defiant.
All Warrian could think of was how cute she was.
He couldn’t find it in any part of him to blame her. Her experiences just kept confirming her fears of failure. She’d owed him and his clan nothing, and she’d given them all so much, even though she couldn’t see it.
Without her, he’d probably still be asleep in his chamber. His clan certainly hadn’t seemed in a hurry to help him either. It seemed like all of his brothers and sisters were awake, so why hadn’t they woken him?
Warrian couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t keep himself from admitting, “I’m glad you woke me.”
Rita blushed, and the smile she gave him melted his heart. “I’m glad too,” she said softly.
Ultrima might have been right. Falling in love with Rita was the best thing that had ever happened to him. It had changed him, for the better.
“I’m sorry I made a deal with your enemy,” Rita confessed. “And I’m sorry it landed us in this mess. I just… I figured it couldn’t hurt… It wasn’t like Ultrima seemed to have anything too devious in mind. He just wanted me to distract you for a while. I didn’t know why Trima and Rian clan were enemies. But it was still wrong, and I shouldn’t have done it.”
She kept apologising, and she had no need. She wasn’t the one who’d caused this problem She’d done everything right, everything she could to help his people. She didn’t deserve his anger. And if his people were already in talks with the humans, there was little to hide anymore.
Besides, if anyone could do the story of the dragons justice, it was Rita for all the reasons he’d mentioned earlier.
She had no idea of the turn his thoughts had taken. She shrugged uncomfortably. “I wrote up the story, but I wouldn’t publish it. Not without you saying it was okay.”
Warrian’s heart warmed. Even after all she had faced, all the times others had hurt her, she was still ready to do the right thing. That was what made her so special. How could he not love and admire her?
“Actually, I think releasing the story is a good idea.”
He’d had a thought, what seemed like aeons ago, to get help from the humans against Trima clan. Rita’s story was the perfect way to achieve that. They could use this publicity to their advantage.
“You do?” Rita’s voice was shocked. She stared at Warrian in disbelief.
How could she really doubt he would after all he’d said? Warrian searched her face, but she seemed genuinely surprised. Her doubts about herself were deep, and would take time to overcome. Luckily, Warrian could assure her without any hesitation.
“Yes. If knowledge of dragons is already out there, then we need to make sure they have all the facts. Rian clan obviously wants to work with humans, not against them. And if that’s the case, I think you’re by far the best person for the job. You want to write about who dragons are, not just what we’re doing, and that’s important.” He scowled. “I certainly wouldn’t want Todd being the one to tell our story. I don’t trust him at all.”
Rita’s whole face lit up. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. People will be scared after seeing Ultrima flying around the city. Dragons look pretty intimidating, after all. But I think if we can let them see who you really are, that you have emotions and feelings just like humans do, then they’ll come to love you.” A light shone in her eyes, and her voice was full of enthusiasm.
He could almost think her words of love referred to how she felt about him. Their shared connection blazed like a light in the darkness.
Then her enthusiasm fled as quickly as it had started. “But we can’t do any of that while we’re trapped in here. There’s nothing we can do right now.”
Warrian’s heart sank too. She was right. Until they got out of here, they were completely helpless. And there was no guarantee they’d ever make it out. Not if Ultrima had his way.
“So, what’s your story?” Rita asked.
Warrian’s heart froze, and even a shallow breath hurt. He’d known this was coming, but he still wished he could avoid it.
But that would be unfair. Rita had told him her story. Now it was his turn.
Unfortunately, he had no hope his confession would turn out anywhere near as well as hers had.
Chapter 5
Rita had no idea what had inspired her to insist it was Warrian’s turn to tell his story. For a moment there, they’d been connecting. He’d said all those nice things about her. He’d even agreed that she should publish her story. His approval meant she could actually make this whole experience work for her without feeling guilty. Everything had been perfect.
Was that why she’d changed the subject? Because she couldn’t let herself believe that everything was good when it couldn’t possibly be? She needed to remind herself of all the reasons she couldn’t be with Warrian. Of who he really was.
Yeah, she really needed to hear his side of the story before she got too carried away and forgave him, which she felt right on the cusp of doing. But she couldn’t just forget about his past. She needed to know. Everything hinged on that.
So she bit her tongue and waited for him to start.
Warrian seemed as reluctant as she had been. He stared off into space for a long time before he finally spoke. “Sarian and I were very close when we were young. There was only a little over a year between us, and I’d been told my whole life that my job was to guard her. She’d been told to trust and rely on me. She was to be queen, and I was her protector. And I’d always relished the role. Despite what some dragons believed, I’d never had any wish to rule Rian clan. I just wanted to see Sarian be the queen I knew she could be. I wanted to do my job to help her make our clan flourish.”
Rita nodded, trying not to feel sympathy for Warrian already. She needed to remain impartial. If she’d ever needed her reporter’s intuition, now was the time. Of course Warrian would make himself seem like the good guy. Anyone would. She needed to stay above that.
But despite knowing she shouldn’t let herself be swayed, she couldn’t help admiring his position. It would be hard to be the younger brother to a queen and not be jealous. She nodded, and waited for him to continue.
“Sarian was the one who made the decision to mate with Lirian. She was determined to be the best queen possible, and she knew if she produced a life dragon to rule our clan, it would ensure our safety for many years to come. Someone had to, you see, otherwise Lirian would be the last life dragon any of us would ever know. And Sarian wouldn’t ask anyone else to do a job she wasn’t prepared to do herself.”
Rita felt no guilt at her sympathy for his sister’s position. Of course Sarian couldn’t ask someone else to mate with the life dragon. Of course she would insist on doing it herself. Rita was sure Warrian would do exactly the same thing if it were his choice. These dragons were nothing if not loyal and honourable.
Mostly. What Warrian had done hadn’t been honourable. But was it possible he had a justifiable excuse? She told herself she shouldn’t hope, but she’d never been very good at following orders.
“That was before she and Ultrian started spending time together,” Warrian continued. “At first, I didn’t think much of it. Ultrian had been my friend, and he’d spent plenty of time around our family. It took me a while to notice it was Sarian he was coming to visit, not me.”
His expression darkened. “Even then, Sarian was intent on her goal. She might have flirted with him, maybe even spent more time with him than she should have, but she still refused to let her feelings for Ultrian stop her from doing what was best for her clan. He was the one who couldn’t keep his distance.”
Rita couldn’t help being fascinated in spite of herself. “So what did he do?” She leaned her hand on her chin and watched Warrian intently.
To her surprise, he didn’t answer immediately. His eyes held a faraway look, and Rita waited, not wanting to push him.
Eventually he said quietly, “The mating date was set, but the day before the ceremony, Ultrian went to Sarian’s rooms to try to talk to her. I saw him sneak away from the celebrations, and I knew what he would try to do.” He hung his head, not meeting Rita’s eyes. “I couldn’t let him disrupt our plans at this late stage.”