Dragon's Honor (The Dragon Corps Series Book 1)

by Michaela Kendrick

  “No.” Cade’s words were soft. He didn’t look away from Aryn as she picked up her head and nodded at something Samara said. There were bruises at her neck, dirt on her face, blood staining her clothes. She was millions of kilometers and a lifetime apart from the woman in diamonds and silk he’d first seen in New Arizona. And she was more beautiful now, and more alive, than she had ever been before. She looked over at him, blue-grey eyes taking in the sight of him, and she smiled.

  He couldn’t have looked away if he tried.

  “Williams?”

  “Eh?”

  “I asked, what are you planning to do next?”

  “Oh.” Cade held out his arms as Aryn made her way over to him, and felt her nestle against his chest, arms wrapping around him. “I’m her bodyguard, remember? It’s a lifetime sort of job.”

  Chapter 42

  “God willing, it won’t be long.” Wind whipped Talon’s shirt against his skin, and the Dragon squinted against the bright sunlight. “How many places does he have to go to ground?”

  Cade moved him aside as someone hurried past with a heavy crate. The launch pad was an unending hub of activity these days, whole carriers’ worth of supplies arriving in shipments that landed almost every hour. Talon and the Dragons were waiting to go back to the ships in the next launch, their bags slung over their shoulders.

  “He must have some allies,” Aryn said, trying not to sound nervous. The idea of the Warlord, the man she had feared all her life, as a criminal on the run did not make sense to her. She still woke up in terror when she heard a sound in the night, sure it was his soldiers at the door. She could sense him, far away, planning his return.

  “Not many,” Cade assured her. His smile said that he knew her fears. “And the Dragons who are loyal have all pledged their support to this mission.”

  Aryn nodded, leaning against his comforting warmth.

  “You have all the supplies you need?” she asked Talon.

  “We should be asking that of you.” The man grinned at her.

  “We have so much of everything.” Aryn shook her head, looking around at it all. “I can’t imagine running out of things. It seems like every time I turn around, there’s another shipment of bricks, or planks, or pipes…” She held out grimy hands with a laugh. “I’m learning a lot more about building houses than I ever wanted to know. But, yes. Don’t worry. We have everything we need here, thanks to you all.”

  “It may not always be this way,” Talon said seriously. “The whole Alliance is looking at Ymir right now, but their attention will shift. If you ever need anything, you tell us. We’ll intercede. Although something tells me I might be looking at the next Ymiri senator.”

  “Oh, no.” Aryn shook her head and nestled against Cade’s side. “No, I’d like a nice, simple life for a while.” She smiled up at Cade.

  “You may have picked the wrong man, then.” An alarm blared. “We have to go. Aryn, it’s been a pleasure. Tell Samara we said goodbye. And Williams…you’re always welcome back in the Dragons if you want.”

  “I know.” But Cade did not yearn toward them. He was solid at her side, holding her close. “You call if you need anything.”

  “You be careful. I’ll take you up on that.” Talon looked at them, an eyebrow raised. “What will you two be doing?”

  “I…well, I’m going to flight school.” Aryn managed a smile. “If I get in,” she added, not wanting to jinx it.

  “She will,” Cade assured Talon. He reached out to grip the man’s hand and nodded over at Loki and Nyx, upright at last but still wincing as her shattered rib set. “I’ll look forward to hearing of your victory soon.”

  He and Aryn clustered into the waiting area to watch the ship take off, and then strolled down the metal walks that led to the road. Once empty, it was now filled with carts and trucks bringing endless waves of supplies out to the districts. As they watched, one clattered by, full of men and women with handcuffs at their wrists. A makeshift court was being held in orbit, legal experts arriving on the carriers daily to represent the Warlord’s lackeys and still others coming to represent the people of Ymir. Reporters, thankfully, had been kept off the planet.

  “What are you thinking?” Cade asked as they walked.

  “That none of this seems real.” Aryn looked around herself as they walked. A week after the battle, she still expected everything before her to disappear and give way to the life she had always known on Ymir. The citizens still walked with their eyes down out of habit, shying away from Alliance soldiers the way they would have from the Warlord’s mercenaries. But there were smiles, and children—always first to adapt—ducking and weaving through the crowds. People were dressed in the new clothing that arrived each day, colorful and bright and out of regulation for the mines—mines that were presently closed down. It was nothing like the Ymir she knew, and somehow, it still felt as natural as breathing.

  They detoured off the main road, heading toward the mountain that looked down on the Northeast quadrant, and Aryn looked up in question. Cade only gave her a secretive smile and laced his fingers with hers, striding across the gentle swell of the hill.

  When the tent came into view, she gave a laugh. Housing was limited as the Alliance troops arrived to help, and some of the younger citizens had volunteered to take the tents and sleep in city squares. Cade and Aryn had taken a spot near Samara and the rest of the resistance fighters from Io…until now. It appeared that Cade had taken the chance to get away for a while.

  “Now bear in mind,” he said, stopping her as she arrived at the tent, “that I am only a humble bodyguard, and not very rich.”

  Aryn stifled a laugh and knelt to push open the tent flap—

  And stopped, hands over her mouth. Somewhere, God knew where, Cade had found a proper mattress. A glazed earthenware bowl held ice, and a bottle of someone’s home-brewed beer. And from the fields outside Io, he had found the bright red flowers she loved the most when she was a child, and had laid them around the bed. Two of the little military meals sat neatly on real plates, and a tiny speaker played music.

  “Cade…”

  “You’ve been working non-stop for a week. You’re up first in the mornings, and you’re always last to bed.” Cade followed her into the tent and stretched out on the bed, holding her close as she nestled against him. “Some rest was in order.”

  “Activity is…”

  “Comforting. I know.” He craned to look at her.

  “I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts,” Aryn confessed. It felt wrong to say something like that here, in the tiny oasis he’d made for her, but she could not hold the words back. “I wake up remembering. And…”

  He said nothing. His breathing was deep and even, his arms tight around her.

  “I feel like everyone can see it on me,” Aryn whispered. “What I did.” She closed her eyes. “Does it get easier?”

  “In a way.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “You’ll never forget. Some people might, but not you.”

  “Is this really why you brought me here?”

  There was a hesitation.

  “Yes,” he admitted. “You’re…well, you’re trying to forget. And I’ve been there, remember.”

  “How do you bear it?” The question burst out of her.

  “It’ll be different for you, I think. You bear it any way you can, but remember, always, that you didn’t go looking for this.” He shook her head when she opened her mouth. “You went to find him. But you didn’t ask for any of what he planned, what the Warlord planned. He would have killed as many as the Warlord, in the end. He would have killed you.”

  Aryn nodded jerkily.

  “You’re gong to be all right,” Cade said, his voice low. “I promise you. You’re going to be all right.”

  She nodded, quietly, listening to his heartbeat. A few tears slid across her nose and onto his shirt, but there was no storm. The fear abated, just for a moment. You’re going to be all right. The frantic pace of the past week,
meant to work herself until she dropped, began to ease and her own heartbeat slowed. She wanted to tell Cade thank you, and that she loved him, but with safety came exhaustion, and she slipped away into darkness with music in her ears and Cade’s arms around her.

  “I love you,” she heard, the voice faint, and she smiled.

  Epilogue

  “You’ll come back to see us?” Nura demanded. “You promise?”

  “I promise.” Aryn’s arms were wrapped tightly around her sister. “And you’ll send me updates. Anything you need, you tell me.”

  “I will. I promise.” Nura withdrew. “Now, go. You’ll miss your flight.”

  Cade waved to them all as Aryn jogged up the gangway. It began to retract and she stood on the tips of her toes to wave up until the last second before following him into the passenger quarters of the ship. She could not stop grinning these days, and she clapped her hands when she saw their quarters: the big bed and a bathtub, an unbelievable luxury after the constant construction on Ymir.

  They braced themselves through the launch and then floated up in their seats as they broke orbit, and Aryn craned to look up as the stars appeared above them.

  “You look happy.” Cade could not help from smiling at her. “Very happy.”

  “It’s an adventure.” She looked over at him, hair rising gently around her face. “For the rest of our lives. New places, new people. Nowhere to be. No papers. No mines.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I…can’t believe it.”

  “Come here.” Cade beckoned to her, and with a mischievous grin, she unhooked her restraints and pushed off her seat, floating across the room until he caught her and drew her down to straddle him.

  “Hello.” She grinned down at him from a swirl of dark hair.

  “Hello.” He pulled her close for a kiss, feeling the warmth of her against him. He watched her eyes drift closed as they kissed, and smiled.

  Her mouth opened against his, and she gave a little gasp when his hands slid under her shirt, trailing across the skin of her back and around, up, guiding her arms so that he could slip the cloth over her head. As the artificial gravity kicked on, she settled against him with a little sigh of contentment.

  “Cade.”

  “Mm?” He captured her mouth for another kiss before she could answer the question, and when she drew away she was flushed, her chest rising quickly.

  “How soundproof are these walls?” She looked around herself, blushing slightly.

  “Very soundproof,” Cade assured her at once.

  “You don’t know that.” She was laughing.

  “Mm.” He unhooked his own restraints and stood, hoisting her effortlessly into his arms. “Well, let’s see.”

  *******

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