Victor flew over to Rowan, and Skye fell to the ground watching in horror. He nudged Rowan with his snout, and Rowan didn’t move. Skye let out a squeak. Victor looked at her and bared his teeth.
So you have a soft spot for the boy. He’s still alive. Now maybe you’ll talk to me.
Skye sucked in and felt her hands trembling. Victor picked Rowan up and deposited him on the floor in front of Skye, but far enough away that she couldn’t touch him. She strained at her chains.
Victor placed one of his claws on Rowan’s left hand, and Skye gasped.
Now you’ll tell me what I want to know or my claw will go straight through his hand. Do you think the pain will be enough to wake him?
Skye cowered a little bit, ignoring the pain in her ankles where the shackles bit into her skin. “What do you want to know?”
Where is Obsidian? Rumor has it they sent him somewhere in Europe to complete his human experience, but we think he’s closer.
Skye didn’t realize they were keeping Sid’s whereabouts a secret. A lot of people knew where he was. How was it that the canyon and arctic dragons didn’t know? Something didn’t add up.
She’d have to lie, but if he saw through it, she was toast. She didn’t look the dragon in the eye. She focused on the stalactite above his head. She never lied well.
“New York. Albany. Now could I have Rowan back?”
You think it will be that easy? Oh no, you’re going to answer all kinds of questions for me. Who’s the second dragon king?
Skye laughed. “You’re mad. What second dragon king?” His claw was still on Rowan’s hand. A trickle of blood came from where the claw met flesh.
You’re not convinced. Hmm. The boy is right handed, correct? He doesn’t need this one.
He pressed down farther, and Skye panicked. “Raja. He’s the second king.”
Liar.
The claw slid easily into the flesh. There was a pause of a half second. Then Rowan yelled out. In a flash he reached back with his right hand and grabbed the sword still strapped to his back. He whipped it out and sliced at the dragon’s neck. Blood covered him as Victor’s eyes went glassy and he fell to the floor. The coppery stench hung in the air. The shackles on Skye’s ankles fell off.
She jumped up and hobbled over to Rowan. Her feet didn’t work like they should, but it still didn’t take her long to get to him. He wiped blood out of his eyes, with his right hand. His left hung limply at his side.
“Are you okay?” Skye asked, grabbing at his good hand and pulling him up. The fact that she was free hadn’t quite hit her yet.
He held up his bloody hand. She cried out and gripped his hand with both of hers. Rowan yelled out and crumpled. Blood covered her hands.
“Kingston, help.”
He appeared at her side and whipped off his shirt. “Give me his hand.”
Skye didn’t want to let go. Kingston pulled a little on her arm, and she glared at him.
“Come on, I have to wrap it.” He was gentle, and he pried her fingers from Rowan’s hand. Rowan had gone pale, and he clenched his teeth.
Skye let go and knelt next to Rowan as Kingston expertly wrapped the hand. The makeshift bandage was bulky, but the blood wasn’t seeping through the whole thing. Yet.
“Is that better?” Skye asked Rowan.
“A little,” he grunted.
Kingston put his hand on her back. “We have to go. Come on. You two can ride on me.”
Skye had hoped they’d be able to ditch Kingston, but now they needed him. Dammit. He could be leading them into a trap. She thought fast. She didn’t have time to deal with this. Kingston was right. They needed to get out of there.
“My glasses. I need my glasses,” said Rowan in a soft voice. Sticky red blood covered his body, and his face contorted in pain. A knot formed in her throat. She wished she were a woodland dragon. Then she’d be able to heal him. Instead, she was a mixture of sea and royal. So she could shield her mind and feel others’ feelings. Though she wasn’t very good at the last one.
Kingston came over. “Are these your glasses?”
He held out a pair of glasses with smashed lenses. Poor Rowan. Skye would owe him big time after this.
“Yeah,” Skye said. “Rowan, they’re completely shattered.”
“I literally can’t see anything without them.” He clenched his fist and grimaced.
Skye put her hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find a solution. We need to get out of here first.”
Kingston changed into a dragon, and she climbed up on his back, pulling Rowan with her. She put him in front of her in case he passed out. She didn’t want to think about how much blood he’d lost. She wrapped her arms around him and felt him tense. She’d be covered in blood after this, but she didn’t care.
Kingston took off, and they left the carnage behind. Skye was a little scared of what was ahead. She didn’t want to see any more dragons die.
ROWAN HAD never felt so filthy in his life. Blood caked his entire body. It was sticky and gross, and he felt it crack on his skin when he stretched his arm out. Not that he saw the blood.
He’d never so much as gotten a scratch on his glasses before because he knew how important they were. He didn’t know how to function without them. Plus, he was in shock that he had actually killed a dragon. Then there was his hand. It ached something fierce. The pain had dulled on the ride, but it still hurt.
Kingston landed next to a lake after about an hour. Rowan had drifted off on the ride. After they landed, Skye slid off Kingston, and Rowan followed. He was lightheaded and leaned against the dragon because he couldn’t stand up very well.
“Come on, Rowan, I’ll help you find where you need to go. We need to get cleaned up a little.” Skye took his hand and pulled him along toward the lake. He stumbled after her. “How’d you do that anyway?”
“Do what?”
“Slay the dragon while you were knocked out?”
This was supposed to be his glory moment. The one where he talked about how brave he was and how he killed the dragon without any trouble. Now he looked like an idiot. “Well, when he threw me across the room, I figured it would be better to play dead. There was no way I’d kill him if he thought I was awake.” He left out the part where Victor had knocked him out. When he had woken up, he had been so scared he couldn’t move. If the dragon hadn’t skewered his hand, he might still be underneath him. Skye didn’t need those details.
“So you weren’t really unconscious?”
“Nope.” He was lying. If she thought for even a second that he’d been hurt worse, she might make him go home. His injured hand would be bad enough. She’d be feeling guilty for that for days. He gritted his teeth. He’d have to act like it didn’t hurt as bad as it did.
She squeezed his good hand. “That was smart thinking.”
His insides warmed with her praise. “I didn’t have a choice once he’d pierced my hand. It isn’t a big deal.” He hadn’t been able to see well, but he had seen a massive neck hovering over him. When he screamed with the pain, he’d known that would be the only chance he’d get. There was no way he could pretend he was still out when the dragon sliced open his hand. Also, the dragon was going after Skye. He couldn’t let him do that. Somehow he was braver when Skye was in danger. Not that he would wish her danger. Ever. But he was glad he could actually protect her when it counted.
“We’re here. Come on, we need to get you out of your clothes so you can get washed up.” Skye was off her rocker if she thought he’d let her see him in his skivvies.
“I can do it myself, thanks.”
“Don’t be silly. You can’t see anything. Let me help you. You saved my life.” That was her excuse. No way. She wasn’t getting anywhere near his zipper.
Rowan took two steps away from her. “Kingston can help me. I don’t want you seeing me like this.”
He almost saw her rolling her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She got closer to him and tugged at his t-shirt. He stopped arguing
with her. But mostly because he lost his words.
She pulled his shirt over his head and ran her fingers along his chest. His mind went places it shouldn’t. Her touch was light but determined. Her fingers burned where they touched, and he took a step back. It was almost enough to take away the pain. “What are you doing?” he asked, and his voice cracked.
“Checking for more injuries. I thought you were dead. I find it hard to believe that you aren’t more hurt. Come back here, you’re going to fall into the lake.” She tugged at his hand, and he stumbled into her. She froze for a second then wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. “I thought you were dead. Don’t do that to me ever again. I can’t lose you.” She whispered fiercely into his ear.
He wrapped his arms around her, and even though dragon blood covered him from head to toe, he never wanted this moment to end.
She let go, and he very nearly pulled her near again.
“It takes more than a murderous dragon to get rid of me.”
“Well, more murderous dragons could be on the way. Come on, get in the lake and wash off that blood. Kingston is bringing you a change of clothes from his backpack.”
Rowan was counting on the darkness to hide him. He tugged off his jeans with Skye’s help and plunged into the water. He hissed as it hit his skin. It was colder than he expected. He sunk into the freezing water and scrubbed at his arms. Then he ducked his head under the water and rubbed at his face and hair with his good hand.
He popped up. The ice water lapped against his chest.
“Kingston will be here in just a sec. You might want to wait in the water until he gets back. It will be colder out in the open.”
Rowan’s teeth chattered. “You’re probably right. But I might get hypothermia.” His whole body was shaking. He shifted his legs to get his blood flowing. The cold almost burned.
“It’s not a towel, but it will have to do.” Kingston’s voice rang out. Rowan wished he could see him. With his luck, Kingston had come back with a tiny washcloth. That would not do.
Rowan was about ready to climb out of the lake when something brushed his leg. He screeched like a three-year-old and raced out of the water. He only stopped when he was sure he was completely on dry land. Both Skye and Kingston were laughing.
“I’ve never heard you scream like that before,” Skye said between giggles.
“Just hand me the stupid towel. There’s something in the water.” He spoke between his chattering teeth and took deep breaths. His heartbeat was racing, and he was sure his face was bright red with humiliation.
Kingston handed him a washcloth. “This is the best I’ve got. And the way you screamed, I would’ve thought there was a dragon in the water or something.”
“It was probably a fish, but it took me by surprise.” He rubbed the washcloth over his body and took the clothes from Kingston.
“Well, I know I’ll get a good laugh as long as we keep you around.”
Skye helped Rowan pull on his clothes, but he was still shivering, and mortified.
Skye looped her arm through his and looked at Kingston.
“We need to go somewhere we can get Rowan’s hand fixed,” she said.
Kingston nodded. “We’re close to Vegas. We can hide out from the dragons for a bit. There’s a hotel I used to spend a lot of time at when I did my human experience. We can regroup there, eat some real food, and take showers.”
Rowan shivered. “Let’s get going then. I’m freezing.”
Kingston laughed. “You held your cool so well with the dragon, but a small fish turns you into a twelve-year-old girl.”
Kingston handed Rowan both swords, and Rowan crisscrossed them across his back. He thought about taking a jab at Kingston for that remark, but thought better of it.
Rowan felt safer with the swords. He was surprised how quickly he’d picked up the skill. It came naturally to him. It was the first time he’d ever felt like he was useful. He’d feel better once he had full use of both hands again.
Kingston turned into a dragon, and Skye climbed on first. She pulled Rowan up, and he settled behind her.
“You’ll want to hang onto me.”
“Yeah, sure.”
He wrapped his arms around her. Sometimes she surprised him. When she talked about needing him. He could almost feel her desire. But then she’d go cold almost as quickly.
Rowan had never been to Vegas. They flew out into the cold night air. If it wasn’t for the heat radiating off Kingston’s body, Rowan would be freezing more than he already was.
After an hour or so, the city lights came into view.
Are you going to land somewhere so we can walk to civilization? Rowan asked, curious about how they’d get to the hotel.
No. I’m going to land on one of the helicopter pads. No one will see us, and if they do, they’ll assume we’re an aircraft of some kind. There’s usually no one on the roof, and they’ll let us in.
How? Skye asked as Kingston flew over several casinos with flashing lights.
I spent a lot of money here during my human experience. It’s been several years, but I bet my name still causes them to jump.
Rowan was terrified that someone was actually going to see them. But Kingston kept way above the city and did a steep dive to the building to land. Rowan let out an oomph when he landed. Usually Skye was smoother when she touched down. The landing jarred his hand, and it throbbed again. They slid off to the roof, and Kingston quickly changed into a human. He took off at a brisk pace to a door on the other side. There was a guard just inside.
“Where did you come from?” the guard ask, reaching for his weapon.
“Calm down,” Kingston said. “My helicopter dropped me off and left because I needed him to run an errand. I’m not expected, but I’m sure you’ll accommodate me anyway. My name is Raul Kingston.”
The guard pressed down on his earpiece. “I have a Raul Kingston on the helicopter pad.” The guard paused for second. “Of course.” The guard opened the door and accompanied them to the elevator. He pushed the button to the second floor and then stepped out. “Someone will meet you to show you to your villa.”
“Thank you. Can you make sure they send a doctor as well?” Kingston asked.
“Of course,” the guard said and pressed down on earpiece again as the elevator doors shut. Rowan held his hand close to his chest. The pain had mostly dulled on the ride over, but now it was hurting pretty bad again.
“I’m impressed,” Skye said. Rowan focused on her words. They distracted him from the pain.
“Like I said, I spent a lot of time here. I liked it better than my house. I can’t wait to take a real shower. There are four or five bathrooms in each villa so we should all be able to shower at the same time. We might want to hit the shops first though and get something decent to wear.”
Skye looked down at her filthy clothes. “Ugh. I don’t think anyone will give me the time of day wearing these.”
“Probably not,” Kingston said with a smile. “Good thing I have connections.”
They stepped off the elevator, and a short woman dressed in a sharp suit greeted them. “Welcome, Mr. Kingston. It’s been a while. We’ve missed you. I’m Debbie, and I’ll be your personal concierge.”
“I’ve been overseas. It’s good to be back.”
Rowan admired Kingston’s quick thinking. Though he figured most dragons probably had a story or two up their sleeves for situations like this. Rowan wondered what people thought of their filthy appearances. Both Skye and Kingston had some blood on them.
“We have your usual villa available. Here’s a room key for each of you. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you settled in.”
Rowan was glad they were finally in civilization, even if he felt extraordinarily out of place.
“We got back from a hiking trip that took a turn for the worse. We’ll need some clean clothes. Can you arrange that?”
“Of course. We still have your size on file. And the young lady?”
Skye answered. “I’m a small or size two.”
“And the boy?”
“Adult medium for shirts. Twenty-eight waist for pants.”
“Very good. The doctor will be to the room shortly. He’ll assist you in whatever you need.”
THE OTHER TWO showered while a doctor stitched up Rowan’s hand. He was still in some pain, but the doctor said it was just a flesh wound and should be fine in a day or two. After Rowan showered and dressed, Skye led him out the door. “We won’t have time for them to make you new glasses, but we might be able to find some reading glasses or something that will help.”
Rowan nodded. He missed his glasses. He missed seeing Skye’s beautiful face.
She took him into a shop with some snotty store people who’d normally kick him out for even thinking of gracing their doors. Or at least Rowan assumed they were snotty. It was hard to tell. The store had an air of arrogance. And it smelled rich.
“Excuse me,” Skye said to someone. Rowan thought it was a man. It was hard to tell. He had a slender, tall frame.
“Yes, how can I help you?” Yep. Man. He had an unusually deep voice.
“My friend here broke his glasses, and he needs to be able to see to get through the rest of the week. Can you help us?”
“Sure. Do you know your prescription? We usually keep a few of the more common ones on hand.”
Skye squeezed Rowan’s good hand, and he realized the man was talking to him. “No. My mom always took care of it. I don’t have a clue, other than it is bad. When we walked in, I couldn’t tell if you were a man or a woman.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Rowan realized how dumb he sounded. Someone his age shouldn’t have his mommy being responsible for his prescription.
The man chuckled. “Okay. Let’s find a few and see if they’ll work.” At least the man was gracious enough to not make a mommy joke.
His heart clenched. His mother must be worried sick. Either she thought he was missing or dead. Rowan wasn’t sure what possibility he liked better. On the one hand, if she thought he was dead, then her worry would go away. On the other, if she was still looking, at least she still had hope. Rowan let out a breath. Someday he’d have to make up for what he was putting her through.
Skye: The Dragon Kings Book 4 Page 8