Ashe (Fuse Book 2)

by E. L. Todd

  Rush took in her green eyes, seeing the same mixture of emotions he constantly possessed in his heart. It was a victory he had foreseen long ago, and he’d prepared himself for the painful disappointment ever since. “That’s…amazing.”

  Her fire was gone, the spontaneous flames that burned all the way from her core. Any happiness she felt was masked by the blanket of disappointment that covered her entire being. The beginning of the next part of their journey had commenced—and would end the previous one. “Yeah…”

  “I knew he would come around. As a king, it was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore. He can redeem himself and reclaim the land that’s in his blood.”

  She nodded. “He agreed to fuse with me to convince Queen Delwyn. But afterward, we fight side by side.”

  “That’s…a really big deal.”

  “I know it is. He says he doesn’t trust me…”

  “But he clearly wants to.” Pride swelled inside him fully, puffing up his chest, making his heart grow bigger.

  Flare spoke to him privately. I’m sorry.

  Me too. “Who knew that I would be shot down by a Shaman…and meet the one person who could accomplish what no one else ever could.”

  Her eyes continued to throb with pain, but a gentle smile emerged. “It was as if it was meant to be, huh?”

  “Yeah, exactly. So, what should we do while we wait for an answer?”

  Her hand dropped to his chest, her almond-shaped eyes doing the same. Her long hair was straight over one shoulder, twice as long now as it was when they first met. Light-brown hair surrounded a fair face, her cheeks colored only in particular moments. Her hand reached forward to his shirt, her fingers digging into the fabric to get an ironclad grip. “I have an idea…” She tugged him close, getting her lips on his before her arms circled his neck and deepened the kiss.

  Rush exhaled into her mouth before one hand dug deep into her hair, his other arm hooking around her waist. A gust of wind rushed through him, a mixture of excitement, joy, and peace. He melted at her touch, at her possessiveness, prayed these final days would pass as slowly as possible.

  Rush ended the kiss just long enough to scoop his arms behind her knees and carry her into the cave.

  I’ll leave you two alone…

  There was no sign of Ashe for days.

  Rush didn’t think of his dragon once as he spent his time with Cora, sleeping in the cave on the single bedroll, taking hikes around the island during the day, stargazing at night. Time had stopped—and he wanted it to remain stopped.

  Cora approached the edge of the cliff, her hands on her hips, and took in the view of the ocean far down below. “I have no idea where we are.”

  He stood behind her, appreciating her attractive silhouette, her small waist and sexy hips. She always held herself with great posture, the muscles of her strong body keeping her frame perfectly in line. When his hands were on her petite frame, he could feel the muscle underneath the skin, feel the strength she’d accumulated with Callon before their paths had crossed again. “Then it’s a good thing I do.” He came to her side, the tip of her boot hanging over the edge. The sunlight shone on the surface of the still water, the breeze cold to the cheek after it passed through the wall of mist.

  “So, I gotta ask.”

  He turned his face, taking in her small stature beside him.

  “What’s the best part about being fused with a dragon?”

  “Hmm…can’t decide.”

  “Too many good things?”

  “More like the opposite…”

  I can hear you.

  Cora chuckled when she heard Flare. “That right there, I think that’s the best part.”

  “Having no privacy?” Rush asked incredulously. “Having someone talk shit all the time?”

  I only talk shit because you make me.

  “I’m on a date here,” Rush snapped. “Go away.”

  You’re hiking. Not a date.

  “Well, it’s gonna end in a date, so scram.”

  Cora chuckled again. “Damn right it is.”

  Rush couldn’t suppress the smirk that stretched on to his lips. “You think I’m fine, don’t you?”

  “I didn’t make that obvious?” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the ocean below.

  “I hope I’ve made my thoughts obvious…”

  “Oh, you definitely have.”

  He chuckled. “Good.”

  “So really, what is the best part?”

  “It’s hard to cherry-pick. Because you’re combined into one individual, it’s an all-or-nothing phenomenon. Difficult to choose the best aspects of the fuse because it’s a full experience. When he’s the dragon, you’re the dragon too. When I’m human, so is he.”

  “So, when you fly, for instance, you have no control over that?”

  “No. That’s all him.”

  “Then when you’re human, it’s all you.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Interesting. I’d hoped the fuse would provide you with abilities you didn’t have before, even when you’re in your human form.”

  “Well, there are. They’re subtle, but they’re there. Sometimes Flare will channel his energy and focus it into me, which gives me a heightened state of awareness and endurance. He did it when I fought General Noose at the pits. He outlined the location of the holes in my mind so I could see where they were without looking, and he gave me a burst of energy to defeat him, which I would have if Lilac hadn’t been there.”

  Cora watched him, visibly intrigued. “What are the consequences for that?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “How does it affect Flare?”

  “Depending on how long it goes on, he could become fatigued. If he becomes too fatigued, it wouldn’t be possible to switch back into his form because he would be too tired to do much.”

  She gave a slow nod in understanding.

  “If I had to pick a single thing that’s the most beneficial to being fused with a dragon, it’s the ability to flee. Flare and I have used that as an escape plan more times than I can count. You just change and fly away. Problem solved. The only things that can follow you are the Shamans—but they can’t keep up with a dragon. And then if you don’t like someone? Just burn them alive… That’s pretty cool.”

  Her eyes crinkled as the smile came through. “Yes, that could be useful.”

  “But you’re right. The intimate companionship is something that only fused beings can understand. It’s not the same as being married to someone for a lifetime or having a family. It’s two people in one body. They share every experience from the exact same perspective, and as a result, they’re the only person who can truly understand what the other just went through—because they were there.”

  “That’s really beautiful.”

  “If the fuse is done the right way, then yes.”

  “The right way?”

  “With consenting partners. If Ashe says yes, your relationship will be much different from ours.”

  She dropped her gaze momentarily, her chest rising with the quick breath she took. “He’s afraid that my mind will become so powerful that I can trap him forever—and he can never unfuse.”

  Rush felt the offense spike in his blood, the incredulous disbelief. “I’m sure you will be that powerful. But you would never do that.”

  “I told him that, but I understand why he’s concerned.”

  “He has nothing to be concerned about. That would go against everything you’re fighting for.”

  “Yeah…” She continued to look away, down at her boot as it hung over the edge, her brown hair blowing in the breeze.

  They weren’t fused, but Rush felt like he knew her better than anyone at this point. From her subtle facial expressions to the way she grabbed him when the fire completely went out in their cave. “What is it?”

  She kicked a rock over the edge and watched it tumble down before she raised her chin and looked at him once again. “He told me I would feel
differently once I had access to his power. The strength, the ability to fly, the ability to breathe fire…but also immortality.”

  “You don’t need immortality. You’ll live so long, you’ll wish you were dead.”

  She looked away again, her eyes focused on the ocean.

  His heart started to race a little harder. “Am I wrong about that?”

  “He said since I’m half human, my lifespan will be much shorter than the average elf. There’s no way to know exactly how long I have, but…it’s inconsequential compared to what it would be if I weren’t half human.”

  Disappointment washed over him, imagining her wrapped in leaves surrounded by flowers as they conducted the Spirit Ceremony, her life leaving this plane and heading to one where he couldn’t follow. Her life would be snuffed out way too soon—even if she did live the full life of an elf. “Like I’ve said before, living forever is overrated.”

  “I know.”

  “So, don’t be too bummed about it.”

  “I’m not. It was just a big shock to me. I told Ashe that wouldn’t change anything, but it’s still a concern to him.”

  “If it were a concern, he wouldn’t even be considering this.”

  “He said he doesn’t trust me.”

  “That’s a lie—he doesn’t want to trust you.”

  “Again.”

  He chuckled against her lips, his skin covered in sweat, their bodies tangled together. “We’ve been at it all morning.”

  “So?”

  “I need fifteen minutes.” He rolled off her and lay beside her, pulling the blanket to his waist.

  “Why?”

  “For one, I’m starving. And two, I can’t keep going indefinitely.”

  “But I can.”

  He grinned. “And that’s the difference between men and women.” His arm wrapped around her and pulled her close, his sweat sticking to her skin at their contact. “I know you don’t have a frame of reference, but…I’m pretty exceptional when it comes to this stuff.”

  “Then why do I still want you?”

  “Same reason I still want you—because I’ll always want you.”

  A distinct thud sounded outside.

  Rush sucked in a deep breath, all the muscles of his body tightening and losing their relaxation. “Here we go…”

  Cora left the bedroll and quickly pulled on her clothes.

  Rush sat up with his forearms on his knees, hit hard with disappointment. This moment had been encroaching this entire time, but in brief moments like that, he forgot about it. Now, it was the beginning of the end—and he had to let her go.

  Cora looked down at him. “Are you coming?”

  He forced himself to his feet and quickly pulled his shirt over his head. “Yeah.”

  She waited until he was ready before they left the cave together, seeing the enormous black dragon waiting for them.

  Ashe glanced at Rush, displeasure in his eyes, and then shifted his attention back to Cora. Zuhurk wants to speak to you.

  Rush could hear it loud in his ears because Cora projected the conversation to him as well.

  “Right now?” she asked.

  Ashe glanced at Rush before he opened his wings. She’s waiting outside the cave.

  “But what’s this about?” Cora asked. “Did you come to a decision?”

  Ashe ignored her and flew away.

  Cora turned back to him. “That doesn’t sound good…”

  “If the answer were no, there would be no conversation at all. Probably just wants to threaten you.”

  “And that definitely doesn’t sound good.”

  He transformed into Flare, the powerful red dragon with scales that looked like static flames. Hop on.

  Cora climbed onto the dragon’s back. Now that she was so used to it, it was like riding a horse. She knew how to hold on, when to brace for a jump, and not to wince when the powerful wings expanded on either side of her.

  Flare flew up the mountains, higher into the sky, finding the meadow within a few minutes. He landed with a thud then kneeled.

  Cora slid off then turned to the cave—where Diamond waited.

  White eyes reflective like diamonds burned into her face, scrutinizing her from a distance.

  Flare returned to Rush, and he stood there with his sword at his hip as he looked at Cora. “How do you want to do this?”

  “I…I don’t know. I guess I just walk over there.”

  He knew all too well how powerful dragons truly were, the extent of their abilities, the strength in their big jaws. The hardest thing in the world was to stand back and watch her approach one without his immediate protection. “I’m right here if you need me.”

  “I know.” She walked across the meadow to the white dragon waiting for her, possessing the same kind of majestic poise as her Zuhurk. When Cora was directly beneath the dragon, she tilted her head back, straining her neck to meet the gaze of the dragon.

  She’ll be alright.

  I know. But it still makes me uncomfortable.

  Diamond’s loud voice reverberated in his ears, making him wince because of the volume. You’ve convinced my Zuhurk to leave this island and family behind, to fuse with a human, and to fight in a war he’s long assumed was over forever ago. Her voice was feminine, but it had every ounce of lethalness as Ashe’s. She was bigger than Flare, but smaller than Ashe, and she had a powerful intelligence in her eyes. How?

  Cora hesitated, visibly tense in her shoulders. “I don’t know… I just asked.”

  My Zuhurk would never consider a fuse again, not after everything that happened, and then you show up, uninvited, and somehow change his mind. Explain.

  “I told him the truth—that King Lux will arrive at this island sooner or later. And if that happens, you’ll have no chance. And I reminded him of everyone that he left behind, the dragons that will never see the light of day without us, the dragons that are enslaved to barbaric men. The beauty of this island can make you forget that reality—but you shouldn’t. That’s what I told him.”

  Silence fell, and Diamond continued to stare.

  “I’m sorry… I don’t want to take him away from you and your hatchlings.”

  Diamond lifted her gaze and locked it on Rush farther away in the meadow. The stare burned into his face before she dropped her chin and looked at Cora once more. The beauty of this island isn’t enough to make us forget, Cora. I’ve never forgotten—and I promise you that Ashe hasn’t either. You put the blame on my Zuhurk, and while it was his decision to allow the humans entry, he was a dragon with a noble heart, one that believed in the good of everyone. It’s not his fault he’d never encountered evil until your people invaded our lands.

  “They aren’t my people.”

  Half of your people, then.

  “No, none of my people. I don’t support anyone who ever wishes ill on the dragons—regardless of their race. There are other humans in Anastille who oppose the king as well—but they’re unable to resist. I just want you to understand that King Lux and his allies are evil, but the rest of humanity is not. They’re victims of his brutality as well.”

  Diamond looked at Rush once more, as if to make a point.

  Cora continued. “I don’t blame Ashe either. But I know he feels responsible for what happened, for those he left behind. You fled to this island because you didn’t have another choice. I’m telling you that now you do—and there’s a chance you can reclaim the land that belongs to you.”

  Diamond stared at her once more. The land I once called home means nothing to me. I used to imagine raising my hatchlings there—but no more. All I care about is the dragons that have enslaved minds, those left in the dark dungeons beneath High Castle, the dragons that we love and will always remember. You do not need to convince me to fight, Cora. That is not the subject of this conversation.

  “It’s not?”

  No. I would rip that castle apart with my claws if I could—but my duty is to my hatchlings. Their protection is the most importan
t thing to both of us. They’re too young to fight, and even if they could, this is not their war.

  Rush felt his disappointment grow, felt the sun moving quicker in the sky as time sped by. He’d expected resistance, more time that could be spent in their cave together, treasuring every moment before they would depart this island as nothing but friends. It was gut-wrenching.

  Diamond exuded her menace directly at Cora. Ashe speaks highly of you. It’s the first time he’s felt hopeful in thousands of years. It’s the first time he’s ever spoken of what we left behind. An unspoken pact was made between us long ago—to forget the past. If we carry it every day, we will have no will to go on.

  “I understand.”

  He doesn’t understand why you’re different, but he believes that you are. He also believes your heart is in the right place—even though it’s committed to someone it shouldn’t be.

  Rush inhaled a deep breath as if the Steward of Easton had just shoved another blade into his chest.

  Diamond continued. He believes there’s hope. He believes there’s a chance. And he believes you increase the odds. I left behind someone I love dearly—and it’s haunted me for thousands of years. Her voice suddenly changed, carrying the burden of grief. If there’s a chance, we have to try.

  “Who did you leave behind?”

  Diamond was quiet for a long time, drawing deep breaths and exhaling them slowly. My mother was killed in the war. But my father is there—if he’s still alive.

  “I’m sorry…”

  There are others as well, but he is the one that keeps me up at night. He would do anything for me. I understand that now with my own hatchlings. I wish I could do the same for him.

  “I will do everything I can to free every single dragon—even if it claims my life.”

  Diamond’s eyes remained low, her posture different as her body broke under the weight of her sorrow. Ashe is a great king. A king that leads by respect and integrity, not fear and subjugation. So, he loved every single dragon in our kingdom like they were his own hatchlings. I understand that he can’t carry this sorrow forever, that he must try to strike while the iron is hot. And he must do everything he can to free the one he loves most.