Page 18 of Creatures of War

Chapter Ten

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my guys, withering on the floor in pain, their wings pulled off their backs and piled together off to the side. Blood-soaked marble floors with the air filled with that coppery scent that had stalked me ever since my dad died.

I’d wake up gasping, trying to wipe away the nightmares, but as soon as I lay back down and closed my eyes, they were there again, screaming for me. And I could never get comfortable, my spine aching in three different spots. The top, middle, and bottom. It added to the nightmare, making me feel like our connection was severed.

It had to be the guys. I was feeling what they felt. I tried to send them soothing thoughts, tried to reach out to them to let them know I was okay, and I was here. That they weren’t alone. But it felt like I was up against a wall too every time I did it. I spent too much energy trying to do that.

All night was a combination of the nightmares, the pain, and trying to reach out to them.

“Rayna, you really need to get up; you can’t be in bed all day.” Aylia’s concern roused me from the half asleep state I was stuck in.

“Bed is safer,” I whispered, my throat burning.

“Rayna.” My bed dipped as Aylia sat at the edge. “Are you okay? Do you need something? I’d say stay in bed today, but it’s the first day of classes, and I don’t want you to get in more trouble.”

“How much more trouble can I get into?” I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head, trying to bury myself from the world.

“I’m so sorry you got caught. I promise I didn’t say anything. I really didn’t.”

I sighed, noticing how upset she was growing. Aylia was too sweet, and I didn’t want her feeling guilty over something that wasn’t her fault.

“I’m fine. I promise. And this wasn’t your fault. I believe you.”

Aylia relaxed with my response. “I can’t believe that happened to you. I was so scared when you were brought back last night. And you said they hurt your guys? All because of the king? What kind of king are we working for?”

She popped out more questions until I sat up and covered her mouth, forcing her to stop. Her wide hazel eyes blinked as her warm breath washed over the palm of my hand. I pulled away.

“Sorry. I don’t want you saying that kind of stuff, especially not in public. Please don’t get yourself in trouble,” I said, shuddering as I thought about what the king would do to her if he heard her say such things.

Would he also try to get her in his bed too? Was he doing this with all the female dragons? Or just me because he knew I could bond with more than one dragon?

“I’ll be careful,” Aylia said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. Warmth filled me as she smiled at me softly. A real friend? I didn’t really have a close friend back in the village. Everyone was too busy making sure we had food on the table and were able to get by. “You need to be careful too. Okay, Rayna?”

“Okay.”

“And that means going to class.” She slipped off the bed and pulled me with her. I groaned but let her.

Somehow, she managed to get me into my uniform. It was a simple white uniform with a button up top and a long skirt that fell around my thighs. Needing to feel safe, I grabbed one of the robes that was left in the bathroom for us. It was really similar to what they had us wearing yesterday. I tied it tightly around myself, finding comfort in the feel of silky soft fabric against my skin.

“Are you really going to wear that?” Aylia seemed confused.

I shrugged, not really caring what people thought. I had no one here I wanted to impress. The only people I wanted were my mates, and they wouldn’t care what I wore. I kept saying that to myself as Aylia talked away and led the way to our classes. Others in the hallways stared at me with confused expressions, the others judging really hard.

Even Coral spotted me. She looked perfect, her hair pulled up in a ponytail and curls framing her heart-shaped face. Her lips were red and plump, and it was obvious she had some makeup on. It was done artfully to make her look cute. Her skirt had been adjusted so it went to mid-thigh. The girls around her were dressed similarly.

I sighed, feeling like I was back to attending classes again in elementary school, before I had to drop out to help my parents with the farm. There were always kids there who thought they were better than the others and liked to dress the part too.

Apparently, that was holding true here too, even though everyone here had to be close to being eighteen years old if not that age already.

I held back a sigh as Aylia ushered me into a classroom filled with about a dozen other riders, all with white hair and all staring at me. I ducked down into a seat in the back, as Aylia sat in front of me. She turned in her seat.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

Aylia frowned, but she didn’t have a chance to say anything when a teacher came in, getting everyone’s attention.

As the class began, I thought it would have been better if the Fae had taken me. At least while their words were bullshit, it felt like they would have treated me much better than my own people currently were. And if the Fae had captured us, we would have been far, far away from here. Being here felt too much like we’d jumped into the fire pit to avoid the boiling water, and now we were going to burn to death for it.

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