Page 53 of Betrayed By Dragons

A brief pang of regret squeezes my chest. There wasn't time to talk to High Priestess Fang about what happened. Now that we've left the way we have, I probably won't be able to contact her--much less continue my training. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.

But I learned what I could from her, and there's more still out there for me to discover in the wider world.

I reach for Rafe, and something tense inside of me finally relaxes when he allows me to slip my hand into his. I squeeze his palm, trying to make him feel my conviction through our bond.

"But this? Between us?" My heart presses itself against the insides of my ribs, making it almost difficult to breathe. "It's real. What I feel for you is just as strong as what I feel for him. You're a part of me, and if there's some power or something that can be unlocked through our connection... Then it will. We will. You have to know that." I swallow around a thickness in my throat. "Right?"

Slowly, he curls his fingers around mine, brushing his thumb over the backs of my knuckles. "Right."

He's hesitant in a way that I don't like, but all I can do is keep showing him that I'm here for him. There's no reason for jealousy in our trio. Eventually, he'll get that through his head.

We lapse into silence. It's more than enough just to feel his hand in mine and hold onto him. With all the craziness that's been following us around, there hasn't been enough time to just be. This stolen moment might have found us while we're at 30,000 feet, running from one dangerous kingdom to another. But still. It's better than nothing.

Too bad there's no way it can last.

Sensing the sudden sourness to my thoughts, Rafe gives my hand a gentle squeeze. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just..." I chew the inside of my lip. "Your father. Us going back to the Fire Kingdom. If there's anything you want to talk about..."

He lets out a rough, rumbling laugh. "My father losing his ever-loving mind isn't anything new." He lets go of my hand, but he doesn't pull away. "Let me see the particular flavor of the crazy, first. Then..." His tone darkens, his eyes going unfocused. "I'm sure I'll have plenty to tell you."

Chapter Thirteen

RAFE

Another day, another emergency flight out of a backward dragon stronghold where people are trying to apprehend and/or kill us. Another furtive landing on a tiny airstrip a half hour outside of a major kingdom's capital, while yet another batshit dragon king tries to start a war.

Well, at least the good news is that the kingdom and the king are mine this time around.

I roll my eyes at myself, watching through the window as the plane begins to land. The familiar red and gold landscape rises up to meet us, the colors muted in the pre-dawn light. As barren as all that crimson clay and rock can look, its power calls to me, even from a thousand feet in the air. I feel its heat, the power of the magma running deep, deep below.

"Did you miss it?" Ember asks quietly from my side.

I tear my gaze from the view. She's shining a small, tentative smile at me, and I feel like such an asshole.

Ember is a part of my soul, but ever since her little solo adventure with Jianyu, I've been nursing this stupid, pointless hurt. She's reassured me over and over again. She's given me her body in ways she's never given it to anybody else.

But then I watched her and Jianyu raise a fucking wall out of the ground by just holding hands, and my inner dragon went apeshit. The only way I knew how to keep my temper in check was to withdraw, and it isn't fair.

What can I say, though?

Sometimes, old habits are hard to forget.

"Yeah." I smile back at her, but it's forced, and she knows it.

I look back to the window just in time for the plane to touch down. It's a smooth enough landing, considering our runway is bare dirt, but we're still jostled around some. I take advantage of the motion to crane my head in the opposite direction, but there's still nothing to see but red soil, scruffy brush and spindly trees.

I must make a sound, because Ember touches my arm and raises a brow at me in question. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah. Great."

And it is--honestly. When we landed in the Stone Kingdom, we were trying to be secretive, too. Then the Stone King decided to show up with a couple thousand fanatical followers. We were all pissed. The fact that we managed to avoid that kind of circus here is a good thing.

Or at least that's what I try to tell myself.

Because who's shown up to greet us?

Literally fucking no one.

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