Page 93 of Dragon's Honor

Ash’s legs gave out and he dropped to his knees. Gavin gripped him tightly. “You have to stay present here. You have to stay in this form. The beaches are full today. People are going to notice a dragon flying around. The conclave with have very little reason to keep you alive if you cannot stay in control of your dragon.”

Gavin waited for Ash to look up at him before saying, “Finley will come around.”

Ash shook his whole body back and forth as a retort.

“She will. I saw the look in her eyes last night, Ash. Please stay with me here and we’ll figure it out.”

Ash roared and the windows shook from it.

“He’s not holding it together. Shut him down,” Gavin ordered.

Syrena stepped out from behind the bar. She was muttering words while mixing something in a silver cocktail shaker.

Ash shoved Gavin away and the burn of his dragon pushing forward filled his limbs. Syrena shouted the end of her incantation and threw the mixture in the shaker at him. The liquid hit him, and he fell to the ground in a heap just before the darkness claimed him and his dragon.

* * *

“Shh,I think he’s coming to.”

Ash hurt. His entire body ached like he’d been put through a marathon. Not that he usually hurt from exertion, but he imagined this is what it felt like.

He tried to move but his body wouldn’t respond. Opening his eyes was his next move, but he was hesitant. As he did, he found that he was staring up at the Sea Glass ceiling. Slowly, the memories of Finley came back to him. He felt the stab of rejection, but he pushed it away.

“How are you feeling, big guy?” Syrena’s face appeared over him.

“Like I was hit with a cement truck. I can’t move.”

“Yes, I magically tied you down.”

“Why?”

“Oh, that’s because you were freaking out and your dragon was about to make an appearance in the middle of the day in the middle of Gavin’s bar.”

“Sounds reasonable,” he grumbled. “Any chance you’ll let me up?”

Syrena shrugged. “Depends on you. What happened with Finley?”

Ash growled.

“Enough of that,” Gavin snapped. “I can’t have a wild dragon around here. I would have six Wystan siblings wanting to remove my head if I let their big brother get executed for being lost to the craze.”

“I’m not in the craze.”

“You are. I know better than you think.”

“Where is Finley?” He struggled against his binds. He couldn’t even move his head properly.

Gavin sighed but didn’t answer.

Syrena patted Ash’s shoulder awkwardly. “You’re in a time out until we can figure out how to keep you sane.”

“I’m fine. I just…was upset. But now that I’m thinking clearer, I don’t think Finley was…I don’t think she was telling me everything. It’s like she flipped a switch.”

Those words jiggled something inside his memory, he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“She’s was pretty shook up when she came here last night,” Gavin said. “Maybe sitting with her sister is not putting her in the best frame of mind. You need to give it time. You’ve got time.”

“Time slips through our fingers,” Ash retorted. “Don’t tell me you don’t feel it too.”

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