Page 120 of Grave Situation

Cautiously, I edge through the sparse trees that shelter the cabin. There’s a field on the other side, and that seems to be where the voice is coming from. If this is our enemies, I’ll hopefully be able to ascertain that without them seeing me—though, maybe I should go back to the cabin and get Coryn first. He’ll be mad if?—

Twilight lifts a little more, and I blink through the gray light, unable to believe what I’m seeing.

There’s definitely no need to get Coryn.

“…know things have been tough for you lately, but Talon’s just confused. He needs a bit more time to get used to life without Tia. The two of you are going to get along so well when you have the chance to get to know each other better.”

Leicht’s huge golden eyes glance away from the earnest blond man at his flank and lock with mine.

“What is he doing?”he asks, and there’s a note of panic in his mental voice that has me choking back a laugh.

“He’s petting you.”Gods’ turds, he really is. Coryn is petting Leicht.“And it sounds like he’s reassuring you? How long has he been here?”

“Too long,”Leicht mutters darkly, but I notice that he doesn’t move away from Coryn’s hand or do anything to scare him off.“I woke when he approached, and he’s been burbling away ever since.”

“…anyway, I realized last night how thoughtless we’ve all been, and I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. We all are. You’ve had a great loss, and now Talon’s the only person you can talk to until you get back home. So I thought I’d come and let you know that even though you can’t talk to me, I’m still here for you. I can keep you company when you’re lonely.”

Guilt slams into me like a runaway horse. I’ve been so angry about the bond being forced on me that I didn’t consider Leicht’s in exactly the same situation—only he doesn’t have Jaimin to complain to or Coryn to hug him. Though the latter seems likely to change, if it hasn’t already.

“I’m sorry for not being more considerate of your feelings.”It’s painful to say, but Leicht deserves this consideration from me. Tia loved him, and even though we may not always have got along, I owe him for what he was to her.

Not to mention that Jaimin was right yesterday. I can’t keep ignoring the bond.

A low rumble vibrates through Leicht’s body, and Coryn’s hand freezes.“Tell the precious one that his company is welcome.”He sounds reluctant.“Tia valued him. I would not hurt his… feelings.”

Stifling a grin, because I know exactly how he feels, I call softly, “Coryn?”

My stalwart guard and granter of hugs looks over his shoulder. “Talon. Good morning. Um, could you ask Leicht if he’s going to eat me or if I should keep petting him? He made this growly sound a minute ago, and I’m not sure what he’s trying to say.”

Affection wells up in me. Only Coryn would be worried about being eaten by a dragon but not move away because doing so could hurt the dragon’s feelings. Leicht is right to call him “the precious one,” and when this is all over, I’m going to find his father and brothers and hang them all by their ankles. Preferably over a chasm… or a midden.

“I could take them for a flight and accidentally drop them,”Leicht suggests, and I send him a telepathic nod of approval.

“He said your company is welcome,” I tell Coryn. “He’s not going to eat you.” To Leicht, I add,“Yes or no to the petting?”

There’s a momentary pause, and then he grudgingly replies,“It’s not painful.”

I clear my throat. “If you want to keep petting him, that’s fine. Um… what are you doing out here, exactly?” I move closer so he doesn’t have to keep straining his neck to talk to me, since he’s clearly not planning to move away from Leicht yet.

Coryn beams and returns to stroking his big hand over Leicht’s scaly hide. “I just thought I’d keep Leicht company for a while. He’s part of our team, after all, but he doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with us, and he had a big loss too.” He glances over at me. “Do you think he’d mind if I gave him a hug?”

Suddenly, there’s nothing I want more than for Tia to be here. She’d love Coryn forever for the consideration he’s showing Leicht.

“He’d like that,” I say through my too-tight throat, not even bothering to ask. I can sense his wistful agreement. “But, uh, can you… reach?” It’s not like he’s got mile-long arms, and dragons aren’t exactly human-sized.

Coryn purses his lips in consideration. “I could hug his leg,” he suggests. “I bet I can get my arms almost all the way around it.”

A sudden visual rises in my mind of my father’s favorite hunting dog humping the leg of anybody who got too close, and Ibite the inside of my cheek hard. I will not laugh. Coryn is doing a nice thing. He’s a good person. Leicht’s earned a Coryn hug. I will not laugh.

And yet, when Coryn wraps his arms around Leicht’s foreleg and rests his brow against the scales, saying, “It’s okay. You’re okay,” the last thing I want to do is laugh. Blinking away tears isn’t something I ever did a lot of until recently, and now it feels as though all the tears I never wanted to cry before are seizing their chance.

I close the distance to Leicht’s massive form and lean against his flank, where Coryn was a moment ago. I can’t quite bring myself to pet him, but I lay my hand on his scales and let his warmth seep into my skin. I’ve never touched him before. Never gotten this close. He was always a peripheral part of my life, connected to me only through Tia. We tolerated each other because of her.

Things are different now. We’re bonded, and that’s not going to change. I’d kill anyone who tried to separate us. I guess that means we not only have to learn to get along, but we also have to get used to being in each other’s space.

I have to learn to fly.

“I have never had anyone ride me save Tia,”Leicht confesses.“This won’t be easy for me either.”

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