Page 44 of A Witch and Her Dragon
“Thank you for visiting us,” Soraya says. “It was quite a treat, Your Highness.” She dips her head to me, then looks to her son. “And it wasn’t so bad seeing you either.” She pulls him in for a hug and plants a kiss on his cheek, then steps back.
“The pleasure was mine,” I say. “And I do hope to visit again.”
“You’re welcome anytime.” Her eyes—one milky, one brown—flick to Raelan, and something unspoken passes between them, though I can’t say what it is. Perhaps something having to do with their whispered conversation this afternoon. I’d like to know what it was, but it’s none of my business—and besides, I probably couldn’t pull it from Raelan even if I tried.
We bid goodbye to his mother, then descend the steps from the apartment back to the cobbled walkway below. Our boots clip along the stone, accompanied by the light sounds of conversation as we move through Wysteria. A breeze sends a few colorful leaves skittering across the road, and I draw my arms around myself to ward off the chill.
“Thank you,” I say as we start back in the direction of the academy. “For letting me meet them.”
Raelan makes a small sound in his throat but otherwise doesn’t respond.
My eyes flick to him, and I find that he’s wearing his mask again, a slight furrow in his brow.
Treading carefully, my curiosity getting the better of me, I ask, “Your mother... What happened?”
I noticed right away the scars running down the length of her face, right over her milky-white eye.
A moment of quiet passes between us. I’m not so sure he’s going to respond—and I’d understand. This really is none of my business.
Eventually, Raelan lets out a small breath. “My father did it. On accident. It was years ago, and he left right afterward. I think he was afraid to hurt us.” His dark eyes meet mine. His gaze is sharp. “It’s why I wear this chain. Why I have to be careful.”
I picture the beast that burst from his skin, bigger than any living creature I’ve ever seen. It—he—could have swallowed me in one gulp or shredded me into thin ribbons with his glistening fangs.
I should be afraid—it’s the most logical response to something so intimidatingly powerful. But when I trace Raelan’s face with my eyes, take in the wounds still marring his neck, I can’t bring myself to fear him.
Perhaps something is the matter with me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
He looks away again, leaving me to ponder his words.
I suppose I never stopped to wonder which of his parents was the dragon shifter, who gave him the magic that runs through his veins.
“What of your sisters? Do they have . . . ?”
“No.” The word is clipped. “Thank the deities.” At his sides, his fingers curl into fists. His brow crinkles further.
“Are you . . . upset?” I ask.
My hope is that he’ll quickly deny it, but he doesn’t. Instead, he takes a deep breath through his nose, then lets it out in a sigh.
“You’re making this difficult, Alina.”
His use of my name makes my heart patter pleasantly. Despite me having asked him to use it instead of my title, he rarely does. “What do you mean?”
When his eyes meet mine, they’re dark. “You know what I mean. This”—he gestures between us with one quick movement—“can’t happen. We both know it. Why make things harder than they need to be?”
The pleasant thrumming of my heart shifts abruptly, turning hot with anger. “Why can’t it happen?” I ask, halting on the sidewalk. The people walking behind us have to shift to flow around. Raelan takes me gently by the elbow and escorts me into the mouth of a narrow alleyway, out of the way of passersby. He glances around before replying.
“You know why.”
His cold tone has me gripping the edge of my cloak, clinging to it to keep grounded. I remind myself of his scream, the way his body trembled. Hispain.
But then we kissed last night. So why, now, is he acting so distant again? He’s making me dizzy.
“Please elaborate,” I say, trying to keep my anger and hurt at bay.
Raelan’s jaw flexes, his eyes sharpening as he looks down at me. “Because you’re the princess, and I’m just your guard. In no world are we allowed to be together. Wishing for it will do no good. It’ll hurt us both.”
