Page 124 of Of Blood and Banes
Days after Corvin’s death, we arrive at the base of the massive Serahaven mountains.
“Is…there supposed to be a castle here?” Archie asks beside me, leaning heavily from one side to the next like he might be able to peek around the mountainous terrain in front of us.
“It’s on the other side of these mountains,” Sethan grumbles.
Melaina tosses Sethan a look, warning him to mind his attitude.
Archie nods. “Right…right.”
“Considering the majority of us haven’t seen a map, I think it’s a fair question,” Cole levels at Sethan. He’s been spending a lot of time with Archie as of late, especially during the travel days. It warms my heart to know they get along so well. How Cole always looks after him.
Sethan ignores Cole’s stern look. “Us dragon riders will scout the perimeters, just to make sure there are no rebels and the castle grounds are clear.” He looks at me. “You and Daeja will stay in the middle of the formation, just in case.”
I nod, and as the rest of the group moves to mount their dragons, I turn to Daeja. A set of footsteps behind me catches my attention as I braid my hair back for the flight. Cole strolls toward me. His auburn hair swept back from his rugged, handsome face. As soon as our eyes collide, my heart skips a beat.
I’ve been so wrapped up in training and my own guilt, I can’t recall more than a few words exchanged between us. The only times I’ve seen him have been in passing, at dinners from across the tables, or the times he checks all my buckles and hooks to make sure it’s safe before I take off. Except normally I’m already in the seat. Buckled in and ready. Where we only take it as far as a casual nod and ‘thank you.’
How heavy it hits me, knowing it’s easily something out of the norm we’ve created between us over the last several years. The distance just…doesn’t feel right.
He stops a few steps away from me. His fingers twitch nervously at his sides. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I breathe. I motion up to the saddle. “I can…umm…get up there, first. If?—”
“I wanted to see you.”
My hand drops to my side, my jaw relaxing as I glance back at him. Daeja takes a few steps to turn her body to block Cole and me from the rest of the groups.
He tilts his head partly to the side. “I...I wanted to come check in on you after the Forbidden Forest. I just wasn’t sure if I’d be the one you wanted to see. I wanted to give you space, if you needed it from me.”
I swallow. Stuck in his gaze. Unsure if the space between us feels uncomfortable because it’s new and something I have to get used to or if it’s because it’s unnatural. Like trying to drift upstream. And I can’t tell if I’m doing it as a defense mechanism, or if I actually, truly want it like this between us.
“Are you alright?” he whispers.
“I mean…alright as I’ll ever be, I suppose…”
“I miss you…” he breathes. So softly, I almost wonder if I hallucinated it. So genuine, it breaks my heart when it drifts off into the void between us.
Gods, I miss him, too.
Before I can respond, he shakes his head and says louder, “Can I, umm…show you something?”
After I nod, we both stroll over to Daeja. He rests a hand on her scales near the strap wrapped around her ribs. He inches his fingers to try and slide them underneath the belt, but it won’t budge.
“I need to loosen these,” he says quietly.
“Loosen?”Daeja turns her head to puff at him.
He wraps his hand over the back of mine and traces it up the strap. My finger dips with each hole we pass. Until we get to themetal prong slipped through the second to last one. He gives me a quiet look.
She’s getting bigger. And fast.
He drops my hand to loosen the strap and slide it to the last hole, tossing me a glance.
I nod. She’s about to outgrow this saddle, and who knows how and when I’ll be able to get a bigger one. But we can’t stop our journey to Vitalis now. Not when we’re so close.
Daeja turns her head to snort at us.“What? Why are you two so quiet?”
I clear my throat, looking for the next thing to divert attention. “Sethan isn’t the only one who knows about our past now. I told Melaina and Archie. And Marge has known for some time, too.”
