Page 46 of Dragon's Revenge

He sat up straight, gasping at the sheer pain Erwan had sent through their bond. What the hell had happened?

Somehow, he knew it wasn’t Erwan himself. That didn’t mean it wasn’t serious. Erwan’s emotions were so strong that it had to be. Had someone gotten hurt? Someone in the pack or the clan?

Fuck, Rhene wished he had a way to communicate. He’d never felt more powerless than he did now, unable to do anything for his mate except send his love through their bond. Which he did, but it wasn’t enough. He needed to be there. Erwan needed him.

Too restless to stay in bed, he got up, pacing his room. He had to find a way to get out of there. After initially trying every door and window and finding nothing but magical shields, he’d given up on the idea of escaping. Physical barriers one could break, either with raw power or with the help of the laws of physics. But magical barriers? Rhene stood no chance as a wolf. He didn’t have that kind of magic.

Moreover, he hadn’t been in a hurry to get away anymore, which—now that he thought about it—was strange. Why had his desire to escape fizzled out? How had he resigned himself to his fate so quickly and easily? Had Duff somehow influenced him with his magic like Nadiv could?

It could be an explanation, yet something about it didn’t sit right with Rhene. He hadn’t felt even a whiff of magical power from Duff.

Wait.

He came to a sudden stop. Who had placed the magical shields on the doors and windows? Duff was a human, not a dragon. He had no magic, right? So how had he managed to place those protective spells? He had to have had help from someone, someone who did have magic…like a dragon.

But who? Who would be stupid enough to help a dragon slayer? No dragon in his right mind would ever aid the man determined to take them all down. Or…

Rhene frowned. Cladhaire or Baoth? They were certainly evil enough to do it, but when would they have had the opportunity? They’d had no clue Duff would manage to catch Rhene and hold him hostage. Or had they hung around after the Council and Duff contacted them once he’d captured Rhene? Not outside the realm of possibility.

But if what held him prisoner was dragon magic, that meant it was familiar magic. Inferior magic compared to what he’d seen from his mate’s clan. Combined, they had beaten every spell raised against them, had held back every magical weapon yielded, had stopped every attack. So why was he unable to counter this magic? He’d tried everything, but somehow, he couldn’t access his mate’s power or that of the clan or even Lidon.

The door to his room opened, startling Rhene. “What are you doing?” Duff asked.

The guy was dressed in pajamas and looked worryingly human, almost fragile. Yet Rhene had somehow never even considered attacking him. Surely he’d be able to overpower him, so why hadn’t he even tried?

“Something’s wrong back home.”

Duff frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Something has happened. Something bad. I can feel Erwan’s pain and distress.”

Duff’s frown only intensified. “Feel his stress? How?”

“I told you. We’re fated mates. I can sense his emotions.”

Duff’s mouth dropped open before he caught himself. “You’re kidding me.”

“I would never joke about something so profound, trust me. He and I are connected on a level I can’t even explain, like our souls have melted and become one.”

“That makes no sense to me at all.”

Rhene huffed. “Of course it doesn’t make sense. It’s not meant to. It’s something magical, something outside of our own power. We can’t control it or even attempt to influence it. It justis, like a gift from the moon and the earth.”

Duff stared at him for a long time. “You actually believe that.”

“Haven’t you noticed how shitty I look? It’s because I’m separated from my mate. We won’t survive this for very long.”

Duff’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t… Yeah, I saw you weren’t doing well, but I figured you were homesick.”

“It’s way beyond that. My life is linked to his, and we need each other on a level that’s impossible to explain. Being apart from him feels like I’m ripped in half. Inside me, there’s this big, Erwan-shaped hole that hurts like a bitch.”

“I’ve never heard of this. Well, not outside of old legends.”

“Trust me, there’s nothing old or legendary about this. It’s real and it hurts.”

Duff scratched his head. “And you say the moon does this?”

“The moon, the earth, I don’t fucking know. But it’s real and it’s powerful.”

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