Page 86 of The Scars Within
I whispered his name back to myself, “Lakota.”
A surge of emotion rushed through me, something both familiar and foreign. It felt like happiness, yet fear. Strength, but laced with worry. It was the same emotions I’d felt at Laney’s family home.
It felt like belonging.
My bottom lip trembled as the sensation overwhelmed me, but I quickly pulled myself back. Whatever this feeling was, I couldn’t let it unravel me. Not here. Not in front of this powerful, awe-inspiring creature.
Lakota pulled back from my touch, shifting his head towards Rhodes. My gaze flicked between the two, both silently studying each other.
The sudden sound of wings beating above us broke the moment. I glanced upward as a dragon soared into view, the silhouette cutting through the dark sky.
“That’s Noemi,” Rhodes said, his voice calm but firm.
“Is that your bonded dragon?” I asked, curiosity stirring.
“She is,” Rhodes answered.
“She is,” Lakota echoed in my mind simultaneously.
“She’s just being overprotective. As always,” Rhodes said with a slow shake of his head. There was no annoyance in his expression—just a quiet, affectionate understanding. “I will let you two have some privacy, I will be over here when you’re ready.”
I watched Rhodes walk away, my thoughts swirling, before returning to Lakota. So many questions crowded my mind, but only one managed to break free. “Why me?”
“Why not you?”
Of course. Cryptic, answering a question with a question. I sighed. “I’m nobody special. And I’ve already channeled an element. What would a dragonlike you want with someone like me? I’m not sure the War Chief will even allow me to remain at Mageia. After today’s events, you and I may be sent to The Barrens.”
Lakota’s voice filled my mind, firm yet gentle. “It’s time you stop seeing yourself as unworthy, Scarlet. You think you are but a speck of dust in this vast world, but in truth, your heart holds the power to save us all. Your strength is like a match waiting to be struck. You are not simply an elemental.”
I swallowed hard, his words pressing against the doubt I had carried for so long.
He lowered his head until his eyes were almost level with mine, his gaze piercing yet comforting. “Every battle you’ve fought, every time you’ve risen after being knocked down, has led you to this moment. I chose you, but you chose me first.”
I frowned, confusion swirling inside me as I shook my head. “But the dragon chooses the—”
“You chose me,” he interrupted, his voice steady. “You chose me every single time you decided to get back up and fight your way out of the darkness that consumed you.”
With that, Lakota turned, revealing a deep scar along the left side of his neck. Instinctively, I reached up and touched the scar on my left arm.
He raised his head and stepped back, his wings lifting as if preparing to take flight. “You chose yourself.”
And then he was gone.
Chapter 36
I knew Scarlet Thorne was hiding something from me. And yesterday’s events proved it. She isn’t just a ‘nobody’ cadet with a ‘nobody’ background like she wants everybody to believe.
I can’t believe I fell for her trap.
I revealed every bit of detail that she has shared with me to the Grim.
And he must be finally satisfied with my report because there was no note under my pillow after breakfast this morning.
I was considerate enough not to wake the girls when I returned to our dorm that night, but they didn’t offer the same courtesy this morning. I was yanked from my deep sleep by the sharp thud of a pillow repeatedly smacking against my backside.
“Stop it, Tatum. We don’t have any classes today,” I groaned, burying my face beneath my pillow.
Before I could protest further, two more pillows pelted my body.
