Page 27 of Dragon Valley
He turned to me with a devious smirk. “Oh, you’re not getting away that easy, miss Nadi. Especially not now.”
“What do you mean?” I asked defensively.
He cocked his head toward Dusa. “Both of us can ride. That means I’m going with you.”
I opened my mouth to argue but no words came out. Honestly, I was overjoyed. I didn’t really want to be out there alone in a strange world, and couldn’t imagine anyone better to keep me company. And that scared me.
His calm, practical mind would keep me grounded and rein in my temper if things got hairy. But with no one out there to keep up appearances for, what would happen to our relationship? The thought excited and frightened me. I couldn’t deny the feelings for him blooming inside me, and traveling together would provide ample opportunity for those tiny blooms to grow into a jungle.
But we would have to return to Dragon Valley eventually. And if Azel was back by then, it would only make things more complicated.
“Doesn’t Captain Aron need you?” I asked.
“He has other lieutenants,” Caden shrugged. “I’ll let him know of our mission of course, but I don’t see him ordering me to stay. All we’re doing here is recuperating and planning our next move. They’ll still be here when we get back and he’ll fill me in.”
I nodded slowly as I turned to the opposite end of the cliff, the side overlooking the valley and the dense, wild forest that spread out into the frozen north.
Azel was in there somewhere. Was he looking up, letting that moonlight shine on his face like he did so many times before? Could he be looking in the general direction of this cliff now?
If he were here he’d be reassuring me, propping me up and telling me not to worry. My chest ached for him. I needed that now. As warm and comforting as Caden was, he didn’t know me from birth. We had a bond forming, I could feel it in my soul, but it was still new. The feelings growing between us were soft, moldable and fragile as a sapling. Not yet strong and unbreakable like what I had with Azel.
Caden’s heavy footsteps came up behind me with a gentleness that was uniquely him. His warm palm cupped the nape of my neck again, this time accompanied by a gentle massage with his fingertips.
“He’ll come back to you.” His voice was soft but filled with assuredness and determination at the same time. He said it like an unquestionable truth but he didn’t know what I knew. He didn’t hear the wails from mothers of neighboring clans when their sons never returned home. Until I saw Azel coming home with my own eyes, I always had to question it.
“How do you know?” I asked.
His fingers stopped moving on my neck before answering.
“Because you are worth every minute he’s spending out there. You are worth coming back to.”
11
NADIYAH
The chief wantedto speak to me before Caden and I left for our mission.
We spent another three days preparing food and supplies for our journey, then planned out a route by cross-referencing several maps.
Azaria informed me by flying into the army encampment, although her dragon never touched the ground. She remained hovering with a curled lip of disgust, as if touching the same ground as the soldiers was beneath her.
“The Chief wants to see you,” she said curtly, the first words she spoke to me in over a week. Her eyes darted around at the soldiers stopping to stare at her dragon. They’d gotten used to Dusa’s presence in the camp and no longer held the same fear, only awe and fascination.
“I’ll be right over,” I said, not looking up from my map although my stomach dropped. I’d been avoiding the inevitable and here it was to bite me in the ass.
“I suggest you don’t make him wait this time,” she added with a snide tone. “If you still want to be a Rider when you return from your little adventure.”
That made me look up and shoot her the dirtiest look I could muster. For days I’d been wondering if I should apologize, or if she would be willing to if I initiated contact again. But no, all my guilt and longing for renewing our relationship evaporated in that moment. First she accused me of being inappropriate for just talking to someone, now she was threatening my position in the clan?
“I told you I’d be right over,” I said through gritted teeth.
A smirk twitched on her lips as her dragon ascended and she flew off, satisfied that she’d gotten under my skin after all.
“Damn it!” I released my clenched fist under the table.
Across the campfire, Dusa lifted her head and let out a series of protective growls and grunts. I rolled up my map and reluctantly made my way over to her, only to be assaulted by an aggressive dragon headbutt to my chest.
“I know, girl,” I said, leaning my forehead on hers. Waves of sympathy came from her and wrapped around me like a hug. “She turned into a bitch overnight for no reason. But we’ve got to get this over with.”
