Page 36 of Dragon Valley
“It’s fine, really,” she protested with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her eyes refused to meet mine. “You cut a bunch of them down yourself. Dus and I barely exerted ourselves. I don’t think I’d be comfortable with all that attention anyway.”
“Wait, where is Dusa?”
Her green eyes flickered up to mine for half a moment before looking away again. “I told her to fly away for a few days. The people think she means the end of the world or something, so I figured it’s best she’s not around to scare them. Not until they’re used to us.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” I admitted, though my heart ached for her. In my brief time in Dragon Valley, I saw just how deeply the bond ran with Riders and their dragons. Nadi and Dusa were not only best friends but like siblings. Being apart from each other had to be difficult.
She nodded her agreement, her lips tight and tense with her gaze resting at my chin. How I yearned to make those lips part, to soften them with my own mouth.
“She understands. I think it’ll be good for her to feel wild and free for a short while.”
“We’ll make them come around,” I promised, bringing my hands to her shoulders. “You’ll see.”
“I hope so,” she said, stepping out of my reach and moving toward the door.
My hands fell limply to my sides. Her distance stung. Combined with her refusing to look at me, rejection slashed through my chest like a blade.
“Enjoy your bath, Caden. I’ll see you later for dinner.”
Like a shadow, she quickly slipped through the door and closed it behind her.
14
NADIYAH
I never felt so lonely surroundedby so many people.
The walls and ceiling of the inn creaked all around me, sometimes accompanied by a muffled sigh or moan. I couldn’t look at Caden all evening without picturing him naked and aroused, surrounded by those three inn girls. Did he invite them back to his room after I left? I didn’t want to to think about that.
And yet I stared at the exposed beams in the ceiling of my room, listening to the creaks and sighs of the building while thinking of nothing else.
Many more women showered him with praise and attention at the dinner feast. Jealousy burned through me every time one would sit in his lap or brush her mouth against his ear. They clung to him like hatchling dragons on trees, begging for more stories of his bravery.
Hardly anyone spared me a glance, not that I wanted any.
Sitting there, picking at my food, I was painfully reminded of how different he and I were. This was familiar to him. He felt right at home among these people. I could see it in how he smiled at the women and laughed with the men. Whenever he tried to catch my eye, I focused entirely on my food and drink. I didn’t want to ruin his fun. This was his place and not mine.
I missed Dusa’s big, scaly presence fiercely. She was my only connection to home in this foreign place. I could still feel her emotional state even with a greater distance between us. Right then she was happily feasting on something herself.
For the hundredth time, I flipped over on the lumpy, unfamiliar mattress. A dull ache pulsed in my core stronger than ever. It came the moment Caden stood up in that tub. The need to feel that long, thick shaft inside me possessed my body like a vengeful spirit had taken hold. The rivulets of water dripping down the hard edges of his body did nothing to help.
And this greedy ache for him only made the loneliness worse.
I had half a mind to sneak out of the inn, find Dusa and fly back home. Sleeping a few feet away from where Caden was likely enjoying three women was nearly unbearable. I never imagined that this would happen, nor that it would hurt so much.
My feet touched the floor and I began pulling clothes on before I could think anymore. Maybe I wouldn’t run away yet but I sure wasn’t sleeping. A walk might help to clear my head.
I just slid one boot on and was about to pull on the other when a hesitant knock came to my door.
“Nadi?”
I froze. Even my heart stopped. What was he doing here?
“Nadi, are you awake?”
I rose from bed and went to the door, feeling more unsure of myself now than at any point in my rigorous Rider training. With a slow turn of the knob, I pulled it open just a few inches.
Caden’s sky-blue eye peered at me through the crack.
