Page 28 of The Fire Dragon's Mate
We were sailing without any lights lit to maintain ourstealth—something Hagen had said was dangerous but necessary. Were those pursuing us doing the same?
Warfield sighed and shook his head. “All we can do is keep going.”
He took Eglantine and I through releasing an additional sail that, when we let it free, seemed to propel the ship even faster. Hopefully, it would allow us to make Xanthous well before the other ship got close enough to fire on us.
“We won’t be able to take this ship back home,” Warfield said, a frown pulling down his rugged features.
“We won’t?” I thought about it for a second and realized he was right. Docking alone might give us away to those working the shore, but with the other ship following us, they would probably lock this one down upon their arrival. “Maybe Cighyss will be able to shift and fly us all home.”
Even in the darkness, I could still see his sympathetic expression as he briefly rubbed a hand on my back. “He’s hurt, Declan. Nothing else would keep him away.”
My heart squeezed to have him say aloud what I’d been trying not to even think. I tucked my arms around myself and hung my head, offering a silent prayer that Cighyss could hold on.
“We won’t need a ship this size to return,” Warfield went on, “so we might be able to take one from a merchant who won’t resist much.”
Someone who’d give up rather than fight to the death. I hoped that would be the case.
Hours later, as the sun rose, we confirmed the terrible truth that there was a ship following us. According to Warfield, it would make Xanthous several hours behind us. Though we’d already been planning to move as fast as possible to find Cighyss, free him, and escape again, now it seemedlike we would have to do everything even faster. We might have to fight guardsmen or townspeople into the city and out again.
As Warfield, Eglantine, and I found hammocks to bed down in below, I desperately tried not to give in to despair. Our mission sounded so impossible when I considered everything we had to do. How could we possibly succeed?
And then Warfield asked Hagen to help him get to sleep, and I watched Hagen get on his knees to suck Warfield off. Two princes offering and receiving pleasure without shame. That reminded me of why everything we did mattered so much—all of us just wanted to live our lives free of judgement and fear, while surrounded by love and acceptance.
I closed my eyes and pleasured myself while I listened to them moan and slurp their ways to completion. I thought of Cighyss. The way his devilish eyes would twinkle as he watched me try not to come too soon. How he would bite his lip when I did something particularly pleasurable to him. And the fact that I was the only one to have ever loved him in his full dragon form.
Breathlessly, I came and sent my thoughts of love out into the world with the hope that he could feel how much I needed to reclaim him.
Twelve
RESCUING A DRAGON
“Declan, wake up.”
I startled so hard, I nearly capsized my borrowed hammock. Phineas stood over me, and I saw Warfield and Eglantine were already up and heading for the stairs. Stairs that were flooded with daylight.
“Is something wrong?” I asked as I swung myself free and stood beside him.
“We caught a strong wind and have made it to Xanthous half a day earlier than we ought to have done.” But he sounded tense and kept glancing at the stairs like he expected something bad to come down them.
“How close is the other ship?” Because if we’d caught the wind, then so had they.
He looked me in the eye and nodded. “Minutes behind us.”
I grabbed up my weapons and ran up onto the deck.
The docks loomed ahead, the water deep enough here for us to sail right up. While Hagen got us into position, everyone else was scrambling to bring the sails down and ready the ropes. There didn’t seem to be a great many people at the dock for the moment, but those present were leaning their heads togetherand staring at us as they talked. Realizing something was wrong? That we didn’t have enough crew?
And then a cannon went off, the ball slamming into the dock ahead of us.
I ducked on instinct only to turn around immediately to find that another ship was coming in fast. Someone on the bow was aiming a small cannon right at us. If they didn’t slow down, they were going to ram us before they ever got another shot off.
Hagen’s voice rang out, “Abandon ship!”
We all ran for the dock side of the ship. Phineas threw the gangplank into position, and several went down it, but then the other ship suddenly struck us. Eglantine had to throw herself from the end of the plank onto the dock. I held onto the ship’s rail so I didn’t hit the deck, but then my only option was to hurl myself over the side. Thankfully, there was a stack of crates that shortened my fall and then acted like a set of enormous stairs.
I finally stood on the dock with my heart hammering from the exertion, the threat, and now from the attention of literally everyone on the dock with us.
“Stop them!” someone hollered from the other ship.
