Page 22 of Black Wing and Shadows
"I don’t know… Growing up, my family talked about mates or Anam Cara. I didn’t take it too seriously. They said some people never find theirs. It was like a fairy tale, when your eyes meet for the first time, you will feel—"
“Electricity shooting through your body?” I finished his sentence. He lifted his eyes to meet mine. We stared at each other, letting minutes pass. I looked forward and started walking again.
“Yes. I don’t know what any of this means, but I did feel an electric current course through me the first time our eyes met. The last day you were on the mountain, I felt a pain and dread I couldn’t explain. That had to be yours, and moments later, they came in with one of your squad mates who didn’t make it.”
“This is a lot to take in…” I said. I wasn't sure how to handle this information or what it meant. Were we mates? The only genuine bond I believed in was with a dragon. I might marry and have children someday, but I never imagined someone becoming a part of my soul, someone I was truly meant to be with. I didn’t even know him, yet I felt a strong desire to. After nearly dying, I didn’t think I should be making any choices.
“I am tired, can we go back to my room?”
“Of course,” he said.
We started walking back to the room, and something lingered on my mind, why didn’t they save me up there? What did Pascal mean?
“Why didn’t they take me off the mountain like Callum or the guy with his legs blown off?”
“Policy states they only remove cadets who have died, neither survived. It’s sadistic. If I wouldn’t have been kicked off this campus or charged with treason, I would have gone up there myself.”
“I think Pascal told me I couldn’t die and something about my dad…”
He shot his head my way, staring at me, confusion in his eyes. “Hmm, interesting. What do you think he meant?”
“I have no clue.” I mean I had an idea, but I don’t know. I was confused, maybe he didn’t really say that.
We made it back to my room, and I got into my bed. Zane sat in the chair next to me, just as he had been when I woke up that morning. I raised an eyebrow at him, saying, “I know you say we may be mates or Anam Cara or whatever you want to call it, but that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to me or to babysit me.”
“I want to. Plus, there are tremendously few Healers in the infirmary and many other injured cadets.”
I simply nodded at him because I had no energy to argue. Exhausted in body and mind, I closed my eyes and slipped into a restless sleep. I dreamt of losing Callum once more, which caused me to toss and turn throughout the night.
***
The next morning came sooner than I expected. Zane slept soundly in the chair beside me, his messy, tousled hair framing his handsome face. I felt a strong pull toward him. I didn’t believe our destiny influenced it, or at least I didn’t think so. I wasn’t sure what to think—being destined to be together didn’t mean we had to be. I was only twenty years old, with four years of college and training still ahead of me. As a Rider, I knew I had to commit to the military as long as my dragon lived, assuming I bonded with a dragon.
Zane’s eyes opened, and he jolted slightly. “Good morning.”
“Morning, don’t you have cadet stuff to do?”
“Nope, I’m on summer leave. I’m rotating through the watch towers in exchange for staying here instead of leaving. Otherwise, I’m free to do as I please. Would you like me to go?”
“No, I didn’t say that. Sorry, I’m just confused.”
“Anything I can clarify?”
“I don’t know. What branch are you in?”
“I’m a Drusearon Warrior. I don’t like to call it a branch.”
My eyes probably showed everything I thought—the fear that overwhelmed me.
“Does that change things?”
“I um…um. I have some biases I haven’t fully sorted out. You’ve been amazing to me, so I’m just trying to separate the two.”
“I see. I’m sorry for whatever happened to you. I promise I’ll never hurt you.”
“So, you have wings? But I haven’t seen them?”
“Yes, I use magic to hide them.”
