Page 36 of Vathia
I cock my head to the side as memories from that night with Aemon burst to the forefront of my mind and I gasp. Asquickly as I can with my face turning redder each moment I relay what he told me, about sex completing the bond. It has my chest warming that he had me right where he could have tied us together forever but didn’t.
Why am I trying so hard to keep them away? “It’s inevitable right? The bonds? There’s no way of rejecting them?”
Mel gasps, her hands flying to her mouth and chest. “There’s no way to reject what the fates have gifted you. I suspect if you even tried there would be dire consequences. But as far as I know it’s not something to be done. It would destroy a part of you.”
She’s right. Even the thought of severing whatever this is between us makes something inside me wither. Even my connection with Talyn, who seems to just be a pompous jerk. At least I know he’ll be giving me space right now. It bugs me though—he never used to be so sour, and it hurts the fledgling in me to see him become so. I wonder what happened to make him like that?
A sigh escapes me. “Okay, so I just need to talk with them and tell them I’m not ready to cement anything while I adjust to… well—everything.”
Roz jumps up with a maniacal grin on his face like he’s figured out the key to bring a plot together. “There might be more information on bonds at the Royal Library in the castle. I heard that anything worth knowing could be found within those walls.”
My flesh feels like it turns to ice at the mention of my old home. “If it’s not burned down,” I mutter looking away. But the idea of knowing more about what this is between me and the males I grew up with, who stare at me like I’m prey and want to eat me, intrigues me.
Nero finishes eating from Roz’s palm and hops back over in front of me. “I give you a week before you give in. Justremember, you say the word and if they touch you without you wanting it, I get their eyeballs.”
Genuine laughter erupts from me. Sometimes a few hours talking things over with friends and a bit of homicidal thinking from your familiar is all you need to get your head screwed on a little straighter.
I GRIP VASARI'S saddle tightly and flex my legs to hold onto her large form. The new saddle fits us so much better but I’m still struggling with staying on during the more advanced maneuvers. Roz and his blue dragon Thornwing glide up to me on my left, while Mel and Lennox soar up to me on my other side on top of Skylark and Zephyr, their gryphons.
We’re spending the afternoon flying while Ember stays behind to work on her combat training. I think she feels left out not having bonded to a creature. Her trials were to join the berserkers, fierce warriors who deal a massive amount of damage in short periods of time. Maybe I should talk to her and make sure she’s okay…
“The young warrior is fine,” Vasari adds, interrupting my thoughts. “You should be focusing on staying on my back instead of letting your thoughts wander like a rodent who sees a shiny thing in the distance,” she snaps.
Her wings flap once more then tuck in, but that’s the only warning I get before she dives and spirals, the others following suit. My cheeks flap, exposing all my teeth as the wind begins to be too much and I feel my grip slipping. I hold on with everything I have in me, but my legs let go and my hands follownot long after. A silent scream erupts from my throat as the wind steals my voice.
A clawed paw wraps around me moments later and I’m thrown back onto Vasari’s back, catching my breath. I glance over at Roz and notice him laughing while hanging out in Thornwing’s claw. At least I wasn’t the only one to fail that time.
Mel and Lennox seem to have stayed on though. Apparently it’s easier to stay on top of a gryphon than it is a dragon.
“Well, obviously. Those things are about as useless as your feathered rat,” Vasari snorts. “Again.”
We go again and again until my muscles can’t take it any longer. On the bright side, the last couple tries I managed to stay on, but that only means Vasari will try something even more difficult tomorrow. My body is bruised and hurting and all I want is a hot bath, a warm plate of dinner and my bed. Nothing sounds more amazing than that.
I dismount Vasari outside the Keep and watch as she goes and joins her mates within. She seems less crabby since Talyn’s dragon Zaddro has joined us, I think ruefully. You’d think I’d feel better about the rider being here, but he’s been making himself scarce and based on his behaviour towards me so far, I am glad about that. Sort of.
Nero soars over to me and I can’t help the smile that graces my lips. “How was hunting?” I ask as he perches on his favorite spot on my shoulder.
“I found some dead hares, and practiced some eyeball removal techniques on them before devouring their innards. It was a very productive afternoon. How was falling off the flying lizard?”
“You know if you keep calling her that, she’s going to roast you, right?” I’m blatantly ignoring his comment aboutfalling—he knows it’s an ongoing issue and it’s not going to change overnight.
He shrugs, completely unbothered.
I turn the corner and bump into a wall. “Watch where you’re going,” the wall hisses.
My head jerks back and I see none other than my elusive ‘mate’ Talyn. “Maybe it’s you who should be watching where you’re going. It takes two to bump into each other, you know.”
His perfect features sneer down at me but he doesn’t say anything. Instead he clenches his fist and storms off without another word. I have no idea what I did to make him hate me so much, but this attitude is getting on my last nerves. I know I haven’t been perfect and I’ve been moody and withdrawn, but he takes it to a whole other level.
“Oh, Little Mouse,” Jesper whispers as he approaches behind me, watching me watch Talyn’s retreating back. “He’ll come around. You know how he can be.”
“He never used to be like this with me though.” I turn to face him and sigh. “Can we talk? There’s some things I want to apologize for.”
He smirks. “You never have to apologize for anything, but of course, lead the way. I could spend every day in your presence and never be bored. So, if I get to be alone with you for whatever this is, you don’t even need to ask. Just yell and I’ll be right there. Always.”
My face heats and I mumble, “Okay, um, this way.”
He keeps pace at my side and his presence soothes me, and with Nero giving me small doses of his own healing magick, my body is starting to feel slightly better. “Maybe you should go see if the kitchen staff has anything for you to snack on,” I tell Nero. I want to be able to have this conversation without the unhinged commentary from my feathered friend.
