Sang
I clenched my fists so tightly they shook at my sides. I despised that Gideon had to prove himself to these dragons during some initiation act. If he got seriously hurt because of them, I didn't know what I'd do. Most likely retaliate, but there wasn't much damage someone like me could do when facing eight dragons and their eight riders.
That certainly wouldn't stop me from trying, though.
After the enraged shriek pierced my ears, I shoved my own mind into Gideon's for the first time. I needed to see what was going on up there. He had sent me mental pictures himself, but I never did it against his will.
The feeling was unlike anything I'd ever felt. It was like I was half asleep and was teetering on the edge of consciousness, floating aimlessly into his. I was fully aware of my own body and surroundings, but I was also stuck in a dream like state—except it felt entirely too real to be a dream. His thoughts slithered into my own until our minds fused together and became one. Turn left, dip down—.
A blaze of fire skimmed Gideon's right flank and I felt his fury rising up with my own. He flew over the top of the clouds, his knife-like talons barely skimming over the fluffy white surface until he did a nose-dive straight down the center and tumbled through a flip, ending up directly behind Rivka.
The female dragon let out another screech as fire erupted from Gideon's gaping maw, catching her tail. His chest puffed in arrogance at her pain filled yelp. He was the last born Tenebrous, he wasn't capable—he was all-powerful. Once he grew to full size, he'd be unstoppable, unforgiving—.
He crashed into her from behind and North made a feral sound deep in his throat. My hands clenched tighter as the two began falling toward the ground, both clawing and fighting for the other to submit. At last, Gideon's teeth clamped over her throat as they rapidly descended. When Rivka didn't make a move to retaliate, we knew.
She submitted.
So he let go and gracefully folded out his wings and sloped toward the ground. When his talons finally pressed into the grass, I pulled out from his vision and fully returned to mine. Other than North's heavy breathing, the area was silent.
I let out a low whistle when North turned his glower on me. Man, was he pissed. But so was I. That was why I met his glare head on with not one ounce of fear or guilt. His dragon deserved every bit of what Gideon gave her.
When I didn't relent, North stormed off to Rivka and began fussing over the little amount of injuries she attained.
My attention moved to Gideon and I saw multiple slash marks leaking blood, covering the areas of his body that weren't protected by scales. According to his feelings filtering through the bond, he wasn't in any amount of pain, just tired.
"I think that's enough for now," I said through the bond as I led a wary eye over Saxon—Owen's dragon. It sounded like a good idea to me, but based off of his answering snarl, I would say he was anything but agreeing. I didn't know how much more I could take before I flew into protective mode. His calmness was the only thing keeping me sane.
"No," He rumbled with his tail flicking in irritation.
"You're tired and I don't see this going anywhere good."
His eyes narrowed on me. "He's different. Battle of wills. Not skill."
What was that supposed to mean? My foot tapped the ground in an unsteady rhythm as my nervousness began to show. It was clear to me that Saxon was the dominant one of the bunch after I observed the dragons acting as a unit. He was much like his rider in that aspect. Actually, once I thought about it, they all seemed to compare greatly to their riders, especially North and Rivka.
Although he hadn't acted out, I just knew the surly rider had a tremendous temper on him.
Why were Gideon and I so different? We didn't share the same personality like the others. I wasn't as dark minded and sinister as him, and I didn't wish to kill or maim anyone. Did that mean we weren't compatible? Was this bond...this dragon and rider relationship, doomed from the beginning?
"No, Little One."
"But—"
"No."
The sheer determination and confidence in his voice made me pause. We really needed to figure this out. We needed to learn our dynamics and all about how we would work as a team. He couldn't have someone who would boss him around and use him only as a weapon, he needed trust, and I couldn't have a dragon running around constantly causing mayhem. We needed to find a balance.
"Soon," he said dismissively as he walked toward Saxon with all elegance and grace. Every move he made was carefully calculated and looked admittedly feline. I clamped my lips tightly together to fight off a grin when I felt how insulted he was by that straying thought.
"Who do you think will win?" Luke asked as he studied the two dragons facing off with each other.
"I don't know..." And I really didn't. With how young Gideon was, I didn't even think he'd make it this far. It wasn't that I hadn't believed in him, it was that he had all the odds stacked against him.
"I'm sorry, Princess, but my coin is on Saxon this time."
I raised an eyebrow and studiously ignored the way my cheeks felt warmer. "Princess?"
Victor's cheeks tinted in response, but he played it off with a shrug. "You remind me of a princess."
I gave him a small smile as my metaphorical walls crumpled down a little further.
"Here it goes!" Luke whisper-shouted as he rubbed his hands together eagerly. His excitement was beginning to rub off on me as well, so naturally, my mind started to hum in nervous, animated energy.
"Oy! Don't get her excited," Gabriel exclaimed from beside Luke. "This part sucks ass."
"Why?" I asked. He had such a colorful vocabulary.
"Because Saxon—the pompous bastard—won't want to get his precious scales dirty," he said with a derisive scoff.
I turned my face so Owen wouldn't be able to see my grin, then switched my attention to the two dragons. Gideon was right, this time it was different. To someone who didn't pay much attention to detail, it would seem like one big staring contest, but it was far more complex than that. They were focused entirely on one another and nothing else around them.
Both pairs of eyes seemed to be searching for something that I couldn't even begin to decipher. They didn't need violence to show who was stronger, this was about willpower and something soul-deep. I was in awe.
Although the other riders seemed to be uninterested with the entire display, I knew that they were just as anxious about the upcoming results as I was.
I thought about slipping into Gideon's mind but I was too worried about the possibility of distracting him. I wouldn't take this away from him when he felt so strongly about proving himself, so I'd give him that when there wasn't much else I could give him as a rider. He could have been paired with someone far stronger than me, but his soul chose mine.
After what felt like an eternity, Saxon's body tensed tightly, much like a bow getting ready to shoot down its prey. Gideon's did the same. His piercing and prominent blue eyes narrowed, displaying a stark contrast to his shaded figure.
We all held our breaths as we prepared ourselves for the outcome.
Finally, Gideon bowed his head...but so did Saxon.
My eyebrows slammed together in confusion when several sharp intakes of breaths could be heard from the others. Other than that, it was dead silent. The expressionless mask Owen had worn since the moment I met him slipped right off his face as complete shock took over. Silas began to muttering foreign words to North with his own look of wonderment.
"They sure do love the dramatics don't they Gideon? What has their skivvies in a twist?"
"What is skivvies?"
"They're—never mind," I stopped myself with a sigh. I was not going to explain underclothing to him.
"Do you understand what just happened Sang?" Victor asked as he straightened out his white button-up shirt.
My lips twisted. "They submitted to each other. Neither of the two are more dominant than the other."
"That's true," Kota cut in softly. "But it's more than that."
I gave him a questioning glance while motioning for him to continue.
"They didn't just submit to each other, they came to an agreement of sorts. Dragons are commanding creatures with assertive personalities. Rarely do they ever just give up so easily, especially when they're so closely compared in mental capacity like Saxon and Gideon. Dragons never stop pushing their will onto their own kind, they demand those who are less predominant than them to be in submission."
I nodded slowly, not exactly getting where he was going with this. "Okay..."
"You need to remember that she didn't grow up like us, Kota," Sean helpfully reminded him.
Kota took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with the edge of his shirt as he gathered his words. "What I'm trying to say is that they have formed a bond. Neither of the two are more dominant which means that they won't be separated by the fundamentals of their intellect. Although all of our dragons are close, they will always struggle with needing to be first, and that puts a giant rift between them. It's in their nature."
"So what your saying is Gideon and Saxon are close companions now?"
Gideon made a scoffing noise in my head while his indignation flared up. Victor, Nathan, and Silas all chuckled, and Owen's lips twitched.
"Exactly," Luke said in pretend seriousness. I found myself giggling underneath my breath, causing him to beam at me. This was unreal.
I hummed. "That's... interesting."
Will this make things even more complicated? Owen seemed to be someone who needed to be in control. What if this made him more inclined to get rid of Gideon? The whole reason Gideon's kind was hunted down in the first place was because they were too powerful in the eyes of those paranoid fools. Now Gideon—a half grown dragon—had to go make a fully matured dragon compromise. If that didn't scream powerful, then I didn't know what did.
"What happens now?" I asked.
Kota stared. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you found us, but we're not leaving Zalfari," I stated firmly. I refused to put Gideon in danger by allowing them to bring us back to wherever they came from. "It's not safe for us. Once you guys go blabbing about his existence, we're dead. Hunters from all over will be coming after him and I won't let that happen."
"Bullshit," North growled as his arms folded over his chest. Silas stood silently beside him, looking in agreement with his brother. "You're coming with us, even if I have to drag you back myself."
"He can try," Gideon's chilling voice echoed in my head. I went to stand next to him, needing his comfort.
"We'll be gone before you even get the chance."
"Want to bet?" He scowled. I scowled back.
"As entertaining as this is North, please refrain from using the intimidation act," Owen ordered. "We're not going to worry about this right now. Even if we were, Gideon isn't matured enough to fly with you. I would guess that it could take about another week or two until he'll be able to handle it. That should give us plenty of time to figure this all out."
Gabriel made a noise. "There's nothing to figure out. The Academy has wards to keep those motherfuckers out, but we're exposed here."
Academy?
"Language, Gabriel. We can keep an eye out on things while we wait," Owen replied levelly.
My irritation spiked. I knew exactly what they weren't saying. Sure, they wanted to look out for danger, but I also knew that they wanted to observe Gideon and I to make sure we didn't go all power hungry and plot to destroy the kingdoms or something ridiculous like that.
"Kill now?"
My lips pressed into a hard line as I stared down each and every one of them.
"I don't care who you think you are, Gideon is not to be treated like some test subject. I have a life here, and his life is here with me, in Zalfari. Do what you have to from here on out, but I'm warning you now, leave me and Gideon out of it." I regretted the harshness of my words when I saw the hurt and disappointment flicker through their eyes, but it was for the best. I needed to protect Gideon. He was my life now.
"Little one is my life, too."
I turned and stalked away with my dragon following closely behind.