The soft ground muffled the sounds of the horse's hooves as they struck the path. The poor beasts were exhausted, but they still had another day of hard riding ahead of them before they reached Draco's castle. They'd been on the road for nearly three days, and they were all irritable.
Skylar glanced over at Orion who had treated her colder than she liked. He wasn't rude, nor less affectionate, but she felt like he was holding back from her. He didn't want to risk their lives to save Jonathan, not in the slightest, but she had made him. She didn't insist that he go with her, in fact she tried to talk him out of it, but Orion wasn't about to let her out of his sight.
There was also the matter of Ashley, who had agreed to get them into the castle if Hal spared her life. She was a constant presence, so they couldn't talk without her hearing, and she didn't know they were dragons. Because of that they couldn't shift, which Skylar felt would help ease some of the tension between her and Orion. Especially Orion, who wasn't used to being cooped up in a castle where he couldn't shift at all. Her dragon understood the importance of their discretion, even if she hated it more than anything.
Olly hadn't joined them, even though he desperately wanted to. Orion told him to stay with the king and queen to plan for Draco's attack. He and whoever volunteered to help the dragons would leave today to head for the Western Clan to prepare for the inevitable fight. Skylar was not optimistic that they would have a lot of takers. She could only hope that they were loyal enough to Jonathan that Draco's acts against him would be enough to blind them to the fact they would be fighting alongside dragons. She also tried not to think about the size of Draco's armies. They would be fighting against the dragons, so there would be no shortage of men. Draco put a lot of time and energy into building his army, and the last she'd heard they were 75,000 strong. The Western Clan had only about 40 fighting dragons. If Kellan and Penelope rallied their clan, Orion told her that would only add another 60 or so dragons, and none of them would feel obligated to fight. Less than 100 dragons against 75,000 men weren't the best of odds, even if they were dragons. Not when Draco was specialized in fighting dragons and he had the powerful weapons and men who were skilled in using them.
She looked over at Ashley, Draco's personal maid. She was shy, would hardly meet Skylar's eye and wouldn't even look at Orion. She had been nearly silent during their ride, and Skylar guessed she wanted to draw as little attention to herself as possible.
"Thank you for agreeing to help us," Skylar broke the silence. Ashley's head lifted in surprise and her gaze dropped as soon as she met Skylar's.
"I have to try and make this right," she said softly. "I didn't know that's what he did to those poor men. If I can help save one of them, of course I'll do it."
Skylar smiled at her bravery. She was willing to work against Draco, even though she knew what he was capable of. Skylar appreciated her more than she could possibly realize; there was no way they would be able to sneak into Draco's fortress without someone who knew the castle as well as a servant.
Hal, of course, hadn't wanted to let the maid go. When Skylar brought up the idea of asking for her help, Hal had looked at her like she had grown a second head. He didn't trust her, he no longer trusted anyone associated with the other king, but Ashley had insisted she meant them no harm. Apparently Draco treated her poorly, no surprise there, and no one in the palace cared for him. The chance to hurt him in any way appealed to her greatly, and she'd agreed to help so long as Hal didn't kill her.
Skylar trusted her. She was sweet, and anyone who didn't like Draco was alright in her book. Orion didn't trust her simply because she worked for Draco, and she was human. He had explicitly stated such a thing, but Skylar could sense it. He kept a close eye on Ashley, watching her every move. Even when he rode ahead of them, like he was now, Skylar knew he was listening closely and ready at a moment's notice to defend against the timid young lady.
Skylar smiled at her. "That's very noble of you."
Ashley glanced up and blushed. "Thank you, my lady." She glanced ahead at Orion, who urged his horse into a canter to survey the trail ahead. He disappeared around a corner and they were alone. "My lord seems tense."
"He's just worried," Skylar dismissed it. She had complete confidence in their ability to save Jonathan, especially with a castle servant on their side.
"He doesn't like me."
Skylar glanced at her apologetically, but Ashley's eyes held no sorrow. Her words were a simple observation.
"He doesn't like a lot of people," Skylar assured her. "It's nothing personal."
"He likes you a lot, and he doesn't hide it well," Ashley smiled. "Even though he tries."
Now it was Skylar's turn to blush. She looked after Orion and felt a sudden, deep longing for his touch, his company. Just him. They hadn't been alone since that day in the courtyard, where she'd somehow held up the strength to stop him from marking her, from completing their bond. Her dragon was not at all happy about that, because until they had claimed one another, there was a chance some other female could come along and take him away. A female like Cassie. Skylar, of course, knew that wouldn't happen. What she had with Orion was unbreakable, even after such a short time. They were True Mates, there was no one else in the world for them.
That doesn't mean he can't mark someone else, an intrusive thought slithered through her head. If her dragon had been able to speak, Skylar would have thought it was her. They'd acknowledged they were True Mates, he'd said he loved her, he was hers. It was just the doubt that sprouted from the fact they weren't bonded yet. That had to be it. It was her instincts trying to trick her into speeding up the fragile process. Their relationship was so new, but had all happened so fast, from their kiss to this point. He said he intended to marry her. When the thought of marriage had been said to her at any other point in her life, her first reaction had been to cringe away, but now she was simply excited by the fact.
As she and Ashley rounded the corner on their horses, she found Orion waiting on the side of the road, his horse obviously appreciative of the short break. He adjusted his shirt, which was the one he'd arrived in. He was back in his normal clothes, not the tunics that had been borrowed to him, and he looked infinitely more comfortable in them. Skylar wore a simple peasant dress, something her mother had argued with immensely, but she approved of it more than if Skylar wore trousers and boots. Those items were packed in her saddle bags. The dress was to not draw suspicion when they passed people on the road to Trael.
As Skylar approached Orion, she pulled her horse to a stop next to his. Ashley kept riding ahead, she knew the way better than they did anyway, but Skylar took a hold of Orion's reins before he could spur the horse forward.
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking down at her with worried eyes. She just shook her head and smiled reassuringly as she reached up to touch his cheek.
"Nothing," she said quietly. "I just miss you."
He pursed his lips in agreement. "I miss you, too."
"We're okay, right?" she asked. "I know you don't want to be here, but I appreciate it."
He leaned forward, his horse shuffling closer to her own so that their legs touched. "I'd do anything for you, Skylar."
"Me too," she whispered, lifting her other hand to cup his other cheek. The scruff from his beard scratched slightly against the palms of her hands, and it was something she decided she enjoyed. It reminded her that he was a man, strong and rugged. She was used to cleanly shaved men, even Orion, but she might have to convince him to let his beard grow out a little bit. She flexed her fingers a little, feeling him, while he stared down at her with longing in his eyes.
"My dragon is begging me to claim you," he said softly, his breath brushing her face. She felt his body tense slightly as he fought the beast and guilt washed over her.
"I know, mine too," she assured him. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "We do this your way, Skylar. Most dragons wait until their mating ceremony anyway."
She pulled away suddenly. "We're missing Percy and Laura's mating ceremony!" Sadness filled her. Percy and Laura had become her good friends, and she hated that she was missing that important day in their lives.
"I know," Orion sighed, rubbing her arm. "I hate that I'm not there, but my father can perform it. As long as the two of them are there, does it matter who else is?"
"I guess not," Skylar admitted. "I just wanted to be there for them."
"We'll be there for the rest of their lives," Orion gently rubbed a thumb over her bottom lip. "They'll be at ours. No one misses an Alpha's mating ceremony."
Skylar chuckled as he swooped in to kiss her deeply. "But it doesn't matter as long as the two of us are there," she whispered against his lips.
"Exactly," he smiled, kissing her one more time. He leaned away and they kicked their horses into a trot to catch up to Ashley. The maid's horse walked at a brisk pace and she'd gotten far enough ahead that they would lose her around the next corner. She knew Orion didn't want her out of their sight.
"I hope we don't miss Victoria giving birth," Skylar stated. She couldn't wait to meet the newest Nogard, Orion's little brother or sister.
Orion made a face. "I want to be there, but we won't be much help, and the entire clan will know what's going on. The fun part is right after, when you get to hold the newest addition to the clan."
"You've been around while women are giving birth?" Skylar asked. That surprised her a little; she wouldn't have pegged Orion to stick around for that sort of thing if it wasn't a family member.
He shrugged. "Everyone knows everything about everyone else in the clan, and any dragon entering the world is an important one. I always went with Dad when he would go to congratulate the new mother and her child. And the screaming... it's something that can't be ignored if you have a dragon's hearing while you're within the village."
"I've never met any babies," Skylar stated. She didn't have any younger siblings, that she'd known as infants, and she was the princess. She'd been kept far away from anything as unpleasant as childbirth if it had been happening in the castle.
Orion grinned. "You'll like them. And Victoria will be so grateful for your help when my brother comes."
"Your brother? It could be a girl," she laughed.
"There have only been seven girls born into the Nogard line since it started. And it started when the witch's soul merged with the dragon, so thousands of years ago."
"Only seven?" What a preposterously small number.
He nodded. "And none of them lived past the age of eighteen."
She frowned up at him. "Why?"
He shrugged. "I don't know much about it, something about witches, but I know the chances of it being a girl are so small it isn't something to worry about. Nana would know more. She knows everything."
"I miss her."
"Me too, even though Greta reminds me of her."
Skylar laughed and nodded her agreement. "She does, doesn't she? They're both very opinionated women."
"But they care a lot about the people they love."
She turned to face him, but he was already looking at her with a small smile and gentle eyes. She blushed and grinned before looking ahead at the road. If he kept looking at her like that, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop him from claiming her, in fact, she'd probably be the one begging him.
<><><><><><><><><><>
The ominous castle rose above the village, looking down over it like a predator at its prey. It was built of a dark stone and seemed to emanate the same presence it's king did: arrogance. Skylar hadn't seen the castle since she was a young girl and had accidentally found herself in the trophy room with all of the dead dragons. The image made her sick to her stomach again. When she hated dragons the room repulsed her, but now it was even worse. Once again she couldn't believe Draco thought the dragons were the monsters when it was so clearly himself.
Dusk had just fallen over the village, but it was still alive with activity. Everyone bustled about, glaring up at the three riders if their horses got in the way. Even the people here were ruder than in Trael. She longed for her castle and her people, both of which were filled with kindness. She slid her horse closer to Orion, who eye's darted around, taking in everything. He was on edge, she felt his dragon close to the surface, and she silently begged him to calm down.
"It's easiest to sneak into the castle at night," Ashley said softly, guiding them further into the heart of Linester. "We'll go to my shop until it gets dark, and then we'll make our move."
Orion nodded, still looking around at the mass of strangers. Skylar noticed the guards patrolling the streets and hoped none of them would recognize her or Ashley. She cursed her red hair, which was bright and easy to remember.
They followed Ashley to a little store, one of the few with no one going in or out of it, and pulled their horses to a stop. The chickens outside pecked the ground without a care in the world, but one black and white speckled bird eyed them cautiously. Skylar didn't like the look in her eye, it was almost suspicious and far too aware for a bird. Orion dismounted with ease, totally ignoring the poultry, and reached a large hand up to assist Skylar in dismounting. She enjoyed the feeling of his large hand as it enclosed around her own, momentarily forgetting about the bird. At least until it rushed at her when her feet hit the ground. Both she and Orion jumped in surprise when the bird squawked and began to peck around their feet.
"Bad bird," Ashley snapped, stepping threateningly toward the nasty beast. "Get out of here. I'm sorry, they're my sister's. The don't like anyone except for her."
Orion glared down at the bird while Skylar shrugged. "No harm done."
"Come on inside," she gestured to the open door. As Skylar began to follow Ashley in, Orion grabbed her arm. She turned and gave him a confused look, but he was looking at the waiting Ashley.
"This is your place?" he asked, looking up at the small building. It was a small wooden building with two floors, likely living above and the shop below, like most buildings in the villages. He glanced down at the chickens pecking around the ground at his boots. Skylar watched the speckled chicken closely, but the poultry acted as though it was no longer watching them.
Ashley narrowed her eyes slightly, stepping further into the doorway to urge them inside. "It is. This is my shop, and my sisters run it when I'm at the castle."
Orion's nostrils flared as he carefully sniffed the air in front of the shop. Skylar copied the gesture and immediately regretted it. The scent of the city was oppressive, and she'd somehow managed breathe shallow enough to dismiss it. It smelled like animals, waste, and unwashed people. She scrunched her nose in distaste, but she could smell trace scents of Ashley coming from the doorway. The scents of two other women were stronger, but Ashley was there too. Skylar knew Orion still didn't trust the maid, and wanted to make sure she wasn't setting them up. She'd definitely been here before, and plenty of times for her to have left such a lasting scent weeks after her last visit.
Orion seemed to find the place satisfactory, but he wouldn't let Skylar enter first. He gently stepped around, his hand sliding down to take her own, and led her into the shop. She looked around in approval at the shelves and shelves of books, she could get lost for days in a store like this, but her momentary bliss was broken through by the sound of arguing.
"Bonnie, we've talked about this!" an angry voice rang out. "Alphabetical by subject, author, then title."
"No one cares about the author," another voice, presumable Bonnie, argued. "They care about the title, so they should be alphabetical by that. The other stuff is unimportant."
"You want to know what's really unimportant?" the first voice taunted. "Those chickens of yours. Worthless beasts, all of them."
"Take that back!"
Skylar and Orion looked at each other in confusion, and then at Ashley. Whatever they had been expecting, it hadn't been what they'd just walked into.
Ashley rolled her eyes with a huge sigh. "My sisters. I shouldn't be surprised they're bickering. Bonnie, Alexis! I'm back!"
The arguing ceased and then footsteps echoed throughout the building. "Ashley!" the second voice, Bonnie, cheered. "We didn't expect you for a few more weeks!"
The sisters couldn't have looked more unalike. Bonnie was taller with short, light brown, wavy hair. The other sister, Alexis, was short with blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. And then there was Ashley, who was the same height as Bonnie with dark, chin length hair. Skylar couldn't help but notice that Bonnie had a black eye that was nearly healed and Alexis had a split lip in the process of healing. From what she'd observed so far, Skylar guessed that they gotten into a fight.
Ashley glanced back at the silent Orion and Skylar, who had no idea what to make of the new pair. She shrugged at her sisters, who were now very focused on Orion. So much so that Skylar felt herself stepping closer to him and narrowing her eyes at the women. They were not deterred. In fact, they didn't even seem to notice Skylar.
"There was a change in plans," Ashley said. "But I won't be staying long."
"That's alright," Bonnie smiled, her eyes not leaving Orion. "You'll be here long to enough to tell Alexis how wrong she is about everything."
"And you can give me permission to serve up one of those chickens to our guest here." Alexis winked at Orion, and Skylar's dragon snarled at the two girls.
Skylar lifted her lip as Orion cracked the smallest of grins. She didn't know if she wanted to growl at the girls or Orion. She cleared her throat and the gazes of the two young women shot to her.
"Hello," she stated through clenched teeth.
Alexis's eyes widened slightly as she took in the blue eyes and fiery red hair. She reached up to touch her healing lip and glanced at Ashley in surprise. She opened her mouth to say something, but Ashley grabbed her arm.
"Can I speak to you two for a second?" she didn't wait for them to respond before dragging her sisters to the back of the store, where they could be heard walking upstairs. Skylar and Orion looked after them and then at each other.
Orion huffed a laugh. "They don't seem real."
Skylar rolled her eyes. "They seem to like you."
"Jealous?" he teased, his hand winding around her hip and pulling her closer.
"You're mine," she snarled. "I don't like anyone ogling you."
He kissed her temple. "Welcome to my world, love. But don't worry, I have eyes for no one but you."
"Good," she pulled him down for a quick kiss. As she did, a breeze flowed by the front door, disturbing the air in the shop. As it did, a familiar scent hit her above the smell of the books and the scents of the women who owned them. It was weak but unmistakable. She'd smelled it almost every day for her entire life.
She broke off her kiss with Orion. "Jonathan."
His eyes flashed dangerously and he snarled with sharpened teeth. "Are you serious? You're thinking about him while you're in my arms?"
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what she just did. "No, no! I smelled him. He was here. I don't know when, but it's been at least a week."
"Why would he have been here?" Orion asked, although it was obvious he didn't care. He even took a step away from her, irritation radiating from him.
"I don't know," she tried to reach out to him, but he took the opportunity to walk toward the stacks of books. "Orion-"
He didn't look at her, just walked further into the books. "It doesn't matter, does it? He could have come in here looking for you and then left. Nothing more." He walked around a corner and ran his hands along the spines of the books, studying them, but it didn't seem like he was reading them.
She followed after him, trying to close the distance between them. He kept two steps between them and she frowned. She knew Jonathan was a sensitive subject, but the whole reason they'd come this far was to find Jonathan. Orion had decided to come with them despite that, and when she brought him up, he pulled away.
She tried to ignore the fact that he wouldn't look at her. "What are the chances that he would be here so shortly before us?"
"It's one of the first shops when you enter the city," he shrugged. "It's not entirely unreasonable that he would be here."
Skylar glanced at the quiet stairwell where their hosts had yet to appear, but the stairs were hidden behind one of the bookshelves. There was no noise coming from the direction, so she thought they still had time.
"Orion, you've been looking for a reason not to trust Ashley since we got here," she reasoned, "and you're just going to brush this off?"
"So you're admitting we shouldn't trust her?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm trying to get you to talk to me. You agreed to this, to help me save him. So talk to me, please."
"About Jonathan?" Orion spun on her. "Skylar, I'm here to protect you. I couldn't care less about what happens to him. I'm here because you don't know how to be a dragon yet, you're still learning."
She growled, baring her teeth at him. "I can take care of myself Orion. I am a dragon."
His eyes flashed. "So you don't think you need me then?"
She shook her head and ran her hands through her hair. "Of course I need you, it's just-"
"Just that you need me to help you save another man?"
"Yes! My friend, a man who has done nothing wrong, who is in the hands of a very bad man. We've already had this conversation," she walked toward him with her hands in the air. "Orion, I've told you before that you mean everything. Is that not enough?"
"Not when you say his name when you're kissing me."
"We're True Mates!" she snarled. "It shouldn't matter what I say when I'm kissing you because it doesn't change anything."
"I would never say Cassie's name when I'm in your arms," he said quietly. "I wouldn't disrespect you like that."
She put her face in her hands. What was happening? She didn't understand what was happening, why he was so sensitive about this. She loved him, he loved her, that should be all that mattered. But he was so hung up on Jonathan, a man he'd never met.
"I'll be up front," he stated shortly. She heard him walk away, his footsteps as quiet as usual. She just sighed and sunk to the floor with her back against one of the shelves. They were tired, they'd been travelling for days. Before that had been the stressful days at the castle. And then there was the fact that they hadn't claimed each other yet. His dragon was on edge, that was all. His dragon wanted to claim her, wanted that security in their bond, but it hurt that they didn't trust her. She would never betray either of them in that way.
She stood up to follow him when it occurred to her that she hadn't heard Ashley or her sisters come back downstairs yet. She looked up at the ceiling, waiting for the sound of a footstep or the shifting of weight, but there was nothing. Silence. At least until there was a grunt and a thud from the front of the store.
Skylar's stomach dropped. "Orion?"
She stalked quietly along the bookshelf. "Orion?" she repeated. When he didn't answer, she knew something was wrong. Her dragon began to panic, pacing back and forth and trying to push forward. Skylar focused on holding her back until she knew what was going on, but it was difficult when she was as panicked as the beast.
She dashed to the front to find Orion in a heap on the ground. Alexis and Bonnie crouched above him, the former holding a cloth over his mouth and the latter with a shiny knife to his neck. Orion himself was completely unconscious.
"What are you doing?" she roared. Her eyes flashed and she started to advance on the pair to defend her mate when something grabbed her from behind. The next thing she knew, there was something incredibly sharp slicing into the side of her neck. She felt the sting and then the warm liquid flowing down her neck.
"Touch them," Ashley hissed in her ear, "and he dies."