The man grunted. “That will probably work. Let’s get moving.”
Kol had taken three steps when Lorelai’s bird dove out of the air where she’d been flying in lazy circles and landed hard on his shoulder, her talons digging into his skin. He glanced at her, and she nipped at his face.
He leaned his face as far away from her as he could, and she slapped the back of his head with her wing.
Kol glanced at Gabril for help.
The man shrugged. “Don’t look at me. That bird answers to Lorelai alone.”
Sasha dug her talons farther into his skin and knocked her wing against his head again.
He glared at her. He was the king of Eldr. A Draconi warrior. He refused to be intimidated by a bird.
She bent her neck and shoved her face into his, matching him glare for glare.
Fine. Maybe he was a little intimidated. Luckily, he no longer had the words to share that humiliating fact with anyone.
Gabril chuckled, and Kol sighed.
They reached the hornbeams as the sun began its western descent. Gabril hovered over a small fire, cooking a simple dinner of beans with chunks of a rabbit Sasha hunted down for them. Kol laid the princess on her bedroll inside the tent he’d helped Gabril erect. Then he settled down on a spare blanket and stared out the tent flap at the darkening sky while he thought of everything that was stacked against him now.
Somehow, he had to get his human heart back from Irina. He had to get this collar off his neck. He had to find his friends and pray that Lorelai woke up in time to help save his kingdom from the ogre invasion. If she didn’t, his people would be gone.
Brig would be gone.
His throat ached at the thought, and even the warmth of the dragon’s fire in his chest couldn’t chase the chill of dread from his skin.
After everything he’d done, every piece of himself he’d sacrificed, he couldn’t bear the thought of failing Brig.
Who is Brig?
He whipped his head toward Lorelai and found her eyes open, though she still looked exhausted.
My sister. I didn’t know you were awake! Gabril said it took you two days to recover last time.
That’s because last time I healed a stubborn old man whose heart refused to obey mine until I used everything I had to overpower it. It’s easier when the person wants the same thing I want. Your dragon heart fought me, but there was enough of you left in there to make healing you easier than I expected. Your thoughts seem much clearer now. Congratulations on surpassing the vocabulary of my bird.
Very funny. The image of Sasha riding his shoulder while slapping him with her wing and occasionally pecking at his face came unbidden to his mind. Instantly, he tried to think of something else, but it was too late.
She’s protective. Lorelai sounded amused.
I was carrying you to safety!
Well . . . in all fairness, you did try to kill me.
He felt like she’d heaped burning stones onto his shoulders. It took everything he had to keep his eyes on hers. I’m so sorry, Lorelai. I don’t know how to apologize enough for that. Or for being in Nordenberg with Irina. I owe you a debt I can never repay.
You didn’t kill Leo. She sounded weary. And I believe you when you tell me Irina twisted her words, forcing you into an agreement you never intended. As for trying to kill me after she took your human heart, it wasn’t you. Not the true you.
You risked your life to save mine. Again.
It’s becoming an annoying habit of mine. She gave him a smile that suddenly reminded him how red her lips were against the paleness of her cheek.
He refused to pursue that line of thought now that she was inside his mind again. He had better things to think about anyway. Like how soon she could be ready to send a barrier into Eldr. And how long it would take to get there. And maybe—
As long as we’re apologizing, I guess I should say I’m sorry for being aware of your thoughts long before I said anything to you, but—
Wait a minute. How long were you aware? His mind flashed back to wondering how it might feel to kiss her.
Her mouth dropped open and tiny spots of color bloomed on her cheeks. I meant I heard you thinking about ogres and Irina and Brig. I didn’t . . . were you really thinking—
Oh, skies, no. Okay . . . maybe. Just for a minute. I’m a male. We do things like that all the time even when we should be thinking about something else. And I was thinking about other things. Lots of other things. That was just one stray thought out of many.
He was an idiot. He’d never stumbled over his words before with a girl. Never lost his ability to be charming while still keeping his distance from the many girls at the academy who’d wanted to kiss the prince so they could brag about it to their friends afterward.
How many girls have you kissed? She sounded curious.
The answer seared itself across his brain before he could bury it beneath thoughts of math equations and flight drills.
Seriously? That many? Was there some sort of competition you just had to win?