Page 65 of Ashborne: Defiance

“You go ahead. Stay within range of hearing Koa, so if we need to communicate, we can use the dragons.”

Her brows popped up. “We can do that, can’t we?” Her hands twitched like she’d clap again, but she caught herself.

I swallowed a grin. “Yes. Wherever possible when you’re traveling with other Furyknights, always use the dragons as a means of communication. Position the dragons within range of each other when you have to be out of sight. It can save your life. Or theirs.”

She nodded quickly and licked her lips, which sent a jolt through my stomach, but I stuffed it down.

I showed her how to carry the blade safely, and gave her instruction on which areas were most likely to yield the animals. “…use your skill to stay slow and quiet. They will flee if they hear you coming. It’s better to take an hour to find success, than to defeat yourself out of impatience.”

She nodded, assuring me she’d be careful. Moments later, she darted into the trees, and I suddenly wrestled with a thread of panic in my chest. She wasn’t wearing dragonhide. If she fell and stabbed herself, or was—I cut off that thought for the stupidity it was.

She was noble. Not simple-minded.

She’d slipped into the dark like an old pro. Yet, it was clear she had little experience with a blade.

‘Is she optimistic? Or intentionally deceiving me about her level of skill?’ I asked Kham.

‘Koa will assist her. But I believe she is capable. At least, in this. She does smell nervous at the idea of cooking.’

I huffed. ‘Probably not nervous. Probably thinks she’s too good for the menial task.’

‘I said nervous. I meant it.’

His tone was shorter than usual. I turned to look in the direction in which he lay. He was obscured by trees, but very close. Near the water, with Koa. I frowned.

‘What crawled under your scales?’

When he didn’t answer immediately, I suffered a jolt of nerves, but pushed them away. Kham would never stay angry with me. Instead, I attempted to tease him out of his mood. ‘Has gaining a mate overwhelmed your sense of humor?’

‘No, Voski. I have gained a mate, and a burden for your healing.’

I spluttered. ‘You’ve helped me heal a great deal! Look at how far I’ve come!’

‘And see how vulnerable you are in her presence. As if the emotions you have wrestled into control for the last few years all rise to the surface at once.’

‘You’re looking at this far too deeply,’ I waved him off with a scowl. ‘I struggled, yes. The heat was consuming. But, now I’m more than capable of keeping my distance and being the leader she needs. Look, we’ve flown all afternoon together and here I am, arguing with you.’

I hadn’t thought about moving, but found myself slipping into the trees in the direction Grace had disappeared. Just to make certain she wasn’t going to do anything stupid. I’d follow her until she found a burrow, then I’d return and make the fire, be waiting for her when she returned—whether she was successful or not.

I’d located a burrow at the base of the tree where I’d hung Kham’s harness by the branches. But when I mentioned hunting, she’d been so determined, I decided to let her have her chance.

Except, just feet into the woods, her footsteps disappeared. And when I listened, I heard nothing.

I stopped walking and frowned.

‘Kham, does Koa know where she is?’

‘Yes.’

I waited, but when he didn’t continue, rolled my eyes. ‘Really? Do I have to ask?’

‘You can find her for yourself.’

‘No, I ca—’

A small, hollow, right behind my ribs, suddenly pulsed with a bitter-sweet ache. ‘Yes. You can,’ my dragon sent pointedly.

A flash of anger, hot and sharp, stole my next breath. I stood staring back in the direction of my dragon, aghast that he’d press me into a bond I’d already told him I would not accept.