Page 71 of Storm of Ink and Blood

“What about him?”

Doubt colored his voice as she laced them up furiously.

“He’s coming.”

“What?”

She brushed past him and towards the back door.

“Zee! Where are you going?”

She whirled around and grabbed Yasen’s wrist. “He came for me, Yas. I have to see him.”

“You’re sure about this?”

“No, not really. But I owe it to myself to hear him out.”

Yasen gripped her hand. “Just be careful.”

She nodded. “I’m always careful, Yas.” Then she pushed away, thumping down the hallway.

“I’ll be back!” she called to Vikas, who was busy in the waiting room.

She didn’t want to hear his reply as she ran out into the alley and circled her way around to the street.

Despite the weather, people were about, carrying fabric rain shields over their heads as they moved about their day. Zarya again searched the sky for the glow that signaled his approach—it had grown now, a black dot forming at the center. He was getting closer.

She started running, weaving through the people, some of whom called after her as she brushed past. The rain fell, soaking her hair and clothing. She felt nothing but an intense desire burning through her blood.

She stopped when she reached the city walls, pressing her hand to her chest and finding that spot expanding in the distance. She ran, her feet pounding along the road until she veered onto a stretch of grassy plain.

“Rabin!” she called into the rain, her voice torn away by the wind. She watched as he dropped through the sky, his majestic wings slowly flapping.

Then he dove, pulling up inches from the ground as he careened along the surface. Just as he was about to hit, he dissolved into a puff of black smoke before he shifted into the man who’d haunted her dreams for months.

She ran towards him, flinging herself into his arms as he swung her around. He was warm and solid, and that haze that always existed in their dream world was gone, and she felt him. The emotion she’d been keeping tethered inside her heart leaked between her ribs as she sobbed against him. He placed her on her feet and then framed her head with his hands as he leaned in and kissed her.

They stood in the rain, their hair and clothing sticking to them as they kissed, and she let every hurt and anger fade away at that moment. She’d forgotten how good he smelled and the way he tasted. She’d imagined kissing him so many times, but nothing could live up to the feel of his mouth and the warmth of his body.

He pulled away and touched her face, sweeping away a tear mingling with the rain.

“Zarya, will you come with me?”

“Where?”

“Somewhere I’ve always wanted to take you.”

She found herself nodding as he backed up.

“You’ll have to ride with me.” Then he returned to his dragon form and crouched low so she could scramble onto his back. She’d been terrified the last time she had done this, but fear wouldn’t stop her now. Once she was safely seated, she used a bubble of air to protect herself from the frigid rain and wind, and then Rabin launched himself into the sky.

Zarya looked over her shoulder as Ishaan quickly receded in the distance, wondering where Rabin was taking her and worried about leaving everyone behind. But she wouldn’t be gone long. Operation Starbreak was ready, but with no one coming to see them, there wasn’t much to do at the moment.

They streaked across the world, the ground beneath them blurring into nothing as her stomach leaped into her throat.

It took hours as she watched the landscape change, moving from the mountains and forests of Gi’ana to the desert sands of Svaasthy and then, in the distance, a brilliant patch of green. Zarya’s breath caught, and she wondered if her eyes were deceiving her. Was it Daragaab? Was he taking her home?

They neared the border while Zarya watched that blue ocean in the distance that she’d missed so much. Despite her magic, her hands and legs were numb from the cold and aching from clinging to Rabin’s slick scales. She could barely hold on any longer. Just when she was sure she might topple off from exhaustion, Rabin pitched down, heading for the surface.