Page 74 of To Fight and To Fold

To leave. To finally see with her own eyes, instead of her dragon's, where he had been all this time.

The longer she spent in her tower, shadowed by her guard, the longer she realized the prince was not going to bring Starspark back. If Aaryn wanted to see her dragon again, she would have to find him herself. And in the process, maybe she must give something up.

Balance. The druids in the book she'd read believed heavily in such a concept.

Aaryn studied Thea. Her horns, her chopped hair, her sharp jawline, once so familiar Aaryn could draw her blindfolded. She actually had one time, when they'd had a little too much wine after duties one evening. They'd giggled into the night and Thea had blushed when they'd seen each other the following day.

Aaryn wondered if that was an act too, all those little moments they'd shared together.

Beneath her cool facade, Aaryn could sense the nerves. Thea was afraid Aaryn would say no. That they'd continue this dance, around and around.

Truthfully, Aaryn found it more titillating than she had the entire ball with the prince.

Thea stood and held out her hand. "Come with me."

This Thea was entirely different from the one she'd come to know on the Second Guard. Maybe a small part of her wanted to get to know this Thea, too.

The light flickered over her, making the scales of her armor shine. It made her look dangerous.

And right then, Aaryn decided she liked danger.

She took Thea's hand.

The very air around them seemed to pause as their palms met. "Starspark will be happy to see you."

Aaryn drew in a breath, and⁠—

A giggle cracked through the night, and their heads whipped to the side. A broad back entered the maze, tripping over his own feet as he was pushed backwards by… Rose.

Rose, who caught sight of them as the man—a different man than the one she had started the night with, Aaryn noted—leaned down to drunkenly mouth at her neck.

Rose, who gaped, eyes darting between Aaryn and Thea, to their linked hands, and back again.

Aaryn held on tighter, fearing the worst.

Rose winked, eyes positively glowing. Then she threaded a hand through the back of the man's hair, moaned just loud enough in his ear, and held him to her throat as she turned them in another direction.

Then she was gone, and the man was none the wiser.

"Huh," Thea said, and Aaryn hardly heard it over her thundering pulse. "Didn't know Rose was an ally in such a way."

Rose is my treasonous best friend, Aaryn thought. And the last time I might see her will be with a drunken man at her neck.

She laughed softly, brushing a stray piece of hair away.

"Ready?" Thea asked, and squeezed her hand.

Aaryn met her gaze. "Yes. Before Runa finds us next." Despite her confident words, her heart raced as she stared up at the druid, unsure of what exactly she was agreeing to.

Unsure of what awaited her on the other side of the magic that consumed them both.

18

TAKE MY HAND

She really is scared of me.

The utter truth of it was obvious when Aaryn gasped lightly and slammed her eyes shut as the magic took hold; when Aaryn squeezed Thea's hand until she thought her bones would pop; and when she carefully opened first one eye to survey the surroundings, then the other only once she realized Thea had not transported them to… where had she even expected? The fires of the Great Dragon's belly?