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Adrian wanted to say something scathing or teasing. He wanted to laugh in Haru’s face to show that he didn’t take anything the dragon said seriously.
But as Haru pulled away, he paused and those midnight-blue eyes locked on Adrian’s parted lips. Sharp tingling started and he froze, unable to breathe or move. He waited for Haru to close the few inches between them and steal the kiss he so clearly wanted. Gods, Adrian couldn’t deny that he was aching to know what it would feel like to have the dragon ravage his mouth, to feel that always-sharp tongue tangling with his own.
Before either of them could cave, Haru was gone.
Adrian blinked, catching barely a blur of white as he slipped out of the door, leaving Adrian alone in his room with only the memory of his heat and the tingle that had spread from his lips to encompass his entire body. He slid to the floor, light-headed and confused.
What the fuck had happened?
The encounter couldn’t have taken more than thirty seconds, and yet Adrian felt the reverberations down in his soul.
Even now, nearly two weeks later, every millisecond of that moment was burned into his brain, and he wanted more. As stupid as it may be, he wanted Haru to keep his promise. He wanted the dragon to find him. He wanted that damn kiss that had been left hanging in the air between them.
Gods, he was an idiot.
“Wow.” Caelan chuckled, drawing Adrian from his thoughts. “I have no idea what you’re thinking about, but with a grin like that, it’s definitely not logistics.”
Adrian’s muscles jerked, and he blinked to find himself sitting at a campsite in Ilon and not in the guest room on the Isle of Stone, debating whether to chase after a certain crazy dragon.
“Dude, with a smile like that, he’s got to be thinking about a who, not a what,” Drayce cackled.
Heat flooded Adrian’s cheeks and he shook his head. Man, he knew better than to let his mind wander, especially now. He needed to pay attention and stay focused at all times.
The blond leaned toward him, his grin turning wicked. “Who are you thinking about? Someone in Stormbreak? Another guard?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say that it was no one Drayce knew, but that would be a lie and there was no point in lying.
“Don’t worry about it,” he grumbled and then turned his attention over to Caelan. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I swear it won’t happen again.”
Caelan waved off the apology. “I find I like the idea of you having someone on your mind. You have a reason to keep fighting, to survive.”
“I’ve sworn to give my life to the protection of you and Erya.”
The king shocked him by shrugging one shoulder. “A noble thought, but you’d be surprised at how much harder you fight when it’s for the person you want to hold in your arms one more time.”
Okay, so maybe the king had a point. Adrian might not want to agree with him, but he couldn’t argue with the longing in his heart. He’d never held Haru, never touched his cheek, never kissed his lips. And now that the path before them looked so incredibly dark and uncertain, Adrian found himself fighting for those things and so much more.
THREE
Drayce Ladon
Brightspire was enormous.
As much as he hated to admit it, Brightspire was even bigger than Stormbreak Point if you didn’t count the hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland that surrounded the Erya capital.
It was already late afternoon when he, Eno, and Rayne managed to sneak into town through the Bazaar district. Sneak didn’t feel like the right word, though. They really did just drive straight into the city. They’d dropped Caelan and Adrian off at a smaller town outside of the capital, where they planned to grab one of the buses running into Brightspire.
It looked as if all their covert efforts and plans were for nothing. Neither New Rosanthe nor Ilon were checking cars entering the capital. There were no roadblocks or checkpoints. As far as he could tell, it was business as usual.
And Brightspire did a lot of freaking business. For a late afternoon on a Saturday, the roads were still packed with cars, trucks, and vans entering the city.
While there were multiple roads—including a giant six-lane highway—into the capital, all vehicle traffic had to enter from the east since three-quarters of Brightspire was surrounded by the waters of Shallow Glass Lake. That seemed like a creepy name for a lake, but who was he to judge? He was born on the Isle of Stone, where eighty percent of the island was jagged, ice-covered mountains. That name wasn’t exactly warm and inviting.
As they crossed the last bridge over the Whitgami River into the city, it became startlingly clear where the city got its name. Dotted throughout the vast skyline were at least two dozen sharp spires jutting into the air like spearpoints. They were all different, from cool-gray stone to glass to what appeared to be glittering gold winking in the late-day sun. If the sky had been cloudy, they could have served as a network of tent poles holding up the heavens.
Drayce had always considered Stormbreak to be a modern city with its numerous skyscrapers within the old city walls, but it paled in comparison to the shiny newness of Brightspire. There were signs of classical old buildings with marble columns and elegant, sweeping arches, but they were mixed in with strange architecture made of twisted steel and colored glass.
“This place is freaking huge,” Drayce groaned. He released his hold on the passenger seat in front of him and flopped back, bouncing lightly on the cushion. A steady cool breeze whipped in through the melted window, ruffling his hair and rattling some bags in the cargo area.
