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I’d crossed into this realm in the middle of a war, and what happened with the four-headed beast made that unquestionably real for me.
Another fact entered my mind and my breathing faltered. Evie was a princess. Raithian had called her the Skyborne Princess. I realized there were many things I didn't know about her either. Had to add that to the list.
Blinking out of my stupor, I noticed a small island stretched before us on the right side of the sea, and the kids’ wings slowly tilted, aiming to land among its sandy and earthy terrain. With a slight hop, the kids touched land, and we bounced as they walked to a complete stop. The island was much bigger than it seemed from above, showing a tropical jungle of sorts that spilled onto the curvy and long, but narrow beach.
Our landing caused Evie to fully awaken, and her hand flew to her side, a small pain-filled moan escaping her.
“Are you okay?” Concerned, I reached for her while Vyper created a bonfire close to the greenery.
Her eyes lifted to mine, and she slightly cringed. “I think I severely bruised my side when I fell on Draco. Help me get down, please.”
Nodding, I slid my arms under her knees and back, lifting her onto my lap and turned to see Draco extending his wing to the sand, so we could slide off it. After we did, I carefully stood, taking her to the shrubberies that curved around the fire. I crouched to lay her on the grass that extended underneath the canopy of trees, but she lowered her legs, standing instead. The movement caused her to cringe.
“I need to remove this body suit; it hurts when I breathe,” Evie confessed in a quiet voice, her eyes evading mine as she turned and silently asked for my help.
My fingers reached for the miniature clasps that extended along her back, almost resembling buttons, holding the corset-looking suit together. When I unhooked the last one, pulling it open along her torso, her body relaxed a bit, but the moment she tried to inhale a deep breath, every inch of her tensed. Another moan left her, and she clung to me for support, her fingers digging into my muscles.
“Gods!” she breathed, her face contorting in pain. “I think my ribs are broken.”
Dread and worry slammed against my chest, and I carefully held her hips. “I am so sorry. It’s my fault, I didn’t know what to do after you jumped, and Draco—”
“No, it isn’t your fault. This is normal,” she explained, holding my shoulders to fix her stance.
“Normal??”
“Yes. I couldn’t see Draco as you flew to catch me, so I was unable to prepare, or land properly on him. These kinds of things are common when you ride Dragons. Call it an occupational hazard, as you’ll soon learn.” Her lips slightly twitched when I glared at her statement, but the chuckle that escaped her only made her moan in pain again.
“Careful.” I held her against my chest, but she shook her head, pulling away once more.
“Finish taking this thing off me.” She gestured to the stiff leather suit she wore. “It held my ribs in place while it was closed, but now its weight is adding pressure, and I can’t fasten it again.”
With a nod, I helped her grip my shoulders and proceeded to remove her Dragon wing belt and the long straps of leather that hung from it. Then, I slowly tugged the bodysuit down her hips and legs, leaving her completely bare to my eyes. My pulse couldn’t help but accelerate at the sight of her beauty on full display, yet as I stood, my chest constricted with the sight of the purple and blue hematoma along her ribs.
“I think you are right; they might be broken.”
“Hold me firmly, my legs might give out,” Evie ordered without explanation, and poked at her side with both caution and purpose—like a doctor would. Her hand moved along the length of her side, trying to identify which or how many ribs had fractured. “Aah!” The hoarse shout left her with the action, and just as she said, her legs gave out on her.
Her body sagged against me, but my arms were locked around her, preventing her from falling. “How bad is it?”
“Two broken, but not too severely, and none seemed to be poking at my organs or the pain would be unbearable,” she explained. “We’ll stay the night, and fly home at first light. I can’t travel like this.”
My gaze suddenly fell on the side of her neck where the sharp staff had pierced. I urgently checked her skin to see the four tiny holes, and the trails of blood they left behind it. Thankfully, they were superficial, but they were dangerously close to her jugular. One wrong move and she could have—
“I’m fine,” Evie assured, pulling my worried gaze to her eyes. “He wasn’t going to kill me. He just wanted to scare me. Having me in his clutches would have given him an incredible advantage, he would never jeopardize that by ending my life.”
Unfortunately, her explanation didn’t bring me any comfort.
“You can lay me on the sand now. Carefully,” she instructed, and I nodded once more, but before I did, my gaze searched the area for something to use on the ground. She was naked and I didn’t want her to be more uncomfortable than she already was, especially while being hurt.
“Vyper,” I called after I found him eating from a plant with leaves as large as a blanket. “Bring me two of those so Evie can lay on them.”
His eyes shifted from the plant to me, and back, and he reached for it with his hands—or paws, I had no idea what they were supposed to be for his kind, but they looked almost like a human extremity, except for the talons and claws. One of his claws sliced the stem of the giant leaves and he walked to our side, laying them both on the ground side by side.
Draco emerged from the other side of the beach, bringing our attention to him when he dropped a large, dried out sea sponge the size of a sofa cushion on the top of the leaves, for us to use as a pillow.
“Thank you,” Evie cooed, lifting a hand towards him while balancing against me, and caressed his forehead. “He’s a nurturer,” she informed me, smiling at him. “He loves taking care of people, and notices everything that is happening around him. He’s very keen on his surroundings.”
A raspy bark came from Vyper, and we turned to find him lowering his head too so Evie could caress him.
