Chapter 16—Reed

“I’m not your fucking prey. I’m not a fan of being carried this way.” I called out over my shoulder at Gage, who had his scaled arms wrapped around my chest. His wings made a clapping sound with each beat, and we jostled about as if riding bumpy waves.

He laughed in my ear. “Would you rather face me, Lion King? Groin to groin.” Mirth wove through his words, and I gritted my teeth because he’d been rubbing himself against me on purpose for most of the trip. Pervert. We’d been flying for so long to reach Vanore because he’d insisted on a hundred stops to rest his wings. What sort of dragon was he?

“I swear, if I feel the slightest twitch against my ass, I’m jabbing you in the ribs, even if I fall to my death.” Asking Gage to carry me to Tritonia was about saving time, but catching a carriage might have been more comfortable, even if it took longer.

His mouth lowered to my ear as he whispered, “Don’t worry, pussycat. I don’t swing your way either.”

I nudged him to back off, and his arms slackened. I slipped; panic struck my chest as I grappled to clutch on to his arms. At once, he tightened his hold.

“Now play nice.” He burst out with laughter once again, and I swallowed my response, needing this to be over with already. “We should have caught a carriage.”

“Nah, would have taken too long,” said Gage. “Anyway, do you hate dragons or something? What was with the attitude back in your territory when Elliana and I visited?”

“You trespassed and were throwing your weight around on my land. Of course I was going to give you shit.” Below us, the forest spread out in every direction. Farther in the distance, the bluest skies sparkled beneath the descending sun’s orange glow. “Take us higher toward the cliff over there.” I pointed to our right, where a mountain with a sheer rock face wall jutted upward.

“Geez, I need to rest.”

“Again?”

“You’re not fucking light. How much do you weigh? Five hundred pounds? You’re a damn bull.”

I shifted in his grip. “Four-fifty last time I checked. Lion shifters carry the weight of their animal form when in human form. Wait till you take on your dragon form—nothing will be able to pick up your fat dragon ass.” I chuckled.

When Gage didn’t respond, I figured I’d found a sour point, so I changed topics. He annoyed the hell out of me, but he’d agreed to carry me, and I’d seen how protective he was of Elliana. They were traits I expected in my pride, loyalty and a willingness to fight to the death for your family.

“Anyway, what’s the deal with you and Elliana?” I asked as he huffed behind me, his wings flapping double-time to ascend the cliff’s edge.

“We used to date, and we’re back together now.”

I nodded and thought back to my kiss with Elliana, the tenderness in her touch and words. The admiration in her gaze. In her tower, she’d never pushed me away, so perhaps things weren’t all rosy between her and Dragon Boy. But even if they were, I’d grown up with families made up of several parents. If several hearts joined, nothing else mattered but being with those people. Even if it came in the form of sharing. My mother had had three husbands and would often tell me she loved them equally.

Such a system worked if everyone agreed, but my situation with Elliana came with the complication of Gage. He adored her and he might not accept a shared relationship. Well, come to think of it, Elliana might have issues with that too.

What fucked-up thoughts when I ought to have been focusing on freeing Elliana before the witch returned, as well as finding my sister and missing pride members. Part of my reason for agreeing to come to Tritonia was that I hoped this Vanore could also help with eradicating the purple-eyed witch. No guarantees, but I’d try anything.

Gage interrupted my thoughts. “I know you’ve got a thing for Elliana. I’ve seen the way you stare at her, how you kissed in the tower.”

Any second now, I expected him to drop me. Nothing would surprise me, but when he didn’t, I said, “She’s beautiful inside and out. I’ve never met anyone like her before, but if you insist she’s only yours, I’ll back off.”

No response at first, then he sighed. “I think she’d have an issue with me making such a call on her behalf.”

“I don’t know a female who loves being told what to do or how to behave.” I chuckled because all the women in my pride would snap someone’s neck in a heartbeat if they showed a sign of threatening them. They were super protective of their families. After I’d taken over the pride from my father as his eldest son, I opened the rank to females to train as warriors.

A cluster of ravens zipped past us, and the breeze grew cooler the higher we climbed.

“Guess if Elliana felt the same way I did about her,” Gage said with clipped words, as if the topic bugged him, “I’d be a full dragon by now.”

“She’s in a shitty situation and pushing you away until she’s free.”

Elliana had said something similar, and it made sense. Why drag someone you care for into danger? And I adored her nurturing nature, even in times of hardship, and after years of being alone, she still thought of others. But she was a mystery, a woman trapped for so long that she spoke to herself, raised in cruelty, yet she stood tall. My pulse raged through me at knowing someone had done that to her.

“How long has she been talking to herself?” I asked.

“Since I met her. Figure it’s her coping mechanism from being alone so long. Doesn’t make her any less amazing.”

“Agree.” When she’s free and she spends more time with me and the others, she might heal and wouldn’t need to talk to herself as much. But if she did, I’d still adore her.

We glided over the cliff’s edge, where the trees were dense and thick, but in the distance, we found huts and a market buzzing with activity and voices. Already the smell of barbecued meat found me. “Shit, I could eat a horse right now. Put us down here, away from the markets.”

Once we hit the ground and Gage released me, I stumbled forward on my numb legs. Pinpricks swarmed through me as the feeling returned. Leaning against a tree, I clenched my teeth from the tiny biting sensation.

I patted down my shirt, sweaty under my pits and chest from where Gage’s arms had hugged me like belts.

He stood across from me, his wings retracting and tucking into his shoulder blades, the iridescent scales across his body absorbing into his skin and vanishing. Shaking his arms, he stretched his spine from side to side, then kicked out his boots, drawing attention to his black pants held up by a golden flame buckle on a belt.

“Is this where Vanore is?” Gage retrieved a crinkled blue top from his back pocket, unrolled it, and drew it over his head. Its golden buttons were an eyesore.

“Nope. We need to see someone else first so I can track down Vanore easily. I’m going to check with a friend who knows people.”

“As long as you think it’ll save us time,” he said. “Don’t want to leave Elliana alone for too long.”

I pictured the witch returning for her and curled my hands into fists. If she laid a hand on her, I’d hunt the witch for the rest of her life.

“Kahlo’s checking on her.” My words growled. This affected so many people, like my sister and pride members still missing, and from what Elliana had told me, they’d been forced into slavery with magic. Was that the witch’s intention all along? Create an army of braindead followers—to do what? Take over our land? Kill us? Except Elliana had also mentioned the man in the cape…the same one who’d dragged my sister away. And if he watched others getting hurt, he was someone supporting the witch. Or even controlling her?

“I gave my word to save Elliana,” I said, but I didn’t voice my other promise about making her mine. I always kept my word and the only thing that would turn me away was if she chose Gage, insisting she only wanted him. For that, I’d admit defeat.

Gage stuck his chest out, staring my way as if I’d challenged him. “I plan to do the same.”

“Good. Then she’s one lucky woman…if we can get back to her in time.” I pushed away from the tree and headed straight ahead.

Gage joined me. “Why’d we have to stop so far away from the markets? I’ve been carrying your huge ass for the past day, so you know, I’m tired.”

“I appreciate your help, but I didn’t want magic users seeing you. Dragons are sought after for ingredients, so I figure this allows us to blend in and avoid attention.”

Without another word, we trekked through the forest with vines hanging from branches, greenery reaching our knees, and the muddy ground softening beneath each footstep. It must have rained recently because the strong scent of soil assaulted my nostrils.

“I read somewhere that lions were the fourth-largest cat…That must hurt not being number one, yet you all claim to be the king of the jungle and all that. Funny how a crossbreed between lions and tigers beat ya.” Gage nudged me and smirked with his mocking expression.

I licked my teeth, because if there was one thing Gage excelled at, it was getting under my skin. “We don’t live in jungles. And ligers are part-lion, part-tiger, so that makes us top spot.” I shoved my fists into the pockets of my pants because Gage wasn’t the first to stereotype us. “Besides, you’re just an evolved snake.”

Gage huffed and cut me a glare. “Bull. We’re the lords of the sky.”

I laughed, rolling my head back, howling. “Haven’t you read the histories where the first races in Haven Realm called dragons flying serpents in their scrolls and paintings? I think they’re onto something.”

“Yeah, not sure how much trust I place in those ancient texts. What did those people know? They believed a sudden change in weather was a demonic warning and would sacrifice virgins to the mountain gods for protection.”

I eyed him as we marched onward. “You realize those so-called gods were dragons, right?”

“Hell, yeah.” His smile stretched to his ears. “My ancestors had it right and were ecstatic. Those girls were not killed, I’m sure.” He winked and climbed over an oversized log.

“Guess when you put it that way, I can see a benefit.” I could excel at such a responsibility.

Voices reached us from up ahead, and we quickened our pace until we emerged from the woodland and entered a bustling market. Homes scattered across the ascending rockface. They’d been built inside the stone with windows carved out and wooden verandahs in front of each place. A few had clothes hanging off the railings. There had to be close to a hundred homes. To our right, Tritonia spilled out below, an abundance of forest and the dark sea farther still, the moon reflecting off the calm waters. In front of us, firefly lanterns swung in the breeze from dozens of poles illuminating their fluttering wings.

Blankets covered the ground, displaying clothes, food, and other supplies for sale and the sellers stood nearby. People were everywhere, carrying bags of merchandise, and dragging kids along with them. Others circled a young boy performing a dance where he bounced up and down as if he had springs for shoes, yet he kept himself still and in control. Those who lived here were a combination of shifters, fae, and a few humans.

The surrounding chatter engulfed us, as did the aromas of food. An older man wearing baggy pants and half a dozen beaded necklaces played a solo on a small drum strung from his neck as he walked through the marketplace. Okay…Whatever floats his boat. The smell of grilled sausages hit my nostrils, and my stomach growled.

“I’m starving.” Gage drifted toward the food stalls, and I was right on his heels, eyeing the chargrilled corn and the grasshoppers on a skewer, but my attention fell on the meat rolled up in flatbread at a small stand nearby.

“Four of your meat wraps,” Gage ordered. “And two home-brewed beers.” He turned to me. “Is two enough?”

I nodded. “You bet.”

Gage ripped one of the buttons from his shirt, and his top now lay open in a wide V across his chest. He placed it in the old man’s palm. He glanced around and whispered, “It’s real gold and more than enough to pay for the meal—plus lots of leftovers.”

At first, the man frowned but inspected the button before biting down on it. With a massive grin and his eyes glinting, he stuffed the item in his pocket and rushed to prepare our meal.

I hadn’t heard a single dragon story where the scaly creatures weren’t obsessed with shiny objects and gold. Where he’d gotten it from was a different story. It wasn’t as if he’d tell me if it was stolen. Or did the expensive stuff just get drawn to him like a magnet? I’d read about such things.

We stood at the edge of the market overlooking the land below, stuffing our mouths with the spicy meat drizzled with a minty yogurt sauce.

“How many people do you think have fallen off this cliff?” I asked, studying the steep dip a few feet in front of us. “They ought to fence it off for the kids.”

“The real question is who’s been pushed off the edge?”

“True, true.” I took another bite because he was right. No matter which realm I visited, every location had nasty pieces of work who wanted to cause harm or drama.

Finishing my wraps, I picked up the beer bottle from the table and drank it in one go. I wiped my mouth, got up, and tossed the rubbish into a bin. “That hit the spot. Now let’s do this.”

“Okay.” Gage faced the markets. “Who are we looking for?”

“My ex-girlfriend.” I swallowed hard. “She’s probably still pissed, so be warned.”