Addison

How dare he walk away from me? He’s on my land, not his. The nerve of him. I’m behind him in a flash, walking in his shadow. He stops abruptly, causing me to slam into his back.

He doesn’t turn around, but says, “Is there a reason you’re following me?”

“We weren’t done talking.”

His voice has a hard edge to it. “Yes, we were. Now release my dragon. I have to get back to my people. There could have been more trelktik running in my kingdom. I have to make sure my men are removing any threat.”

“I can’t release them. If I could, I would have by now.” My body is responding to his nearness. I can’t let that happen right now. Besides, we are nothing to each other. Taking a step back from him, I cross my arms and hold my stance.

This man truly is infuriating. Okay, so maybe he is sexy, with his dirty blond hair and mesmerizing green eyes. His body isn’t bad to look at either. I can tell by the way his shirt pulls tight across his arms and chest that he must be a sight to behold under it. I shouldn’t be thinking this. He’s not from our kingdom. He’s from the worst one out there.

He turns and the first thing I notice is the wide grin on his face. Oh, no. Did I send that all to him without knowing it?

“Why, yes, you did, love.” I can feel the blood draining from my face. No. This can’t be happening. “Oh, but it is,” he says. “Is there anything else I should know? Perhaps you like the way I smell, too.”

I shove at his chest, but he’s as movable as a boulder. “Get away from me, you awful knight.”

His arms wrap around my back to pull me near. His face is so close; our noses almost touch. “Is that what you really want? Or should we finish what we started in our dream?”

Quickly, I throw up the shield in my mind, so I’m free to process all that is happening without having to worry about sending him my thoughts. I study him for a moment. Do I really want to finish what happened last night? Of course. There’s obviously something between us, but we can’t act on it. It would be wrong. My brothers would forbid it if they found out. Why does that make Oliver all the more enticing?

My body is growing hot with every passing moment in his arms. He places small kisses along my jawline, and I’m unable to help the small moan that escapes my lips. He seizes his opportunity and presses his lips to mine. He’s firm, yet gentle, in his kiss. I can’t believe we’re kissing. This shouldn’t be happening. He’s Oliver Sage. Of all the men in all the realm, he’s the last one whose lips should be upon mine. Yet, I don’t push him away. I want this. I want to taste him, to feel the hard edges of his body against mine.

It’s when I wrap my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss that I feel heat grow at my side and hear two yelps. Oliver breaks the kiss first. With his arms still around me, he throws us to the ground. His body is a shield covering mine from a threat I’m unsure of, since I see nothing other than green eyes staring down at me.

“Are you all right?” he asks.

“I…I think so.”

He looks over his shoulder before gently shifting his weight from my body. He stands first, then reaches down to help me up. I lean into him as I get on my feet. Behind him, I watch as his dragon lands and burns the two trekltik near us to nothing but bones. I bury my face in his chest, unable to watch. One of his hands rubs small circles over my back in comfort.

“Addison!” I hear called in the distance. Elliott knows I like to go out to the woods to escape the castle. I like to feel free in the open space. Of course, he would know to look for me here.

Oliver drops his arms and takes two measurable steps back from me. The ground trembles as Elliott’s dragon lands. Oliver’s dragon wants nothing of the one approaching him. He quickly rushes to her side, in an effort to ease her, but it’s not working. Climbing on her back, he gives me one last look before getting her in the air.

Elliott leaps off of his and comes rushing to my side. “Are you okay? Did Sage harm you?” he growls.

“No.” I shake my head. “He saved me.”

His head cocks to the side. “Sage? Saved you?” I nod. “Well, that’s not what I was expecting to hear.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure you’d like nothing more than to have an excuse to go after him. But the truth is, he risked his own life for mine. He didn’t need to put himself between me and the trelktik, but he did.”

He smiles. “Ah, my sister knows me so well. I’m glad you’re okay, Addi. Now, please climb onto Obsidian so that we can get to the safety of the castle walls. The three beasts that charged the castle are dead.” Then he nods to my right. “As are the two over here apparently. We really need more fire-breathing dragons. Think of the possibilities.”

“We don’t need to char up every animal who threatens us.”

“No,” he says, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “But war could be won so much easier if we could.”

“There’s no more war, thanks to the peace treaty, remember?”

He shrugs. “I like to be prepared, just in case.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“You love me. Admit it.”

“Sometimes,” I grumble.

Another growl is heard in the distance. A deep, menacing growl. Elliott takes my hand in his and pulls me toward Obsidian as fast as possible. We climb onto his back and get in the air, just in time. A trelktik leaps after us in an effort to bite the dragon.

As we bank hard toward the castle, a blur of orange and yellow flies past us, scorching a line on the ground right into the beast who came at us. Oliver. He didn’t leave. He stayed to make sure I was safe. I keep any more thoughts I have on lockdown until we land safely at the castle. The last thing I need is Elliott knowing how I’m feeling toward Oliver.

Elliott and I exit the building where the dragons are kept, and come face-to-face with my mom. She’s kept her hair cropped short, ever since returning to our realm. Every time I see her, I’m grateful for all Ali did to bring her back to me.

Her face is etched in worry as she grabs my hand. “Hurry, Addi. Wes has been hurt. You must go to him.” She turns to my brother. “Go tend to your other men. Make sure they’re okay. The threat is gone for now.”

She runs with me to our healer. We burst through the door to find the elderly woman bent over Wes’s leg, while two of her apprentices rush about gathering anything she needs. My mom gives my arm a gentle squeeze before I go to Wes’s side. His dark hair is slicked back on his head, soaked with sweat, and his eyes are pinched shut. I don’t know whether to speak or hold his hand. I’m not sure what comfort I can give him.

“My hand,” he gets out through clenched teeth. I reach for him, lacing my fingers with his. Blood is caked on his hand and under his nails. His body jerks once as the healer applies more pressure to his leg then a salve.

I’m not sure how much time passes as I stand by his side, but eventually his body starts to relax and his eyes finally open. I’ve kept the shield up in my mind since my last thought slipped through. One of the apprentices hands me a damp cloth, which I use to dab his brow and cheeks. He no longer looks as pale as he did when I first came in.

His free hand wraps around mine holding the cloth. He brings it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the inside of my wrist. “You must be feeling a little better,” I say.

“The moment I knew you were safe by my side, I felt an instant relief. The pain was the only thing keeping me from saying more to you.”

“What happened? How did you get hurt?”

“We ran from the castle to help keep the beasts from crossing the bridge, and that’s when I saw the flames. At first they refused to cross it, but as the fire started to die down, they were testing it. Sam, Nick, and I were standing, prepared to fight when they finally crossed the line. And they did. We each took one on, only one got the best of Sam and I went to his aid. As I did, another trelktik bit me. Luckily, Nick had already killed one and stabbed the one whose jaws were around my leg next, then the one who was after Sam.”

My hand flies to my mouth. “Is he okay?”

“He was bitten on the arm.”

“Oh, no.”

I look up and my eyes meet my mother’s. I silently send her a message asking if Sam is okay. She nods and gives me a small smile. He must be in another room. I ask her if anyone else was hurt and she shakes her head. My body relaxes a little knowing that these two bites were the worst of the injuries. Granted, bites are nothing to take lightly. The trelktik have long teeth and can bite deeply. At least our men got help and are going to be all right. I don’t want to think of what would have happened had Nick not been there.

The healer comes to my side, letting me know that Wes should rest for a bit. He insists I stay with him, but she’s right. He needs to get better, and me keeping him talking isn’t going to afford him much sleep. I tell him I’ll be by to see him in the morning and help him to his home. One night with the healer watching him should be plenty. I can help tend to his wounds after that.

I give Wes a kiss on his forehead before joining my mother. Together we walk outside toward the tower house. After the day’s events, I’m exhausted but hungry. Maybe a good dinner then a solid night’s sleep will do me some good.

“How are you holding up?” she asks.

My eyes narrow at her. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just get to the point. I know you have more you want to say.”

“Should we talk about Oliver?”

We enter the tower house and I drag her into one of the rooms, quickly shutting the door behind us. “What do you know?” I ask, knowing full well she probably saw everything before it happened. She’s a seer, after all.

“My dear daughter, what don’t I know?”

I sigh and drop my head. “Where is my path taking me, Mom? I want to know.”

“I can’t tell you for sure. You know that. The future is ever-changing. You have the power to alter your destiny.”

“Yes, but you have to have some idea. You don’t seem overly concerned that I was with Oliver.”

“Make no mistake, he’s a dangerous knight, and one of the deadliest around, but that doesn’t mean he’d ever cause you any harm.”

“I’ve figured that much out for myself.”

She laughs. “Addison, your heart will lead you on the path you’re meant to go on.”

“You knew I was in danger going to the woods. Why didn’t you stop me?”

“I don’t always get a clear picture of every event. Yes, I knew there was a danger, but didn’t know for sure what it was. I also knew that no harm would come to you. Oliver would be there.”

“I could have been killed!” I yell. “You let me walk into it knowing it was dangerous. What if something happened to me?”

“I might not always know things with a hundred percent accuracy, but I did know Oliver would protect you with his life, and you would use your magic. Neither of you would be harmed.” She lets out a long breath. “I can see the future, yes, but I cannot interfere with fate. Nor do I always get it right. If I do interfere, it could alter your path and your life. Everything happens for a reason. There is a greater plan for all of us. Trust in fate, Addi. Trust in your heart.”

“Thanks. That’s a lot of help.”

She laughs again and brings me into a hug. “I have faith in you, my darling daughter. You’re strong, independent, and very opinionated. Don’t ever lose touch with who you really are and you’ll do just fine.”