49. Bree

49

Bree

The wind blasted through my hair.

How could I have lost so much of my Centaur ability to navigate? It seemed to have vanished as thoroughly as my four hooves. Even with Nemi's help, it took us fifteen minutes and four wrong turns before we walked out of the tunnel.

I'd never been to the top of the island, where Nikolai seemed to have created a stretch of flattened rock large enough for training exercises. Up here, the wind was chaotic and very strong—I felt as though I might be blown right off. The little hummingbird squeaked as she landed on Tez and tucked herself up behind his ear.

We didn't see Riggs at first, and then, when we did, my breath froze. He stood right at the very edge of the cliff, staring out across the ocean. His wings were out and partly spread—the air caught at them, pushing at his body, threatening to sweep him right off.

What the hell is he doing? Tez sounded as alarmed as I was.

The sword and scabbard lay on the rocks behind Riggs, and my heart twisted. Surely, he wasn't going to try to fly? His wings would not properly support his human body, and the wind would smash him into the island.

It wasn't a random thought on my part. I sensed his intense desire to do just that, to force his Dragon to emerge, and save him.

Fricking hell, Tez exclaimed . Don't even think about it! He strode forward to grab Riggs by the arm.

Not like this, I said, following him.

Riggs wrenched his arm away from Tez, and his eyes flared as he looked down at me. I've tried to shift to my Dragon. A muscle jumped in his jaw. I can't do it. Not even for you. It's there. I can feel it. But it refuses to emerge.

Despair surged along the link. And desperation.

We are heading into a war against Dragons, he continued. And I cannot fly.

You've got Excalibur, you idiot. Tez exclaimed. You don't need your wings!

Riggs's gaze locked with mine. He could battle with the best of them as a human, and he had a legendary sword to do it with. But looking into his heart, I saw how this shattered him, not being able to fight Dragons as a Dragon.

As I used my hands to turn him, his big frame shuddered with the impact of the wind against his wings. If he spread them fully, they would take him, whether I wished them to, or not.

If you go over that cliff, I am going with you. I held onto both of his arms—desperate to anchor him.

Then I guess I'm not going flying, Rigg's mindvoice sounded as though he were speaking through gritted teeth.

This is not the way to find your Dragon, my brother. Caliel sounded tired. I tune out for a few minutes and you try leaping off a cliff.

Riggs ignored the criticism. How is Mykal?

Caliel hesitated. The same. But we confirmed that the collar is holding him under. Aphostra is going to remove it, once we get Rafael here.

I swallowed as I met Riggs's chaotic gaze. Mykal can hold while you and I go fishing.

We're doing what? He glanced toward the waves far below. No boat is going to survive that.

He damn well knew I wasn't talking literally, but he was buying himself time to build a wall between us. He was afraid to explore this—afraid that he was right.

That his Dragon was forever lost to him.

He followed my thoughts, and his mouth straightened. I can do this on my own.

By throwing yourself off a cliff?

The chaos in his eyes tore at me. It might work.

My gut clenched. If we hadn't come up here…

What were you thinking? Tez stated . You'd just splatter yourself all over those rocks.

When it came to support, our resident skeptic wasn't a natural. Riggs's entire body went rigid—he and Tez were like oil and water at the best of times. I pressed closer to Riggs and turned to Tez. We need some alone time.

His dark brows dropped. He wants to fling himself off a cliff, and you're sending me away?

I met his astonished gaze. Yes.

His eyes flared turquoise, but then he raised a hand to my jaw and sighed. The things I do for you… He offered one last glare to Riggs, and then spun and left us to it.

I faced the tall ex-Dragon. You have to let me help you.

The tremor ran through his wings, and I clung tight to his arms.

Don't try it. Tez, refusing to entirely leave us. He sounded both angry and frustrated as he stalked down the inner hall. I didn't think you were this stupid, bro. All you'll do is die.

Let us help you, Caliel said. You're just stuck, is all.

How can I be stuck? It wants out, I want it out. I don't see the problem. Riggs's frustration screamed along the link.

Easy there, my brother. Caliel's calm tone was a soothing balm. I sensed that he'd sat himself down on a cot in the medical ward as he prepared to help us. Everyone thinks they have control over their body, but no one does. Not really. It is a dynamic thing—and it learns on a visceral, subconscious level.

What the hell does that mean? Tez asked. He hadn't gone far—he was leaning against the wall of the inner hall.

It means that while the heart and head take risks, the body is all about self-preservation, Caliel explained . Riggs's body has learned that shifting is not a good idea. When it tried, it caused damage and pain. We therefore need to re-establish his connection to his Dragon, and prove to his body on a deep level that shifting is possible.

Caliel's reassuring energy reached Riggs. The wings folded around him, and I switched my grip to his hand, tugging him back from the edge.

Will that really work? Riggs's words were doubtful, but the tone now held a hint of hope.

Sounds more promising than throwing yourself off a cliff, I said as I led him to the very center of the rocky plateau. As I bent to snag the sword, I tried to keep a calm expression, but I was fighting hard for it. Because I knew this was it. That if we couldn't find Riggs's Dragon, he would keep trying to find it himself.

By doing things like throwing himself off cliffs.

What Caliel had said made a lot of sense, though. I pulled Riggs down to sit on the stones, and asked, "How many times have you almost died?"

His lips quirked. "Literally or figuratively?"

Okay, he wasn't your typical direct-line thinker. "Near-death experiences."

Now he looked less sure. "I was a Legion Dragon. It kind of came with the territory."

These would not be your typical slash-and-cut events, Caliel stated . We are talking about almost dying, and needing help from a healer. Do you not remember those such occurrences?

Suddenly, images flashed, and a tremor vibrated along our link. The sensation of being chewed from within—terrible, cramping pain, bleeding from every orifice.

Of nearly dying.

The parasites? Caliel guessed. But the sensations seemed to be from multiple timeframes…

Riggs was frowning as he fought to recollect more. "If I remember right, I was infected three different times with them."

Three times? Caliel's mindvoice quivered, and then stabilized. That would throw your physical self into complete and utter paranoia. I'm surprised you were able to function at all. And then you were hit by Finn's bloodmagic bolt. Add to that the fact that shifting caused more damage when you tried so soon after your injury—I am certain that trauma is the issue now.

Riggs's eyes met mine. "So there isn't a physical reason I can't shift? You're saying it's all in my head?"

No. I'm saying it's all in your body, Caliel corrected . We're going to use your mind to override your body's self-preservation instincts.

I'm glad that makes sense to you, because it sounds like bullshit to me, Tez offered.

Watch and learn, Caliel stated.

If you add "my padawan" to that, I will pluck out your fur one torturous strand at a time, Tez promised.

What's a padawan? Caliel asked, confused.

"Can we just get on with this?" I said.

Riggs's wings opened a little, and then folded again as he cast almost a longing look at the cliff edge. Like he'd rather try that, than dig around in his brain.

He likely would. As a warrior, most things in his life would have been resolved by just forging onward. I shuffled closer to him and drew the sword, laying its glowing blade across my legs. I kept one hand on it, and gripped his with the other.

The sword's bright power coursed over and through us, and Caliel rode with it, using the link to send his healing ability into Riggs.

His involuntary resistance to the intrusion was immediate and hostile—he tried to push the healer back out again.

Sorry, my brother, Caliel said. I am afraid I have to insist…

I'd never fully appreciated the strength of Caliel's talent until that moment—because he gathered himself, and blasted through the walls that Riggs's body erected as if they were not even there.

Riggs's hand spasmed within my own, but I held firm through the chaos Caliel had caused. That wall was filled with sensation—physical pain—linked to a deeply ingrained fear. As a warrior, he'd been trained to push through all that, put it behind him, and move on. But in the act of doing so, he had never truly dealt with it.

The body never forgets, Caliel said, his mindvoice hoarse with effort. And it never forgives. Every time Riggs had a brush with death, it fostered doubt. I may be a rookie myself, but we were trained that shifting forms requires a complete understanding between human and beast—a level of trust that has been eroded away in Riggs's body. It is, therefore, holding him to his human form as a means of self-preservation. It has to be reassured that survival beyond it is possible.

Riggs's fingers had tightened painfully, but his eyes had closed—I didn't think he was aware of it. Caliel was searching now. Searching within Riggs, for his Dragon.

I need you to think about your beast, he told Riggs. The physical reality of it. The width and breadth. How it felt to move, and to fly.

"What if I can't remember?" Riggs's voice was hoarse, and that he spoke aloud was a clear indication of his internal tumult.

Your body does, even if your memories are fragmented. Focus on what you do remember. Then, to me, he said, We've only seen it in dreams, but help him to visualize it.

I showed Riggs what I remembered from my dreams. What he looked like to others—the tremendous wingspan, the way his scales glistened purple in the sunlight, the spikes that radiated from his long, triangular head, and his marvelous, metallic eyes.

Riggs took a deep breath, and I felt him try to remember what it was like to be a Dragon. The power in the huge body, the way it felt to walk on four legs, the incredible breadth of vision, the long, arched neck—and above all, the feel of wind beneath his wings.

Caliel pieced it together from the fragments he found within him—a visualization more than a physical reality. I kept the image strong in my mind, and Riggs matched my memories to his own.

And then Caliel brought out the Dragon.

Riggs groaned, but I thought it was with relief rather than pain. Talons erupted from his fingertips, and as his hand expanded, it pulled free from mine. I looked up as the bones of his face distorted to form a lethal, triangular head on a long, graceful neck…

His luminescent gaze met mine, and he began to rumble .

Which was when agony ripped through me. With a gasp, I doubled over. My fisted hands had sprouted icy-blue talons.

Was it the Ice Drake trying to surface? It didn't feel quite right. Scales the same color as my talons raced over my forearms, and the muscles beneath my skin writhed.

His Dragon is calling to its mate. Caliel sounded tense. Relax into it, Breezy. Let her come.

Relax? I'd never been in so much pain. My shoulders ripped apart—no, it was my wings emerging, gleaming silvery blue in the sunlight. The other mated Dragon conversions I'd seen had mimicked their hair color with their scales—but in my case, the Ice Drake had the final say. Every single one that emerged was hers, even as my form became a Dragon.

I lay on the cool stone, panting, as the pain eased. Something warm ghosted across my face scales—and I looked up at Riggs.

Or was he Razir, now? Because it was his Dragon that rubbed his muzzle along mine. Huge, he was huge, much larger than me. His scales gleamed purple and black in the sunlight.

There was only one word to describe him.

Magnificent.

Riggs nudged me to my feet with his head, and said, You are beyond beautiful.

I inhaled his musky scent, now strong with his Dragon ozone. You smell amazing. And look even better.

Glad you think so. I am rather handsome, Riggs said. Our link fizzed with his joy.

So glad to be part of this mutual admiration society, Tez snarked. He's going to be unbearable, now that he's got wings .

I straightened up on all four legs and spread mine. The wind caught them, and I instinctively angled them for liftoff. My feet threatened to leave the ground, and my heart did a funny little leap.

Take me flying, I said to Riggs.

His eyes widened as he spread a wing over me, holding me down. The winds here are vicious. I don't even know if I still remember how to fly.

I can help with that, Caliel offered.

Great. Just great, Tez stated . The no-longer-a-Gryphon will give the am-I-still-a-Dragon? lessons. This should go well.

The wind will do most of the work for you, Caliel said. You just have to steer clear of the cliffs.

Of which there are many, Tez pointed out. Why am I, of all people, being the only voice of reason?

We are going to war, Tez. Caliel's tone was firm. And this is a skill she may need. We don't have time for casual lessons.

Tez sighed through the link. He just wants to join the mile-high club with Bree.

Riggs laughed, a glorious rumble both aloud and through the link. Jealous?

You bet, Tez affirmed.

I'd comment if I had any idea what that was, I complained.

Riggs took a step back from me, turned into the gusting wind—and the next second, he was airborne. When I crouched to follow, he sent an urgent message. Just give me a moment, Venus .

I folded my wings, and joined with him mentally as he spread his wings and let the wind carry him away from us. Once airborne, he fought to remember the subtleties of flying.

Just relax, Caliel coached. Your Dragon knows what it is doing. Don't let your mind interfere with it.

He was with Riggs and me as his Dragon was reborn into a creature of the air. Although it wasn't without its hiccups. Flying as a Gryphon was different than flying as a Dragon—but high above the cliffs, they experimented. Until Riggs was flying alone.

We were with him as he did a barrel roll, the vapor trailing off his wingtips. And then suddenly, he remembered. Everything.

Spread your wings, my brother, Caliel said , and make the wind your bitch.

COWABUNGA! Riggs exclaimed as his barrel roll became a fantastic, looping aerobatic maneuver.

Cowa—what? I asked.

The man is obsessed with stupid turtle lore, complained Tez.

Which explained nothing. I shook it off and instead mentally joined with Riggs as he spun and dove and banked with joy in his heart.

It was inspirational, but the craziness of the wind gusts tested my desire to try my own wings.

Maybe we can tackle this another time, I said nervously.

He didn't answer me, and I searched the roiling clouds for him. Where was he? I sensed him diving through the link…

I got the merest glimpse of movement dropping from the clouds before his talons closed on my wings, right where they joined to my body—and I was whisked into the air and off the cliff.

I screamed, but he easily carried me up and away from the cliffs.

Smooth, Barney. Scare the shit out of her, Tez snarled.

Who the heck is Barney? Riggs asked.

Purple dinosaur in a kids' show back home, Tez answered. He was kind of plump in an unshapely way and overly cheerful.

A growl rumbled through the big body above me. Think I'd rather stick with turtle references.

You're far too big to be a ninja, Tez protested.

I stared down at the tossing waves looming below and interrupted the rather ridiculous debate. Can we please just focus on the fact that I am dangling a few hundred feet above the ocean?

A warm mental stroke from Riggs. I've got you. I won't let you fall.

I thought Dragons learned to fly by holding onto tails, I protested.

Would you rather hold onto my tail? he asked.

I glanced back to where his tail trailed behind him—just as a gust hit him hard and sent him sideways. No. No, this is fine. Then I spotted something else.

I fixed him with an accusing eye. Is this turning you on?

What? Flying for the first time with my mate as a Dragon? Why would that be a turn-on?

Sarcasm doesn't suit you. Just keep your mind on the task at hand. I don't want to fly into a cliff.

Point taken. Lesson one: spread your wings. Feel the air beneath them.

With him still holding onto them right where they left my body, I tentatively extended them. And almost panicked when the wind slammed into the membranes, wrenching me in his grasp.

He wasn't alarmed. Flatten them. Look at mine, and mimic them.

As soon as I flattened them, my wings gave me lift rather than threatening to rip me away.

Come with me, Venus. Be with me. His deep voice purred through my mind.

Wasn't Venus a female mutant turtle? Tez said. Which makes the nickname doubtful on the romantic level.

Riggs's growl carried through the link. Hey. At least I didn't call her a danged orange.

Leave them alone, Tez, Caliel interrupted.

You expect me to just leave? What if he drops her?

I won't, Riggs snarled.

Tez. Go do more research in the library. Take a nap. Anything other than hover.

It was the closest thing to an order I'd ever heard from Caliel. And not something I expected Tez to heed.

Am I going to have to have a closet handy? Tez protested.

Possibly, Riggs laughed.

Likely, Caliel corrected.

Tez merely growled through the link, and then his presence diminished as he deliberately turned his attention away.

That's better, Riggs said.

Have fun, Breezy. Or should I say Venus? With that, Caliel left as well.

Venus is a funny name for a turtle, I breathed.

Yes. She was a masterpiece. As are you. What resonated along the link had very little to do with childhood heroes. Riggs rubbed his head along mine, and then said, Now, tilt your wings, like this…

I complied, and while the wind toyed with our efforts, he showed me how to take what it offered and use it, instead of resisting. Linked as we were, it wasn't long before we were flapping, banking, and soaring as one unit.

Then he swerved away, and I realized that he'd let me go.

I almost panicked, but he touched his wingtip to mine, and reached out to me. Do this. And now, this.

I was flying, using the wind gusts to carry me forward and sideways. Making it mine.

I am yours, too, Riggs rumbled. And what pulsed from him sent me heat from muzzle to tailtip. It's a bit early for stars . But I will carry you to the sun instead.

Aren't I supposed to make you chase me? I asked.

The chase is designed to heat the blood, he stated. I'm already burning up, but if you want to run, I will chase you.

I turned my head and met his eye. And then, I rolled, offering him my throat.

I wasn't really ready for those kinds of gymnastics, and my wings thrashed as I began to fall. But he caught me, his strong legs tangling with my own. Then he sank his teeth into the thick scales at my throat.

Fold your wings, Breana.

It was almost an order, but my Dragon wanted this, and so, I obeyed.

And he took me up. And up. His jaws merely delivered pressure, the scales there were meant for this. He carried me past the roiling clouds, to where the air was calmer, but so cold that our breath formed ice on our scales. And still, he climbed, as if he really was heading for the sun.

It was beautiful up here, with the clouds below us lit by the golden rays. He climbed until it was almost difficult to breathe. And then, he held me close as he hovered, and let go of my throat to rub his head alongside mine.

Do you trust me?

I knew all about Dragon mating, so I also knew what he was asking. And my answer was immediate.

Yes.

He stopped flying. And we began to drop.

As the wind blasted over our scales, he pulled me closer, until we spun through the air with every inch of his body sliding up against my own. My Dragon had taken control, and lust surged through me. My heart raced as our tails entwined. His hind legs parted mine?—

Yes… I burned for this. Burned for him …

With a single thrust, we were joined. My jaws opened in ecstasy as we squirmed and writhed and fell from the sky.

Then, with a mutual scream that the wind snatched away, we shattered together. And clung like that, for a few precious seconds, while the cliffs loomed…