33. Bree

33

Bree

I closed the book and dropped my head into my hands.

The source of my angst rested against my leg. Yet no matter how much I searched the references, they just seemed to raise more questions.

Or maybe I just didn't like the answers.

Sid sat across from me, buried in another book. He'd offered to help me dig up more on the sword. But of course, he was seriously hampered—he had no idea who Riggs really was.

A Dragon prince, and possible savior of an Empire in ruins. When you knew that, the sword made a whole lot of sense.

But what didn't, was my ability to wield it.

That I could do so was immensely reassuring, an indication that Fate wasn't lying to me. That Riggs and I were connected by more than just my hormones, and that an odd mental link forged when Caliel had healed him.

Something had changed with Riggs since last night. I didn't know how I knew, I just did. But I hadn't had a chance to ask him about it before class, and now he'd headed off on his own.

It niggled at me. Like I needed to be with him. My restlessness only increased the longer I sat there…

I attempted to refocus on my reading, as if the written words of the past had the answers I sought. But my thoughts drifted, and the words blurred on the page. I had the oddest impression of a path dappled with the late afternoon sunlight, moving ever faster beneath feet driven by frustration and a growing sense of panic.

Running. I was running.

I blinked. I was still sitting in the library. It wasn't me who was actually running.

It was Riggs.

I pushed the books aside and rose, hefting the scabbard over my shoulder. Sid looked up.

"I've had enough for now. I think I'll go for a walk."

The Anisau eyed me. "Would you like company?"

I smiled at him. "Need some time to myself, to think. And I'm pretty sure Adilyn will have had enough sunsoaking for the evening."

At the mention of her name, his eyes started to flash, and his craggy face split into a grin. "Go ahead. I'll pack up the books," he said.

Knowing he enjoyed returning them to their places on the shelves, I left him there and hurried out. Riggs's footfalls rang through my mind as I rushed down the stairs.

My ability to sense such things meant something. And my heart backed it up, syncing with his own pulse as his feet rose and fell.

There was truth in it. Fate, calling me. This had to be more than a mere link formed when Caliel had healed him.

I'd heard stories of such links. Knew what it meant. Just hadn't ever thought it would happen to me.

Or was it just wishful thinking? He was a prince, and if the sword was to be believed, soon to be much more. Logic insisted that I was not for the likes of him.

As I paused on the stairs, torn between my heart and my head, words dropped into my mind.

You and he share a destiny. The sword knows it. Caliel's words were devoid of emotion, as if he recited from a book.

It twisted me up inside. He'd always spoken with such passion. Hate, at first. Then derision. But when it had altered to something so much more, I had embraced it, heart and soul.

Now, even that seemed to be fading.

If you ask me if I am okay, I will refuse to help in this endeavor, he threatened with a hint of his old zest. Now, get going.

I sensed that Riggs was flying now, pushing himself hard. I felt as though I stood upon a precipice, with one foot dangling over the edge. Torn between two men, one who was already a part of me, and one who might be destined to be. Are you sure?

Go, my little wind dancer, Caliel breathed through my mind. Catch him.

I hit the foyer at a jog that had students staring, wondering why I was in such a hurry. Now that I was launched, I couldn't have stopped, even if I'd wanted to.

I burst through the front entrance and jogged across the meadow. What had driven Riggs out onto that path? Then my skin prickled. I stopped and turned.

In time to see four enormous Dragons take off from the roof. A single figure watched them go—and I knew who it was.

Tyrez.

Was that why Riggs was bolting into the forest?

The funeral, Caliel whispered .

It was tomorrow, and Tyrez was supposed to attend. It explained some of the angst, for sure. But what radiated from Riggs was filled with conflict.

I would never catch him if I were in human form. I ran along the path into the forest. Then I moved into the trees and took off my clothes. With all the shifters around, nakedness seldom raised brows. But it still bothered me to strip to my human skin in public.

With my clothes piled under a bush, I dropped to a knee and drew the sword. Not all the way—I wanted to be able to carry it once I'd shifted.

I sensed the merest flicker from Caliel. I can assist.

It's okay, I said. I've got this.

He subsided, remaining as a barely felt presence in the back of my mind. I let the sword's energy wash over me and envisioned my mare self.

The change came on me faster than ever before, driven by my worry for Riggs. In moments, I used my nose to push the sword back into its scabbard. I threaded the strap over my neck, tossed it over one shoulder where it wouldn't tangle in my legs, and then I was off.

My hooves drummed against the earth in a counterpoint to Riggs's footfalls, and my Centaur heart supplied the song that matched them. I barely broke rhythm as I followed him onto a much smaller path leading deep into the forest.

Branches brushed against my glossy sides as I gave chase. That our link was real became evident when he sensed me coming, and my heart stuttered as he ran from me.

He didn't want me out here with him.

But the conflict I also sensed spurred me onward. His desperation added wings to his feet, but his two legs could never outrun my four. I soon caught sight of him shoving his way through the bushes.

When the path emptied into a small clearing, he spun to face me. The expression in his eyes reflected his inner chaos.

I slid to a halt before him. If he wanted me to turn back, he was going to have to give me a good reason to go. I tossed my head. "What are you running from?"

"Everything." His eyes gleamed metallic.

"You're going to have to do beetter than that," I stated.

His lips pulled back from his teeth. "I'm not who you all want me to be," he growled.

It wasn't the answer I'd been expecting. "Who are ‘you all'?" I asked.

"The Dragons. Fate. That blasted sword." He exhaled this last word… "You."

There was only one of those that I could resolve. I pushed my head up against his torso and breathed him in.

I heard his breath hitch.

"It's too late to run from mee," I whispered. He smelled of musky male, but I caught the merest hint of ozone, buried deep. Maybe his Dragon wasn't as lost as it seemed. I raised my nose to his neck, and exhaled the words, "I will run with you."

"Are you sure you want to?" His voice broke on the word want .

"Wee beelong together," I whispered.

I expected him to back away, but one big hand fastened into my mane. Then he was vaulting onto my back with his strong legs locking around my ribs.

Having him up there flooded joy through me as I launched myself through the clearing and down the path.

Riggs leaned over, the sword across his lap. "Faster," he urged, his breath warm against my neck.

I leveled off, flying along the path, branches whipping at us. Riggs hunkered low, his hands sliding up, fingers spread along my neck. He moved with me as though he'd been riding all his life. I'd spoken the truth. He was linked to me. He lived every beat of my hooves, breathed when I breathed, smelled the scents of sap and earth, felt the wind in my mane.

Fate had come for us.

So we ran. And the music in my mind pounded through both of us, weaving us together, slowly, but with intent. Heart, spirit, and soul.

I was barely aware of the ground rising beneath my racing hooves. The trees thinned and opened into a plateau. The sun was sinking below the mountains, painting them with red and gold. I pulled up at the edge of a cliff, and danced as Riggs slid off me.

"Was that Centaur music?" His voice was hoarse, and what pulsed from him robbed me of breath.

"Yes." I desperately wanted to touch him. I shook the sword loose from my neck and kicked it toward him. "I neeed to shift," I said.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now." He left the weapon on the ground.

In answer, I started to change without the power of the sword.

As my bones twisted in agony, Caliel freaked out. What has possessed you now? he demanded. He started to help me, but I felt how weak he was.

Leave it, I commanded. This is between Riggs and me.

A pang of something I couldn't quite define, and then he withdrew.

When a gasp of agony escaped my lips, Riggs picked up the sword. He pulled it free, and it glowed brighter than the sun, far brighter than when I'd held it. The runes danced along the blade. For just a moment, he seemed caught up in it, his eyes shining metallic. Then he reached out with it and laid the blade against me.

It washed the pain away, and I embraced my human form with a mix of relief and elation. When I finally rose to push my hair out of my eyes, he inhaled sharply.

Sunlight chased over my naked skin.

Naked. Not a scale or feather in sight. A knot that had been tied tight inside me loosened.

Rigg's moved as if to cast the sword away… And my hand snapped up to wrap around his on the hilt. "No," I said. "This sword belongs to you."

A muscle jumped in his jaw. "I cannot be who it wants me to be," he whispered. He pulled it free from my hand, and laid it down on the stone.

The torment in his voice tore at me, but I held firm. And from deep within, a tired Caliel spoke.

"It sees not just who you are, but who you will be," he said through my lips. "And just because destiny is not easy to accept, does not make it any less possible."

I witnessed the desperation blossom in Riggs's eyes. "The Empire will never be restored by a Dragon without wings."

I met it head on. "You have wings," I said. "You have mine."

"Your wings have feathers," he husked.

I reached up to run fingers along his jaw. He was broken, and I knew how deeply. The inability to soar struck to the heart of who he was. But Fate had destined us to be together—and I could give him back his wings.

"You can give me the missing piece," I said. "I will be your Dragon."

His throat convulsed, and his pulse pounded beneath my fingers. "Why would you want to be part of this?" I could barely hear him.

I drank in the sight of him—not just his height and breadth, but the man I knew he was. His warrior soul, the drive to do what was right and the ability to see it through to the end. But more than that—his fierce loyalty to whom he loved.

He would die to protect me. And as my heart filled to bursting, I knew I would do the same for him.

"I am part of you," I breathed, hooking fingers behind his neck to pull his head down to mine. "And you know it."

I rose on tiptoes to touch my lips to his—and with a low groan that came from the depths of his soul, he kissed me. I tingled all over as our lips touched, and I opened for him, eager to taste him. To make him mine .

I drank in his musky scent as I spread my hands out over his chest. He was captivating to touch, with rock-hard muscles beneath the fabric of his hoodie. I slid questing fingers upward and thrilled in his satin-smooth skin.

Mine. He was mine . Heart, spirit, soul…

And fire —passion for a Dragon was all about fire . His eyes ignited as he exhaled hard. He yanked the hoodie off with such force that a seam gave. It left the tremendous breadth to his shoulders gloriously exposed to the fading sun, the golden light chasing across the Dragons rendered there.

For a moment, we both froze. His eyes gleamed at me, drinking me in, and a big hand drifted gentle fingers along my jaw.

"This will change everything," he whispered. "Are you sure , Breana?"

I met his gaze. "I have never been more sure of anything."

His fingers cupped my jaw. "I've wanted you since the first time I saw you. Told myself to stay away. But walking away from you would tear a hunk out of me—and I don't know how much of me is really left to lose." He huffed a soft laugh. "Like that makes any sense at all. And I clearly can't do it, because here I am. Whoever or whatever there is left of me."

It was quite the speech—and the pain woven through it wrenched at my heart. I reached to touch his cheek. "I know who you are."

His eyes glowed metallic. "From anyone else, I wouldn't believe that."

"I would never lie to you."

His thumb trailed over my cheek. "I know."

His voice rumbled through me, the honesty in his words striking straight through to my soul. But I sensed, still, that he held back. The warrior inside him was tied to his Dragon, and remained inextricably tangled with his inability to fly.

For Riggs, it was all about whether he believed himself worthy . Even now, with me in his arms, he did something a warrior never does.

He hesitated.

How could I reconnect him to his Dragon heart?

By proving I was as much a part of him, as he was of me. Capturing his fingers, I drew them to my lips. Kissed the tips, and then sucked one into my mouth.

He exhaled hard. When I flicked my tongue over the calluses, he shuddered and I sensed a subtle shift in him, deep inside.

"Must be a finger man," he growled, and lowered his head to nibble along my jaw, then down my throat. He pulled his hand free to trace the line of my shoulder, then across my chest to my breast, where he pulled gently on my nipples. It sent electric zings straight through to my core, and I moaned. Hot—he was so hot in more ways than one—his skin was burning up beneath my fingers. I danced them over rock-hard pectoral muscles designed to drive him through the air.

"Miss the ring." My voice was a husky echo of normal.

He breathed a surprised laugh. "Had another one that you might have appreciated more."

"I know," I purred, and dropped a hand to what extended toward me through sweatpants suddenly pulled very tight indeed.

He rumbled a groan, and his hips pushed into my grasp. Then I squeaked in surprise as his arms wrapped around me and lifted to carry me closer to the trees. The moss there grew thick over the rock, and he laid me down on it.

I gazed up into his incandescent eyes, and glimpsed, deep within them, my Dragon warrior. But when I reached for him, he wrapped his big fists around my wrists, and stopped me. He offered me a small smirk before he began to kiss and nibble, starting with my jaw and trailing down my throat.

When he laved my breasts with his tongue, I arched up with a small moan, tugging against his hold. I'd never liked being restrained in the past, but with Riggs, it was different—his lips and teeth and tongue revered every dip and curve of me.

They told me he would never hurt me. That I could trust him.

He moved lower, tickling my midriff with his gentle nips, then lower still, licking along my inner thighs until he lapped at my very center. He devoured me as though I were his favorite dessert, and I squirmed in his grasp, panting for more. Then his tongue found what it sought, and circled it?—

The world dissolved in white noise. Small moans of pleasure escaped my lips, and I writhed beneath him until I couldn't handle any more?—

I tugged with intent, and with a growly rumble, he let me go. Sinking fists into his hair, I pulled him free. Then, in one smooth move, I rolled him onto his back.

"You're a demanding wench," he laughed, as my hands tugged his sweatpants down. My fingers traced the burgeoning shaft glistening in the last rays of the dying sun, before they closed around something lower, already drawing up tight. His laugh cut off on a gasp.

I was aching with such hunger that there was only one answer for it. I swung my leg over him, poised over his quivering shaft, and teased him with my heat.

"Dang it, Breana," his breath hitched, as his fingers tweaked my nipples.

Every inch of me tightened, and I lowered myself, wrapping around his tremendous girth, one glorious inch at a time. He arched his hips right up off the ground, seeking to slide home as his entire body shuddered with need. I held him to my pace, and his breath hissed through his teeth.

"I'm going to explode, " he groaned in desperation.

His hands dropped to my hips, and I let him slide the last inch until he was fully seated. He rumbled a growl, and his length hit every sweet spot inside, carrying me higher with each push. His eyes gleamed, and there was nothing of the human remaining in them.

They were pure Dragon.

His big hand buried in my hair, and guided me to him. As his hips kept up the delicious rhythm, he licked down the side of my neck, to my shoulder. My body corkscrewed ever tighter until I was almost at the point of pain and could no longer even breathe.

Then I felt the prick of teeth that had no business being in a human mouth. They sent a rush of heat through me, tightening every cell… At the very instant when I could take no more, and I poised on the edge of oblivion, he bit down.

And I shattered.

He came with me, his muffled roar vibrating against my flesh as the waves pulsed through us. Over and over and over—it was as though time didn't exist. And as Riggs released the mating bite and began to lick the wounds closed, I basked in the sensations quivering through me. The sun baked us with an intense glow.

Then I realized it wasn't the sun enveloping us with light.

It was the sword.

It lay on the stone a short distance away, but it shone so brightly that I almost couldn't look at it. Energy pulsed from it to bathe us in a warmth that brought tears to my eyes.

Riggs touched my cheek with his fingers, so lightly I barely felt them.

I think it approves.

The words dropped into my mind, only they weren't Caliel's. They rumbled like a Dragon's.

My eyes teemed with tears as I smiled down at him.

So do I, I said and reached for him.