Chapter 26

Sorceress and dragon stared at one another long and hard, neither one moving a muscle. Odanth's eyes glittered as he looked over every inch of her before coming back to her face and narrowing. Adeena realized then she didn't have her Lady Addie Merlo glamour over her. She was just herself, just Adeena.

The last time he'd seen her, though, she'd been all but four years old. A little girl who loved her dragon something fierce and just as he did her, who had tried to get to her whenever the assassin came to kill her and Cleo, who watched her die from where he circled high above before he could even make the dive.

Echoes of his roar of fury and heartbreak shook her to her bones. Gods, why was she just remembering this now? She hadn't thought about it in ages, the smaller details of that fateful night.

Odanth moved slowly then, crouching down on all fours as his massive head dipped toward her, nose level with her stomach as he inched forward. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch him. But even after all these years, she still knew dragon etiquette, still knew he was the one who needed to make the first move.

Eyes locked on hers, Odanth moved closer, steam curling from his nostrils, warm breath brushing against her. Adeena slowly extended her hand toward him. His gaze shifted to it, pausing. An offer, even when she felt him tugging on their newly uncovered bloodrite bond.

And he accepted it, pressing his nose to her palm, and breathed in deep as his eyes closed.

Though they shot back open as soon as he realized who she was.

There was no more hesitation as he took two more thundering steps toward her, excitement flaring through him as a happy grumble sounded from his chest. Tears glittering in her eyes once more, Adeena let out a choked laugh as the dragon she hadn't seen in over a century shifted his massive body around her, curling in tight as if to give her a hug. Odanth nuzzled the side of his head against her stomach, pulling her back against the warmth of his side.

"Hi, my sweet dragon," Adeena whispered to him with a laugh, leaning down to kiss his brow. She smoothed her hand along his snout, making him grumble in contentment.

Odanth huffed out another breath, looking up at her again and yet not moving from how he was curled around her. It took her no time at all to realize what questions flickered in his gaze.

Where did you go? Where have you been? Why did you leave us?

"I know. I'm sorry. If I had it my way, I would have come back as soon as I was able. Both me and Evander."

At the sound of her grandfather's name, Odanth perked up again, his tail swishing. He and Ollyn had loved him fiercely, too, so no wonder losing him was just as devastating.

"He's all right. One day...one day soon the two of us will come back to you, Ollyn, Grandma Renna...and Cleo. Cleo's been taking good care of you, hasn't she?"

Odanth grumbled and almost seemed to give her a nod.

"Good. I'd have to talk to her if she hadn't been, huh?"

Her dragon moved so he could see her, so he could look clearly into her eyes as if to remind himself that this really was Adeena he was talking to, his bloodrite bond who he'd been without for so long. She smoothed her hand along the top of his snout, right between his eyes as he closed them and let out what almost sounded like a content hum. Where did he learn that from?

"I missed you, too," she whispered to him.

***

There was no use trying to hide a dragon five times the size of a horse. She couldn't, not when Odanth didn't want to let her out of his sight. Instead, Adeena promised him she would be back later that afternoon and made him promise to stay there right by the glittering pool while she made her way back to the inn.

And, of course, he followed her as far as the western shore of Lake Iris. There, he plopped himself down on the sandy shoreline and watched her every move as she turned to look at him...before bursting out into laughter. He looked exactly like a puppy waiting excitedly for its master to toss him a treat or a toy.

"Fine then. Wait right here," Adeena told him with a smile. "I'll be back in an hour, all right? Then we'll go back to the pool, set up camp, and scrounge up something for dinner. Or you can go hunt while I'm gone. You want to do that?"

Odanth stared, wiggling his shoulders, stretching out his wings before snapping them back in close.

"Fine. Just so you know, don't expect me to go hunting for your food, all right?"

He huffed out another breath, glancing back at the forest stretching out endlessly behind them and then back to her.

"Go on. I'll meet you there if you want. I promise. I'm not going anywhere."

Odanth still didn't believe her. Not in the slightest. That, and he just wanted to be anywhere she was.

Adeena crossed her arms over her chest, squaring off against him. "Don't you give me that look. I'm not four years old anymore, if you can't tell."

He looked her up and down, noting how she'd definitely aged up from the little girl who he kept a fierce watch over into the female who could take care of herself.

"And yes, I can take care of myself."

Still, he wasn't budging.

"You insufferable, clingy, mother hen of a dragon."

Odanth grumbled out what sounded like a chuckle, teeth flashing as he snapped playfully at her stomach. She pointed a finger at him, but all he did was poke his nose right to it. It had Adeena smiling, shaking her head, and kissing his brow.

"You haven't changed a bit."

He stepped back from her then, shifting to the side and lowering himself to the ground. Another look she recognized as he leaned toward her, just low enough for her to...

"Oh, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "Do you know how long it's been since I flew? Remember when I said I'm not four anymore. That's how long. And even then, Renna or Evander was with us."

There was no budging.

"No."

Those silver eyes were pleading. Just like old times, they seemed to say.

Adeena's heart raced as she stared at the place where a saddle usually fit perfectly between his neck and where his wings joined his body. She'd been too little to properly sit there without before, but now...

"No."

You scared?

"No...yes."

Odanth grumbled out a laugh again.

Come on then.

It was either this or walk the whole way around Lake Iris.

"Fine," she huffed out, stepping forward and trying to ignore the excitement in his eyes, the smugness in his toothy grin.

Somehow, Adeena managed to pull herself up onto him. He helped, of course, catching her with his wing and holding it out so she could steady herself before continuing her climb. It was difficult at first to know where to center her weight, where to put her legs so it would be comfortable for him during flying, too. It took her a moment, but she finally found the perfect position so she could hold on with both her hands and legs.

Odanth stood then, and Adeena's heart began to race once more as the ground dipped beneath them. Ten, fifteen, twenty feet and he was standing at full height.

"This is a very, very bad idea."

The dragon shifted beneath her, looking up to the bright blue sky above them as he readied to take off.

"Don't get too crazy, Odanth, or else I'll..."

He gave her absolutely no warning as his massive wings unfurled and he took to the air.

And Adeena...well, she was screaming.

Hands searching for any part of him to hold onto, she leaned forward, wrapping both arms around his neck as wind whipped around her. Higher and higher he climbed, vertical from the ground below that was getting farther and farther away. Adeena only looked once at the ground that slipped away below them, then squeezed her eyes shut as she clung to him for dear life.

"Stop going so high!" she screamed over the wind.

But if Odanth heard her, he didn't obey.

Gods above, she didn't want to look down again, didn't want to know just how far from the ground she was, gauge the distance she would fall when her arms and legs finally gave out.

Yet her eyes flew open when Odanth leveled out and hovered, then nosedived straight down.

Adeena's scream was lost on the wind.

It only lasted a few seconds, but to her it felt like hours. Hours of watching the ground and the glittering lake beneath them rise up so fast as she braced for impact.

There was none.

Odanth's wings whipped out as he leveled out, the flight then so much smoother as the wind turned to just a gentle breeze.

"Why did you do that, you beast?" Adeena yelled at him, still clutching on to his neck.

The dragon shifted to look at her, silver eyes twinkling with mischief.

"I hate you."

I love you, too, his content grumble seemed to say to her.

She gulped, eyes still squeezed tight, and didn't move for several long moments.

When she opened her eyes and moved to look down, all she could see was their reflections in the glittering water of Lake Iris just twenty feet below them. And even though Adeena looked completely disheveled, a bright smile curled at the corners of her lips as she managed to sit up and look around her.

Then threw her arms out and let out a joyful scream Odanth echoed with his own roar.

***

There was no being sneaky when you were flying in on one of Queen Cleo's dragons. Not when the dragon himself wanted to be clingy, even after an hour of flying around. Everyone in the village below looked up, shielding their eyes from the sunlight only to catch sight of the massive dragon above. Excited shouts sounded as he circled once more, which had Adeena smiling even as she put her glamour over her again. Of course, she'd heard how the people of Arloerin loved both Odanth and Ollyn, but seeing it...

Odanth managed not to clip the roof of the inn as he flew over, landing gracefully in the courtyard behind it. More excited squeals greeted them as Tarra's three boys ran outside, whose names Adeena finally learned were Cathan, Balor, and Hart. Cathan, the oldest and the boy from the stable, ran up to them first, eyes and smile wide as he took in just how massive Odanth was up close.

"You have Queen Cleo's dragon Odanth with you! Oh, wow!"

Adeena, now in her full Lady Addie persona and look, laughed as she jumped down. Her legs wobbled as soon as she did, but Odanth whipped his head around to her, catching her against his side before she fell. She gave him a loving pat in return.

"I made a new friend, it seems. Do you three want to keep him occupied while I run upstairs for a few minutes? I need to get a few things from my room."

"Of course!"

Odanth, it seemed, still absolutely adored children just as he and Ollyn always had. While she walked up the back steps into the kitchen, she managed to smile at the shrieks of laughter and the happy grumbles from her dragon.

Tarra was nowhere to be seen and no other guests seemed to be there either, so Adeena quickly ran up the stairs, dropping her glamour as soon as her door was closed and locked behind her.

Reaching for her small bag, she threw in two changes of clothes, a few toiletries, and a thick blanket. Not only did she want to spend more time with Odanth, she wanted to sleep under the stars that night just as she, Cleo, and Kalla used to.

As she threw the strap over her shoulder and headed for the door, one text's title sitting on the bookshelf caught her eye. With her being in the city so much over those last few days, she was always too tired to even think about picking one up to read.

History of Dalcaine and Escarral.

Huh. That was something she didn't expect in a completely different world. Then again, this was the room Cleo frequented...and this was the one thing that seemed to tie her to it.

Setting her bag back down on the chair beside her, Adeena reached up to pull the book from the shelf. Its leather binding was simple, the title embossed with gold, but as soon as she flipped it open to the title page, Adeena's heart jumped in her throat. There was a note penned on the title page, dated fifteen years before.

Guess who's in yet another academic text? Not just me this time. Both of us. And it includes portraits of us all. You look beautiful, just as you always do. Don't go fawning over Jai's either. He still loves it when you're sweet on him and has already promised to give you a smacking kiss on the cheek next time we see you, as he always does. Gideon, too. And you know Des will, too, since she's without a doubt the silly and sassy little girl we all knew she'd grow to be with all of us around.

Come visit whenever you can. You know you're always welcome.

Miss you and love you.

Your favorite cousin,

Lyv

Lyv. The name had Adeena smiling.

Thumbing through the pages, she read through some of the descriptions. The first few chapters were of a world Adeena had never been to and yet the most important people in her life were from it. There were so many names of lands, of their separate cities and territories. There were histories of both Dalcaine and Escarral, just as the title proclaimed, but their histories became intertwined with one person – Crown Princess Alyvia Deverell Ayveri of Dalcaine, Princess of Escarral, and Heir and Savior of Asturia. No wonder she simply went by Lyv.

Adeena paused as soon as she turned the page to where a sketched portrait of her cousin was, seeing the familial similarities between them, including the almost identical green eyes. Whereas Adeena had a silvery blond hair, Lyv's hair was a deep burgundy with a silver streak running through it at her temple, which was something she'd inherited from her father.

Next to her was another portrait of one of the most devastatingly handsome Fae males she'd ever seen. Crown Prince Jai Ayveri. Dark hair pulled back into a knot at the back of his head, the shadow of a beard along his jaw, naturally dark tanned skin, and striking sapphire blue eyes.

But as soon as she saw him, a face so similar rushed to the forefront of her mind, one she'd been staring at just a few hours earlier in the in-between.

As quick as she could, Adeena flipped page after page, names and portraits flashing. She didn't even have to read their names below them. Even with just the tiniest bit of information he'd been able to unravel from the tangled mess that was his past, she knew.

And as soon as she flipped to the last page of the chapter, Adeena's legs gave out from under her as she sank to the floor beside the bookshelf.

There he was. Prince Destan Ayveri of Dalcaine.

This portrait, this version of him was completely different than the scared and panicked male she usually saw in the in-between. Even from the one she'd seen just hours before as he helped her through her grief.

Here, he was smiling. No, smirking. Like he knew how his looks affected the females and males around him. He really did look like his elder brother, though his twin sister was the other side of the same coin. Same skin tone, same strong jawline, same dark hair that was cut shorter, swept back as if he'd run his fingers through it as he just got out of bed.

And his eyes. Gods above, those russet eyes in the portrait seemed to be staring right at her as if he were really and truly there. Her heart stuttered and twisted in her chest as she ran a finger along the page, just staring and staring and staring.

Until a low grumble and three shrieks of laughter rang out from outside, the sound floating through her open balcony doors, had Adeena sighing and closing the text.