“And what of the attackers? Odson is right about his vulnerability if they go after him. If he can shift, he can defend himself. He can help us defend our island.”
“Would he?”
“Why wouldn’t he?” she countered.
“Say he did. Then what? A large male on this island of females. What makes you think he wouldn’t just exert dominance for himself?”
“That’s not who he is.”
“And you know this? In the short amount of time you’ve been with him, you’ve had these long in-depth conversations between rounds of mating?”
Kymri’s cheeks flamed, “I know this. This journey of his was all about connecting with his mother because he loved her so much. He wouldn’t destroy something so important to her.”
Kolina snorted, “When did you become so sentimental?” When Kymri didn’t answer, she said “I’ll meet with you in an hour, prepare yourselves to leave.” Her expression softened, “Marli arrived here with Odson; she’s waiting to see you.”
Kymri watched her walk away.
Was she being sentimental?
She felt deep inside herself that she was right about Jori. But her mother’s words tugged at the dutiful warrior in her.
It was her life’s duty to protect her queen and her people. She didn’t have room for sentimentality.
She couldn’t allow herself to be blinded. There was too much at risk.
And Marli was back. Her heart lightened as she rushed back toward the residential section of the compound.
Jori’s mind was a whirlwind of thought as he made his way back to his prison to retrieve what little he had with him. Odson walked beside him, just as silent.
When they reached the prison, Odson grunted. “Not a bad prison, if I recall. I’ve been in worse since.” He mumbled.
They waited for Kymri and another woman called Marli in the open courtyard, who both appeared in jeans, shirts, and solid boots, carrying backpacks. He wondered how many illegal weapons they had hidden.
Kymri didn’t speak to him. She seemed more distant.
She had orders to kill him if he even thought about exposing them.
His chest tightened. Had he lost her trust? He couldn’t blame her—any of them.
He had to make it right.
He clung to that thought above all else. Above everything he’d just learned about his mother, these people and himself. It was a surreal.
He had to make things right with Kymri—for Kymri. If he didn’t, she was in danger. He couldn’t bear the thought of being responsible for putting her in danger, or anyone else on the island. No one spoke to each other as they waited for Kolina.
Jori watched Kymri across the distance between them. She stood, back straight, her expression set. He wanted to pull her into his arms and make her melt into him again. He missed that. He missed the feel of her in his arms, liquid against him. He wanted that again. They’d had paradise for a short while.
“You’ll sail out to meet with the Coast Guard waiting outside the barrier. Odson, you have transportation to get yourselves to Blue Creek?”
At his nod, she continued, “As soon as you have the information you need, get back here as fast as possible,” she said to Kymri and Marli. “Odson, the queen thanks you for your help. Jori Mountainside—” she said his name, but nothing else seemed to come from her open lips as she looked into his face, studying him, several emotions flitting across her features. She closed her mouth, left it at that. She then turned to her daughter and squeezed her hand, which elicited a look of surprise from Kymri, before she turned and left.
Marli led the way back along the path twisting down toward the harbor and the waiting ship.
Once aboard the sailing vessel, which was essentially a tall ship, Jori heard Marli speaking softly to Kymri, “I don’t like leaving them like this. They need the guard at full capacity.”
“I don’t either. We should be helping to prepare the defenses against more attacks.”
“If they come back with more than three…”
“I know.”
In open waters, they met with the Coast Guard, where they changed ships. As soon as they were underway toward the coast, Jori asked a crew member about equipment to make a broadcast. He was offered a cell phone and the use of the computer in the mess hall. The engines were still gearing up as he made his short video reporting a freak storm, crash landing on an island and being rescued by a beautiful island girl, then followed the crew member to upload it to his Vlog. Hopefully this would help deter folks. Humans at least. He couldn’t do anything about the male dragons now, it was too late for that. Maybe the rest of the world would remain oblivious.
Returning to join the others on deck, he found them talking to another man in civilian clothing, with hunched shoulders. Now he was sure he was delusional.
“Dad?”
Naked emotion flittered across the older man’s haggard features as Jori walked toward them. His father pulled him into his embrace, making him feel ten years old again. Swallowing hard, he hugged his father back. After a long moment, Jonathan Mountainside released his son.
“Dad, what are you doing here?”
“I told you he called the Coast Guard,” Odson grumbled.
“This was a close as anyone would allow me to get until you were found.” Despite the relief shining through, Jonathan’s face was tired, drawn, and uncharacteristically unshaven. His gaze turned toward Kymri and Marli, “Despite my hopes you never would, Odson said you found what you were looking for?”
Jori nodded.
“We need to talk.”
“I need to call an old friend,” Odson said, turning away from them toward Kymri and Marli, who followed suit.
“I can’t believe you left your office to venture out on a Coast Guard ship, Dad.”
Jonathan looked stung by the comment, “Jori, despite my limitations, you’re everything to me.”
His words hit Jori in the chest. When he responded, his voice was husky, “I uh... I thought I was a disappointment to you.”
Jonathan grunted, “No, you’re not. I was trying to steer you on a path that would keep you safe. And clearly I failed in that one thing your mother asked me to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“She asked me to keep you safe from them. She was terrified they would find you and take you back with them.”
Jori stared at his father, “The… male tribe?”
Jonathan nodded. Tears gathered in his eyes, “It was the last thing she made me promise her when she disappeared.”
“You thought by keeping me tied to the campus, they wouldn’t find me?”
It had been a good idea; he’d have blended in among all the thousands of students and faculty in the middle of a city of millions.
Jori put his hand on his father’s shoulder and squeezed, blowing out his breath. It explained a lot. Jonathan’s frustration when Jori pushed harder to go in other directions. It wasn’t Jonathan shutting down the relationship, now that he looked back with a different lens. Jori was the one putting distance between them.
Except when it came to talking about his mother. Jori had tried to talk about her with his father, and Jonathan did shut down the topic.