“Micah?” we heard.
I stood, seeing two middle-aged women walking down the path arm in arm, their eyes widening. One of them lifted her fingertips to her breastplate.
“Micah, is that you?”
“Desiree.” He smiled at her as all the blood drained from her face.
“But…we thought you were dead…” Her gaze traveled his body, clothed in ill-fitting pants and a shirt he had grabbed after we docked. Thankfully, Govam and the other demons had thought to bring some gold. “They made inquiries and found out that you’d never made it to the merchant in Fiddler’s Green.”
“Demons captured me on my way there,” he replied, walking toward them slowly. It looked like he didn’t want to spook them, which was probably wise. They looked like they were staring at a ghost. “They took me back to their castle and imprisoned me in a dungeon. It’s a story I only want to tell once, the details of which are cause for war. I’ll want to see the elders. For now, though, I need to find lodgings for my friends and take a hot bath—”
“Goddess bless you!” Tears in her eyes, she ran at him, slamming into him and wrapping her arms around him. The other woman piled on, crying.
The rest of us scooted back awkwardly, some with half-smiles and others clearly uncomfortable, probably wondering if anyone from their old life was left.
Micah was greeted like that throughout the town, everyone running to see him again as word spread. It was clear he was someone with a lot of status, and they’d missed him terribly. It wasn’t until evening was kissing the sky that he was finally able to get people to listen for long enough to explain our needs. After that, they wasted no time in finding us lodging, even the demons. We were treated to a delicious, fresh meal, hot baths, and soft beds in the local tavern.
The next day, I found myself listless and edgy. Any shifting lessons were put off because the village elders had wanted to see Micah as soon as possible, and the dragons from my kingdom were too wary of our power differences to attempt to guide me through the shift. Basically, they’d figured out my dragon was a temperamental ass-bag and decided I’d do best with a powerful alpha. So we had nothing to do but wander the paths and check out our surroundings.
It was a lovely place, full of blooming flowers, well-tended walkways, and smiling people who made Hadriel incredibly nervous. He didn’t like being cooped up in a village with so many dragons. And I didn’t like being away from home. Nyfain had started to distance himself from the bond, I could tell. His emotions seemed like they were going dormant. He knew I’d gotten out, he knew I wasn’t in danger, and he was letting me go. If he were right in front of me, I’d kick the living shit out of him for it…then fuck his brains out.
Since he was hundreds of miles away, the thought filled me with terror, and my impatience to get to him turned my dragon listless.
“I’m going to go for a walk,” I announced too loudly the next morning.
We sat at a large round table in the tavern common room—we, meaning the people from my kingdom. The demons had decided to stick to their rooms whenever possible, not liking the narrow-eyed looks they got from the locals.
“I thought we could get in some sword work today,” Tamara said, eyeing the weapon on my hip. I had no idea why I’d put it on that morning. Force of habit, perhaps. Or maybe the weight of it on my hip reminded me of him. It kept him close to me as the feeling of the bond receded.
“Sure.” I pushed back my chair and stood as a brown-haired server whisked my plate away.
“Do you want company?” Hadriel leaned forward, pausing in the motion to push his own chair back.
“I’ll go.” Hannon blotted his mouth and stood. “I could use the walk.”
“Good.” Hadriel relaxed. “I don’t like the way people here eyeball me. It’s like they are about to yank my head off at any moment.”
“They’re all incredibly pleasant,” Jade, the green-eyed dragon, replied.
Hadriel pointed at her. “You just can’t see it because you’re as crazy as they are.”
“You’re just being paranoid,” Leala said, smiling and shaking her head.
“You don’t have to go, Hannon,” I said, pushing in my chair. “Micah made it very clear that we’re safe here.”
My brother shrugged. “You can find trouble at the best of times.”
I rolled my eyes but waited for him to come around the table before walking out.
“Just find me when you’re ready to learn that sword,” Tamara called after me.
I definitely needed to, but I just didn’t feel like sucking at something right now. I wanted a distraction. A bit of comfort, even if it was fleeting.
Hannon didn’t say a word as we walked through the center of town. We got smiles and nods and more than one stare, especially as people got close enough to smell me. No one said anything, though.
“He’s trying to forget me,” I said softly, knowing exactly where I was going. I’d spotted a large everlass field at the very edge of the village yesterday. There’d been an enticing fragrance piping from it. Someone was making elixirs, I just knew it. If I really wanted a distraction, that was where I would find it. “He’s trying to distance himself from me.”
“He won’t move on,” Hannon replied, his voice just as subdued. “He won’t ever forget you, Finley. You know that. And we won’t be gone long enough for him to do something stupid, like get himself killed. Keep thinking of him. Keep trying to emotionally connect with him however you can manage it. He’ll catch on that you’re not gone forever.”
I let out a breath, my heart aching. “I just don’t know, Hannon.”
“I do. I feel it. This is a necessary stop, and then we’ll go back and finish this.”
Once we reached the outskirts of the village, I immediately spotted the everlass. Without a word, we skirted around the trees and emerged in the field, which was almost an extension of someone’s backyard. In the distance, I could just make out an herb garden and a couple of rosebushes, vibrant and healthy. It made me wonder if the ones Hadriel and I had tended in the castle were still flourishing, or if Nyfain had let them grow wild, distancing himself from them because they reminded him of me.
A large pot hung over a smoldering fire, releasing ash-gray smoke into the clear sky above. Beside it, two smaller pots sat on a little stove, although I couldn’t tell if there was any heat beneath those.
“They are set up to work the plants,” I murmured, wandering into the everlass field. “These are well tended.” I stopped beside a crowded plant, pointing at it for no reason. Hannon knew better than to mess around in the garden unless he was expressly asked for something.
“Micah mentioned the women who helped the infirmary.” Hannon put his hand up to block the glare of the sun as he looked at the house. “Maybe they live there?”
“Hello?” A middle-aged woman with brown skin and shiny jet-black hair emerged from the wood with a basket tucked under her arm and an apron tied around her middle. She was very pretty and had an air of confidence and command about her, like she was picking plants today but might waltz into battle tomorrow.
Her expression creased into one of puzzlement as she looked from me to Hannon.