While cradled in his arms, his form blocked me from view. I shifted, my form shrinking so that I could leap out of his arms. It was one thing to have a dragon stomping around in broad daylight. No one would look twice at a black dog.
I wriggled out of Ryder’s grasp, despite his protests. I hit the ground running and didn’t look back. Looking back would waste precious time. Right now, I needed to put space between myself and Ryder. His safety was my priority.
My pack had nearly killed him once before. Harvey had attacked Ryder first. That made me wonder if Harvey had brought another pouch of poison with him. If he had it in his mouth, then one bite would put Ryder on death’s doorstep again.
I didn’t have my phone to call Cerri this time. That meant I needed to distract Harvey. He wanted to kill me. Attacking Ryder wasn’t his main goal today.
This was what Beryl had meant about fate being sealed. I wasn’t going to let Beryl manipulate us like that, though. No one could tamper with my fate. It belonged to me and me alone. Not even Alvin could change that.
Harvey wasted no time following me, proving that I was his target today. He was at a disadvantage, though. With one eye now, he wasn’t as keen as he’d been. His depth perception would be off. If I kept moving, he might fumble an attack sooner rather than later. That was what I needed to get to safety.
Where was safety, though? I was tired of running. It seemed that any time I set foot outside, someone gave chase. This was my home. I didn’t want to always be on the lookout for danger. Someday, I wanted to be able to let my guard down and live a real life for once.
My arcana writhed inside of me, as if I could let it out like this. My hound’s tongue couldn’t form words. There was no command that I could give now, but I held onto my indignation with the hopes that it would keep me alive.
Ryder
Small and fragile,Ness jumped out of my arms. My breath left me when fear slammed into my chest. Harvey bolted after her. I staggered to my feet and tried to give chase, but my dragon could not sit still. I drowned in the beast’s panic. I could barely breathe through the tension sitting heavy on my chest.
Ness’s dark form disappeared down the road. Clouds began to gather above as a wind picked up. The storm chased her, not far behind Harvey.
My empty hands seemed useless. Though I chased after them, I worried about what I would do when I caught up. I couldn’t touch Harvey. Despite all of Beryl’s orders to kill him, I still could not break through Ness’s arcana.
I was afraid that I would have to sit back and watch her die a painful death. My dragon roared, the sound rattling my bones. It wanted out, but I had no idea where I was. This might have been Lakesedge territory, where it was safe for me to shift. Then again, this could have been human grounds.
I couldn’t take the risk even if it meant saving Ness.
A strong wind pushed me along. Arcana poured out of my beast and chained the storm to my will. I pulled the winds and made them stronger so they would propel me toward Ness.
The thought of losing her physically pained me. The stinging sensation deepened until it split along my chest like a fissure. I tried to breathe, but the wind and my pain wouldn’t allow me to draw another breath.
What was this? I’d been worried about Ness from the beginning. Ever since I realized how bad her situation was, I’d done my best to help. This seemed different. It reminded me of the other night, when Harvey had her pinned, and I’d been helpless.
This was different. It wasn’t like the day I lost my father. It wasn’t like the day I had to leave Thunder Pass. I’d watched people die before. It hurt, but not like this. If Ness died today, my entire being would crumble.
If I glanced down at my hand, the bond mark would be glowing. I didn’t have to check to know. The bond had scared me, at first. I’d wanted out of it so I could keep running. All I wanted was to finish my work here and force Ness to help me, so I could have some semblance of a life again. I’d thought that was what the bond had meant and that it would go away when all was said and done.
But this bond was something else. It was unlike anything I’d ever known before.