“Yeah,” Drayce whispered. “Okay, yeah. You’re right.”
“Great!” Adrian jumped to his feet and extended his hand to Drayce. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. I think the king will be able to breathe a lot easier once he knows you’re in the air and on your way home to Stormbreak.”
But Drayce wasn’t getting up. He hadn’t moved a single muscle. He was just staring straight ahead, a new stiffness to his shoulders but also a determined glare.
“Drayce?”
The dragon shook his head. “No, I’m not leaving.”
“But your execution.”
He shook his head again. “No, I’ll talk to my father. I’ve got another option. It’s…it’s not good, but it’ll keep me alive. I think Caelan will understand. He’ll still accept me.”
Adrian had no idea what he was talking about. Drayce’s words had set a heavy stone in the center of his stomach that was weighing him down. “Caelan will always accept you. He’ll do anything to keep you safe. We all would.”
Drayce flashed him a ghost of a smile. “I know. I appreciate it. Everything.”
“You’re sure about this? This deal with your dad? It’ll get you free?”
The answering nod was brief, and his eyes returned to the far wall. “It will.”
“How will we know your father agreed to the compromise?”
“You’ll hear in a day, I’m sure.” Drayce jerked his chin toward the open cell door. “You better get out of here before you’re caught too. I don’t have a solution for saving your ass.”
Adrian hesitated in the doorway. The king was not going to like this, but if Drayce’s option avoided war, it had to be a good thing.
Besides, it was what Drayce wanted. That had to count for something. If he stole Drayce out of there now, it was kidnapping, and Drayce would never forgive himself if his escape cost lives.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. None of this was good.
Adrian grabbed one of the bars and carefully pulled the door closed with a soft clang, separating him from Drayce.
“You’ve got twenty-four hours. If you’re wrong, I’ll be back and then you have to leave with me, okay?” Adrian said, trying to sound as threatening as possible.
Drayce smiled. “Agreed.”
Of course, after breaking in once, it was going to be a hundred times harder to successfully break into the place a second time. But he’d do it for Drayce.
Adrian ran down the hall and replaced the keys where he’d found them. By his count, he’d been in the cell with Drayce for about five minutes. The sleeping guards hadn’t budged an inch. The only one he had to worry about was the one he’d left on the stairs.
For now, he shoved thoughts of Drayce to the back of his mind and worked his way steadily out of the prison and off the grounds with zero problem. Sure, they were going to wake up and question Drayce, but when they found the dragon still in his cell, what were they going to do? The guy was already scheduled to be executed. What was the point of torturing him because they were made to look like idiots?
He was still cursing himself and Drayce when he spotted a figure dressed all in white, leaning against a tree a little more than a mile from the stone prison. In the darkness, their white clothing stood out like a shaft of starlight.
Adrian immediately slowed his steps, trying to decide what to do next. The Takahashi dragons all wore black. He’d seen a few others in different colors, but this was the first one he’d seen in all white. Clearly a clan he’d not run across yet.
As he drew near, the dragon’s sharp features twisted a bit as he glanced behind Adrian and then back to him. “You’re alone?”
That brought him to a sharp stop. This person was not expecting to see him alone. Had he watched Adrian break into the prison and he didn’t realize it?
“When I saw you go in, I assumed you’d be dragging Takahashi Souta out with you,” the stranger continued.
“He wasn’t in the mood to go for a walk with me,” Adrian explained, trying to make it sound flippant. They were talking about a prison break after all.
“Odd.”
Yeah, that wasn’t the only thing.
“Sorry. Who are you?” The direct approach was usually the best.
“Oh, yeah,” the stranger said with a laugh. He straightened from where he was leaning against the tree and offered Adrian a small bow. “Omari Haru, a member of Clan Omari.”
Adrian’s heartbeat skipped once. This could be helpful. Omari hated the Takahashi and last he’d heard, Rayne was trying to get in contact with this clan. “Adrian Westergren of Erya,” he introduced, sketching his own small bow.
Haru cocked his head to the side, sending a small cascade of sleek black hair from his shoulder to back. “Yeah, one of the humans. You’re lighter on your feet than I was expecting.”