Frying Night Read online

  “Mmmm…” I hummed, examining Ashe. So many things had come to light about him and his life. Things I had no idea about that had shocked me. I was still exhausted, but drinking water had helped, and now my brain was churning again.

  “I think I missed your birthday,” I told him. “I tried to call, and text but the wifi is out at the school.”

  “Yeah, it was a few days ago,” he replied, as one corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile.

  I knew my thoughts were disorganized and random, but I voiced them anyway. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that you and Evgeni were so chummy? I thought you’d worked one internship for him, but it seems like you’ve known him a lot longer than that.”

  “Yeah, I have. I’ve known your dad my whole life,” he agreed, his pale blue eyes lingering on me, tempting me to move toward him, begging me to reach out and touch his tanned skin.

  I resisted—it was tough, but I stayed planted in place. If he pushed me away, I wasn’t sure I could take the embarrassment in front of Corbin at that moment.

  “How long have you been able to speak Russian? I mean, that kind of blew my mind. I have so many questions…” I trailed off, hoping that he’d explain. I’d seen his life through images and emotions when our bond first began and each time we healed each other, but there was so much more. I knew Ashe was brilliant, but speaking Russian came entirely out of left field. “I mean, why Russian?”

  His eyes stayed on mine. “We have a large Dragonborn community in Siberia. But that’s not where I learned the language. I grew up around Evgeni and even stayed in his household before the academy—he didn’t live where he lives now—he used to live on the beach. That’s how I learned to surf.”

  “What? Why? That’s weird, isn’t it?” I smacked a bug on my arm.

  “You know Evgeni’s the leader of the Elibera? I was placed in his household to be trained as the next PL.” Ashe poked at the fire.

  “So, he spoke Russian to you?”

  He nodded. “But I also had tutors. I can speak a few languages….”

  “A few? No. He speaks like ten,” Corbin scoffed.

  “No, not ten. But I can get around. I’m struggling with Mandarin, though. Languages are just like figuring out a code.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I just stared at him as if he’d sprouted two heads.

  “He’s being modest,” Corbin said dryly. “He can speak Mandarin and probably a bunch of other crap,” he elbowed the Harrow Prime, “like how you spoke to those people in Switzerland.”

  Ashe looked down as if he were embarrassed. “That was a dialect of German.”

  Blinking, I looked down at my dirty hands in shock. How could he ever want me? I’d never been inside a classroom until six months ago. I was probably barely going to pass high school… okay, I would if I ever made it back, but still. Ashe went to a really prestigious university and even had a master’s degree. He’d been trained and molded to be the next leader of the Dragonborn.

  “I must seem so stupid….” I breathed, tucking my head into my knees.

  Footsteps in the leaf-strewn forest floor made me look up. Ashe stood there exhausted, and the thought of him getting up for me only made me feel worse.

  Kneeling, he took my hands into his. “No, Syd. No. You’re incredibly smart. You understand things that I struggle to comprehend. And if anything, at least you were protected from what I went through.” He sighed and ran his fingers up my arm to my shoulder. “You’ve known Evgeni as this kind father figure—and he is. But he’s also tough and unforgiving. I wouldn’t wish my upbringing on anyone, least of all you.”

  “What do you mean? I should have lived there with him… the tutors… languages. When I told him I only spoke English, he gave me this look—like I disappointed him.” Anger and frustration boiled inside me, and to make matters worse, emotion made my voice breathy and weak, “George took that away from me. Maybe I’d be speaking all those languages too… maybe I wouldn’t struggle so hard… maybe….”

  Ashe cupped my jaw before sliding his thumb over my lips. “Shhhh… you’re not being fair. It’s not good to think of things that might’ve been. I want you exactly how you are—who you are. And I’m glad that you know only Evgeni’s disappointment and nothing worse. I look up to him as a father, and I respect him, but he would’ve been too hard on you. I know he cares for me, but our relationship has never been easy. He treated me like a Russian, not an American. I was never given any praise or privacy, for that matter… and you want to know why I know a lot of what Taya calls dirty hand-to-hand skills? Because I had to. It was either train and probably still get my ass kicked during one of his ‘tests’ or,” he shook his head and looked away, “I honestly thought I might die… I’m sure it was overblown in my little kid brain, but still. Evgeni is a sadistic bastard, but I know why he did it. I could take it. But Syd, you’re so wild and free.” He shook his head. “I feel like you wouldn’t have that if you’d been raised like me.”

  “Facts,” Corbin muttered around a protein bar.

  Unsure of what to say, I said nothing. This definitely wasn’t the father I’d come to know. Evgeni had been patient with me and loving.

  I rested my hand on Ashe’s chest, tracing the stitches of his t-shirt collar with my fingers. I thought he might lean forward and kiss me, but instead, my soldier stood and walked away.

  After his footsteps led toward the creek, Corbin met my gaze. “I think that Conner owed Evgeni a debt or something, so Ashe was used to ensure loyalty. Also… Ashe can whine all he wants about your dad being so hard on him, but I know he was raised by the babushkas. That’s why he speaks Russian so well.”

  I frowned. “I wish I was raised by the babushkas too.”

  2

  Ashe

  We’d been in the Dragon realm a little over a week. It had been hot in the forest, and firewood was plentiful. As we headed north, the landscape changed, and with it, the climate became more extreme. The trees and vegetation gave way to sand and exposed red rock. Stunted grayish trees grew from the red ground at warped angles with strange twists in the brittle limbs.

  After sleeping poorly, I awoke to an icy drop of condensation hitting my cheek. Stinky breath roared over me with the full force of a hurricane, and my eyes snapped open to find Corbin’s face in mine. I bolted into a sitting position and hit the side of the tent, causing it to rain down the trapped condensation on us.

  Sydney started the night between Corbin and me because of the cold, but now she was nowhere to be seen.

  “Syd?” I rasped before clearing my throat and lifting the top sleeping bag.

  When I spotted her, jealousy twisted darkly inside me. She lay facing Corbin, her cheek resting against his stomach as his arm hung lazily across her body. My chest rose up and down with quickened breaths as I clenched my teeth.

  I had to calm down.

  This isn’t malicious. There are no feelings between them, I reminded myself.

  Squeezing my eyes closed, I sucked in a deep breath.

  Both were fully dressed, but the sight of Corbin touching her, no matter how innocent, was almost too much to bear. Not to mention the fact that her face was very close to another part of his anatomy.

  Unable to help myself and feeling like a complete asshole, I tugged on Sydney’s arm and thigh, sliding her as far from the Eton Prime as I could.

  She woke with a startle and a sharp intake of breath, her blue-green eyes snapping open in shock. After registering, it was me who had moved her, she arched her back in a stretch.

  “What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice thick with sleep.

  “Were you too cold last night?” I asked, smoothing loose strands out of her face.

  “No.”

  A groan came from Corbin as he shifted and yanked the covers back up. “Dude. What are you doing? Let me sleep!”

  “We need to get moving soon,” I barked, unable to keep the anger from my words.

  What was wrong with me? I had two sisters. I r
espected women and their independence… but with Sydney, I’d turned into a caveman, throwing her around, feeling stupidly possessive, and wanting to fight Corbin over senseless shit.

  Was this the bond or the dragon realm?

  At least one good thing came from being here, and that was the separation of our dragons. I sensed that they lived in different territories, unable to mate and unable to affect Syd and me with their mating.

  However, I wasn’t used to being away from Eondian. It made me feel weak and vulnerable, unable to call him or pull him to me through our bond.

  It was too similar to the nightmares I’d been having—nightmares where Eondian didn’t answer, and Sydney was taken from me. This was the theme most of them followed, and each one was worse than the last. I almost dreaded going to sleep. The only thing that lured me into that tent was the temptation to hold her warm body and breathe her in. But I didn’t push for more. We already walked a slippery slope trying to keep apart, and I was afraid that anything more would take us both down. If we completed our bond, I wasn’t sure I could shield either of us from the council.

  Corbin stood on the other side of the tent staring at the ground. “Holy crap! Guys, come look at this!”

  My eyes met Syd’s before glancing over.

  Rounding the campsite, I followed Corbin’s finger to large animal prints that circled our camp. The track was easily a foot long with three long toes ending in deep gouges.

  “Wow, I wouldn’t want to see those claws in person,” Sydney muttered, holding out the rolled sleeping pad to me.

  The Eton Prime stood over the marks, examining them. “It almost looks like a wyvern print? Or who knows, this could be something completely new… we’re on a different freaking planet for fuck’s sake.”

  The three of us stood over the print in the dirt.

  “It is a wyvern print,” I said, gazing around and reaching out with my mind. “But I’m unable to talk to it. Corbin? Can you reach it?”

  He shook his head. “No. Must be some other type that we’re not familiar with.”

  “Maybe,” I told him thoughtfully.

  Syd straightened before sweeping dirt off her pants. “I think I’ll be carrying my pepper spray in my hand from now on.”

  She stood so close that I caught the scent of her warm skin, slightly musky and sweet. As she arched her back in a stretch, I leaned forward to sniff her again, but my nearness earned me a dirty look.

  “I know I smell. We all smell!” she hissed before charging away toward the stream.

  “Syd…” I called out after her.

  Corbin laughed before smothering it with a cough as he continued to pack up his bag.

  “Shut up,” I told him, punching his arm.

  While we tore down camp in silence, I reached out to try to contact Evgeni’s dragon but got nothing. I did the same with Lev’s dragon, and it was the same thing.

  I’d spoken to them yesterday, but now where were they?

  Were Syd and Corbin aware of their absence?

  I struggled with this new information. I’d have to move to my backup plan, which was Celine. But I’d wait a few days and try to contact Evgeni and Lev again before making any rash decisions. If they were still gone, then we needed to go toward Abraxas. It was a place where dragons didn’t go. A place they claimed was too dangerous. Which meant that humans probably lived there. If Celine had survived all this time, then that’s where she’d be.

  Evgeni had dedicated over fifteen years to find her, feeling her through the bond even worlds apart. So, there were only a few reasons why he’d leave. Either Celine wasn’t here, they found her already, or something had happened. I nearly laughed at my worry for those two crazy bastards. There was no way they were going down without a fight.

  My mind churned with these thoughts as we finished packing up and left our camp, but I kept silent. We had to stay alert, and I didn’t want Sydney or Corbin distracted by the news. Besides, Evgeni would probably pop up again somewhere, and then I’d have worried them for nothing.

  We had walked several hours through the heat, following a shallow river. When it turned westward, we’d have to leave it behind in order to head toward Celine.

  Stopping beside the creek, we took turns with the filter refilling our water bottles.

  “We’re still heading north? Isn’t that Abraxas?” Corbin asked, dunking his t-shirt in the river before squeezing it and pulling it back on.

  “Yeah.”

  Aaraeth hissed, then spoke into our minds, where the Abraxas go… There is fear. The dragon stared at me, her multifaceted eyes gleaming. She wanted me to tell Sydney about Evgeni, but it would have to wait.

  We were slowly starving, and our morale was… not great. Heading into the desert, away from water, things could get worse before they got better.

  If Corbin and Sydney hadn’t realized that our ride home took off, I would not tell them until absolutely necessary.

  Thankfully, my standoff with the dragon ended when Syd chimed in, “I don’t know if Aaraeth will enter Abraxas territory. She’s afraid of whatever lives there. Also… I was thinking we should take turns flying her today. We’re going to starve or get eaten by whatever has been leaving those footprints around our tent. What do you think?”

  Corbin met Sydney’s gaze, considering her suggestion. “Hmmm… I don’t know. Aaraeth can only carry two people… but, what the hell. I’m sick of walking. You and Ashe should go first, then send her back for the packs and me.”

  I sucked in a breath, “Are you sure? I don’t mind if you want to go first.”

  He pursed his lips. “You go. I’ve got bear spray and my knife. Go. Just don’t leave me.”

  Reaching out, I gripped his arm. “Have you been talking to your dragon? Is he headed our way?”

  The Eton smiled. “Yeah. Choryth’s hunting grounds are close.”

  “Good.”

  Corbin’s mouth curved in a strange grin. “Yeah. Apparently, the only place they avoid is Abraxas, which is where you said we’re going, I guess.”

  I dropped my pack next to Corbin as Aaraeth curved around to land in the stream with a splash. Sydney stroked her eye ridges, and a gentle smile flitted across her features.

  Corbin watched Syd climb up the dragon and make herself comfortable. As he set my pack down against the tree, he spoke in a low voice, “I have no idea how you’ve held out for this long.”

  “I don’t know either,” I murmured back.

  When he continued to stare at her, I cleared my throat and glowered at him.

  “What?” the Eton asked innocently as he fiddled with the straps on his pack.

  “Don’t look at her like that,” I cautioned in a low growl.

  “Like what?” he sputtered, turning his incredulous gaze on me.

  I cocked my head to the side, blew out a breath, and I stormed away.

  What was wrong with me? Corbin wasn’t into Sydney—I knew that. Then why was I ready to throw down because he’d looked at her?

  Fucking bond. It was driving me crazy.

  I wasn’t jealous. I wasn’t. This wasn’t me.

  Closing the space, I walked over to Aaraeth and climbed up onto her back. Sliding behind Sydney, my insides hummed in awareness as our bodies pressed together, and I skimmed a kiss over her neck.

  When she wiggled a bit, heat surged through me.

  Yeah… this was going to be a long ride.

  With Evgeni gone, my thoughts changed about the bond.

  Even if we found Celine, there was no guarantee that she could get us back. We might be trapped here forever, so what did it matter what the council said?

  We needed to complete our bond. If we didn’t, I feared that our dragons would force our hand. The next time they mated, we might get swept up in their emotions again. Syd and I needed to talk. We couldn’t be caught unprepared like the last time.

  I squinted against the blast of dry heat that slammed my body as we rode Syd’s dragon. Shimmers of heat rose off th
e sand and made me relieved to be flying instead of walking. If the air felt like an open oven, how hot was the ground?

  In the distance, a giant boulder the size of a skyscraper stuck out of the desert like the bow of the titanic. As we neared the striated rock, she descended into the shadows where the dragon nearly shook us off before rolling on the cool sand.

  Aaraeth and I weren’t seeing eye to eye, so I didn’t speak to the dragon. Instead, I dropped onto my back on the sand and closed my eyes. It felt wonderfully cold compared to my sun-scorched skin.

  Reaching out, my fingertips grazed Syd’s leg as she did the same. “You okay?”

  “Mhmm,” she hummed.

  After not sleeping well and being crushed inside the tent every night, the cool sand lulled me to sleep.

  I awoke when the afternoon sun breached the shady patch where I slept.

  Sydney was nowhere to be seen, but I felt her nearby. Corbin sat leaning against the rock cliff, gazing out across the barren landscape.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “I just got here a few minutes ago. Aaraeth went off to find water, and Sydney went around the cliff to pee.”

  “How’s the dragon? Will she be okay? That was a long flight, and she did it three times.” I stood, stiff from my time on the ground. Pulling out my water, I checked the level.

  Corbin kept his gaze across the distance as he spoke, “I think that was the worst of the desert—although, it looks like it doesn’t get much better.”

  I’d been too exhausted to check this place out when we landed, but I would before the sun went down. The landscape wasn’t quite as barren as I’d thought, although vegetation was scarce. Silvery bushes dotted the landscape, along with the odd spindly tree.