Starlight (The Dragonian Series Book 5) (41 page)

They had it so easy.

“I really am sorry for the disappointment.”

“It’s fine.” She smiled at me, and Taylor handed her a cooler.

“No hard feelings?”

“None,” Elena smiled and took the cooler from Taylor. I would love to know what had happened on those logs.

“Happy Birthday,” she sang and everyone on my team wished her a happy birthday. Elena went scarlet, but thanked them all.

“You must know what the flag represents?” I asked as everyone gave her space to breathe and she took a sip.

“Emanual told me, but still.
I
went for it.”

“It doesn’t matter.” I smiled.

“But it is good to know that in a real war you would be there.”

“I will always be there. War or no war.” I took a sip of my beer and stared at her.

I got up, and gestured with my hands for her to wait. Where else was she going to go?

I walked into my tent and picked up the present I’d made. I went back and she was making jokes with Emanual. She was really that disappointed? I should’ve let her grab the stupid flag.

“Here,” I hunched in front of her chair and she just looked at the badly wrapped present in my hand.

“What is this?” She looked at me.

“It’s your birthday, I was going to give it to you when I returned, or saw you again.”

“Blake,” she whined.

“Just take it, it’s not much, but it’s from me.” She didn’t get what I was saying and she took it.

She opened it and slightly gasped as she saw the dragon leather bracelet. It was a deep red purple and then realization dawned on her face. “When you say it’s from you…”

“I heal fast.”

Her eyes grew. “Are you insane? Why do you do this?”

“It’s nothing, it’s just a piece of skin.” I chuckled and tried to explain quickly while George chirped softly in the background. Everyone laughed except Elena.

“You are crazy,” she sounded upset.

“Just take it, please.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know if I should smack you or thank you.”

“Is the thank you a violent gesture too?”

She laughed. “No, it’s not. Come here.” She cupped my face and gave me a soft kiss. My stomach did all sorts of things. She broke the kiss and stared at me. “It’s seriously beautiful, but really stupid. I don’t care if your skin grows back, don’t do this again.”

“Okay,” I spoke softly and helped her put on the leather bracelet.

The color of my skin looked so beautiful on her wrist. It was a gorgeous bracelet too. I’d written a small love note with my fire, burned it in there and hoped that she would find it and decipher it.

Images of her sharing a sleeping bag with me tonight flooded my brain. It quickly changed into something else, and I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind.

I tied up the last string and I could feel Elena’s eyes on me.

“What is going through that mind of yours?” she asked and I smiled.

“Nothing,” I said, sounding guilty. Was it that evident on my face?

“Well,” Emanual smacked both his hands together and I looked at him. “It’s ten, and we still have to get back.”

“Go back?”

“Yes, Blake. The other team lost. I have to take them back.”

“Oh, okay.”

Taylor waved at Oliver. “Bye,” she said and he laughed, got up with his team and started to leave.

“Where are you going?” George asked behind me and I glanced over my shoulder. I saw Becky had just kissed him, and was getting up as if she was ready to leave too.

“I have a really busy day tomorrow,” she answered. “Win this thing, baby.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” he whined again.

My face fell as I realized why I’d felt disappointment earlier. I opened my eyes and looked at Elena. “You have to go too, don’t you?”

“Your father’s rules.” She had a soft smile on her face.

I laughed when I actually wanted to cuss. “He is seriously a strategist.”

“Very disappointed, Blake,” she said again and kissed me softly once more, as she got up and walked over to Emanual.

“Really?” I looked at Emanual.

“Sorry. I’ve got my orders.”

“Screw your orders.” There was begging in my tone and Elena turned around slightly, waved at me and walked away.

Did she just have to do that?

I watched her retreating figure. She looked so gorgeous tonight.

This was not happening. Dad! You fucking asshole.

George grunted and just stared at me. “Dude,” he spoke softly.

They disappeared into the woods.

Taylor wielded a shield around us. “Blake, don’t.” Taylor seemed angry, as if she knew what I was going to do.

I sighed, looked at George who looked as if they’d just taken his favorite toy away from him again, and back at Taylor. “It’s just a flag, Taylor,” I said and lowered her shield.. “Emanual, wait.”

ELENA.

I WAS SO CLOSE, so freak’n close. Sir Robert hadn’t been joking when he said he really didn’t want Blake to break his record and had made it so hard—or thought he had made it hard. It was really so easy for Blake.

Still, I really was disappointed. I’d wanted to spend the last of my birthday with him, and now I had to go back without him.

Blake’s face fell right after Becky told George about our busy day tomorrow. “You have to go too, don’t you?” He sounded disappointed.
Finally.
I sighed.

“Your father’s rules.”

He laughed, the one that just made me want to grab him and kiss the living crap out of him. He bit his lower lip. My insides clenched. I wondered if he even knew he was doing that. “He is seriously a strategist.”

“Very disappointed, Blake,” I said again, and bent my head closer to his for one last kiss.

His lips tasted perfect. I hated this feeling. I really want him to come with me tonight, so badly that it hurt, and now, it made me feel sick knowing that he was staying.

I got up and went over to Emanual.

“Really?” Blake asked Emanual.

“Sorry. I’ve got my orders.”

“Screw your orders,” he begged and my stomach clenched. This was what Sir Robert’s one condition meant. He still wasn’t going to give up that flag.

I turned around and waved one last time at him. He didn’t even wave back.

I didn’t care how I looked around him anymore—which right now was a pathetic loser—I wanted him so bad and I knew he wanted me too. The words in that journal had said it over and over again.

I reached Becky and just stared at her. I took another deep breath and she pulled her face at me. She wanted George to come home too.

George seemed quite disappointed as well. He was whiny and grunted a lot.

Becky smiled but didn’t say anything.

Emanual chuckled as we took the path back to the farm.

“You know how hard that is for him, right?”

“He makes it look so freak’n’ easy.”

“Believe me Elena, it’s not.”

I shook my head.

“Sorry, Princess.”

“It’s fine. It’s my own fault. I should’ve tried harder.”

Emanual smile and raised his eyes knowingly as he put his hand up in defense and started counting off. Five, four, three.

I frowned. Two, one.

“Emanual wait!” Blake yelled and my stomach fluttered.

Becky jumped up and down excitedly on one spot.

“Thank you,” George grunted.

Emanual turned around, and walked back. “You called?” He asked.

“My father is a fucking idiot.”

“Your father is brilliant.” Emanual joked.

“I seriously can’t believe you are doing this!” Taylor yelled.

“For the umpteenth time, it’s just a flag. It’s not the real deal. I caught it, so relax, Drama Queen.” Blake sounded like his old self again, the way he used to sound when speaking to me a long, long time ago.

She kept grunting.

“Oliver,” Emanual said. “Here,” he threw him Blake’s team’s flag.

“Never thought the big guy would falter this way.” Oliver laughed and I grinned like an idiot, “Thanks, Elena.”

I didn’t say anything. I felt quite bad now for Blake’s team.

“Dents,” Emanual said and smiled at me.

I shook my head and waited. We heard them starting to pack up.

“I want to stay,” Taylor said.

“Do what you like, I don’t care,” Blake said back and she grunted.
What the hell….stop it Elena, he would never.
I looked at the bracelet again. How the hell had he even done this? I pushed the image of George holding a knife, while Blake was in his dragon form, to the back of my mind.

Stupid idiot
, but the bracelet was gorgeous. Really, really gorgeous.

The other girl and guy walked out first with huge backpacks on their shoulders.

“I want a long freak’n bath,” she said and giggled as she passed us. She didn’t even sound upset.

“Make mine a long shower,” the guy said.

Then they started talking about steaks, how it should be done with mashed potatoes and whatnot. Emanual chuckled.

George passed Emanual and ran straight to Becky. He wrapped his arm around her and they walked on.

Blake followed a minute after him with a bag over his one arm. “Don’t,” he warned Emanual, sounding slightly upset but winked with a smile when he saw me. “I hate it that my father knows my weakness.”

He pulled me closer to him and I was crushed against the side of his torso.

“Everyone knows you Dents have weak points,” Emanual chirped from the back and Blake shook with laughter.

It was that obvious, even if I almost hadn’t seen it. But he’d made that clear by giving up the flag.

My stomach fluttered like crazy, knowing now that he was coming home with me tonight. I could finally tell him how sorry I was for not believing him.

WE SPOKE ABOUT all the things that I’d done the past couple of months, about Areeth and how my interviews and begging hadn’t helped at all. He was upset about the rock. I frowned, wanting to know how the hell he knew about that.

“Emanual brought me all the newspapers.”

“I see,” I said. “Thank you for the tips.”

“You figured that out? Of course you would.”

I laughed, feeling so shitty that I’d read his journal.

“You know they will fight, Elena.”

“I know, but I’m scared, Blake.” I knew what he meant by that. If I told them that my father was still alive, Areeth would fight.

“You still have that exclusive with Just Kev tomorrow.”

I looked at Blake and smiled. It felt good knowing that he did care, even if I didn’t know about it.

“I don’t know how that interview is going to go.”

“Just tell the truth,” he said. His shield was popping slightly around us.

“Your father?” I sounded worried.

“We need Areeth, otherwise we can forget about this.”

I nodded. “So, you stay while I go to Just Kev.” I looked at him and he looked down.

“It feels as if I’m never going to become just your dragon.”

I sighed and he looked up. “He is going to need you more than me, Blake. He can’t go after him.”

“I know.”

I squeezed him tightly. “There will be other times where you can be just my dragon. But this time, I need you to be Sir Robert’s son.”

“Okay, whatever you say, Princess.”

I smacked him hard on the stomach and he just laughed. It didn’t even hurt. His lips brushed the top of my head softly.

“I missed you,” he said.

“I did too. Well, probably not as much as you missed me. I was so freak’n upset and then after I realized that George was right, I really, really started to miss you.”

“How long did it take for you to come?”

“Few hours.”

He laughed. “You only missed me for a few hours.”

“I’m the Princess, we don’t do long or wait.”

He laughed again. “That is just so unfair,” he said and looked at me again. “You still practiced?”

“I was really upset, Blake,” I said again.

“I didn’t do…”

“I know.” I interrupted him again. “But every time I wielded a sword or my axes, I kept hearing your instructions, which made me even more upset. I have you back in my head now.”

He smiled. “Not the way I want to be.”

“I know. It sucks.”

“We will get it back somehow.”

When?
I didn’t put voice to it, but it just seemed like we were never going to get that back. It was funny how a small poem that was hardly telling me what the Dent was really about, put everything at ease.

We finally reached the farmhouse. I really didn’t know they were so close by. It must be his tactic—stay close to home base. I would like to know his reason behind that. His shield vanished and background noises filled the air.

George and Becky said goodbye to us, and started walking arm in arm in another direction.

I saw Sir Robert standing in the doorway. His eyes were on the both of us and he started to applaud. Blake didn’t think it was funny.

I wielded my shield this time and turned to face Blake. “Meet me tonight,” I said and his body slightly froze. A smile tugged on his lips.

“Elena, my father is watching me like a hawk around you, and I can promise you this shield just set off more alarms in him.”

I laughed softly. “You’re good at sneaking around. Just phone me, I will wield my shield. And I’m nineteen, not ten, Blake.”

He chuckled again and I lowered my shield.

He nodded and sucked in the part of his lower lip again as he walked toward his dad.

My heart beat like crazy. How far would tonight go?

Blake

WHAT THE Hell was that?
I would’ve just given her the stupid book if I knew it was going to make all her doubts disappear.

“Dad,” I said. My voice broke. Why was I so nervous? It was me for crying out loud, then again, it was her. Something I’d wanted for the past eight months.

“Blake,” my father didn’t smile.
Shit
, he was so not going to let me out of his sight tonight.

“Really, Elena?”

He finally grinned. “I’m a strategist, Blake, and it’s the Dragon League. What kind of a leader would I be if my son overthrew me on his first try?”

I laughed and gave him a slap on his shoulder. “Let’s talk.”

“Yeah, we should, especially about that shield she just wielded. What did she say?”

“It’s private, dad. I’m almost twenty-three.”

“Blake, she’s not.”

“Dad, she’s nineteen, not some twelve-year-old.”
Just shut the fuck up, stupid idiot.
“You know that will never happen. Not after what she went through. She just finally feels safe with me.”

“Oh, is that what you kids are calling it nowadays?”

I chuckled and he started to laugh too.

“Seriously, Pop.”

“She’s my rider’s daughter, Blake. I just want you to be careful.”

“And now she’s my rider. Just like it always should’ve been, Dad. I’ve waited a long time for her to trust me enough just to be alone with me. Nothing will happen tonight, okay? I’m not stupid.”

“Okay,” he said.

Okay, so that was not entirely true
, I thought, but he did seem to back off a bit. Whether he was going to stop being a hawk, I had no idea. He was a strategist after all, and this could be just giving me some rope—not a lot—to see what I was going to do with it. Probably hang myself.

I wielded my shield again and started speaking about Taylor. There was seriously something familiar about that chick but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was and my doubts didn’t vanish either.

It made me nervous not remembering where the hell I knew her from.

“Emanual has worked with her more than a year, Blake.”

“I know, Dad. I’m just telling you what I’ve gotten from her the past two months. It’s like she is always scouting, wanting information. She makes me nervous and not in a good way.”

“We should get Emanual.”

I lowered my shield and my father asked Fred to call Emanual.

Elena

MY HEART WAS still beating like mad and I sucked my lips as what might happen later tonight played through my mind. He just had to find a way to meet me. I sat around a fire with everyone else. Plenty of people were speaking about Sir Robert and Blake and the way he’d used me to make Blake forfeit.

I felt bad about it and looked away as they laughed.

My eyes caught Jerry.

I squinted as I looked at his retreating back. He was making his way into the woods,  a different part of the woods. What was he up to?

I looked back at the house and saw Emanual walking inside with Fred, one of Sir Robert’s other league members.

Becky and George were nowhere to be seen and I decided to follow him.

I got and left the group. Nobody was even paying attention to me. That was why I loved this place so much. They treated me like a normal girl.

I kept my distance and almost lost him a few times but a rustle up ahead in a slightly different direction helped me find him.

I knew I’d gotten Blake’s enhanced hearing after claiming him. It was a handy tool.

There was something very familiar about Jerry. At first I didn’t pick it up, but he would always say things, things that would make me remember something. It always brought up a horrible memory, but I would just shake it off.

He was one of Emanual’s trusted scouts and had gone into Etan the first time with so many others. But tonight, he looked guilty of something and I had to go and find out what he was doing.

A huge opening in the middle of the forest appeared. It had huge boulders and I hid behind a tree as a manmade torch was engulfed in flames. Jerry looked around him before he placed the torch against one of the boulders and grabbed a bowl.

He started to speak. It was Latin. He was reciting a very old spell; one that gave me the creeps a long time ago when I’d read through it, and I’d never gone to that page again.

He was conjuring someone.

I walked closer as his voice grew softer and softer.

He was wielding a shield but not a very good one.

What was he up to?

I could hear a faint voice speaking to him, and I froze, as it wasn’t Latin anymore, it was Wyvic.

Get the hell away from here, Elena.

I turned around ready to leave when I bumped into Taylor—the girl who’d stayed behind tonight when Blake handed in his flag.

“Taylor.” I spoke and she pushed me hard onto the floor. She was really strong but I was stronger.

I wielded my fire, but nothing came.

She started to laugh. “Remember this,” she held up a pendant with a familiar stone, but the pendant looked different.

My eyes rose slightly as I realized what it was. It was Becky’s necklace that had been stolen the night someone broke into our room.

“Where did you get that?”

“Elena, Elena, Elena,” she said and then a rope behind her sprang to life.

“It’s the easiest thing in this world to change ones appearance, you know.”

“Nora,” my voice broke as I just stared at her tail. It was the same tail that had killed Lucian.

“What have we here?” Jerry’s voice was fully back now.

“Stupid idiot, she was following you,” Taylor or Nora spoke to Jerry.

I looked at him. “How could you?”

He smiled. “How could I?” he looked at Nora. “Guess this new body is really that good at tricking people, Princess.”

My insides crawled with the way he said
Princess
. “Paul?”

“Ta da.” He laughed and looked around. “No Rubicon?” He grinned wider. “Oh, he is going to be so pissed off when he discovers your lifeless body in pieces, Elena.”

Blake

FRED HAD JUST left and my father started to speak to me about the intelligence they’d gotten from the other day Elena had to go back in. She'd brought in a couple of new people and brought out scouts.

“They saw Goran.” My heart clenched as I heard the news. He showed me a photo. He looked so much like his twin. It made me want to throw up.

“Have you showed anyone else this?”

My father nodded.

“He still looks the same way I remember him, Dad.”

“He’s not that guy anymore, Blake.”

“I know. It’s just so hard to think that it was him that betrayed them.”

“I know. But at least we have the advantage here. We have his twin and if there is anyone that can become him,” he tapped on the photo, “It’s….” the door opened and Emanual entered before my father could finish his sentence.

“You called?” Emanual sit down and I wielded my shield around the three of us again.

“It’s about Taylor.”

Emanual squinted and looked at me. “Something happened?”

“She makes me nervous, Emanual, and I don’t know why.”

“In what way, Blake?” He started to smile.

“Not like that. There is something seriously fishy about this girl.” The more I put voice to my concerns, the more it made sense.

He told me about Taylor, how she’d made him nervous the first few months too but she was on their side. He’d done a thorough check on her. She was a Night Villain (that much I knew), and smart as hell. Sure she doesn’t like to lose, but that wasn’t just her, it was a Night Villain thing. He looked at my father as he said it and I chuckled.