AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can’t I just sneak into your dorms and stay with one of you?” I asked, really not wanting to go back.
“I’d love that more than anything else,” Philit said. “But we all have different roommates, and none of them are on our sides. I think they’re watching us for the king.”
“Really?” I asked.
Landers nodded. “They’re suspicious fucks.”
“Aylia?” I asked softly. Did they pair me up with a spy for the king too?
Philit frowned. “I don’t think so. She seems genuine. And she hasn’t done anything suspicious, right?”
I shook my head. “She’s been by my side, helping me.”
“If she didn’t care about Rayna, I don’t see her giving us a heads up that she’d be in the library for today,” Zilon said.
“Aylia’s been taking care of me,” I admitted. She really was taking more care of me than I was of myself.
“Only you will know if she’s someone trustworthy,” Zilon said. “You spend your time with her.”
I thought about it and even smiled. “She’s definitely genuine. I imagine the next time Coral tries to start shit, she’ll be right there with me to face off against her.”
“Then she’s golden. Our spies aren’t the sharpest tools in the toolshed,” Landers said. “They’re not sneaky enough. It’s clear they’re reporting to someone about our movements.”
I relaxed and almost felt bad for mistrusting Aylia. She really has only ever been a good human being, probably better than most people I met.
“Before we let you go, you need to listen to us,” Philit said, resting his hands on my shoulders, his voice too solemn to not listen to him. I was almost afraid he was about to tell me one of them had some kind of incurable disease. “The next riding lesson, we need you to stay calm. Please.”
“What?”
“We felt it,” Zilon said. “That close to you, seeing you suffer, it made it harder for us to control ourselves. We wanted to tear everyone apart when you looked like you were in trouble. Please, stay calm.”
“We know how our dragons think, and they chose you. You are our mate. No matter how many people they shove on our backs, that isn’t going to change. A bond won’t break just because another rider is put on our backs. We chose you,” Philit said.
Landers grinned widely. “You’re fucking ours, and we aren’t about to let you go. Never.”
I smiled, almost ready to cry again, not realizing how much I needed to hear that from them. I sniffled, fighting the burn in my eyes as my nose itched. “I’ll try but no guarantees.”
“Please, Rayna,” Philit said, practically begging. Philit wasn’t a beggar, so it was weird to hear that plea come out of him.
“I can’t promise, because when I see you guys suffering, it becomes instinct for me too.”
That seemed to surprise them. Did they think I was just being a drama queen, trying to get them riled up? I didn’t want to do anything to make it harder for them.
“A rider instinct?” Philit said curiously.
“Maybe,” Zilon said.
“So we all need to stay calm before we rile each other up,” Landers asked, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Damn, that isn’t going to be easy.”
“We need to get going,” Zilon said, sounding even sadder.
“Wait,” I said, not wanting to end our meeting. It felt like so long since I’d been able to spend any quality time together, and I wasn’t ready to go back to wondering when I’d be able to see them again.
“What?” Philit said.
“I think we’re missing a piece of the puzzle here,” I said.
“What do you mean?” Zilon asked.
