AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"That's awful," I said, a surge of anger rising within me on his behalf. "How could they do that? You're one of them. They’re your family!”
He shrugged, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. "Pack dynamics can be... complicated. In their eyes, I was a liability. Someone who might weaken the bloodline."
“That’s fucked up, Chris. You don’t just turn your back on family, who cares about bloodlines and all that? I bet they’ll feel mighty stupid when they learn that you’ve got ancient blood in you, dragon blood.”
“Yeah, maybe. Family can be a fickle thing, I’ve learned. But it doesn’t matter, I carved out my own path," he said, a hint of pride creeping into his voice. "By that point, I'd already established my own life, my own identity to some extent. I decided to embrace that rather than try to fit into a world that didn't want me."
"You've been through so much," I said, feeling a new level of respect and understanding for him. “I dunno how you did it in all honesty.”
Chris gave me a small smile, tracing a circle in the back of my hand with his thumb. "It was hard, but in a way, I think itprepared me for this. Being different, being on the outside... it's given me a unique perspective."
"I can understand that," I said. "I mean, I'm the only full human here. Talk about being on the outside."
"Hey," Chris said, his voice softening. "You're not on the outside. You're one of us, Aria. Human or not, you belong here just as much as any of us.”
I felt a warmth spread through my chest at his words. "Thanks, Chris. That means a lot."
“Besides, I like what Zephyr said. That we’ve got our own little pack forming of misfits. It has a nice ring to it,” he said with a chuckle.
“It does,” I agreed.
“So, do you think they did a broadcast at home? With whatever the Dracarian representative left?” I mused.
“Who knows? Maybe they decided to keep it under wraps so as not to cause a panic. Mind you, dragons appearing everywhere likely did that already,” he said with a scoff.
“Wish there was a way to know what was going on back home, to tell people we’re okay,” I murmured.
“Are we though? We’re being trained up as soldiers for a grand war,” he said as his brow furrowed.
I sighed. He had a point there. We were in a precarious situation with no way out. Maybe it was better people were left in the dark.
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the stunning landscape of Dracaria stretching out before us. I found myself thinking about our little group - Chris, Zephyr, Lydia, and me. Despite our differences, we were becoming a team, a family of sorts. Sure, we hadn’t known each other long, but our group had formed, and I liked it.
"You know," I said, breaking the silence. "I'm glad you guys are here. You, Zephyr, Lydia... I don't think I could handle all this on my own."
Chris smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Me neither. We've got a good little group going, don't we?"
I nodded, thinking about how quickly we'd bonded. "It's strange how close we've become in such a short time. I guess facing extraordinary circumstances together is a pretty good bonding experience."
Chris laughed, the sound warm and rich. "Yeah, nothing brings people together like being thrown into a magical realm to fight an evil darkness. Along with new powers.”
As we chuckled together, I felt the tension of the day start to melt away. Sitting here with Chris, talking and laughing, it almost felt... normal. Like we were just two friends hanging out, not potential saviors of two worlds. Like we didn’t have this enormous weight bearing down on us.
But then I remembered Ossian's visit as well, his desperate request, and the normalcy shattered. I wanted to tell Chris, to ask him about it. But the words stuck in my throat. What if telling him made things worse? What if it put Ossian in danger? It was clear the vampires were shunned by other supes.
"Aria?" Chris's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "You okay? You looked like you were a million miles away for a second there."
I forced a smile. "Yeah, sorry. Just got lost in thought for a moment.”
Chris leaned forward, concern etched on his face. "Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right? Whatever's bothering you, I'm here to listen."
The sincerity in his voice almost broke my resolve. I opened my mouth, ready to spill everything about Ossian's visit. But atthe last moment, I held back. "I know," I said instead. "Thank you, Chris. Really. I'm just... processing everything, I guess."
He nodded, seemingly accepting my explanation. "I get it. It's a lot to take in. But remember, you're not alone in this. We're all figuring it out together."
As he spoke, I suddenly became acutely aware of how close we were sitting. I could see the flecks of gold in his hazel eyes, count each individual eyelash. The air between us seemed to crackle with an invisible energy, not unlike the magic we'd felt earlier.
Chris must have felt it too because his gaze dropped to my lips for a brief moment before meeting my eyes again. "Aria," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I..."
