I heaved a sigh. Why did this have to be so damn hard?
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I finally said.
A low growl rumbled from the back of Rivelin’s throat. He took a step forward, and I took a step back, but my retreat was halted by the sleek stone wall of the cave. He leaned in and palmed the rock beside my head, his narrowed eyes churning with anger.
“I knew there was no getting through to you.” His hot breath caressed my neck. “I hoped if you saw the dragons with your own eyes, something might thaw in that ice-cold heart of yours. But no. You’re too stubborn for that.”
I lifted my chin. “Don’t act like you know anything about me.”
“I know you hide your truths behind a false smile. And I know you’d rather bite off your own tongue than admit you were wrong.”
“Well, I know you’re an insufferable bastard.”
“Unfortunately for you, this insufferable bastard is your ticket out of here. And right now, I’m not feeling particularly generous.”
I shoved at his chest. He didn’t budge. “Move.”
“So you can kill innocent baby dragons?”
“Fuck you.”
I glared up at him. His face was only inches from mine, and I could see every fleck of gold in his eyes. With his chest pressed tightly against mine, there was nowhere I could go. Nothing I could do but lift my chin in a silent challenge. He shifted against me, the ridges of his muscular chest hard and unyielding against the softness of my breasts. I hated that I noticed, and I especially hated how close his mouth was to mine and how the steam rising between us made something spark deep within me.
A spark of anger, of course. Nothing more.
My heart pounded when his eyes darted to my lips. His entire body tensed, and I stopped breathing. His face inched slightly closer. Our noses brushed.
Steam stormed between us.
Rivelin took a wide step back. “This was a mistake.”
He could have been referring to so many things, but I didn’t need to hear which one. He was right. Everything about my time on this island had been a mistake. I needed to get out of here and never come back.
18
DAELLA
I left Rivelin in the cave and found my own way back to Wyndale. But I didn’t stop when my feet hit the path that snaked through the buildings. Despite the warm glow of lanterns and the sweet scent of pastries drifting on the evening wind, I bypassed the cozy village and returned to the beach where I’d entered this nightmare.
Though…had it truly been a nightmare?
Sighing, I kicked off my boots and rolled up my trousers. I left them in a pile next to my satchel a few feet from the surf and walked into the sea. The water lapped at the raw skin on my ankles and toes, surging and receding like the steady beat of a drum. I dropped my head back and stared up at the inky sky. The stars were so bright, so numerous. It was like looking upon a field of fireflies.
It was so beautiful here, so unhurried, so serene. Fafnir had once been a gorgeous city, too, but it had a bustling, fraught energy about it, even in the dead of night. Until I’d spent my days trapped in a tower, I’d rarely had a moment to myself. There hadn’t been time just to sit and watch and appreciate the beauty of the world.
As the cool evening wind whipped at my face, I tried to think. What was I going to do now? I couldn’t leave the island yet unless I swam, and I definitely wasn’t a strong enough swimmer to make it all the way back to the mainland. And that was if I didn’t run into the Elding again. It would be lurking somewhere nearby.
There were other villages on this island. I’d heard Rivelin mention them. But would they accept a half-orc with no coin? I’d been lucky Rivelin had offered me a place to stay, though deep down I knew it had nothing to do with luck. He’d wanted to keep an eye on me so I didn’t discover the dragons.
Even if I did leave, then what? When the ships came, could I truly sail back to Isveig’s side and tell him about this place, about these people? About Rivelin? The ice shard throbbed painfully in my hip. Isveig had sworn not to kill anyone I found, and he was not an oath-breaker, but…
“Daella,” a now-familiar voice called out from behind me.
I closed my eyes. I should have known he’d follow me. He would do anything to protect this island, which meant he would never let me leave.
“Daella,” he repeated when he reached my side. Even though he did not have an affinity for fire like I did, I could somehow still feel the heat of him invading my senses. “Listen, I didn’t really handle that well. I’d foolishly hoped you’d set your eyes on the dragons and instantly fall in love with them. And when you didn’t, I…reacted badly. Why don’t we try this again?”
“Try what again, Rivelin?” I asked tiredly.
“Don’t ruin this place,” he said in a gruff voice that sounded pained, like the very thought of it was a knife in the heart. “Please.”
Please. The word shuddered through me.
He continued. “You know what will happen if Isveig finds this island.”
“I’m all too aware.”
“So then don’t do it. If not for me, then for Lilia. For Odel. For poor Mabel, who finally found a safe haven after Isveig took everything from her.” The ragged emotion in his voice rattled the reinforcements around my heart. “This place is all we have left.”
I lifted my eyes to his face. “And what about the dragons? Is this what you wouldn’t tell me earlier, when we were on the roof? You don’t want Isveig to find out about this place because of them.”
Sighing, he nodded. “The dragons can’t be protected the same way the folk of this island can. As they grow, they’ll start flying further and further, exploring their world. I have no control over them. None of us do. If Isveig learns they exist, he’ll wait for them to roam, and he’ll find a way to kill them all.”
I hung my head. “Draugr killed my mother and father.”
A long moment passed, the only sound the steady rush of the waves.
Rivelin finally said, “How did it happen?”
I was surprised he bothered to ask. “It was before Isveig invaded, back when Fafnir wasn’t part of his empire. Mother and Father had gone to the market. While they were there…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Draugr attacked. Three elves who had bonded with dragons and filled themselves up with their power. They burned down the entire market. Hundreds died.”
“I heard about that. It was an awful thing that happened. You couldn’t have been more than…”
“Six years old. The king took me in after that, gave me a place in his castle. I remember his face so much better than theirs, as hard as I try to picture them.”
“I understand far better than you know.”
I frowned and looked up at his distant eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I lost my family when I was only fifteen.”
“You and Lilia…”
“We had three other siblings, and our parents, of course. Plus, cousins and aunts and uncles. Grandparents, too. They’re all gone. Only Lilia and I got away.”
“I’m sorry. You mentioned Isveig and his mercenaries before. What happened?”
The muscles around his eyes tightened. “Isveig sent murks to our city when he heard the Kingdom of Edda was planning for war. We wanted to stop him from conquering any more lands. But he attacked us before we had a chance to do a damn thing.”