Fuse by E.L. Todd

Nine

He slappedher hard across the face, leaving a mark that would remain for several days. “Wake up.” He gripped her by the shoulders and shook her viciously. “If you keep those eyes shut, I’ll do something far worse than slap you.”

Her eyes fluttered open, and the leaves of the tree were directly in her line of sight. She saw them sway in the wind, rustling with the distant breeze. Judging by the light, it was late morning.

“There she is.” The man gripped her by the neck then forced her lips apart. He poured something directly into her throat and forced her to take it. “That’s the rest of it.”

She swallowed everything then coughed when it went down the wrong tube. Her chest burned with every movement she made, and her side would scream if it had lips. The sudden pain cleared her vision, and she focused on the man hovering above her.

She’d never seen him before in her life.

He had dark hair that was almost black, much darker than her brown strands. It was short and cleanly cut, like he visited the barber often, unlike most men in her village. His chin and cheeks were covered with a thin line of scruff that was the same color as the hair on his head.

His eyes were terrifying. They were unnaturally blue and beautiful, but their intensity was frightening. They possessed unbridled rage that could unleash at any given moment. His hard jaw was just as unforgiving. For a handsome man, he didn’t look very happy.

After gazing at his face, she noticed something about his eyes. The way they were shaped was familiar and reminded her of another pair of eyes she’d stared at for long periods of time. His voice was unmistakable. She’d heard it insult her time and time again. “Flare?” But it couldn’t be. It simply wasn’t possible.

Approval came into his eyes. “Perhaps you’re smarter than I give you credit for.” He patted her on the shoulder before he forced her to sit up. “How do you feel?”

She coughed again, feeling the burn in her throat. “Like shit. How do you think?”

He rested one arm on his knee as he crouched down beside her. “You’re alive, right?”

“What did you make me drink?”

“That health potion you stole—like a damn idiot.”

“It’s for animals.”

“And what do you think you are?” Somehow, he was harsher as a human than a dragon.

“But I got it for you.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have gotten yourself stabbed, then.”

“Look, I almost died, so can you stop being an ass for just a second?”

“Let me think about that.” He rubbed his chin and looked into the trees. “No. You lied to me and did something reckless. I’m going to be an ass to you for a very long time.”

She felt the wound in her side and noticed thick gauze had been wrapped around it. It was so tight she could hardly breathe. “I thought I was going to die.”

“You’d only die if I let you.” He rose to his feet, and that was when she noticed the blood soaked into his black shirt.

“Is that yours?”

“Yes.” He grabbed his canteen of water and returned to her, holding it out so she could take a drink. “It’s the area where you removed my scales.”

“What?” She was horrified at the meaning in his words.

“Human or dragon, the affliction is the same.” He shook the canteen in his hand, commanding her to take a drink.

“Are you okay?”

He gave her a smartass look, partially smiling while giving her an irritated glare. “I carried you ten miles. Yes, I’m fine.”

“You could bleed to death.”

“But I won’t.”

She rubbed her hairline and noticed the dried blood that crusted there. “Or we might both bleed to death…”

“That would be poetic, wouldn’t it?” He shoved the canteen into her chest. “Drink this. I’m tired of holding it.”

She snatched it from his hand and gave him a sour look. Then she took a drink and washed away the tart taste of the potion he just shoved down her throat. “There was a potion inside the shop called Love of the Beast. It said it was dragon tears or something like that. Apparently, it can heal almost any illness. I should have gotten that for you.”

“It was in the shop?” His eyebrow was raised like he was genuinely surprised.

“Yeah. It was inside a solid black cage, and I didn’t have time to open it.”

“I’m surprised anyone would sell it.”

“What is it?” She’d read the name and the description, but that didn’t give her enough information.

“As you said, dragon tears.”

“Yes—but what does that mean?”

He sighed in frustration. “Sometimes I forget how naïve you are.”

Instead of snapping, she remained quiet because she was eager for him to continue.

“Dragon tears are both magical and powerful. They can save a person from the brink of death, heal any injury, and can even bring someone back from the dead if they’re given at just the right time. As you can imagine, anyone would pay top dollar for them.”

“So…does it really come from a dragon? Or do they just call it that?”

“The name is literal. Only when a dragon cries can the tears be harvested, and since there are no more free dragons, the potion is extremely rare.”

Cora remembered when Flare cried earlier on their journey. He was so distraught over the annihilation of his species that he gave in to his grief. If she’d harvested them at the time, she could have used them to heal his scars. If only she’d known at the time.

“And even if dragons were still around, it would still be nearly impossible to gather dragon tears.”

“Why?”

“Dragons are emotionless. They understand anger, jealousy, and betrayal but not sadness like humans. You can torture a dragon endlessly, and no amount of pain will make them cry. You can strip their treasures away and enslave them for years, and they still won’t break down. They will only shed a tear for one reason.”

“What reason?”

“Love. When a dragon truly, deeply loves someone, they release dragon tears, either because they lost someone they loved or because their loved one is in pain. There is no other instance.”

She took this information quietly, understanding the significance of the potion. Now she understood why it was locked up, unlike the other potions in the store. “So, you have fused with a human?”

“Is that a question?” The same irritated look was on his face.

“You lied to me before.”

“I never lied. I just danced around the question.”

“So…what does that mean?”

“It means…we need to keep moving before those guards hunt us down. They’ll be crawling over these hills by nightfall. We need to get to Solstice before their messenger does.”

“Why?”

“I told you.” He rose to his feet then extended his hand to help her up. “I need to speak to someone there. It’s very important that I do.”

She used his weight as an anchor then pulled herself up. The pain was excruciating, but she refused to admit it. His afflictions were far worse than hers, so she had no right to complain. If he was able to continue, so was she. “Then let’s head out.”

* * *

“You’re doing alright back there?” Flare glanced over his shoulder.

“I’m fine.” She breathed hard and gripped her side when it throbbed. Scaling hills and valleys was uncomfortable on her entire body, but particularly her torso. The weight of her pack wasn’t helping either.

“You don’t sound fine.” Effortlessly, he hiked up ahead. If she didn’t know he was injured, she wouldn’t have figured it out.

“Well, I am.”

“Want me to carry you?”

Over her dead body. “No.”

“Then pick up the pace.”

She kicked it into gear and moved faster, ignoring the pain shooting up and down her body. Mind over matter. That’s what she had to keep telling herself. She was the reason the affliction had come to pass, so she had no one to blame but herself.

She caught up to him and kept up the same pace.

He eyed her up and down, making sure she could really handle the trek. “If you need help, just let me know.”

“I don’t need any help.” And if she did, she would take that secret to the grave.

“Good. You look heavy.”

“Excuse me?” She turned her fiery eyes on him, ready to smack him upside the head.

He smiled like he enjoyed her anger. “I was referring to your pack. But it’s nice to know you’re just as vain as I am.” He laughed and kept walking.

“I prefer you as a dragon.”

“Why? I’m the same person.”

“Not really. You talk a lot more.”

“Annoying, isn’t it?” He surveyed their landscape, his eyes constantly searching for enemies.

“What’s your name?” Flare must belong to the dragon, so the man had to have a different name.

“Flare. Or is your memory that terrible?”

“You can’t have the same name.” He must have been a different man before he fused with the dragon. At least, that’s what she knew about the history of the dragons and humans.

“Flare is fine. Two names can get confusing.”

Anger bubbled underneath the surface then spilled over like a boiling pot. “Why won’t you just tell me?”

“I don’t want to.”

“You save my life, but you still don’t trust me?”

“You didn’t tell me about Dorian, so why should I tell you anything?” He turned his terrifying blue eyes on her. They were unmistakably hostile. “I may owe you my life, but that debt was repaid when I went into that town and risked my neck to save yours. We’re officially even.”

“I didn’t realize we were keeping score.” She turned vicious instantly, probably because her wound still hurt, and she had a blinding headache.

“Just don’t ask me questions I don’t feel like answering. If there’s something I want you to know, I’ll tell you.”

“I’ve told you stuff about me.”

“Like what?” He pulled out his canteen and took a drink.

“My village. My family. My beliefs. Maybe that doesn’t seem like much to you, but that’s everything to me.”

He sighed then stowed away his canteen. “I don’t do well with emotions, so…don’t do the girlie thing.”

“Girlie thing?”

“Where we insist on exchanging feelings and emotions…crap like that. We’re on a mission, and we have to complete it. Let’s just focus on that.”

He irritated her more than anyone else in her life, including Seth. “I feel sorry for you.”

“Sorry? Why?”

“You’re closed off and won’t let anyone in. Clearly, I’m harmless, but you keep me at arm’s length. Why?”

“I guess I just don’t trust people.”

“Well, I’m not people. I’m different.”

“Yes. You’re stubborn, arrogant, and you talk too much. You’re very different.”

She stomped her foot in protest. “What happened to confiding things to me? You agreed to that then completely changed your mind.”

“I never agreed to reveal my true nature to you. I was forced to by your childish behavior. If you hadn’t gotten into trouble, I never would have been compelled to change form and rescue you. You coerced my hand when I wasn’t ready to reveal my cards. I’m ticked off, Cora. If you don’t like the way I use my tongue, you shouldn’t talk to me.”

“Maybe I won’t.”

He moved quicker and put a few feet between them. “That works for me.”

* * *

After two days of nonstop travel, Cora could barely hold on. She was falling asleep while walking. Her vision was growing blurry. Sometimes, she wasn’t even sure what she was seeing. She didn’t want to admit she needed to rest, but if she didn’t stop soon, she would collapse. “Flare.”

They hadn’t spoken in two days, and the silence was tenser than the ruthless conversation. “What?”

“I need a break…” She sat down on a rock and bowed her head, ashamed she had to hold him back.

“I was wondering when you would tire out.”

“What?”

“I was curious to know how far I could push you. Honestly, I’m a little impressed.” He squatted down in front of her then lifted up her shirt to examine her wound. “It looks good. No infection.”

“Wait…you were testing me?”

“Yes. And you passed.” He waggled his eyebrows then stood up again. “There’s a cove close by. Get cleaned up and get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

The mention of the river brought back the memory of when she bathed in front of him. He stared at her without blinking before he eventually looked away. Now, she understood his reaction.

And she was mortified.

She automatically covered her face in embarrassment. Her cheeks reddened, and her head started to pound.

Flare seemed to know what she was thinking. “For what it’s worth, I liked what I saw.” He winked before he walked into the trees.

“Kill. Me. Now.”

* * *

Flare kept his back to her as she bathed in the river. She cleaned the cut and washed away the dried blood. Surprisingly, there was already a scab where the open wound had once been.

The potion worked.

She washed her hair and removed all the grime she’d gathered over the past few days. After she cleaned herself, she felt a million times better. She was still exhausted, but sleep would be much better now that she was refreshed.

She left the water and dried off before she changed. Flare kept his back to her the entire time and never turned around. He didn’t say a word either, letting her have her privacy and her silence. “I’m done.” She pulled her hair over one shoulder and braided it. She didn’t have time to do her hair like she normally would, and she didn’t have a mirror.

“Get some sleep.” He rose from the rock he was sitting on then ventured to the water’s edge.

“Do you need help with your wounds?” She knew he must have one on his upper back where his broken wing would be located. She was still annoyed with him, but she offered her help anyway.

“I got it.” He threw aside a pack he must have acquired in Polox then pulled off his shirt.

“Uh, what are you doing?” She was caught off guard by his nakedness. She’d never seen a shirtless man in her entire life. His chest was hard with strong pectoral muscles, and his waist was thin with chiseled lines of strength. His arms could pull a tree right out of the ground. She kept staring and wished she would stop.

“What? I need to bathe too.”

“Well, I’ll turn around. You just need to give me some warning.” She quickly stepped away and stared at her pack, unable to forget the image that would be ingrained in her mind forever.

“I’m not shy.” His clothes hit the sand of the shore before he walked into the water. “And I thought it would be fair since I’ve seen you.”

She pulled out her blanket and lay on the hard ground. “I’ll pass.” She faced the opposite way so he wouldn’t be in her line of sight before she closed her eyes. Her mind was fatigued from the lack of sleep. She assumed she would fall asleep instantly, but now she was thinking about the lines of Flare’s body. Is that what all men looked like? Were they all that strong? That powerful? Or was that the dragon’s doing?

After a few minutes of pondering, her mind swept her off into a deep sleep. Her dreams took her to a faraway place. She rode the back of a red dragon with her blade buckled to her hip. She defeated the armies of High Castle and rescued the dragons in captivity. And then suddenly, a pair of pitch-black eyes stared into hers. Unblinking and unchanging, they didn’t look away. Whether they belonged to a friend or foe, she didn’t know.

But she knew she was scared.