DragonRider by S. Rodman
this box of tools if Rowan keeps making me laugh like this. Her hilariously recounted tale of her disastrous date is going to have me helpless on the floor in a minute. We are supposed to be carrying tools out to the garden, not laughing hysterically in the hallway.
“There you are!” calls Dai as he jogs up to me.
I wipe tears out of my eyes with the crook of my elbow. “Yeah?”
“Flight Commander wants to see you in his office.”
I groan in dismay. Cai grilled me for hours last night right after the battle. I’m dismayed that he is already keen for round two. I told him everything I know, I explained my spell and the hive mind connection thing that I found, but it seems he wasn’t content with any of my answers. Fuck my life.
I thrust my box of tools at Dai, hard enough to make him grunt and stagger back a step. Shooting the messenger isn’t fair, but hey, it’s satisfying.
“Guess I’ll catch you later,” I say to Rowan and Natasha as I walk away.
“Good luck!” calls Natasha with a pitying look in her eyes.
I’m starting to get the impression that everyone else in the castle is far more frightened of Cai than I ever was. On one hand, I like that. It makes me feel that there has always been a connection between us, that I understand him on a deeper level than other people do. On the other hand, it could just show that I’m a shit judge of character and that maybe Cai has all the red flags and I should stay the hell away from him.
It’s an unsettling thought. Not the least because I’m pretty sure it is far too late to stay away from Cai. I’m already in too deep and I don’t possess that kind of willpower.
Maybe Harlen will be the buffer. Everyone likes him. And if he is madly in love with Cai, Cai can’t be that bad, can he?
I sigh and knock on Cai’s office door.
“Enter!” calls a voice that is not Cai’s.
Curiosity chases all my other thoughts away. I open the door and step inside. An older man is sitting at Cai’s desk. His pale hair is cut very short and his ice blue eyes seem as if they are trying to pierce through my soul. His dark suit looks expensive and severe.
My gaze flicks to Cai, who is standing behind the stranger with his arms crossed. Cai’s hair is tied back in a neat tail and he is wearing a suit of all things.
My gaze flicks back to the older man. They have the exact same cheekbones.
“Are you Cai’s dad?” I ask in surprise.
The stranger frowns. “I am Morwyn Mordred. Mordecai’s father.”
Well, fuck this guy. Those six words he just spoke tell me everything I need to know about him and say an awful lot about Cai’s childhood. In fact, those six words have just explained so much about Cai. Jeez. As soon as I get Cai alone, I’m giving him a giant hug whether he likes it or not.
“Sit!” says Cai’s dad, and it’s definitely an order and not an invitation.
I lower myself into the chair facing the desk and try not to glower. I don’t think I’ve ever instantly hated someone so much. I’m going to think of him as Cai’s dad, precisely because he doesn’t like it, and I am that petty and spiteful.
“Explain how you killed five tylwyths at once,” snaps Cai’s dad.
For fuck’s sake. Why is everyone acting like it is such a big deal? It wasn’t that hard or complicated. Unease is making me feel itchy. I assume Cai’s dad is high ranking in Dragonrider society and he has been sent to investigate me, which seems over the top. What am I missing?
I swallow over my dry throat and calmly explain what I did, as clearly as possible. When I finish, Cai’s dad is still scowling and Cai’s expression is carefully blank.
“If you were able to meld with the tylwyth so well, they could have seen inside you too. They could be lurking in there now, waiting to use you.”
I stare at him in horror. That is a ridiculous notion. I didn’t sense their thoughts at all. I merely was able to discern that their hearts were connected. I’m not some sort of spy or infiltrator.
But this is a man who believes with his whole heart that what you like in the bedroom affects your status as a man. And not only believes it, but preaches it to his child. So clearly his grip on reality is flimsy.
Cai’s dad jumps to his feet, sending his chair screeching across the floorboards behind him.
“I’m going to have to delve into your mind to verify your version of events.”
Well, that’s shit. But if it proves my innocence and shuts this asshole up, it will be worth it. I can cope with a bit of discomfort, I’m not that much of a coward.
He strides around the desk and stalks towards me. My hands grab the arms of the chair I am sitting on, and grip tightly. He takes up position behind me. I close my eyes. Cold fingers place themselves on my temples and I grimace.
Blinding pain blasts through me. He is forcing himself into my mind roughly and carelessly. Rummaging through my memories as if they are a drawer of printed photographs. He tosses them aside, crumples others. He picks up one of me railing his son on the full moon, I snatch it back from him before he has a chance to have a proper look at it. But I think he saw too much.
He finds the memories of the battle and dives into them. Twisting them, turning them. Oozing like thick oil through them. I’m going to be sick. He plays the moment I killed the tylwyth, over and over again. Then he dives deeper into my mind. It hurts. He is hunting for any sign of tylwyth, but he is clawing and shredding my consciousness as he does so. I think I’m screaming.
“I said stop!” Cai’s voice is cold and deadly.
The pain retreats and I’m alone in my own mind again. I’m aware of Ri, frantic and concerned. Shit. He was always there, observing my mind being pillaged, but the asshole had cut me off from him. I reassure Ri that I’m fine now and tentatively open my eyes.
Cai and his father are glaring at each other while standing nearly toe to toe.
“You didn’t find any trace of tylwyth, so leave him alone,” says Cai.
His father bristles. “I need to finish my examination to be sure and then I need to take him back with me so other members of the senedd can verify.”
“You are not taking him anywhere.”
“I am a senedd member and I am your father. You will do as you are told.”
Fury flashes in Cai’s sapphire eyes. “This is my fortress, my flight, my command. Kirby is one of my riders and he is going nowhere.”
Morwyn draws himself up to his full height, which I am delighted to see is not as tall as Cai.
“How dare you!” he snarls.
“I do dare. Now get out of my castle.” Cai’s eyes are colder than ice, his expression set in stone. He looks stern, unyielding and formidable. I might just fall into a swoon.
“Tegwyn, kindly escort Mr Mordred off of the premises,” Cai adds ruthlessly.
Poor Tegwyn opens the door and steps in, looking paler than a ghost. Morwyn bristles once more and then abruptly turns on his heels and storms out, nearly knocking the unfortunate Tegwyn over. Tegwyn regains his balance and then hurries after the angry man, and just like that I’m alone with Cai.
I stumble the three steps it takes to reach him and then I throw my arms around him and bury my face into his chest. He saved me. He stood up to his vile father to save me. His arms wrap around me and I tighten my grip. He is trembling violently.
“Ri! Tell Zh that we need Harlen.”
Cai thinks he needs to take care of me, but right now he needs someone to take care of him. Someone strong, someone dominant. Someone who he will believe when they tell him that everything is going to be alright.
My mind is a little sore from being violated, but Cai just found the courage to face his father. The man who is supposed to love and protect him, but I’m pretty sure has only bullied and tormented. Today was uncomfortable for me, but life changing for Cai. A moment that everything pivoted and changed forever.
Harlen runs in, and right up to us without the slightest hesitation. He presses himself up against Cai’s back and wraps his arms around both of us.
“Hey Brat,” he says softly. “It’s alright, I’ve got you.”
Cai sags back against him, and I can feel the tension leaving his body. He stops trembling and I smile in relief. The three of us are standing in the middle of Cai’s office, tangled in an embrace and it feels right. It feels like the three of us can face anything. As long as we face it together.