“Captain Corniz?” I asked.
“Yeah. He was put in charge of this whole expedition. Let’s report in and get the fuck out of here.”
I bit at my lip but reluctantly agreed. Maybe I could tell them what I learned, get them to consider the possibilities.
I rode Philit this time, our direct connection only tightening our bond and making it stronger. It was the reassurance we both needed from each other, especially after I rejected him like that. I could feel how much I had hurt him when I reacted as I did. I had shattered his ego, made him believe he was a complete shit head.
‘I love you,’ I sent to him personally, knowing he needed to hear it.
And when our bond pulsed to life and grew stronger, I knew I’d said the right thing.
The moment we landed, we were surrounded by dragons, who all looked like they were ready for battle. Standing at the front was Captain Corniz, watching us with a blank expression. Tanja stood next to him, looking as deadly and powerful as her mate. They were a power couple, absolutely gorgeous and just as deadly.
Captain Corniz was a black dragon, which matched him well in his humanoid form. He had black hair kept short, dark skin, and a scar that went down his jaw and down his neck. Everything about him was intimidating and scary. Tanja was gorgeous with her long black hair, but her personality was definitely the opposite of her mate’s. She could be rough and intense, but she also cared, and when the world wasn’t threatening to destroy me, she was friendly too. I genuinely liked her. I just hated the situation we were in, especially since she was the king’s niece, a connection I had trouble wrapping my head around.
“Welcome back,” she said, stepping forward to help me down. “I’m so glad to see you safe.”
“Thank you,” I said, relearning how to stand, my body still going through the aftermath of connecting to a dragon by being impaled and enduring an orgasm. While before, I was always fascinated by the experience, now that feeling was corrupted by the knowledge the Fae’d shared with me. My skin even crawled at the idea of connecting like that.
Maybe the Fae had succeeded because my thoughts were such a mess. I no longer knew what was up or down.
“Not here, let’s talk in our tent,” Captain Corniz said before anything else could be discussed. He turned on his heels and marched away.
Tanja smiled at me. “Come on; we have a lot to discuss.”
She led me into a massive tent. I had to pause as my eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. Captain Corniz was already behind a massive, heavy-looking oval desk, covered in what seemed to be maps and scattered papers.
“Report,” he said, looking at Philit.
“We found the location.” Philit approached the table and began talking, going over their journey and over the areas they had searched.
They talked in low voices, other dragons moving in closer. I couldn’t really follow what they were talking about, but as they continued, my stomach tied itself into knots. It all felt wrong and dangerous.
They talked about saving the riders and the states they perceived them to be in. Their talk even tossed in “brainwashing” and that only made the hairs on my skin stand up higher.
“You can’t just storm in and kill everyone on site,” I said, interrupting them.
The small group froze and looked up at me, a couple of the other dragons scowling at me for speaking up.
‘Careful, Rayna,’ Philit warned, but he didn’t move or try to stop me. I met his gaze, understanding whatever I did, he’d support.
“Rayna,” Tanja warned, grabbing my arm and giving it a light squeeze in caution.
“No.” I shrugged out of her touch and wedged myself between Philit and another dragon.
The other dragon looked like he wanted to yank me away, but then Zilon was there, taking his spot. Both my mates by my side gave me more confidence to speak.
‘What are you doing?’Landers asked, but I ignored him, making sure to meet the eyes of all the dragons at the table.
Maybe being with the Fae had built my confidence up enough to challenge them like this. Riders didn't normally challenge anything, instead leaving the talking to the dragons.
But I couldn’t let them do this without understanding anything, so I needed to speak up. I finally stopped on Captain Corniz’s gaze. For a moment, I swore I saw a flicker in his lips, like he was amused, but his face still seemed impassive as he waited for me out.
I licked my lips. “What exactly are you planning?” I asked.
He sighed, and for a moment, I thought he was going to dismiss me, but then he answered. Captain Corniz always seemed to have an expression of annoyance, but he never failed to give me the information I asked for.
“We’re going to retaliate for their attack on the academy and on Fyre.”