Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,61

for the foreseeable future,” she says, her eyes moving up in thought.

“No.” I shake my head, pushing out a breath. “If we stayed, we’d need to hunt. That would be noisy. Blood has a sharp, distinct scent. In other words, we’d stand a good chance of being captured. We need to leave soon. We’re strong right now, but that isn’t going to last for days without proper food.” Raven found some berries earlier. It was slim pickings, but it helped. We’re about to leave for the river. We’re going to wash up and drink. Then we need to make a decision. One that could affect our lives.

“Your weyr leader told you he’s going to force you to mate someone.” I feel myself tense up. My teeth sharpen, and my voice turns deep. “We can’t be captured,” I mutter.

Raven makes a noise of agreement. “I can’t think who this mystery person might be. No dragon shifter would take me. It makes no sense.” She’s frowning. “It might be someone who committed an offense. They’re punishing him by forcing him to take me. That’s possible. Tarek would pull shit like that.” She takes my hands. “They’ll kill you, Stephan. I’m telling you. My way is the only way.”

“I’m not using you as bait.” Everything in me bristles. “There’s got to be a better option.”

“There isn’t. One of us needs to escape. That person has to be you.”

We’re standing face to face so that we can read each other’s lips. We’re barely making a sound. I squeeze her hands. “It goes against everything inside me. Every instinct…everything I believe in…everything. I don’t know if I can do it.”

“You have to. You need to escape so that you can bring help. I believe in you.” She reaches up and kisses me softly on the lips.

I want to hold onto her and deepen the kiss. I don’t. Not right now.

“There’s a chance we’ll both make it out,” Raven says. “That we’ll—”

Sensing movement above, I look up and give a small shake of my head, eyes widening. She nods, her eyes growing fearful. We crouch, getting in close to a nearby tree. A patrol is almost overhead. We stay that way for a minute or two until we’re sure they’re gone.

“Not much chance of us both making it,” I murmur. The patrols are still out in full force. Raven wants to use herself as bait. While the patrols are focused on her, I’ll hopefully slip away unnoticed. Otherwise, by the time they spot me, it’ll be too late for them to capture me. At least, that’s the thinking. It might not work. Or Raven might give herself up for nothing. We might both be captured in the end.

I hate every scenario. We’re either going to be captured together, or we’ll be captured individually. We’re betting on Raven being caught while I escape. None of the plans work for me. It’s a colossal fuck-up!

“Let’s go.” Raven grabs my hand. “I need to wash this mud off of me. I’m itchy and thirsty.”

“I hear you.” My mouth and throat are dry. We start walking, careful to stay quiet.

We reach the river a few minutes later. It’s a dark night, on account of the clouds that have rolled in. It might rain. We need to use the cover to our advantage. Shifters can see in the dark, but there is a limit to the ability, especially from a distance. Flying into the actual clouds might just give us an edge we need to escape.

We reach the outskirts of the trees. We’re close to the river. All is quiet except for the rushing of the water. It’s a good thing, since it will mask the noise of us bathing. It should be at least eight or ten minutes before the next patrol is overhead. We’ve been timing them as best we can without watches. There’s a section of river with an overhang. The edge is muddy. If a patrol comes along, we’ll hide in the mud under the overhang. They would need to almost be on top of us to see us.

We lock gazes. We both know to stay quiet. To be quick and on our guard. Raven nods at me, and I nod back. Then we head for the river. Raven is just ahead of me. We jog, closing the distance quickly. I note how quick, silent, and agile she is. Raven uses one hand to cradle her heavy breasts, which still bounce with each footfall. I’m fucked if