I'm The Dragon King's Heir

Chapter Two: Chained To My Enemy

    The dragon hunters stop twenty feet away and point their guns at us. Behind us is the edge of a steep cliff.
    "Toss me the keys and I'll hand Onyx over to you right now," Ryder tells them.
    "I knew you were going to do this," I say angrily, glaring daggers up at him.
    "You are in no position to make a deal," the hunter's leader says, taking a step forward. "I could shoot you right now."
    "If you shoot, we'll fall over the cliff," Ryder says, gesturing behind us. "And I've got a feeling you need proof of our deaths to collect your fee."
    The hunter glaces at Ryder in contemplation. "Fuck the fee. I'd rather see you dead."
    All at once, the hunters shoot a barrage of bullets at us. With an annoyed growl, Ryder grabs me around the waist and jumps off the cliff, sending us both into the aggressive river below. My breath catches me as I hit the freezing water.
    "You asshole!" I scream as Ryder emerges next to me, pushing his wet hair back. "You were going to sacrifice me!"
    "I wasn't going to sacrifice you," Ryder huffs. "I was trying to get the keys."
    "No more brilliant ideas without my agreement," I scoff, pushing my own hair back. My fingers entangle on a stripe of silver mixed in the black, and I pull my fingers through the knot before tossing my hair over my shoulder.
    "You're alive, aren't you?" Ryder says.
    With an annoyed huff, I swim as far away from him as I can while the hunters on the cliff above shoot bullets down at us. But with our wrists chained together, it turns into Ryder swimming and dragging me behind him. I try to keep my head above the water, but it's too hard as I push back against the current.
    "Haven't you ever heard of teamwork?" I yell over the rushing water. "I can't swim if you keep dragging me!"
    "I can't go slower since we're being shot at!" Ryder retorts. My body tenses when I hear a loud sound, and I suppress the urge to scream.
    "There's a waterfall coming up!" Ryder yells, glancing over his shoulder back at me. I close my eyes for a moment, wanting at least ONE moment of peace before we go over. I can't believe I'm going to die chained to the man I hate the most.
    "We need to stay together," Ryder says, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of my thoughts. "Hold onto me as tight as you can as we go down. As soon as we hit the water, you need to fight your way to the top. Otherwise, the current will drag us under for good." Ryder pulls me close, slamming my chest up against his and surrounding me with his hard body. Even though the water's freezing, I suddenly feel warm wrapped in his arms. His body is huge, a mountain compared to mine, and yet, it feels... right. I cling to him, wrapping my arms around his neck as the sound of rushing water fills my ears and we near the edge of the waterfall. Feeling bolder, I lift my legs and wrap them around Ryder's hips, linking my feet behind his lower back.
    "Don't let go," Ryder says firmly, meeting my eyes with a strong intensity. "If the current is strong enough, it could break your arm if it pulls you in the opposite direction." He moves one hand to my hip, holding me tightly against him. His other hand protectively covers the back of my head as he presses my cheek into his shoulder. The hunter leader on the cliff above shouts down at me and Ryder.
    "It doesn't matter where you run! I will find you!"
    I swallow hard and cling to Ryder with all of my might as we fall down the steep waterfall.

    Ryder keeps his promise and doesn't let go as we hit the aggressive water beneath us. Something sharp collides with my head and water fills my lungs as I'm momentarily submerged, but Ryder moves fast, pulling us up against the side of a large rock, blocking us from the hunters' view above.
    "Are you okay?" Ryder asks, his voice thick with panic as I cough, expelling water from my throat.
    "I'm alive," I sputter.
    "If we stay hidden, the hunters will assume we're dead," Ryder says, keeping his arms around my waist to hold me above the water, standing strong against the furious current. "But they'll send guards down to check." His eyes lower, narrowing on where my wet, once-white dress clings to my breasts. His jaw clenches as he looks back up at my face. "Damn it, Onyx, you're bleeding." Ryder uses his wet sleeve to wipe the blood from a large cut on my forehead down through my brow. "Of course you had to go and get yourself hurt."
    "Don't be an ass," I retort, bringing up a hand to feel the cut. "I don't have the patience right now."
    On Ryder's next inhale, his hands tighten on me. Then he lets out a growl so low I almost miss it.
"What?" I ask quickly.
"Nothing." He starts to turn, but I grab his shoulders firmly, forcing him to look at me.
"It's not nothing. I'm not moving until you tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing is wrong," Ryder says firmly. "Your blood just smells... unique."
"Unique how?" I ask curiously. "No one has ever said that before."
"Dragon... but human... no," Ryder shakes his head. "It's nothing. Let's go." His eyes turn cold as he moves, still holding me as he pushes through the roaring currents to the shore. Once we reach the rocky banks, we quickly head into the forest. I turn to go right, but Ryder pulls me to the left. "We need to stay at the edge of the forest and work our way around until we know where we are."
"No–" I begin to argue, but before I can say another word, Ryder loses his patience and picks me up, swinging my body over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" I say angrily, my fists hitting his solid back.
"It's too dangerous to stand around and argue with you," Ryder replies.
I continue slamming my fists against his back, cursing him out, until my nails sink into the leather. Ryder lets out a moan, and I can't tell if it's one of pain or pleasure.
"This is ridiculous!" I exclaim. "You can't just carry me where you want!"
"Yes, I can."
Taking a deep, furious breath, I change tactics and grab his ear, pulling as hard as I can. Ryder hisses and drops me immediately. "Fine," he sighs, "you can walk as long as you walk the way I want."
"No wonder you Demon Flight dragons have so many enemies," I mutter as I get to my feet. "You are beyond obtuse."
"I'm sure it has nothing to do with other dragon kingdoms killing innocent dragons," Ryder shoots back as we start off.
"I didn't even know my father was going to kill your family," I say.
"Liar," Ryder scoffs. "I know he depends on you for counsel."
"Yes, he asks my opinion," I nod, "but that doesn't mean he takes my advice or that he shares all of his plans with me. I would never have agreed to him killing your sister."
"That's easy to say now. And what about my father? I assume you were okay with his murder?"
The night air seems to grow colder the moment the question leaves his mouth, and I cross my arms over my chest, taking a deep breath and pushing down the angry tears that threaten to fall. "No, but I'm glad he's dead. He killed my mother and other innocent dragons in my kingdom."
"That's the way of our world," Ryder shrugs, not bothering to turn back to look at me. "He's no different from your father or any other dragon lord."
"If you think I knew about your father's murder, that means you knew your father planned to kill my mother that day," I say slowly.
Ryder finally stops and turns to look at me with stormy eyes. "The plan was for your mother to be kidnapped– not killed."
Suddenly, I don't care that I'm in the middle of human territory or that I'm chained to the man I'm about to kill. Grief and fury like I've ever known rises in me. I dart forward and push Ryder to the ground, pushing my forearm to his throat. In one quick motion, Ryder rolls me over and pins my hands high above my head. I pull on the chain, wishing I could strangle him with it.
"I have just as much to be angry for as you," Ryder says firmly. His eyes burn with hatred as they stare into mine, but there's something else there, too. His hard body, the way his chest rises and falls– he looks like he wants to make me hurt like he hurts. "Should I kill you and get back at your father like he did with my sister?"
"You aren't strong enough to kill me," I say , my voice low.
"You don't even believe that lie." Ryder leans heavier on me, proving his power over me. "I'll move as soon as you say that I didn't kill your mother. I didn't even see her die."
"Fine," I say quickly as his weight threatens to crush me. "I believe you."
At once, Ryder gets up and helps me to my feet. I hold my tongue as we continue through the forest in silence, now walking at his side.