From the Ashes

Chapter 16

It's nearly five in the evening by the positioning of the sun. It wasn't so hard to sleep in the daylight. The inside of the tree is so dark I hardly knew the sun was up.

As awareness slowly surrenders itself, an unnatural warmth envelopes me. I look down to find Dragon's cozy, muscular arm around my waist. His body is positioned protectively beside me, and even in his sleep, he looks ready for action. I wonder if he'd wake up if I brushed a few loose strands of hair from his forehead.

A twig snaps outside, and I lift my head. Cool apprehension floods my veins like a minty breath freshener. I don't welcome the feeling.

I shift my body to peer out from behind the thick leaves, but not enough to leave Dragon's embrace. A boy stands nearby. His weapon is raised, and his eyes rest on me. My body tenses. It's Desan. The boy with Azad.

Were they following us? Maybe they overheard our conversation last night.

My eyes rest on Dragon, and the breath is squeezed from my lungs. I won't let them take him from me.

The soft undertone of his breath is so soothing; it momentarily puts my fears to rest. He's so peaceful in sleep. The subtle hints of inner anguish that plague his handsome face in the day have faded. If it weren't for reality coming back to me, waking him should be considered a sin. I gently touch his shoulder.

"Dragon," I whisper. "Dragon, wake up."

His eyes flutter open. With a sharp intake of air, he jerks his arm from around my waist.

"Sorry," he murmurs.

I smile, remembering how embarrassing it felt when I fell asleep on him.

He glances down through the trees and spots Desan. Anger and rage splash his face, and he grits his teeth.

"I have to go," I say, forcing the fear from my voice.

"No." He grabs my hand as I move toward the edge of the thick tree branch. "I could kill him. Let me go for you."

I shake my head. "Our team isn't awake yet. If you tried to face them alone, they'd overpower you. I have to do this."

"You don't."

More than anything, I want to stay. It would be so easy to let him shoot Desan and get this over with. But that would only put more lives at risk. A leader must be willing to give their life for the people.

"Dragon, I must."

He bites his lip, realizing no matter what he says or does, he can't stop me. "You're going to come back, Jaina."

I gulp down the nausea climbing in my throat.

"Say it," he demands. "Promise me you're going to come back."

"I'm going to come back," I whisper.

He nods, his jaw is clenched in nervousness and his grip remains tight around my hand. "If you're not back in fifteen minutes, I'm coming for you. And if he hurts you...I'm going to kill him."He pulls me to his chest and holds me in his embrace. My breath is as unsteady as his. I can feel the raw worry raging in his heart.

After a moment, I gently pull away and make my way to the bottom of the tree. Even after I reach the ground and push past the thick leaves into the open, his words linger in my mind. 'Promise me you're going to come back.' I wonder if he was speaking to me as a friend, a teammate, or...something more.

I approach Desan, turning my face into an indifferent façade not even Dragon could read.

Desan grabs my arm and presses his thumb into the mark left from the stun pistol. I let out a hard breath and grit my teeth.