Aspen (The Dragon Kings #2)(17)

Rowan Winters, you are no coward.

He laughed. “You feel my terror. How could you possibly say that?”

Can you see me?

“Yes.”

Sid was still baffled that Rowan could carry on the conversation like nothing was wrong. Can you not see that I am shaking?

“Yes.”

I am shaking because of your fear. I am feeling what you feel, and I cannot tolerate it. Yet here you sit speaking to me as if nothing is wrong. You face me in spite of your fears. You are braver than most men and a few dragons as well.

Rowan smiled, and Sid’s body stopped trembling. Rowan got up and slowly made his way toward him. Sid remembered Skye’s mark and dropped to the ground. Rowan froze when Sid moved, but Sid didn’t want to answer any questions about the mark.

Come on, I’m not going to hurt you.

Rowan took a couple of deep breaths and moved so he was standing next to Sid, then he placed a hand on Sid’s neck. Aspen had tears flowing down her cheeks.

Didn’t you tell me you never cry?

“Shut up.”

Rowan hung out with Sid and Aspen for the morning. He turned down Sid’s offer of a ride, and Sid figured it was for the best. No sense pushing his luck.

“Why do you have my sister’s name on your ankle?” Rowan sat next to Sid’s foot and traced the letters above his heel. Aspen settled next to him, her head resting on Sid’s flank with her eyes closed. Her face was peaceful and serene.

It’s complicated. But she has my name on hers, and in a sense it means we are forever bound to each other.

“That’s cool. So you are her protector or something?”

I guess you could say that.

“Does that mean the other dragons know about her?”

Aspen’s eyes popped open. “Do you ever see any other dragons when you are out flying? You shouldn’t be here. Maybe we should stop these visits.”

Relax, no one has seen it yet.

“That’s right. You’ll just wimp out and die when they discover it.”

Rowan looked at her with his eyebrows creased. Aspen crossed her arms and pouted. Sid would find it cute if she wasn’t so terrified by the prospect. He never thought about what his death would do to her. He hadn’t planned on Rowan showing up today, so he put off his visit to Damien, but tomorrow they’d start trying to save both of their lives.

We need to meet tomorrow. I have something to show you. Meet here, same time?

“Sure.” She shrugged and looked away from him. “We should go. See you tomorrow.”





Aspen wanted to go over to Sid’s house that afternoon, but her parents said they never spent any time at home anymore and had to spend the day with them. After a Skype call to Sissy in Hawaii, they went into Bozeman, did some shopping, had dinner, and caught a movie.

The next day Sid was about thirty minutes late. He was breathless, but not agitated.

Sorry, I’m late. Skye tried making sweet potatoes in the oven, and it caught on fire. I just spent the last hour airing out the kitchen. Theo’s going to buy a new oven.

Aspen laughed. “Sweet potatoes? In the morning?”

They had marshmallows on them, and she loves marshmallows.

Aspen shook her head. One of these days Skye would burn down his whole house.

Hop on. We are going for a ride.

“Where?”

You’ll see.

Aspen climbed on his back, and he took off. She clung to his neck and watched the ground disappear beneath her. Yellowstone looked completely different from up there. The colors on the ground all swirled together. The hot springs burned a bright blue and the white ground around them was speckled with red. Steam rose in wispy white clouds. She should be cold because they were so high, but was not. The heat radiating up from Sid’s body kept her from becoming an icicle.

“Why are you so warm?” She had to shout because she didn’t think he could hear her otherwise.

It is the fire inside me.

“Ooh, can I see?” She’d seen his flame a few times but never got tired of it.

Not right now. It would bring too much attention to us. Also, you don’t have to yell. You can speak to me just like I’m talking to you.

“How?” she shouted.

Humans are different than most animals. You have to concentrate to send out thought. Other animals have to train themselves to not project thought. If you think something deliberately and send it to me, I should be able to hear it. Try.

Aspen concentrated and sent him a hey, but he didn’t react. She took a couple of deep breaths and thought about how he spoke to her. It always came like a voice, not a thought. And it never interrupted her thoughts, nor did she think he could read her mind. Very deliberately, as if she was speaking to him, she said, Bet you thought I couldn’t do it.

He dropped a few feet suddenly, and she squealed and grasped his neck harder. That was not very nice. But she was smiling.

You think you are the only one who can tease. This is a much more efficient means of communication.

Yeah, why didn’t you teach me this before?

I didn’t think about it.

Tell me about the mark Skye gave you. Aspen’s eyes started to water from the wind, so she buried her face in his neck. His scales were smooth and soft.

Like I said before, it’s old magic. During the dragon wars, many different dragons were vying for leadership. Everyone wanted to be in charge, but no one would follow anyone. There was an ancient spell that would end it all. If one dragon could gain loyalty from all eight dragon races, well, nine at that time, then they would be king, and everyone would recognize him as their king. They’d have no choice. He’d reign for five hundred years with his own council. No one would be able to kill him or overthrow him. The magic made it impossible.