Chapter Twelve

 

As we wove our way through the city, Ram moved with surety I wished I trusted. I fought off my demon grandmother's need to return to find Ameline and crush her like an insect. The pain was enough of a distraction I was grateful for Ram's guidance, following him almost blindly as my vampire, Shaylee and my own demon assisted my family magic in wrapping up Ahbi's insistence and smothering it before it left permanent damage.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief and came back to the outside world just as Ram pulled me to a halt in a shadowed overhang, cursing softly under his breath. I peered over his shoulder, realizing we'd circled back to where we'd left our transport only to find it under guard. But not by Guards. By a handful of nervous-looking demons who could only be rebels.

Ram backed into me and I took the hint, retreating a few feet while he spun on me and drew me into his arms. Though the embrace seemed heated and passionate, the tension in his body as he bent over me told me this was subterfuge.

The only reason I didn't smack him.

His lips brushed my cheek as his mind touched mine. We have to steal another.

I could easily have blown through the ones hovering around our transport, but not quietly. Fine with me, I sent back, running my hands up his back as two people walked by, the female demon with her nose in the air while her companion whistled at us. Where had this willingness to break the law come from? Oh, yeah. It showed up right after I was framed for my grandmother's murder.

Criminal, it was.

Ram pulled away, but only a little, fingers wound through mine as he guided me across the street, free hand cupping my cheek, pulling me in to him, making it hard to walk straight.

Overdoing it a little, you think? The edge in my mental voice only made him grin.

Sorry, he sent back with a touch of magic stroking mine, I thought you were enjoying yourself.

Creeperino pigeramous.

And so, in full view of the other pedestrians, we sauntered up to a small transport and climbed inside. Ram didn't waste time, his power activating the control panel and we were quickly rising into the air in our new ride.

“You're pretty good at this,” I said, offering up my shielding power once again as Ram turned to look back at me. Smirking again. Ass. Hat.

“I'm good at a lot of things,” he said, energy reaching out to my demon again. He leaned back, pressing his shoulders against my chest, forcing me to lean into him if I wanted to keep my balance.

“Yeah, just so you know?” A shaft of magic from my vampire stabbed him in the kidney, making him cry out and jerk away. “Your romantic skills aren't one of them.”

Darkness swathed the landscape as we flew free of Milanseme and moved on. I had to admit, the city was gorgeous at night, pinpricks of illumination glowing, the polished points shining in the multiple moonlight. But I was happy to leave it behind, especially when the throbbing pain still plaguing me no matter how much my other powers tried to protect me suddenly eased.

“Ameline's heading this way, too,” I said without thinking.

“Then we have the same goals after all,” Ram said. “You might want to thank me at some point.”

Creepy creeping creeporilla.

Rather than answering with the smack to the back of the head I longed to deliver, I settled in my seat with my arms crossed over my chest so he couldn't repeat his little touchy-feely routine and stared out the bubble.

“I hope not all of the rebel commanders are like Luprimustica back there,” I said, hoping to prod some information out of him. “Otherwise we’re going to be in a bit of trouble trying to track down this Leader of yours.”

I could tell by the twitch of his shoulders he agreed with me. “Each city has their own commander,” he said, “autonomous, chosen from among those who wished to rebel. She was clearly an unfortunate choice.”

He could say that again. “Best fighter wins, huh? Not a great way to pick a leader, Ram.”

“No one said anything about fighting,” he shot back over his shoulder. “You have a poor impression of us, Princess.”

Oooh. There he was again with the “Princess” crap. I’d be shoving my Highness boot up his butt if he didn’t quit it and see how princessy he found me then.

“Then how, smarty pants?” I prodded his kidney with one sharp index finger.

“By voting,” he said.

I laughed. Couldn’t help myself. The very idea of some kind of rebel election, held in secret, naturally, stirred up my sense of humor and images of cloak and dagger demons tripping over each other’s egos.

Ram didn’t comment, keeping his face forward, but from the look of the side of his jaw, I’d struck a very sensitive nerve.

I could have prodded him further, but it didn’t seem worth it. Maybe when we were safely on the ground again.

I had to take my fun where I could get it, after all.

The rainforest on the other side of Milanseme glistened in the light of the low-hanging moons, canopy a black, glittering mat I was certain was thick enough to hold me if I fell. Not that I was willing to test it. The shining river winding through it ran pure silver, a ghostly trail bisecting the towering trees.

All thoughts of tormenting Ram disappeared when a flash of movement caught my attention. I pressed myself to the shield, grinning like a little kid as a pair of dragons, their multi-hued hides glowing softly, tumbled and danced, great wings spread.

“Hang on,” Ram said, though there was joy in his voice. “We're about to have company.”

Two more whipped past us, tossing the light transport as the backwash of their wing strokes buffeted our ride. I gasped in delight, laughing over their antics.

“How do they know we're here? I thought the shielding made us invisible.” The impulse to leap out and onto the dragon's back was so strong I felt giddy.

“Apparantelo don't see or sense things the way we do,” Ram said. “From what I remember of my studies, that is.”

“Are they friendly?” Come on. What girl didn't want her very own dragon?

“In the air,” Ram said as the same two who dive-bombed us dropped to hover near our shield.

I wasn't listening to him anymore. Not when a huge eye of dazzling diamond gazed back at me from behind the shield. I traced my fingers over the magic between us, my power reaching out to the creature on the other side. His power reached back, sourced in air and grounded in fire. His large wings fluttered, a slow blink registering his curiosity.

“I've never seen an apparantelo do this before.” Ram's voice held as much awe as my heart.

“It's my air magic, maybe,” I said, releasing a little more. The dragon—forget what Ram called him, he was a dragon, no doubt—did a barrel roll, calling out in a deep, thrumming voice, his song echoed by the female who rose to hover on his other side.

And then, in a flash of wings and staring eyes, we were surrounded, cocooned inside a flight of them as they matched our speed and trajectory perfectly. Ram's nerves made me laugh as I glanced at his turned head and caught the fear on his face.

“Don't worry,” I said. “They won't hurt us.”

“Says you,” he said, but he relaxed a little.

My dragon—oh dear—blinked slowly again, craning his long neck around until his face was so close I could have touched it if the shield was open, wound his magic around me one more moment, the touch of him gentle but full of power.

Friend, he sent.

Before I could answer, shock taking my wits, the flight broke, dragons swooping away as one, gone as quickly as they'd come, diving for the trees and out of sight as their song rose and enveloped us, fading gently until it, too, was gone.

I wiped at tears I didn't know I was crying, unable to remove the smile wreathing my face.

“Holy,” I said.

“Amazing,” Ram agreed.

In silence, my heart full of something wonderful for once, we flew through the night toward our next destination.

 

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