He hovered above me, his lips curved in a saucy smile, his eyes dark with need. Then Ashe teasingly planted kisses on my lips. Our minds were one like they'd been in the cave, and the sensation overwhelmed all reason and all logic.
We were together—finally... and the bond so close to being completed…
And then… suddenly, I was being shaken awake.
"Sydney?" A female voice called from seemingly far away.
I groaned, still half asleep until a final shake pulled me out of my dream.
Blinking, I stared dumbfounded at my blond roommate looming above me. Her arms crossed over her pink and purple plaid pajamas, "Sydney?"
I could almost still see Ashe before me, in my arms, but…
It wasn't real.
I knew it wasn't real, even though his cologne seemed to linger in the air.
It was a dream.
The realization of this made me blink in surprise.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep…" Becca stammered, eyes wide.
For someone who rarely blushes, I'd been doing a lot of it. Mortification filled me and using my nightshirt, I wiped sweat off my face.
"I... I'm sorry for waking you up," I stammered.
Her worried gaze seemed to lessen as she watched me. "You scared me. I thought someone was murdering you…"
If she only knew…
My mind wandered back to the dream, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recall it. But when I tried to grasp hold of its tenuous strands, it evaporated like mist in the sun.
Giving up, I opened my eyes and perched on the edge of my bed. The dim blue light from the clock read 5:23 am. "I'm okay. Becca. Go back to sleep. I'm getting up."
Pulling my toiletries from atop my suitcase in the wardrobe, I brought the plastic quart size bag with me to the bathroom.
The apex between my legs ached painfully as I set my things down on the counter.
Ashe… I said his name in my head.
Aaraeth slid along my skin, quiet but alert.
I could feel my dragon thinking, plotting below my consciousness, and I spat out, "What?"
You neeeeeed to compleeeeete the bond, she told me.
I sucked in a breath and shook my head. Yes. Yes, my body absolutely wanted to complete the bond. And that dream made it painfully obvious. What was that dream? A memory, a vision, or just my imagination? Everything inside me wanted that—whatever that was in my dream.
Thankfully the logical and not so lust-filled part of my brain finally woke up and started to pay attention.
"Hello? Ashe is gone," I told myself meanly before sighing and sinking down onto the bench in front of the showers. "Fuck!"
Fuck is right, my dragon snapped.
"You're not helping…"
I stopped talking as the door squeaked open. Becca stood there, her lips twisted, and arms crossed over her ample chest.
"I'm worried about you," she said softly, shuffling over to me, her fuzzy pink slippers sliding across the tile before sitting next to me. "I know we just met, but I'm here for you if you want to talk."
I needed to talk to someone, I needed to trust someone.
Leaning sideways, Becca bumped my shoulder with hers.
I sighed, not meeting her eye. "A week ago, I was hiking in the Vietnamese jungle with my dad. I had a purpose, I was happy, and most of all, I understood the world and my place in it."
She narrowed her eyes at something across the room, her hands gripping the wood bench's edge. "I think... it will just take time to adjust."
"I don't think I can."
She blew out a breath. "You know, things always seem worse at night."
"Mmm…" I considered, meeting her intense gaze.
"You know, people would kill to be a Prime and have a dragon. You get that, right?"
Becca plots, Aaraeth whispered.
I nearly snorted before thinking to my beast, Becca is one of the few people who've looked after me and tried to help me.
She continued in a soft voice, pulling me away from my mental conversation with Aaraeth. "You know, there are books in the library about being a prime. So if Dr. Weaver isn't telling you what you want to know, you can always look there."
Becca stood and paced to the wall where she turned and leaned against the tile to gaze across at me.
I raised my eyebrows. "Really? Like dragon stuff? You think it would help?"
"Yeah. I think so, I'll show you where to look today during lunch—if you want." Her eyes darted to the hands of the clock above me. Then with a smile, she added, "I've got to get ready. Go on, take a shower. You'll feel better."
Elijah said nothing to me in first period, and I wasn't about to start a conversation with him. So instead, I diligently took notes and tried to ignore the whispers directed my way.
The day seemed to drag on until lunch. My stomach rumbled, but I ignored it. If Becca could skip lunch to show me the books I needed, I could miss it too. Besides, I didn't want another run-in with Lacy.
Studying my map, I found the library was across from the great hall. It had been the first building I'd seen when arriving and sat like a spur off the front of Wyvern Hall opposite the quad.
Becca stood near the library entrance, tapping a text into her phone.
"Hey?" I called out in greeting.
She glanced up after pocketing the device. "Hey yourself. You ready?"
I pulled open the heavy wooden door and held a hand out for her to go through. "Lead the way."
As the door closed behind us, the bustling alcove's cacophony was suddenly a million miles away. Light filtered in between polished bookshelves. The colored rays from the stained glass in the narrow windows illuminated dust motes in the air. The library didn't smell like dust, it had that deep earthy, coffee scent that only came from old books.
I stood in awe of the space, eerily reminiscent of another library I'd visited at Trinity College in Dublin.
I had no time to admire the view because Becca was on a mission. She swept through the tall ceilinged room, past an enclosed librarian's counter, and down a set of winding wooden spiral steps.
In the lower level, I sneezed twice but kept up. The shelves down here were filled with much older books. This was the dragon section.
The spines that I caught a glimpse of were beat-up leatherback tombs.
Trying to catch a title or two, I frowned as we passed several interesting sections.
Alchemy.
Creatures and Animals.
Lore and Mythology.
Sanctuaries & Shrines.
Incantations and Rituals.
Dragon Species.
There were so many interesting headings, I couldn't read them all.
Finally, Becca stopped. A long built-in desk angled beneath the shelves on the back wall. Sucking in another breath, I sneezed again.
"This is it. This whole section right here... well, this whole basement is filled with dragon lore and Dragonborn history, but this back wall is all about dragon Primes."
I bit my lip and began to read the spine of a few. "Aren't they afraid these could get into the wrong hands? I mean, shouldn't these books be locked up or anything."
She laughed. "No, no one without the sight can read these. They're written with a special ink."
"Oh…"
She twirled to leave and called out a goodbye on her way out.
Pursing my lips, I decided to go from the lowest shelf upward, reading the titles. "Dragon Prime history, the primes of Ireland, the primes of England, the primes of... pffft!" I skipped over those.
"Hmmm…" I murmured to myself.
Pulling over the rolling ladder, I began to read the next shelf, title by title, moving the ladder several feet at a time. Then I dropped one and had to clamber down to pick it up. "Damnit!"
There was nothing useful here! And if there was something here, it would take forever to find it. Most of the writing was in a microscopic cursive that left me with a headache.
Chewing my lip, I glanced at my phone. If I wanted to eat lunch, I'd need to get going. Stepping down and falling into a wooden chair, I made a mental note as to where I stopped on the shelf. I rolled my head on my shoulders to ease the tension in my neck.
Was there a catalog somewhere? What would I even look up?
I jumped when a masculine voice startled me from the stacks. "You look like you could use some help."
Slowly, I turned in the chair, and it creaked in protest. Behind me stood an all-American boy, too cute to be real. He sported a cocky half-grin and a gleam in his hazel eyes. Running a hand through his perfectly cut strawberry blonde hair, he took his time checking me out as well.
Noticing his blue and green striped tie, I relaxed a bit—he was from Drake House.
"You're the new girl… We've never had anyone new come into the school before." He told me with raised eyebrows.
"So, I've heard," I replied dryly.
Drake guy laughed, revealing a very American smile with straight and perfect teeth.
I couldn't help but compare him to Ashe—Ashe, with his slightly crooked teeth that gave him a sexy, roguish look—Ashe, with his series expression and honest eyes.
But this guy, Drake guy, Captain America—he had secrets.
Be careful of this one, Aaraeth purred in my mind.
"I'm Sydney, by the way," I told him.
"Logan," he hesitated. "I didn't mean to interrupt your studying."
He settled his backpack on the slanting counter and checked something on a sheet of paper before searching out a book and taking it off the back shelf.
Hesitating, I finally spoke, "You aren't interrupting. Actually... never mind. It's stupid."
His eyes widened, and he focused his attention back on me. "Do you need some help? I've been a library assistant." His brow came together. "This is the Dragon Prime section. If it's a history book you're looking for, Primes aren't always the best topic."
I chewed my lip, "Uhm... I just want some information. Becca, my roommate told me…"
He cut me off, "Becca? Rebecca Brooks? She's my sister."
I breathed out a laugh. "Becca is your sister?"
He nodded, then his smile faded as his eyes clouded over—I wondered if my eyes did this when Aaraeth spoke to me.
Surprise lit his face, and he said, "You're a Prime, wow. I didn't believe it, but… you are. That's really, really rare for females."
I shrugged. "Okay, so I've heard."
"There's only one other Prime that I know of…" He trailed off, looking at the books. "That's why you're here, isn't it? To get answers… I take it the other rumors are true?"
"What rumors?"
"That you're new to the Dragonborn," he pulled a notebook from his bag.
I didn't answer.
According to outward appearances, Logan seemed friendly and trustworthy. But something about him made me uneasy. Maybe he was too good looking, or too familiar or too nice—or perhaps it was none of these at all.
Aaraeth? What's different about Logan? I asked.
This male is a Prime, she answered me.
I watched Logan's nicely shaped backside as he searched for another book.
So? I called out to my dragon, that means he has a dragon?
Trussssst yourssssself, she hissed by way of explanation.
Trust myself? I didn't understand. Why did Aaraeth have to talk in riddles?
Shaking it off, I smiled when Logan offered me a thick leather-bound beast of a book.
I ran my fingers over the smooth cover.
"I don't see a name, what's this book called?" I asked.
He shrugged and shook his head. "I'm sure it has one, but it's worn away."
"Should I be touching this? Should I use gloves or something?" I pointed to the box of cotton gloves on the counter.
He laughed. "No, it's okay."
Opening the book, I smiled at the ancient handwritten words scrawled onto the paper. The tomb smelled like dark chocolate—earthy and deep.
I began to scan the first pages, but there was no index, so I opted to start reading. Struggling with the long curving script, I heaved out a breath and realized that Logan still stood behind me.
Reaching around me, his body brushed my ponytail. "What exactly are you looking for? If I knew what you wanted to know, I could find it for you. I've studied this section backward and forward."
Without even asking, he flipped through several pages until he stopped at the beginning of a chapter, The birth of Primes.
Turning around, I found myself way too close to Captain America. The scent of detergent from his sweater filled my nose as he backed away from me, and sat down in his own chair.
Logan studied me before speaking, "There are a lot of rumors going around about you. Some say that you have no dragon, others that you're a prime like me—which I now know is true."
"Yeah, Aaraeth might have mentioned it."
"Rumors are that you've bonded with Miss Bryant's boyfriend. But, my dragon says the bond isn't complete." He laughed, a low rumbling sound.
I looked back at the book, uncomfortable with the way he casually brought up Ashe.
When he breathed out another laugh. "Wow. That's crazy. So, Carrick didn't complete the bond?" I lifted my head to meet his eye. "You know, just because you're bonded with him, that doesn't mean you have to seal it. You understand that, right? You still have free will, and a bond doesn't mean you'll be happy with him."
I chewed my lip, both disturbed and also relieved by his words.
"I mean, Carrick is a good guy, so I've heard, but in the end, the choice is really yours." He shrugged.
"What do you mean the choice is mine? Doesn't the choice belong to both of us?"
He shook his head. "No. You're the only prime female in a long time."
"How many female Primes are there?"
"I don't know. Maybe three, four in the world... . A male prime needs only one Prime parent, but a female needs both parents to be a Prime."
Frowning, I shook my head. "That's not possible. My dad's not even Dragonborn."
Logan gave me an incredulous expression and shrugged. He then tapped the open pages of the book before me. "It's in this book. I mean, look at my sister Becca, she doesn't even have a dragon, and she's from one Prime. Imagine the power of two Prime parents? Do you know what someone would do to ensure even one Prime child? If rumors are true and Ashe Carrick did leave Miss Bryant—then maybe it wasn't for the reasons people think."
Realization dawned on me. "Wait a minute, are you saying Ashe only wants me because I'm a Prime?"
"For his family, maybe. I don't know. I don't know his intentions, but if I'd have bonded with you," he leaned closer to me, bracketing me into the curved wooden seat, "then the bond would've been completed by now."
My insides clenched at the way his eyes roved over me hungrily.
Get away from him! Aaraeth growled.
Forcing myself to take even breaths, I cooly met Logan's eyes.
Part of me wanted to stay to see what Captain America might do. But another part of me agreed with Aaraeth.
No matter how enticing or how good-looking Logan was, the fact remained that he wasn't Ashe. Pushing my chair backward, I stood up out of his reach and grabbed my backpack.
"Thanks for your help... I... I need to grab some lunch," I reasoned, before turning to leave.
Logan stood and watched me. "See you later. Let me know if you need any more help."