Page 59 of Dragonbound

But he couldn’t tell her.

And if he did, she’d never believe him. Skaldi and Emma had both made one thing painfully clear – she couldn’t know about the dragon, or drekki as Skaldi referred to himself, the name reminding Erann of some long-ago memory. He couldn’t go against their wishes.

He sat in silence, feeling torn in two, for so long Sereh huffed angrily.

That snapped him back to the present.

‘Sereh, I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Gods, you’ve no idea how sorry I am. I care about you so much—’ He moved his hand from the journal to reach out for her, but her arms were folded tightly against her chest once more, and she shrugged aside so his hand fell once more to the ground.

‘If you cared about me, you’d tell me.’

‘But I can’t tell you,’ he said weakly, hating himself. ‘It’s not my secret.’

Sereh leapt to her feet.

‘Whose is it then?’ she demanded. ‘Is it Emma’s? Because, by the Gods, I will find out.’

The colour rose in her cheeks. She looked furious enough to hit him. He’d be terrified if she wasn’t so irresistible.

He closed his eyes. After everything she’d been through, at Rankil’s hands, all she wanted was someone to trust, and that someone was him. He wished he wasn’t going to be another person who failed her.

‘It’s not Emma’s either, Sereh,’ he said carefully. ‘And yelling at me isn’t going to fix this. There’s so much more at stake than you think. You’re right. This isn’t a small matter. This is huge.’ He reached for her hand again, desperate for a connection. ‘Please, Sereh, listen to me.’

She snorted and kept her arms folded tightly across her chest.

‘I need you,’ he said. ‘I need you here with me. Gods, I think I’m falling in love with you.’

Whatever Sereh was about to say stopped mid-breath.

For one perfect second, Erann thought he had her. Hope surged through him.

This, at least, was real. In this, he could be completely honest. He watched her, anticipation building. She would forget her questions. Her anger would vanish. He would heal, and then they’d leave this place, Emma would return to wherever she’d come from.

Then she inhaled sharply and the moment shattered.

‘Don’t think you can distract me. This is bigger than your feelings. I deserve to know, and so does everyone else.’

‘I didn’t say you didn’t,’ he retorted as angrily. ‘I said it wasn’t my secret to tell. Not now. Sereh. Please.’ His voice broke on the please. He glanced at her, admitting defeat. He’d lost her before he’d even had her.

Sereh stalked towards the fire.

‘Sereh,’ he called her name. She ignored him. He tried to follow her but staggered back to the floor as pain erupted from his broken leg as he tried to get upright. Sparks of light flew behind his screwed-up eyes. Instantly, he knew that he’d just made the break worse. He lay back, panting, listening to her storm around the cave.

He focused on his breathing, hoping she’d calm down and come back to talk to him. He could still explain himself.

Erann thought not telling her was stupid. He could understand that not everyone should know about the fact there was a dragon. But Sereh could be trusted. She deserved to know. He decided he’d have to convince Skaldi to let him tell her.

There was a scuffling noise from near the fire. He craned his neck and caught sight of Sereh putting on her backpack. His heart froze. Oh Gods, she was actually leaving. He’d thought it an empty threat.

‘Sereh,’ he called, but his voice came out thin and weak.

She didn’t answer him.

‘Sereh, what are you doing?’

He watched her adjust the straps and head for the cave entrance. ‘Arrow,’ she snapped the command to the wolf-dog.

‘Sereh, you can’t leave,’ he said desperately. ‘Not now, Sereh, please, please listen to me.’