Yet, each night as Adrian was getting ready to fall asleep, Haru would stroll in. Sometimes, he’d touch Adrian’s shoulder. Sometimes it was the tiniest brush of his lips across his temple. But he always said the same thing.
“I will keep you safe, my Adrian.”
And then he’d stroll back into the living room as if he wasn’t the strangest creature Adrian had ever met.
Thankfully, General Morgan finally declared it time for them to move out from the capital. The trip across Erya had taken three days to reach the staging area at the border. It should have only taken two, but the convoy was enormous, and Morgan was taking no chances.
To Adrian’s utter shock, Haru was incredibly well-behaved. He’d expected the dragon to want to shift and fly ahead, but he stuck close to Adrian’s side at all times. He smiled at the other soldiers, making polite conversation, but there was a new edge to his voice, as if he didn’t trust all these strangers near Adrian.
Luckily, the temporary base set up near the border proved to be a nice distraction. Adrian was only too glad to take Haru around and show him all the different buildings while explaining their plans for entering the Ordas.
“How long will we be staying here?”
“Soto said they are aiming to move out tomorrow morning. They’ve already begun testing the steam-powered vehicles. Everything is working.”
Haru frowned and turned to stare at the northern sky. “Can we wait?”
“Are you serious?” Adrian gasped. Up until this moment, Haru had been anxious to get moving, to explore. He’d been more than ready to take on gods and the Empire. Now he wanted to wait?
“I am. We need more time.”
Adrian grabbed Haru’s arm and stepped in front of him, forcing him to meet Adrian’s gaze. “The king and the others have been in the Ordas for eleven days.” He pressed his free hand to the center of his chest. “I can still feel the thread, but we can’t leave them waiting any longer than necessary. We have no idea how long it’s going to take us to reach them or if we’re going to meet the Empire along the way. We need to leave now.”
“Please, one more day. It’s important.” Haru refused to say anything else. His eyes remained locked on the northern sky.
So, Adrian convinced Soto to give them another twenty-four hours.
Which brought them to this very moment. The sun had just slipped below the distant horizon. The pale blues, oranges, and yellows were giving way to shades of deep purple, blood red, and murky blue. Haru remained in the same spot for hours, staring at the sky. He hadn’t slept in his bunk beside Adrian’s the previous night. Fuck, Adrian had been lucky to drag him to the mess hall for a meal.
But what bothered him the most was that Haru seemed to grow more anxious with each passing hour. He never said a word, but there was a rigid tension that had sunk into his frame.
“Haru?” Adrian whispered.
The dragon didn’t move. Didn’t even blink an eye to acknowledge him.
“We need to move out tomorrow,” he started again.
“I know this,” Haru replied tersely.
Adrian clenched his teeth for a second to hold in his own sharp comment. “Yes, I have to leave tomorrow. I have to lead them to the king. What I’m trying to say is that if something is holding you back, you can remain here. The staging area is going to be operational the entire time we’re in the Ordas. You can join the next battalion that enters the Ordas if you want. Catch up with me later.”
That finally got Haru to look at him. Those deep-blue eyes snapped to his face, and Haru took a menacing step closer. Adrian swallowed hard and swore he saw a flicker of flames in those dark orbs, but it was gone too quickly. Had to be a trick of the light.
“That is impossible,” Haru declared.
“But—”
“No. You do not understand. You will not be separated from me, my Adrian. You are under my protection, and nothing will change that.”
“Haru,” he murmured roughly. Fuck, why was his throat suddenly so dry?
“You have graciously given me a day. Tomorrow, we leave for the Ordas together.”
Drayce had warned him about overprotective dragons, but he’d never thought he’d experience it firsthand. He didn’t know what to say to Haru. His mind was a cluttered mess while his heart was racing as if he’d just escaped from the most difficult heist of his life with the crown jewels stuffed in his back pocket.
Before he could come up with some kind of logical answer to such a statement, sirens sliced through the air. Adrian winced, lifting his hands to both of his ears while looking around the area. Haru gripped his shoulder with one hand and pulled him in closer as if he were trying to shield Adrian from either the noise or whatever threat they were under.