Chapter 126
Tempest blinked her eyes a few times.
She was trying to reconcile what she could clearly see right in front of her with logic.
That was a dragon. A full fledged straight out of a fantasy novel dragon. Except this wasn’t fiction. This was real life.
"A what?" Rynax chuckled and stepped a bit closer to her.
"A dragon." tempest said again this time a little softer.
"We call it sundrizen. They are very important to our culture and are said to bring lots of luck and good tidings."
Tempest huffed aned turned slightly to look at Rynax, "Well on earth they are large beasts that guard the precious princess in her castle while she waits for her prince charming to come rescue her. They also aren’t real. They’re fairy tales. At least I thought they were. I guess we were wrong." Tempest shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at the majestic creatures below.
"I don’t know about all that but I can assure you that they are real. Unfortunately there aren’t many of them left. They are becoming extinct for some reason." Rynax voice was a little solemn. Tempest turned to look at him again.
"What happens if they go extinct?" Tempest questioned.
"I don’t know but I hope I don’t live long enough to see that. It will be a sad day in Thraqe when there is no more sundrizen. No more hope."
Tempest gasped slightly and had the urge to reach across and grab Rynax’s hand. She wanted to comfort him but she knew better. The last thing she wanted to do was give him the wrong impression. She wasn’t about to start up a relationship with an alpha who had more jewelry than she’d ever had on both Thraqe and Earth.
She wasn’t sure if he was trying to manipulate her or not but she wasn’t going to test it.
Tempest took a few steps away from Rynax and sat down on the ground crossed legged. "So what do you do here?
"I feel the peace." Rynax said as if it were obvious.
Tempest looked around the open stretch of land again. From where they sat, she could see the sundrizen moving in the valley below. Their large wings shifted every so often, stirring the tall grass around them. One of the smaller creatures lifted its head and released a low sound that carried up the hillside. There were no loud merchants trying to sell them anything, no transports moving through crowded streets, and no people watching Tempest as if she might break apart at any moment.
She understood what he meant.
"It is peaceful," she admitted.
Rynax lowered himself to the ground several feet away from her. Tempest was surprised he didn’t complain about the dirt touching his clothing. The fabric he wore looked expensive, though not nearly as extravagant as what she had seen him wear before. There were still several rings on his fingers and a heavy chain around his neck, but he seemed almost simple compared to the version of himself he showed in town.
Tempest glanced toward him before quickly turning her attention back to the sundrizen.
"How often do you come here?"
"As often as I can."
"That surprises me."
Rynax rested his forearms against his knees. "Why?"
"You don’t seem like someone who spends much time sitting in the dirt."
A small laugh escaped him. "You think I spend every moment in a shop surrounded by jewels?"
"I think you enjoy making people believe that."
The words were out before Tempest had the chance to decide if she should say them. She expected Rynax to become offended, but he only stared at her for a moment. There was a curious expression on his face, as if he wasn’t used to people speaking to him so directly.
"What exactly do you believe I want people to see?" he asked.
Tempest shrugged. "Someone wealthy. Important. Someone who doesn’t need anything from anyone."
Rynax’s smile faded slightly.
Tempest immediately wondered if she had gone too far. She didn’t know him well enough to start picking apart his personality, but there was something about this place that made it easier to speak honestly. Maybe it was because they were far away from everyone else. There was no audience for Rynax to impress and no reason for Tempest to pretend she was in a better mood than she really was.
"You forgot handsome," Rynax finally added.
Tempest rolled her eyes. "There he is."
"There who is?"
"The Rynax everyone knows."
He smiled again, but Tempest noticed something different about it now. It didn’t quite reach his eyes. She had seen that kind of smile before. Dron had worn one the morning he left. A smile meant to convince the person looking at him that everything was fine when it wasn’t.
Tempest studied Rynax more carefully.
Maybe all the jewelry and expensive clothing weren’t only signs of arrogance. Maybe they were armor. Something he put on before stepping outside so no one would look too closely at the person underneath. If people were busy staring at the gold around his neck, they wouldn’t notice when his expression changed. If he spoke loudly enough about his status and what he could afford, no one would ask what he actually wanted.
She didn’t know if she was right, but the possibility made her feel guilty for judging him so harshly.
"Why do you wear so much of it?" Tempest asked.
Rynax looked down at the rings covering his fingers. "The jewelry?"
"Yes."
"Because it looks good on me."
Tempest gave him a flat look.
Rynax chuckled. "You don’t believe me?"
"I believe that you think it looks good on you. I don’t believe that’s the only reason."
For the first time since she’d met him, Rynax appeared unsure of what to say. He twisted one of the rings around his finger before looking back toward the valley.
"My family owned several mines before I was born," he explained. "Jewels and metals have always represented success where I come from. The more you wore, the more power people assumed you had."
"So you want people to think you’re powerful?"
"It is better than allowing them to think you are weak."
The answer came quickly, almost too quickly.
Tempest leaned back on her hands. "Do people think you’re weak?"
"They would if I gave them the opportunity."
Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten. There was no arrogance in his voice. No playful tone or smug grin. He sounded tired.
Tempest looked down at her lap.
On Earth, people wore masks too. Some used money. Some used anger. Others hid behind jokes or relationships. Tempest had spent years pretending she was stronger than she felt. Even now she was doing the same thing. She had slipped away from Gerax and Mexyn because she couldn’t stand the way they watched her, but she had still wiped away her tears the second Rynax appeared.
Maybe that was why she recognized what he was doing.
"You don’t have to pretend with me," Tempest said quietly.
Rynax turned to look at her.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Yes, you do."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Tempest almost smiled. "You can keep pretending if you want. I’m not going to force you to talk."
"I’m not pretending."
"Fine."
They sat in silence for several moments.
Tempest watched one of the sundrizen spread its wings. The sight should have filled her with wonder, but a familiar ache settled in her chest instead. Dron would’ve loved seeing her reaction. He would have stood beside her and explained everything he knew about the creatures, probably exaggerating some of the stories just to make her laugh. She wished he was there so badly that it hurt to breathe.
She pulled her knees closer to her chest.
"Thinking about him?" Rynax asked.
Tempest stiffened.
"Who?"
Rynax gave her a knowing look. "Dron."
She didn’t bother denying it.
"Yes."
"I assumed as much."
"I miss him."
The admission was softer than she intended.
Rynax looked back toward the valley. "The short days can feel like a long time when you are waiting for someone."
"It feels like forever."
Tempest swallowed around the tightness in her throat. She didn’t want to cry again, especially not in front of Rynax, but the words had already opened the door to everything she had been trying to keep locked away.
"I keep thinking I hear him," she continued. "Every time a transport passes the house, I think it’s him coming back. Every time the door makes a sound, I expect him to walk through it."
Rynax didn’t interrupt.
That alone surprised her. Mexyn would’ve reached for her. Gerax would have asked questions. Rynax simply listened.
"I don’t know how long he’ll be gone," Tempest said. "I don’t even know where he is. I keep imagining the worst things possible, and then I get angry at myself because maybe he’s fine. Maybe I’m worrying for nothing."
"You aren’t worrying for nothing."
Tempest glanced toward him.
"He is your husband," Rynax continued. "Concern is expected."
There was no jealousy in his voice. No insult aimed at Dron. Tempest had expected him to use the opportunity to remind her that he was available or to make some arrogant comment about what Dron had failed to provide. Instead, he spoke as if her love for Dron was something he respected.
Tempest studied him again.
"You really agreed to protect me because Dron asked?"
Rynax’s jaw tightened slightly. "I agreed because he was right."
"About what?"
"That there are people who may try to harm you while he is gone."
"That isn’t the only reason."
Rynax released a quiet breath through his nose. "You ask too many questions."
"So I’ve been told."
He shook his head, though there was a hint of amusement in his expression.
Tempest shifted so she was facing him more fully. "I thought you hated Dron."
"I don’t hate him."
"You enjoy making him angry."
"That is different."
"How?"
"It is entertaining."
Tempest couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her. It was small and ended much too quickly, but it was the first genuine laugh she had managed in days.
Rynax smiled when he heard it.
"You do that on purpose," Tempest accused.
"What?"
"You act worse than you are."
Rynax’s smile disappeared.
Tempest leaned slightly closer. "You want people to think you’re arrogant and selfish because it’s easier than letting them know you care."
"That is quite an assumption."
"Am I wrong?"
He didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Tempest looked down at the rings on his hands. They sparkled beneath the light, each one drawing attention away from the way his fingers had curled against his knees.
"Maybe the clothing and jewelry are part of it too," she said. "You make sure everyone notices what you’re wearing before they have a chance to notice anything else."
Rynax stared at her for so long that Tempest began to feel uncomfortable. The playful charm faded from his expression, leaving behind something far more intense.
"You see too much," he finally said.
Tempest wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or a warning.
"I’m an outsider," she replied. "I notice things other people here probably don’t."
"That could become dangerous."
"Most things I do seem to become dangerous."
Rynax laughed again, though it was quieter this time.
Tempest felt herself relax a little. She still didn’t trust him completely. There was too much history between him and Dron, and Rynax enjoyed pushing boundaries far more than she liked. Still, he wasn’t the shallow, arrogant man she had decided he was. There was something beneath all of it. Loneliness, maybe. Or disappointment.
"Do you have a wife?" Tempest asked.
The question seemed to catch him off guard.
"No."
"Have you ever?"
Rynax’s gaze moved back toward the sundrizen.
"No."
Tempest frowned. "Never?"
"I believe that is what no means."
"You know what I meant."
"Yes." Rynax rubbed his thumb across one of his rings. "I’ve never had a wife."
Tempest waited, sensing there was more.
Rynax remained silent for a long time before finally speaking again.
"I came close a few times."
"What happened?"
"Different things."
"That’s vague."
"It was intended to be."
Tempest almost told him he didn’t have to answer, but something in his expression stopped her. He didn’t seem angry. He looked embarrassed, which was the last emotion she expected from him.
"One chose another alpha before the ceremony," he admitted. "Another believed being with me would damage her family’s standing. The last decided she preferred the freedom of remaining unmated."
Tempest’s chest ached for him.
She imagined Rynax standing at a choosing ceremony wearing his most expensive clothing and enough jewelry to blind everyone in the room. She could see him putting on that smug smile before anyone had the chance to realize he was nervous. Then leaving alone while pretending it didn’t matter.
"That must’ve hurt."
Rynax shrugged. "It was a long time ago."
"That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt."
His expression hardened slightly. "Pity does not suit you."
"I’m not pitying you."
"It sounds like pity."
"It’s empathy."
"I don’t need that either."
Tempest sighed. "You make it very difficult to be nice to you."
"I’ve heard that before."
Despite his words, Tempest could see the discomfort in his face. Rynax didn’t know what to do with kindness. He probably knew how to respond to insults and flirting. He could turn either one into a game. Sincerity left him without a shield.
Tempest looked back toward the valley to give him a moment.
"I always assumed you had women waiting for you everywhere," she said.
"I do."
Tempest turned sharply.
Rynax’s smug smile returned.
"There he is again."
"You asked."
"I asked if you had a wife, not how many women were waiting to climb into your bed."
"That number changes."
Tempest groaned. "You were doing so well."
Rynax laughed, and this time she could tell it was real.
She shook her head but couldn’t stop the slight smile forming on her lips. He was still irritating. Still far too pleased with himself. But now she understood that there was more to him than the person he presented to everyone else.
Tempest wondered how many people had ever bothered to look past the jewelry.
Maybe none of them.
The thought made her feel even worse for him.
"I hope you find someone," she said.
Rynax’s laughter faded.
Tempest continued before he could make a joke. "Someone who sees you when you’re not wearing all of this. Someone who doesn’t care how much power people think you have."
Rynax looked at her with that same intense expression from before.
"Perhaps I already have."
Tempest’s smile disappeared.
The air between them changed.
She knew what he was implying, and the guilt came quickly. Dron was somewhere beyond the borders of Thraqe, risking his life, while she sat beside another alpha discussing loneliness and marriage. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but that didn’t stop her from feeling as if she were standing too close to a line she had no intention of crossing.
"Rynax."
"I know."
His voice was softer than she expected.
Tempest studied him, waiting for another arrogant declaration. It never came.
"I gave Dron my word," Rynax said. "I will protect you. I will not make your life more difficult while he is gone."
Tempest relaxed slightly.
"Thank you."
"That doesn’t mean I’ll stop enjoying your company."
"I didn’t ask you to."
"No." Rynax’s gaze remained on her face. "You didn’t."
Tempest looked back toward the sundrizen, trying to ignore the strange warmth in her cheeks. She missed Dron with every part of herself. Nothing about that had changed. If anything, speaking about him made the ache worse. Still, sitting with Rynax had helped in a way she hadn’t expected. He hadn’t tried to force her into a better mood. He hadn’t watched her as if she were something fragile.
He had simply sat beside her.
For the first time since Dron left, Tempest didn’t feel like she had to pretend she was all right.