The Last Dragon Rider (Book 1 of Rider Series)

Chapter 34

I placed him in the chair that Caspian had once occupied a while ago before I went to my basket to grab a wineskin filled with water that would help him become a little more aware of his surroundings. My hands shook slightly, but I was able to find the wineskin and walked over to him. "Here," I said and unclasped it. "Drink."

The old man scowled and shook his head. He was slumped in the chair, and I was scared that he would fall out. "N-"

"I said drink," I snapped, interrupting him. "Gods, don't fight me on this."

Silan didn't say a word but nodded. He gestured for me to help him drink some of the water, and I did. Greedily, he tried to drink more than he should, so I had to pull the drink away from him and left the male whining like a pup wanting more milk from its mother.

"Drink anymore of that, and something bad could happen to you," I warned and clasped the wineskin. "And it wouldn't just be this." I gestured to his fragile body and the fact that he still had a hard time sitting up.

Silan grumbled but didn't respond. He watched me with brown eyes, his eyes clearer than they had been before.

I stuffed the wineskin back into the basket and walked over to him. "Arm," I said and held out my hand.

Silan grunted and handed me his arm. He watched while I traced it over and studied the mark, dark against pale skin, the opposite than it should have been. "Only the color has changed," he quipped. "It's still the same thing. I don't know why you have to keep tracing it with your eyes, Marini."

My body became relaxed when he said that, and I kept tracing the mark. "Because I am memorizing it," I replied. "Gods knows that it could change."

"Hmph," he snorted. "The day it changes is the day that I die," he said, "so trace it."

I rolled my eyes but did what I was told to do. My heart pounded in my chest while I traced it, praying that what I thought was true.

A sigh of relief escaped my tight lips when I saw that it started to glow a faint golden color, and the bond between us strengthened.

I bit my lip hard when I released the male's arm and watched the mark dim until it was only brown. My heart jumped into my throat, and it took all of my self-control not to burst into tears because he was the man that the other one should be; he was Silan.

"Hmph," Silan said and leaned back in his seat. He studied me with brown eyes that were so foreign and yet so comforting that it confused me. "Don't tell me you are going soft on me, Rinnie," he said, calling me by my nickname.

I cleared my throat and rubbed my eyes. "Well, I thought you were dead or kidnapped," I said.

Silan nodded. "How did you know it wasn't me?"

"Couple of reasons," I replied. I had no idea how much I could tell him. I had no idea if they, whoever they were, could see him through his eyes or hear what someone has to say to him. I had to make sure that he stayed safe.

Silan studied me. "Hmmm," he said and nodded. He understood why I didn't want to give him the reasons how I figured that the male I had seen last night was not him. "What is the main reason?" he asked.

"Feather," I replied, and Silan instantly took the feather from where he hid it and handed it to me. I rubbed the feather through my fingers and studied it.

The red and gold colors moved, and magic pricked my fingers. It went up my arm and filled me with a power so strange but so familiar that I had to bite back a gasp.

"Hmmmm," Silan said, and I looked at him. He nodded slowly, and I could tell that he was pleased about something.

"What?" I asked and furrowed my brows. I frowned and cocked my head while I studied him. "What is it?"