Freedom's Fall Read Online Free Page B

dragony mind
meld.
    Deciding to tough it out, Tansy took a deep breath. “So I’ll
only have to communicate with Fellescend and Zenbaylan. Nobody else will be in
my head.”
    Sorcha’s laugh pealed out. “No, they won’t let anyone else
talk to you. And I can assure you two is more than enough to be going on with.
Being a dragon’s pet sure has its perks but it’s not all sunshine and
champagne.” She gave Tansy a frank look. “They can be kind of irritating, and
the arrogance—sweet Mary, you have no idea. But that’s
small potatoes compared to the good stuff.”
    “Like what?” Tansy was intrigued despite her reservations.
    Sorcha grinned. “No matter what’s going on in your life,
they will be on your side, even if you’re completely at fault. When I first got
together with Jax and Kae we had a little hiccup and I went running to their
dragons. Jaysada let me sleep in her arms and Tengale wouldn’t let those
ass-hats come anywhere near me.” Sorcha reached out and laid a hand on Tansy’s
knee. “Truly there is nothing safer than the love of a dragon. If it hadn’t
been for Tengale and Jaysada I’d be dead by now, and that alone should have you
scrambling into the lair.”
    Tansy bit her lip. The picture that Sorcha painted was so
very, very tempting. “I know you’re right, but the thought of the dragons
crawling around in my head—or anyone, really—makes my stomach churn.”
    “Oh, I see what the problem is,” Sorcha said, waving a
negligent hand in the air. “You think if you open up they’ll have unlimited
access to your mind, but that’s not how it works. Talking to a dragon is like
talking to a person. They can hear your words, watch your body language and be
guided by your tone.” She turned to face Tansy and tucked her feet up on the
cushions. “For example, when we talk I can make an educated guess about what
you’re feeling but I can’t read your mind. Neither can Fellescend or Zenbaylan.”
    Okay, that didn’t sound so scary. “So they’ll only hear what
I think at them?”
    “Yes, pretty much.”
    That “pretty much” was completely equivocal and raised all
sorts of questions. But Tansy knew she couldn’t afford to fight this battle—her sense of safety was too important to her recovery. She’d
just have to brazen her way through. Somehow she’d have to hide her emotions from
Fellescend and Zenbaylan. Her feelings regarding her ordeal, her phobia and her
inappropriate crushes were nobody’s business but her own. Right now she didn’t
want anyone, skin or scale, to know just how fucked up she was.
    She was still trying to shore up her defenses when Sorcha
grabbed her by the hand, dragging Tansy to her feet. Taking advantage of their
momentum, her determined friend led her out of the Enforcer part of the den
into the section of the living quarters that was the domain of the blacks.
    Fellescend and Zenbaylan were waiting, yellow eyes alert and
their wings tucked back tight against their bodies. The battle dragons ranged
in color from pale gray to blue-black, but Fellescend and Zenbaylan were almost
evenly matched in the hue of their smoke-gray scales. Fellescend wriggled in
excitement and Tansy was amazed that a creature who was the size of a small
plane could appear so puppy-like.
    His excitement was contagious and Tansy found herself
hurrying forward, her spirits lifting in unexpected anticipation.
    The dragons rested on a huge bed of fine, white sand. As
Tansy stepped over the low retaining wall, the soft slide of it under her feet
reminded her of home. She squished her toes a bit deeper and turned to Sorcha.
    “When we were kids, we used to holiday on the beach and the
sand was exactly like this.” Her memories of summer always included warm sand,
salt-encrusted skin and the smell of sunscreen.
    “Maybe we should bring in some water and make sand castles,”
Sorcha said.
    Tansy grinned. “Maybe Chelsea and I should teach you how to
play beach cricket.” She