"There's nothing you need to thank me for." His gaze rested on her, so intense and direct that she felt a blush threatening to rise to her cheeks. That was why she quickly turned away.
"See you later."
But before she could go with Allan to his dragon, Rob caught up with long strides. "We need to scout the area to find out how Elora and the mages are positioned. We've never been this close to their main fortress. Allan, you're our best tracker. You stay with Kilian, and I'll take Ava to the young dragon."
A strange feeling crept over her. Rob distrusted her. She didn't know why. Maybe because he had initially thought she was working against the dragon fighters. Then why did he offer to take her to her friends?
She pointed at Allan decisively. "I'd rather fly with him."
But Allan shook his head. "I never thought I'd see the day, Robert Kensington, when you'd compliment someone..." He beamed as if he'd won a prize. "You're absolutely right, I am the best at tracking." He puffed out his chest proudly while winking at Ava. Apparently, the matter was settled for him.
Kilian studied her, seeming to sense her uncertainty. "Rob will take you to the dragon child. Wait for me there. We need to talk."
Her stomach did somersaults and her heart made to rise hopefully, but Ava knew better. This conversation wouldn't be a pleasant one. Especially since they had already talked. Before the kiss.
"It's okay, Kilian, we've said everything."
He clenched his jaw and shook his head. "No, we haven't. Wait for me at the cave. Besides, it'll be Thalara who takes the little one away."
Then she had no choice. But she would find an opportunity later to avoid the conversation. So she merely nodded, whereupon Kilian looked warningly at Rob.
"I trust you to ensure her safety. Don't forget who she is."
"The first dragon guardian in hundreds of years," he repeated monotonously, as if it were a line from a poem he had to memorize at school.
Kilian nodded to him, looked at Ava once more, and walked with Allan to the others. Meanwhile, Ava eyed Rob skeptically. Should she really go with him? Trust him?
He noticed her suspicious look and shrugged. "I know we're not fans of each other, but it looks like we're playing on the same side." His tone sounded downright approachable.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"How you can trust me?" He snorted. "It's a great show of trust that I'm letting you on my dragon's back. If you'd grown up in our world, you'd know that."
That sounded like an insult.
"If I'd grown up in your world, I wouldn't be the woman from the prophecy and we wouldn't be in this stupid situation."
He snorted, almost sounding amused. "You've got apoint there." He seemed open, which was why Ava decided to put all her cards on the table.
"What do you have against me?"
His attention flicked to Kilian. When he looked back at Ava, he had raised his eyebrows. "Do you really need an explanation?"
"Just because we... get along?"
Rob's gaze hardened. "Kilian has no choice, and you're making his life difficult. He's my friend and I know what's at stake. That's why I have to protect him. But I've also realized that you play a crucial role. For that reason, you have nothing to fear from me."
"Why did you insist on taking me to my friends?"
"Because we'll be working together in the future, and we need to start trusting each other. And don't let Allan hear this, but he really is the best at tracking."
Ava looked at him thoughtfully. His explanation made sense, yet residual doubts remained. "Are you going to push me off your dragon while we're flying?"
One corner of his mouth twitched. "No, I won't. Promise."
She looked into his eyes and didn't see any deceit there. Taking a deep breath, she agreed and examined his dragon. It was white-blue and smaller than Thalara, but still impressively large. It had no spikes and its scales were softer than the fire dragon's.
"What kind is it?"
