#Rebecca came for xaden and I will not stand for it

[charityreadsabookanddrinkswine]

Just finished iron flame.

[luniellar]

Breathe Me (Garrick Tavis X OC) - The Empyrean Series

When Xaden Riorson and Garrick Tavis arrive at Samara, they are forced to prove themselves all over again. When Xaden heads off to see Violet at Basgiath since their dragons are mated, Garrick finds himself alone in this unfamiliar area trying to get his name established navigating fights and ambushes. He owed his life to the man.

One particular night when Xaden leaves for Basgiath, Garrick finds himself with a new company. One who starts turning his world upside down and giving him something, that isn't just the Xaden and rebellion, to fight for.

______________________________________

All rights to Rebecca Yarros for her original work and original characters. ______________________________________

Contains: Iron Flame Spoilers Warnings: Language

Chapters: 1 | 2

Read on AO3 | Wattpad

Chapter 1: The Meeting

Garrick Tavis

I stretched out my body as I started heading up to the outpost. I didn’t mind taking on Xaden’s shifts when he had to go visit Violet. Hell, I always offered because it gave me something to do when Xaden wasn’t around. I looked up at the clear night sky scattered with millions of stars as I started up the stairs. With each step the sky felt closer as if I could reach out and feel the tiny stars in my hands. Not that I would want to do that either. I would probably crush them all instantly. I tend to do that with beautiful things. Xaden also loved reminding me that and I enjoyed reminding him the same message back.

When I got to the top of the stairs, my shift mate was already there. It looked as if she was cleaning up the mess the last shift left behind. I could hear her tiny, gentle voice as she skillfully navigated around the room mumbling to herself. 

“You would think that with all the filth around here, it was pigs who paired with dragons.��

I can feel Chradh, my brown scorpiontail who I’ve known for almost four years now, stirring in my mind. I’m insulted that she could think that dragons would even think about any other living creature being riders. We can barely stand humans. 

I smile, mentally rolling my eyes at Chradh. Still playing hard to get? You don’t mean that.

I do. Although, it is humorous that she is comparing humans to pigs. The state of your room definitely reflects that.  

The small figure turns from the desk towards the door where I’m standing and we lock eyes. Her brilliant blue eyes with gray flecks stare back at me and widen almost immediately as she drop the few pieces of trash on the floor.

“What the-” Her small, pale hands fly up clutching her chest as she staggers back. 

“Sorry, if I startled you. I’m your shift mate for today.” I say back calmly, trying to make sure she doesn’t have a heart attack. “I’m Garrick.” 

I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I need to extend my hands to shake, but she definitely doesn’t look like the handshake type. Her long raven black hair is in a high ponytail and compliments her icy pale skin. It always made me wonder how some riders manage to stay light after hours flying near the sun.

Considering that we were both standing up, she only came up to my shoulders. She had a smaller frame than your average female rider, but through the rider leather anyone could see that she was built with lean muscle that only helped to accentuate her hourglass figure. 

“Gods, you scared me,” she started. Her soft voice gently filled up the small space we were in. “How does a guy like you manage to sneak around like that?”

“Is that a compliment?” I asked, taking a small step closer. I didn’t see her react or step back which gave me the assurance that she was just startled. I was always aware of my size and how people had to comment about it. This case was no exception. 

Her shoulders dropped as she let out a soft exhale. “I thought Riorson was on duty.”

I immediately noticed how she said Xaden’s name in a normal tone in that sentence. Here, everyone has a little disgust when they have to say his name. Or should I say spit out his name. Most try to avoid it all together and just ignore his existence. They will never understand what he means to us. 

“Sorry to disappoint. Riorson is on girlfriend duties. You’re stuck with me.” It only takes five big strides for me to go over to her and pick up the items from the floor. 

“No, you don’t have to-” She started to say as her small hand reached for my forearm. Looking down, I saw how small and soft her hands looked against the contrast of my dark, muscular forearms. The only regular female interactions I had was with Imogen and it’s been a month. We determined that a break would be best anyways since rider's life is short and all. “I’ll take this, Tavis.” 

Tavis? I didn’t remember giving her my last name.  

Her hands strategically moved around the few pieces of paper in my hands and took them into hers. She walked past me to reach the waste basket by the door, her warm scent of vanilla and clean laundry wafting up to my nose. Damn, she smelled amazing. 

Clean your room once a while and you could smell like that too, Big One. Chradh replied in my mind. 

“I’m Lei Aukai. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Straightening her posture, she meets my eyes and smiles gently. The wooden log outpost looks like it’s big enough to be her room, but here I look like a dragon in my bedroom. Linking her hands behind her, she walks up to me. “I’ve heard about the new Basgiath graduate transfers. Welcome. I joined Samara last year.” 

I nod. She definitely wasn’t the handshaking type, noted. “The pleasure is mine,” I replied. Her raven black hair tossed as she turned to the windows. My body straightened in response. That smell was intoxicating. I could smell her for hours… days even. 

“I wish I could tell you we could take turns sleeping or something, but Samara is the cruelest outpost. It looks like we will both have to be awake for this one.” She paused, still keeping her eyes on the mountains on the horizon. “You bonded with a brown scorpiontail, is that correct?” 

Chardh’s senses heightened and so did mine. She says she was hoping for Riorson, knows my last name, and Chradh’s traits. It was truly a shame she was so beautiful, but I knew I could have her on the floor and gasping for air instantly. “How do you know about Chradh?”

“Chradh.” My dragon’s name even sounded beautiful in her voice. That’s a compliment for you, Chradh. Chradh is not pleased. 

I slowly reached for my sword strapped to my back and she turned around to face me at the same time, raising her hands to show there was nothing in them. “I’m not your enemy, Tavis.” Her round eyes glistened in the dimly lit outpost, but I could still make out her small, but perfectly shaped button nose and full lips. “I promise.” 

I lowered my hand down and mentally noted the dagger strapped around my waist. I think my size alone would be able to crush her, but you know what they say. Never trust the quiet ones, or in this case small and quiet ones. 

“I want to help you and Riorson. I know it’s not easy to get around here. It’s hard on all the newcomers, but especially harder on…” she paused looking at my rebellion markings. “I can help you navigate Samara. I don’t like bullies.” Her brows furrowed like she was reminded of something unpleasant.

“We.. I can take care of bullies.” I flexed my muscles and tensed my jaw. “Why do you want to help us?” I scan her exposed fair skin for any rebellion relics and I find none. 

“Like I said, I don’t like bullies. A group of guys are planning to attack you tonight on your way back to your quarters. Let me walk with you.” 

I opened my mouth and nothing came out as my mind was trying to process what she was saying. What was this girl’s deal? She wants to escort me to my room? Has she seen me? “Wait, do you know what I look like?” I asked.

A smile appeared on her face. “Yes, Tavis. I’m staring at you right now.” 

“Then, how could you say-” Before I could finish my sentence, she quickly reached for her dagger strapped to her thighs in one graceful move. She dashed towards me, moving past my body to jab at the back of my knees with her heel and easily brought me to my knees. As my legs gave out, I managed to reach for my dagger, but when I looked up… her dagger met my line of sight and I was only able to get to her… knees. Fuck. Xaden would be disappointed. But, depending on the angle of entry I was sure that I could make sure she won’t be able to walk on two feet anymore. 

Lei looked down at me. “I see you Tavis and I just confirmed that I was faster.” 

She was fast. I haven’t seen anything this fast like this since I’ve seen Violet train with Xaden. I think Lei might be... faster.

“I would never want to go one on one with you on the mats, but this is not school. People will do anything to get what they want. Even if it means it’s a cheap fight like the group of 7 guys who plan on doing that tonight. If you had Riorson, sure it could be easy, but not on your own.” 

“Fine,” I agreed. “Now, I would like to keep my beautiful face, thank you.” Survival was most important for us. At Bagisth, Xaden and I were easily the best fighters, but that is definitely not the case here, considering it’s the worst outpost. I move my dagger first as a sign of trust and she does the same, taking a step back. 

“So Lei,” I started getting up from the floor. “How would this situation have gone if it was Riorson and not me?”

“Hm, I don’t know.” She shrugged her clear blue eyes meeting mine. “I always knew it was going to be you, Tavis.” 

✦ ✦ ✦

The shift went by fast as Lei and I chatted about Samara. She told me the kind of missions she went on and what I could expect being here. It was a good orientation. She also told me about her bonded dragon, Cosheirm. Cosheirm was also a brown dragon, but with a morningstartail. Morningstartails were highly sought out by other riders for having one of the deadliest weapons and I suspected maybe that’s why she didn’t like bullies? She wanted to know about Chradh and of course Chradh had an ego trip with that.

It was past midnight when Lei and I headed back for the barracks. Well, my barrack. I never had anyone walk me to my bedroom before so this was new. The night was quiet.

Lei’s scent was softer outside, more fresh and clean than the intoxicating vanilla. She walked beside me in silence, listening for any sounds. If I didn’t know what she told me earlier, I would have thought it was just another walk outside for her. Even though I met her today, she was so good at masking. Maybe it was related to her signet?

I straightened my posture when we got near the side clearing. If there was any attack, this field would be the best. It was secluded from the main building and under the moonlight, you got a direct view of your target.

“Wait, that’s not the Riorson boy,” a deep voice called out. 

Lei and I stopped in our tracks. She looked up at me and eyed the woods to our right where seven figures emerged. None of them were my height, but no one was my height. A guy about a head shorter than me walked up to us and I noticed that Lei already had her dagger out. She really was fast.

“Oh shit, isn't that little Lei?” He said, amused. 

I saw her stance change as she lowered her body a little like a predator before it jumped to kill the prey. “Move along, Pratt.” She spat out. Lei’s voice was blood-drippingly lethal. I didn’t even know she could sound like that. 

“Lei, you have no business being here. Come back over here and stand behind me so we can take care of this dumb giant beside you.” 

I laughed at the pitiful attempt at an insult. “The lady asked you to move along, in case you couldn’t hear it from down there.” I stepped ahead and Pratt’s groupie moved up as well. I quickly assessed the situation and saw a glint of a sword in their hands. The guys to the left of Pratt looked the most inexperienced, their stance still needed work. Unlike Lei who could easily wipe them out knowing how fast she moved. 

“Lei, we didn’t keep you alive just so you could die here. Come here.”

“Fuck off, Pratt.”

They clearly had some history I had no business in knowing, but I wanted to know. Were these the bullies she had to deal with? How many did she deal with? Did she do it alone?

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” I said stretching my arms and legs. “You want Riorson right? You can’t have him unless you can get through me first.” 

When her blue eyes met mine, I quickly signaled with my eyes to go for the guys to the left and she nodded in understanding. I pulled out only one sword. I only needed one from my back and charged ahead, slicing open one of their legs causing a guy to immediately fall to the floor. Two of them came at me next and I dodged their sword jabs and skillfully kicked one down with raw force while slashing through the side of the other. My job here was not to kill. It was better having them around for show so others knew exactly what it means to challenge Xaden and I. What it means to challenge me. 

I looked for Pratt and saw his body pinning down Lei’s, next to the injured bodies of the three guys I asked Lei to go for first. I mentally smiled at her holding her own. But, that fucker. He knew exactly that he couldn’t handle me so he went for Lei, go figure. I strided over and with my right hand peeled his body off of her and flung him to the side. 

A loud thud hit the floor with the sound of something breaking. I hope it was a leg or arm, but it sounded more like a rib or two. How disappointing. I reached out my hand and Lei quickly grabbed it as I pulled her up to her feet. My heart sank when I saw the cut across her cheekbone that fresh blood trickled down from. My gaze quickly scanned her over to look for any cuts, but didn’t see anything else. She was fierce. I liked fierce. 

“Are you okay, Tavis?” She asked, glancing down at the bodies groaning on the floor. 

“I’m fine, are you?” I pointed to the same area on my cheek where she was cut. 

“It’s nothing. Pratt wears a family ring. It was probably from that.” She ripped the edge of her sleeve and placed it on her cheek. She was resourceful. I liked resourceful.

I looked down at Pratt who was holding his stomach like air was knocked out of him. Well, air was knocked out of him. After hearing that his hand touched her face made me want to crush him under my feet. I was considering it when I heard Lei’s voice behind me.

“Come on, Tavis. Let’s go before someone notices.” 

I had some herbs and medicine for her cut so I insisted she walk the rest of the way to my room. Her clean vanilla scent filled my room as she sat on my chair and I brought over the medicine. Looking at the small mirror in the aid kit, she quickly fixed up her cut and thanked me. “I can get the herbs I used and bring it back to you,” she said, getting up and heading for the door.

I thought about telling her she could just take all of it back with her if she wanted since this was the first time I used it, but I wasn’t against the thought of her visiting again. “Sure.”

“Let me walk you back,” I started to say leaning on the door frame and she shook her head. “Come on, you’re hurt and it’s late.”

She looked around the hallway to see if anyone was around and leaned to me. Her scent filled my lungs and I found myself learning closer. I couldn’t read her face, but it looked like she was hesitating to tell me. Wondering if she could trust me.

“You can tell me,” I whispered. 

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, it was like I was staring at a clear blue lake. It was breathtaking. 

“What if I told you I could get back to my room before you could finish blinking.” 

I tilted my head in confusion. “What do you-” Then the flashback of how fast she moved earlier back at the outpost. How, despite my hours of training with Xaden, one the most powerful fighters, I couldn't stop her. I could only reach her knees. “Teleportation,” I breathed. Her signet was teleportation.

“Yes,” she whispered back, smiling. “I can tell you more about it if you want to know.” 

“I do.” I replied.

“We will talk again, Tavis.” 

“Wait,” I quickly reached for her wrists, thinking that she was going to disappear. When her gaze dropped down to my hands, I let go just as fast. “Sorry, I didn’t know if you were going to disappear.” 

She smiled that gentle smile again, moving her hands to her sides. “It’s okay.”

“Call me Garrick. My friends call me Garrick, and thank you for tonight.” What else do people say after thank you? I couldn’t think straight through her scent, her smile. “I owe you one.”

“Friends…” her voice trailed off. “I’ll remember that, Garrick.” I didn't know my name could sound like that. Ever. 

And just like that after a blink, Lei was gone. Leaving me with nothing but her scent. 

I was wondering when you would start taking interest in other humans again. And your rebellion leader doesn’t count. Chradh noted.

I’m not interested. I reply back to Chradh. And shouldn’t you be sleeping, Chradh? 

You try sleeping through that loud thumping, Big One. 

✦ ✦ ✦

The morning came around and I found Xaden standing in his usual spot at the morning assembly. 

“You have something on your face,” Xaden said when I stood next to him. 

“What? Where?” I ran my hands over my face. I didn’t see anything when I came out of the shower 10 minutes ago. Also, my room may not be clean, but I washed myself often and very thoroughly. “I don’t think-”

Xaden turns to me and I swear I saw a smile flash across his face. “Since when did you roll up to morning assembly with a smile on your face?” 

From the corner of my eyes I saw her shiny raven ponytail. I must have been looking longer than I thought I had because her head turned and her clear blue eyes from the night that actually had some sage green in the sun were staring back at me. Lei gave a slight head nod greeting and a smile before turning back to the podium. 

“Good luck,” Xaden’s voice tugs me back to reality. “But, damn I sure hope I wasn’t as obvious as you.” He finished looking up at the podium as well.

I scoffed. “I thought about going easy on you today since I thought Violet would be giving you a hard time, but watch out on the sparring mat.” I paused, remembering how it was last year when he met Violet. “Oh trust me, you were worse.” 

“Looking at you, there is no way.” Xaden replied confidently. 

After a short pause, I cleared my throat and swallowed my pride. “By the way, can you send me all your outpost patrol duties?” 

Xaden laughed. 

“Fuck you, Xaden.” 

[vampireprose]

May I add a few + actually good booktok books

Fourth wing by Rebecca Yarros (I read wattpad stories that were better written, the main character is whiny and if I have to hear the name Xaden Riorson again I'll literally combast)

Every book by Colleen Hoover (do I have to say something about that?)

Divine Rivals (It had so much potential, but the so labelled enemies (who were actually just rivals) fell for each other after like fifty pages (they even got married in book one, somebody told me!!) and overall the worldbuilding was shit

Caraval (I actually loved the first one but then Tella became the main focus and I just couldn't stand that bitch. Also Legend was a horrible character. I just wanted Scarlett x Julian content but instead I needed to read two books about her annyoing sister)

A little life (This book is way too long in my opinion and the author was just adding fucked up shit into it just to make it overly sad and dramatic. )

The brothers Hawthorne (I liked the original series of the inheritance games, especially the first one but all books that came afterwards are shit. First it's totally unnecessary, second if I have to listen to another "Oh Grayson has it so bad, his brother is always getting everything while he always loses. Poor, poor Grayson" I'll set myself on fire. I was always Team Jameson anyways. The only book I would like to read in that universe would be about Max and Xander (the best Hawthorne brother, argue with the wall!) but apperently the author won't do that. So fuck that!)

This is more German booktok, but Very bad kings (I read the first book, it was okay but not that astounding as everyone says)

I hated enough now it's time for actually good booktok books (in my opinion)

Six of crows (One of the best books ever. Period!)

The cruel prince (I love Jude, I love Cardan and I love their relationship. This is true enemies to lovers!)

Bunny (I love fucked up shit so..)

My year of rest and relaxation (So good and worth all it’s hype!)

The invible life of Addie La Rue (I really really loved it and have to reread it some time. It's such a unique story and I loved Addie's and Luc's relationship so much)

Stalking Jack the Ripper (one of my favourite book series actually. I just love YA historical fiction that's set in the victorian era so this is my book)

The serpent and the wings of night (It's not the best book ever and sometimes I think the vampires are a bit weird, but it's fun and much better than most booktok garbage)

BookTok famous authors/book series I think are shitty:

• magnolia parks (my fanfiction is better written)

• Emily Henry (tries too hard to be funny)

• The Addicted series (too long …)

• Twisted Series and everything from Ana Huang (every book series is the same, bad writing)

• Lauren Asher (the characters have no personality and just want to fuck, no idea why they all have to marry in the prologue)

• SJM (half of ACOTAR is simply copied from another series, Throne of Glass reads like written by someone from middle grade)

• Icebreaker (FMC biggest fear is to get pregnant, spoiler she gets pregnant …)

I am a hater at heart 🖤