21. Tempest
21
TEMPEST
A fter, I laid in Vexxion’s arms. There was no place I’d rather be.
I really needed to get up and do something. I wanted to reread the chapter about bonding with dragons because there must be instructions. Imagine being able to bond with a dragon you love.
Seevar. If only my sweet little friend were here with us. If only he were still alive. The king stole his future. Seevar should’ve been given the chance to soar through the skies for years, to retire and grow old in the aerie eating treats and being indulged with endless pats.
This was another reason to hate Ivenrail. My heart cratered, a wide cavern that would never be refilled. Kinart was never coming back, and I was beginning to worry I couldn’t help Reyla. As for Brodine, I hadn’t found a chance to get near him yet. The last thing I wanted to do was draw the king’s attention, and I hadn’t seen Brodine anywhere other than with the king’s attendants.
After kissing Vexxion, I slid from the bed and washed, returning to the bedroom to dress in leathers. “Do we have time to train?”
Rising onto his elbows, he watched me with that broody look that made me want to climb back into bed with him. But time was slipping away, and I didn’t feel any closer to killing the king than when I first arrived.
“I’m expected in the throne room soon, unfortunately,” he said.
His hair was a tousled crown, evidence of our shared passion. His eyes sparkled like shards of ice, catching the light streaming in through the windows. As I stared at him, I was stunned all over again by his brutal beauty. His scars only added to his appearance, giving him a sharp edge I adored more than I should.
My affection for him was so potent it bordered on reverence. He was my sanctuary and my storm, a bolt of lightning I’d reach up to capture but would never be able to completely claim. He generated a visceral ache within me that was accompanied by a soothing calmness, as if I’d been lost forever and only now found the path that would lead me home.
Loving someone could make you weak. If I lost him, I had no idea how I’d find the will to go on. But love could also make a person stronger. Knowing he loved me sent power coursing through my veins like steel, making me believe anything was possible. He made courage surge through me. He wasn’t my shield but the forge tempering my resolve. We’d find a way to end this nightmare because we’d do it together.
“I need to return to Brenna’s suite in time to help her dress for dinner,” I said. “I’ll practice spells and train alone this afternoon before I leave. And work.”
“In the aerie.” He rose and stretched. I gaped at his gorgeous body, a sculpture crafted by a master of taut sinew and coarse muscle. I’d never stop staring.
“Yes, in the aerie.”
“Take Drask with you.”
“I will. Brenna wants us to join her and the king for dinner.” I strapped on the blade he’d given me, adding a few knives to my thighs. Hard work wasn’t training, per se, but it built my core strength. Maybe I could take the pale blue dragon to a training area and practice those rusty skills. I never knew when I might need to flee. Flitting worked well for short distances, but a loyal dragon could take me to the other end of the continent.
“I’ll be in the dining room as well tonight,” Vexxion said. “Don’t meet the king’s eye.” He padded to the bathing area and returned fully dressed a few moments later to kiss my neck and wrap his arms around me. “The moment you’re allowed to leave, do so.”
“The last thing I want to do is dine with him .”
“I’ll be watching.”
Guarding me, as always.
“What were you reading when I arrived?” he asked, his lips leaving a trail of passion along my neck .
This man could distract me with one glance. His touch was pure fire.
“A book Reyla had with her before the Claiming.” Should I tell him she stole it? Maybe later. He had things to do, and I didn’t want to hold him back. “She used to adore romance novels. I thought it was one about a Nullen in a forbidden relationship with a fae lord.” I shot him a grin. “Like us.”
“Our relationship is not forbidden.”
“Are Nullens and the fae allowed to marry?” I’d never thought about it or cared until now.
“They are.” He lifted the tail of my new braid and glided it across his lips.
I wasn’t going to ask if we’d ever marry. If we survived, we could discuss it then.
“Some fae are fated to love each other for eternity,” he said, his gaze trained on mine. Tiny stars flickered in his.
“I’ve heard of fated mates.”
“Marks on their wrists prove the fates paired them.”
We had no marks, and I wasn’t fae.
Brenna had a new mark . . .
Maybe it meant nothing.
“I should leave.” I stepped backward. Drask still hadn’t returned, but he’d meet up with me as I walked across the bridge, something I’d do instead of flitting to give him that chance.
And my thigh needed stretching after the exercise I’d gotten in bed.
“I’ll lay out a gown for you to wear to dinner.” Vexxion’s fingertips slid down my cheek, generating delicious shivers .
“Black or green this time?” I tossed out with a laugh.
“Perhaps tonight, I’ll dress you in a new color, one you adore.”
“I look forward to seeing what you leave behind.”
After he flitted to the throne room, I took the servant staircase and exited out the back of the castle, making my way on the little-used path around the side of the building. When I heard voices in the thick gardens on the left side of the path, I paused before moving forward at a more cautious pace.
Through the network of bushes, I saw the fae woman I’d run into at the main entrance standing in the shadows beneath a tree, speaking with two men. Their backs faced me, and I couldn’t tell who they were, though I knew almost no one here. Not wanting to be seen by her, though I was some distance away, I scooted over to hide in the castle’s shadow. If only I could hear what they said.
The faint shimmer around them suggested a protective spell of some sort. Would I ever have the skill to generate something like that?
Finally, they left, the men melting into the shrubbery beyond the tree. When the woman strode toward me, I hurried to the outer edge of the platform and leaped off, ducking behind a bush. Stooped, I waited until she’d passed, only rising after I’d counted to one hundred.
Scurrying to the front of the building, I turned and jogged up the bridge.
When Drask landed on my shoulder, I jumped, then sagged against the railing spanning the plunging gap between the castle and the aerie .
“Where have you been?” I asked, though I wasn’t chiding him. Shakes kept scooting through my body. I was worried the woman would come after me, though I had no reason to suspect anything like that.
I could hold my own with some of the fae, but I wasn’t up for a confrontation with anyone else today. Whatever was brewing here at the castle would soon boil over, and the longer I delayed the inevitable, the more prepared I’d be to handle whatever a fae lord or lady threw my way.
I stroked Drask’s back and sucked in a few deep breaths, releasing them while studying the broad valley stretching forever in front of me. So pretty considering the blight tainting this place.
Light footsteps came up fast on my right, and I turned, nearly unsettling Drask from his perch. Two fae men approached at a brisk pace, their gazes locked on me.
My lips curling up slyly, I pulled on my power to flit and cast the spell.
They grabbed me.
I yelped, unsure why my flit didn’t work. With a bellow, I yanked away from them. My heel caught on the uneven stone, and my arms spiraled as I struggled to maintain my balance. My left leg gave way, and I toppled sideways, smacking into the railing.
“Quickly,” one of the fae said. His weathered face was twisted in a sneer that made my skin crawl. Dressed in a light blue tunic with gold braid around the color, he had silver hair that cascaded over his thin shoulders, draping partway down his spine. His blue eyes gleamed maliciously, piercing mine, and I could feel his magic scrape across my skin as he tried to lull me. Break me. “Grab her. Throw her off the bridge.”
Fuck, no.
As I pulled my dagger and slashed out, gouging his arm, the second man dove toward my feet, grappling with my legs, wrapping his arms around them and tightening his hold. This man had dark brown hair streaked with gold and he wore a tunic made of a burnished tan fabric. He snarled up at me, revealing teeth that I worried would gnaw at my flesh if I didn’t get away.
I kicked, snapping his head back. He groaned as it smacked into the stone railing.
Pivoting, I bolted down the slope of the bridge, my legs pumping as I aimed for the aerie.
“Get her,” one growled.
Drask left me, flinging himself at them. I sent a spell their way, a random thing that should do something , but they kept pace, too close behind me. Only Drask fluttering in their faces slowed them.
My heart churned, and my pulse screamed in my throat as I reached the end of the bridge. The cool, dark aerie beckoned ahead. If I could get inside, I could duck down somewhere and hide. Figure out why my magic wasn’t working and why I wasn’t able to flit.
I bolted across the open area between the bridge and the stable and slipped into the dark opening. My heart thundering, I wrenched open the first gate I came to, tumbling inside. A subtle click rang out as I closed the gate. I cast a spell, praying to the fates it would lock the door, then slid along the wall and slumped down onto the floor, tucking my legs up and wrapping my arms around them.
Muffled curses rang out from the hall as they searched.
And searched.
And searched.
Their footsteps and voices faded. Were they giving up?
Why not enter this pen? If they tried the gate and found it locked, they’d suspect I was inside. They might find a way to break down the door or enter from the entrance on the opposite side, the one the riders used to exit the aerie to fly.
Finally, silence reigned in the hall. Only the shuffle of dragon feet on sand and the occasional huff of a beast releasing sparks reached my ears.
When Drask flew in from outside and landed on my shoulder, I breathed out a sigh of relief. I rose to shaky legs and stroked his smooth feathers.
“Aren’t you a brave bird for attacking them?” I choked out. “I love you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I kissed his birdie head, and he flapped his wings before pecking at my cheek.
I flopped back against the wall, and now that my eyes had adjusted to the darkened interior of the aerie, I peered around.
Whose stall had I entered?
My gaze met Madrood’s.
Trembling, I tipped my head back to take in the immense silver beast, his scales glinting like a field of deadly stars in a night sky. Mounds of dragon poop covered the floor, and I inanely wondered why no one was taking better care of him.
His sinuous muscles coiled beneath his hide; his talons etching lines into the sand beneath his feet. His eyes, chilling red orbs, stabbed my soul with malice. Only a few days ago, I’d watched this dragon unleash fire that devoured someone in moments. He was a beast bound to a merciless king's will. Now trapped within his lair with him, every breath I took felt borrowed.
He’d see me as prey.
Insignificant.
Expendable.
Drask cawed, flapping his wings, but he remained on my shoulder.
Carefully rising, I backed toward the gate, my hand scrambling for the latch.
Keeping pace, Madrood stalked me.
My throat thick with fear, I tried to swallow, but it wouldn’t go down. This was it. I’d come so far. I’d worked hard to get ready to bludgeon the king with my growing power. And now I’d die.
Madrood sucked in a breath, heat coiling in his lungs. He’d blast, and nothing would be left of me but ashes that would be swept up by the wind and scattered across the valley below.
“Flee, Drask,” I croaked, jerking my shoulder, trying to dislodge him. “Fly away from me.”
My fingers fumbled with the latch, but it wouldn’t open. I’d locked myself inside with my own spell, and I couldn’t figure out how to undo it. I couldn’t flit. My power was still locked down by whatever spell the fae men threw my way.
Turning, I met Madrood’s gaze. If I was going to die from this dragon’s fire, I’d do it with a strong heart and the image of Vexxion in my mind.
Love you, I sent to him.
What is going on? he roared, his voice tinged with a touch of the panic taking hold of my mind.
He’d flit to me, but I sensed it was already too late.
Drask cawed again and darted to the right. At least I wouldn’t take him with me.
As flames licked through Madrood’s eyes and smoke churned from his nostrils . . .
. . . I closed my eyes and whispered the first spell that tumbled into my mind.