Chapter 62
FUCKING BURN EVERYTHING
AZ
The tip of the small boat knocked against the large ship, anchored near a mountainous cove.
Water sloshed over the side.
The towering height of the ship before them cast everything into darkness. No voices echoed above—only the lapping waves, the gusting wind, and the dragon’s ear-splitting roars.
Az pressed a finger to his lips as he stared back down at Bastian, who braced a hand on either side of the small boat, crouching until he stood by Az’s side.
Vale’s dragon kept circling overhead, fire lighting up the sky. He was careful not to burn the ship. Even the dragon, in all his possession, knew they could not risk burning Luella.
Az tugged on a stray piece of netting thrown over the side of the ship. It was brittle and coated in slime from mildew. He tugged. Firm.
Az always struggled speaking through their mind link. He growled lowly in frustration when the words rattled in his mind, skipping over the chasm Bastian kept open constantly for them to use to communicate. It was like trying to hold onto water with a shattered glass cup.
What? Bastian said into their link.
Az felt, somehow, that the vampire was careful to keep Vale far away from their current conversation. The dragon did not need to be distracted, not when he was so volatile.
Since Bastian had spoken first, it was easier for Az. I’m going to climb first. Once I’m up, you follow. Stay back. I don’t think the nets will hold us both.
Bastian nodded.
Another flash overhead as the dragon circled, roaring into the night.
Az began to climb.
When he stopped at the top, hands wrapped around the edge of the ship, he held his breath, as if waiting for a blade to swipe down on his knuckles and cut them away. He held his head down to keep his horns out of sight.
Coming up, Bastian warned as the nets began to tug below him.
Az shifted, feet reaching for the side of the ship to relieve some weight from the nets.
They had to time it carefully. Even when all Az wanted was to rip through every being on this godsdamned ship to get to Luella. They had to be careful.
He waited. One breath, another.
The dragon circled. Fire lit up the sky, illuminating them—they couldn’t reveal themselves yet. Not with the fire. They’d be spotted instantly.
If only they could talk sense into Vale, but the dragon was far beyond reason.
Az hated to admit it, but he understood. The things he would do for Luella scared him—what he felt for her scared him.
But she didn’t need him to rip through the ship right now. She needed to be saved.
The fire dimmed as the dragon’s roar fractured into silence.
Now! Az thought.
And he tugged himself over the side of the ship, Bastian following.
Darkness blanketed the entire deck. Bodies moving. Shadows. He lunged to the side as a figure approached him. His hand slapped over a mouth, the other gripping the side of the being’s neck. He twisted. Crack—
Az carefully laid the limp figure down to soften the fall.
They didn’t have enough time.
Vale’s dragon roared, and fire lit up the sky once more. That was all it took.
Screams joined the dragon’s roar.
"On the ship!"
"They’re here!"
"Prepare the cannons. Fire at the dragon!"
It was chaos.
Through the golden glow, Az swiped out at the first figure that approached. Even with the brilliance of the fire, Az saw the darkness of the male’s eyes. Umbra. He swiped out, fist cracking against the Umbra’s chest. He fell. Stomped his boot on a leg. Shattered the bone.
Another. Another—
He fought until sweat dripped down his temples and chest. Everything was hotter because of the godsdamned dragon fire.
Vale wasn’t stopping.
Neither were the Umbra.
They kept coming.
Bastian stretched out a hand, red eyes sparking as he felled an Umbra that charged for Az.
The Umbra convulsed on the ground, screaming. "Get out! Get it out! No—" Red foam dripped from his lips.
His jerking suddenly stopped. Bastian didn’t draw out his death.
An Aqua fae rushed for Az. Water pooled in his hands.
Az ducked, water spraying over him. The tendrils chased after him, forcing him against the side of the ship.
At the last moment, he ducked again, slipping over the ground ungracefully—his size never allowed him the grace of a true fighter.
He was all brute strength. The water arced over the side of the ship, into the sea.
Dragon fire evaporated it in the air. The Umbra screamed.
Az charged, horns lowered. The Umbra was a good fighter, but no match for an angered demon. Az shoved his hand in the Umbra’s back, fingers wrapping around something sharp and spiky. He ripped out his spine. The Umbra cried in anguish, then dropped.
Az bared his teeth, using the spine to lash out at the next attacker.
He was dimly aware of how monstrous he must appear, but the thoughts were dashed away with the spray of blood and the drop of dead bodies. The rain made everything wetter, turning the thick red blood into a soft pink on the deck.
He was in the middle of ripping an arm from a screeching Umbra when there was a familiar, dark laugh beside him. He dropped the arm.
"You sick fucker," Tharen said by Az’s side. He was dripping wet, shivering.
Az shoved the tip of his boot into the Umbra’s side. It went through his stomach. He yanked it out with a grotesque squelch. "Where did you come from?"
"I swam," Tharen said without inflection. He unhooked his blades from his back, crouched, then swiped them up in a cross motion, severing an Umbra’s body clean in half.
The Prima’s eyes fell to the bloodied spine still in Az’s grip. He didn’t comment.
Az dropped the spine, cracking his knuckles. Blood was on his hands. He could never touch Luella again. He was ruined. And he—
"Hey!" Tharen warned.
Az looked up, punching out with all his strength at an Umbra he’d missed.
"Focus!"
Az met Tharen’s eyes, then nodded.
"Go find Luella," the Prima continued. "I’ll cover you."
Az exhaled shakily, hands flexing at his sides. Gods, it was all catching up to him.
What had he done? He was everything everyone had ever accused him of being.
A beast. A monster.
Vale’s dragon roared. Dark shadows shifted overhead—smaller than the dragon—as Graves landed on the deck. He clutched his side, face pale.
Graves’s deep blue eyes took in the carnage, his mouth carved into a grim line. "Where is she?" was all he said.
Az shook his head. "We haven’t—seen her."
The Fallen Prince growled. Az’s eyes dropped to the bloodied, torn pieces of Graves’s shirt. He cradled his ribs tenderly, but gripped the hilt of his dagger with intensity. Even injured, he was single-minded.
The Umbra were dropping quicker now that they were all here.
When only a few Umbra were left, they grew desperate.
Some attacked with greater ferocity, others jumped.
Moments of broken pleas and wild eyes, shadows flickering.
One Umbra scrambled up the side of the ship and dropped into the sea below.
Fire scorched him before he hit the water, ash drifting to the surface.
Lightning flashed overhead. Luella’s storm raged. The force of the rain grew punishing.
Water pooled on the deck, mingling with blood and sending it dripping in rivulets down the sides. Az’s boots tracked over severed limbs and broken bodies.
There was one Umbra left.
The night was quiet now.
The remaining Umbra was a male. He stood by the quarterdeck with a sword dropped at his side, grip loose. Blood coated every bit of him, making it hard to discern anything about his features, except for those shadowed eyes—even his hair was clumped with red.
Together, they walked forward. Graves led, Tharen and Az directly behind him, with Bastian following, all while the onyx dragon circled.
The Umbra tipped his chin up as they approached. "I am not scared of you." He smiled. His voice was hard. "If you kill me, you will never know where she is."
Az’s steps faltered.
It was Graves who spoke. "Where is she? You’ve taken her?"
"Of course. She’s long gone now. She was here—for only a breath." The Umbra’s tone was tinged with mania. He knew he was going to die.
"Where?" Graves demanded. One word, so deadly.
Az could not form words. Couldn’t even get his lips to move.
"Where else?" The Umbra appeared to be enjoying stringing them along, each word said torturously slow. "To her home."
Everything stopped.
"She’s in Luna?" Tharen asked, stepping forward, bloodied twin swords dragging against the gore on the ground. The tip of one blade brushed the Umbra’s boot, and he jumped.
"The one place you can never find her. It would be suicide, and you all know it.
" He laughed. "But go—go to Luna. And die trying. The Tenebrae is anxious to have her. He’s preparing a wedding." He gave a lecherous smile. "I wonder if he’ll let me have her once he’s done. She’ll be ruined after the wedding night, but the Umbra live on scraps. I want to make her scream—"
A silver blade flashed. Blood sprayed. Az barely had time to turn his head and save his mouth from the thick splatter of blood. He felt hot warmth drip down his collar.
He turned back and watched as Graves pulled away his dagger, then dropped the blade. He’d slit the Umbra’s throat. A bloody smile curved beneath his chin.
"Fucking try to talk about her again," Graves rasped, voice shaking.
As the body dropped, Az fell to his knees, the world tilting. The deck swayed beneath him, the sea roiling.
"She’s gone," Az whispered.
No. This wasn’t real. It wasn’t. She wasn’t gone.
The things he’d done for her. The monster he’d become. He stared at his bloodied hands. He still felt the way the spine had slipped free so easily.
It had all been for nothing. She wasn’t even here. She had never been here.
The sound of slamming made him jerk his head up.
"Check below deck—she could be bound," Bastian choked out. He blinked furiously, stumbling. He coughed into his hand, and Az saw red on his palm.
"Tharen, with me," Graves said, storming to the door of the captain’s quarters.
They both came out with grim looks of shock on their faces.
"Move!" Tharen snapped, shoving past Graves. "If she’s here, we’ll find her."
Bastian slipped below deck. He returned with skin paler than a sheet of parchment. The vampire’s hands were visibly shaking.
"Luella isn’t here," Bastian said lowly.
The words hit like a blade.
The dragon roared overhead, colored with grief—the sound Az wanted to make but couldn’t.
They didn’t have time to move before the fire ate up the sails, quickly burning down the mast and the deck. It crackled as it burned everything it touched. The heat was sweltering.
Hands gripped Az’s shoulders. "Get up. Get up now, Azgorath—" Tharen yanked him to his feet. "She wouldn’t want this. Go—"
The ocean loomed below. Fire kissed his back. He was shoved over the side of the ship and into the sea.
The world went dark with salt—and shame.
Az swam upward, chasing air, desperate to feel the storm on his skin. She was okay. It was still raining. She was okay, then.
She had to be.
They’d find her. She would be okay. She was alive.
Tharen jumped after him, dropping into the sea. Graves hovered, wings beating sharply. Bastian’s eyes were wild, unlike him. His usual calmness had been replaced by ruthlessness. Even the swipe of his arms through the water as he kept himself afloat was sharp.
They watched the ship burn, taking the dead Umbra and violent evidence of their failed rescue with it.
All while the dragon circled.
When more than half the ship had turned to ash, tipping into the ocean, the dragon roared. So loud that the water vibrated.
His course shifted as he began to fly to the islands.
Bastian gasped. "No—he can’t go there. He’ll fucking burn everything for her. Anything in his path will be gone."
"Make him sleep, Bastian," Graves demanded hoarsely. "Our King’s lost himself to the bond. Stop him before he destroys everything."
Az wanted to scream that Vale wasn’t his King—that he followed Luella only. But the words wouldn’t come. He was too busy watching the onyx dragon tear through the clouds, flying over a lonesome island.
Bastian’s eyes rolled back, and he went limp in the water. Tharen caught him and kept him upright.
They watched the dragon fall, his roars fading into the thunder. The trees rattled and birds took to the skies as the dragon fell against the ground with a thundering boom.