Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Death was a curious state. Merrill had never thought much about it. There hadn’t been a need when the Kings were all but immortal on Earth . Going to Zora had changed everything. And revealed secrets and mysteries they had known nothing about.
He sat on the edge of a dock, the pink and purple colors below him moving languidly like a slow-moving river. The magenta sky was clear. There was no one else about. Just him. He drew in a breath and slowly released it. There was no more pain. No suffering. No madness. But there was an emptiness in his heart. He had hoped to find Katla on this side. Perhaps he needed to look harder.
His thoughts drifted to the Kings , specifically Varek . He wished he had been able to speak to Varek before he went insane. Instead , Merrill had shut everyone out. Regret was a bitter pill to swallow. The emotion was there but not as debilitating as he’d expected. Was he supposed to let such things go? It seemed the right thing to do in order to move on. But move on to where?
He had lived many lifetimes. Too many, some might say. They could be right. He longed for Katla . He could choose another life and begin the search for her. And he probably would. Eventually . For now, he wanted to rest and heal the wounds of his psyche. If that were even possible.
Merrill was surprised to feel his magic. He had often wondered if magic chose someone at birth or if it was woven into each individual so that no matter who they were, where they lived, or when they lived, they would always have it. It was comforting to know magic would always be a part of him.
“ Hello , brother.”
Merrill whipped his head around at the voice that broke through the silence. He frowned when he spotted Ulrik . “ What are you doing here?”
“ Is it no’ obvious?”
“ You can no’ bring me back.”
Ulrik grinned. “ On Earth . You didna die on Earth .”
Merrill waited as Ulrik walked over and sat beside him. Then he said, “ There’s no way Con knows you’re here.”
“ He’s the one who pointed out the difference.”
“ If there’s one you should save, it’s Katla .”
Ulrik met his gaze and smiled. “ I already did. She returned seconds before you breathed your last. Varek tried to tell you. So did I .”
“ I didna hear either of you.” He swallowed. “ How is Katla ?”
“ Lost without you. We brought her to Iron Hall .”
Merrill briefly closed his eyes and sighed with relief. “ Good . She needs friends.”
“ She needs you.”
“ Returning a King from the dead is forbidden.”
Ulrik twisted his lips and looked out over the magenta field. “ I’m willing to chance it.” He cut him a look. “ The question is, are you?”
“ Of course, I want to return to Katla .”
“ Then you should be aware of some things that may change.”
Merrill inwardly grimaced. Of course, there would be drawbacks to a King skirting the rules to return to life. “ Like ?”
“ We’re no’ sure if you’ll be able to return to Earth .”
To not see Dreagan again? Not be able to walk the glens or swim in the lochs of his beloved Scotland ? Simply because they found a loophole in the rules. But he would be alive and with his mate. “ All right. What else?”
Ulrik hesitated. Merrill braced, knowing it would be a doozy if Ulrik paused.
“ You may no longer be a King .”
That one was obvious, but even Merrill hadn’t considered it. He had been a Dragon King in life, so why not once he returned? Because of that pesky rule that no Kings should return from the dead.
He scratched his cheek. “ Meaning I’ll return as a dragon?”
“ Maybe .” Ulrik shook his head. “ You could be human.”
Unable to shift or take to the skies. How would he live without being a dragon?
“ It’s a lot to contemplate,” Ulrik said. “ How much are you potentially willing to give up for Katla ?”
That was an easy answer. “ Everything .”
Ulrik grinned and turned his head to him. “ I had a feeling that would be your answer.”
“ I’m willing to chance everything, but if I return as a dragon, this will all be for naught because I still wouldna have my mate.”
Ulrik’s smile faded. “ True .”
“ We’ve no’ discussed my madness. What point is returning if that takes me again?”
“ You have control of that, brother.”
“ Trust me, I doona.”
Ulrik walked a couple of steps closer. “ You did it with Katla .”
“ Her presence calmed me and allowed me to think clearly.”
“ Is that what you think?” Ulrik chuckled softly. “ She might be the catalyst that catches your attention, but you are the one who focuses your emotions.”
Merrill snorted. “ You were no’ there. I clearly remember the slide into insanity. I couldna even remember my name.”
“ But you knew her.”
“ What if she isna always by my side?” Merrill demanded, his voice rising with his anger. “ I willna chance harming others.”
Ulrik grinned. “ You have so little faith in your power.”
“ My magic can do many things, but it can no’ reverse madness.”
“ How long have you lived with the resentment and wrath?”
The question made Merrill pause. He swallowed as he studied his friend. “ Too long.”
“ Did you hurt anyone?”
“ No ’ on purpose.”
“ Did you kill any humans?”
Merrill ran his hand through his hair as he realized what Ulrik was doing. “ I didna.”
“ Then things are no different.”
“ No ’ true. There was a primal urge, an elemental impulse to destroy every human. All of them. Innocent or no’. It was an instinct I couldna control.”
Ulrik clapped his hands on Merrill’s shoulders. “ You forgot one thing. Who is behind all of this? Who manipulated even the mortals?”
“ Villette .” How could he have forgotten that?
“ What if our places were reversed? Would you think I didna deserve my waiting mate?”
Merrill looked away. “ You know I wouldna.”
“ Give yourself the same forgiveness and kindness you’ve given every King at least once through the eons, brother.” Ulrik jerked his chin to the sparks. “ Even now, your magic conjures her.”
Merrill was brought up short. “ I thought you brought them.”
“ That’s all you.”
He ached to see her face, to hold her again. She was alive. Waiting for him. “ I want to be with Katla .”
The corner of Ulrik’s eyes crinkled. Something pulled at Merrill , tugging him away. He eagerly rose and followed Ulrik . Suddenly , a blinding light forced him to turn his head away. When he next blinked, he found himself staring up at a ceiling. Someone squeezed Merrill’s hand.
He had a human hand. At least one of his fears had been alleviated. He didn’t try to shift yet. He would face that one later. Merrill swallowed, waiting for the darkness to rise and the anger to swell and demand blood payment.
There was still anger, still some resentment, but it wasn’t as it had been when he lost his mind. That meant he was still himself. Not the man from before Zora , but the one after. The one who still had many issues to address and repair. Another fear assuaged.
Hesitantly , he searched for his magic and felt its response. One more box checked. There was the final one yet, but he couldn’t do it in the room and bust the walls. Nor did he want to do it with others around. Just in case. That was something to test at a later date.
He felt Katla’s presence beside him, her hand in his. Merrill rolled his head to the side and saw her radiant smile. Tears welled up in her gray eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she whispered his name.
Merrill tugged her onto his chest. He wound his arms around her and held her against him. He had almost missed out on this. If not for his brothers, he would have. He looked over to find Ulrik , Varek , and Con . Ulrik winked before walking away. Con tipped his head, a grin on his lips as he followed Ulrik . Merrill stared at Varek , a wordless exchange passing between them. Relief shone in Varek’s brown eyes as he nodded, smiling.
Then it was just him and Katla . Merrill tangled his hand in the cool length of her hair and closed his eyes. Her tears wet his neck. The madness he had feared hadn’t returned, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t. It meant he had to remain vigilant and have precautions in place. But that was for later. Now , he would hold his mate and revel in the fact that they were both alive.
Katla sat up, bracing her hand on the table as she stared down at him. “ I thought I’d lost you.”
“ I would cross galaxies for you.” He used his thumb to wipe away a tear, then cupped her face in his hands. “ Surely you know how deeply I feel for you.”
“ I hoped. I dreamed. It was all I allowed myself.”
“ Then let me cast aside any doubt. You have my heart, my beautiful Katla . You alone pulled me back from the edge of madness. You calmed my rage and eased the storm within me. I love you. It’s a deep love. The kind few believe in, and even fewer experience. Never doubt what I would do for you or the lengths I would go to for your safety.”
She brushed her lips over his and whispered, “ Never .”
Merrill brought her face down to his and kissed her again. He was starved for her. He had waited an eternity to find her and would never let her go again. The rest of the universe could wait. This time was for them. He tugged her on top of him on the table. She rolled away. He hurriedly grabbed her so she wouldn’t fall, only to feel a mattress beneath him.
His head lifted to find them in a bedroom. He looked at Katla . “ You jumped us?”
She grinned, nodding. “ Something new I’ve picked up.”
“ Impressive ,” he murmured as he looked around the room.
The ceiling and walls were a muted green, the floors wide, planked wood. The arched headboard was fashioned of thick vines. More of the vines made an arch from the wall, where the bed sat, over the middle of the bed to the opposite wall. An ivy-like plant wove through the vines to mingle with some small string lights. Two wall sconces sat on either side of the bed.
The wall facing him had a large pane of arched glass with a mural painted to appear as if it looked outside. There were lights that changed with the time of day to make it appear like sunlight. A vine as thick as his arm curved along the window with the ivy and lights hanging from it.
A dark green velvet comforter with matching sheets covered the bed. The same hunter green was used on a circular rug near the bed, and an oval rug alongside a copper clawfoot tub. A matching pedestal sink and toilet were nearby. A smile pulled at his lips when he saw the shower in the corner.
Merrill yanked aside the blanket and took Katla’s hand as he rose from the bed. A frown flitted across her face as she parted her lips to speak. He dragged her to him, taking her mouth in a passionate kiss. She melted against him. With a thought, he removed her clothes so they were flesh to flesh, then bent his knees and slid his hands down her back and over her shapely arse to lift her. She spread her legs, wrapping them around his waist as he straightened. Then he walked them to the shower.
Glass surrounded it on three sides. The walls matched the rest of the room, and the trailing vine was also in there. The floor was tile that matched the planks on the floor. A two-foot square copper rain showerhead hung above them to match the copper faucet.
He released Katla’s legs and let her slowly slide down his body. Only when her feet touched the tile did he reach over and turn on the faucet. Hot water fell down his back and trickled over his chest. She tore her lips from his and stared up in wonder at the shower. He watched as she put her hands under the water before walking beneath the spray.
Desire heated his already inflamed blood as she smoothed the water back from her face and over her midnight hair plastered to her head, the ends just skimming her hips. The water sluiced along her pale skin and mouthwatering curves. His hungry gaze locked on her voluptuous breasts where dusky pink nipples were hard peaks straining toward him. He followed the water as it slid into the indent of her waist and then over the swell of her hips to her shapely legs.
As his gaze traveled upward, he paused at the dark triangle of hair that hid her sex. His balls tightened with need. He moaned before pulling her against him and capturing her mouth.