Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
SOFIA
Sofia woke with a start. Fox’s hand pressed softly against her chest, not restricting her from escaping, but reminding her where she was.
She hadn’t slept through the night in days, waking every few hours to her heart racing and an urge to flee.
The only thing that had kept her sane was Fox’s warmth beside her and his words whispered in her ear.
“You’re safe,” he said. “We’re in the cave near the nesting grounds. You’re safe. We’re safe.”
Only when her breathing had evened out did Fox move his hand, running his fingers through her hair. She rolled over, careful not to make too much noise. Javi, Jacinta, and Carmen—Javi’s heart-mother—were sleeping just a few feet away.
His eyes were bright in the dim lighting of the cave, as if the rays of dawn sought them out with purpose.
“Hey,” he said, voice the barest whisper.
He didn’t ask if she was okay. He never did.
As if he knew it was a pointless question.
She hadn’t been okay in days—blinks—sun cycles.
His thumb brushed softly along her cheek and jaw, resting there as he watched her, reading her face for any signs of distress.
She gave a weak smile, the best she could muster, and it seemed to soothe him enough that his shoulders lost their tension.
He moved his hands down to her arms, fingers caressing over her unscarred wrists. The burns from Chalia’s ice had faded quickly, apparently not as deep as they’d thought.
They’d been at the nesting grounds for two days, and so far nothing had changed. Aurelia had let them into the actual grounds once. Far fewer dragons were there to greet them this time, and Sofia imagined the rest had hidden themselves away somewhere.
In terms of negotiations, things had stalled—or more accurately—had never begun.
The scouts that Aurelia had sent out hadn’t returned, and she refused to start until they did.
Despite the fact that there were two dragon eyewitnesses to what the chief commander was doing, she wanted more information before acting, though it was an improvement from an outright denial.
If anything, Sofia wondered if the delay in her scouts’ return was making her uneasy.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Fox said, his thumb moving to rub across her lips.
She rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him until their foreheads pressed together.
His lips pressed against her hairline. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into his warmth for the moment. His breath was warm against her skin.
She felt safe in his arms. She always felt so safe. They were living in a fantasy, daring to seek pleasure while war brewed, but she couldn’t stop herself from falling back in his arms again and again.
It didn’t change her goals, and it wouldn’t stop her from making the decision she knew she might need to make someday.
“Chalia said she’d take us to her favorite peak today if the scouts haven’t returned.”
Sofia nodded, her breath catching in her chest. She and Chalia had been spending more and more time apart over the past two days.
It was her own fault. The dragon had offered to try again, but Sofia couldn’t stand the pain on Chalia’s face when they were together for longer than a few minutes.
She could barely breathe through her own grief and rage.
She didn’t want to cause more pain to Chalia.
“How far is it?” she said.
“She said it’s a short flight,” Fox said. “You should be able to come easily with no problems.”
“What if something happens? Maybe you should go alone.”
“You need to face her. She misses you. You’re preventing one pain, but you’re just replacing it with another.”
“It’s safer,” Sofia said, her muscles tensing back up, the heaviness of everything coming back to press on her. She hissed out a breath and gently pushed Fox away.
“Where are you going?” he asked as she stood, using the excuse of bundling herself in her furs to not meet his eyes.
“I’m going to relieve myself,” she said, finally turning around when her mask was in place. “Do you want to join me?”
He frowned but didn’t argue as she slipped away. No one was in the outermost cave, its mouth too wide to provide protection from the cold.
Chalia wasn’t outside when Sofia exited, and she hated herself for feeling relief.
She walked around the outcrop of rocks to a small set of bushes to relieve herself.
The ice burned cold against her skin as she pressed snow against her cheeks, letting the sharp sting wake her further.
Now that she was outside, it was easy to see it was nearly sunrise.
The sky was a pale purple along the horizon.
Perhaps she could grab her weapons and go out hunting before anyone else woke up.
As much as she loved being with Fox and Javi, and even Clarita, she also needed time alone.
Time when she didn’t need to pretend she was okay.
Breathing hurt. Existing hurt. At least when she was alone, she could let the heaviness crush her, allow her body to sag without guilt.
She watched the clouds float across the sky and prayed to Quelia to take her pain.
She’d made the same prayer every day, but still woke with the ache of it crushing her.
A small voice in the back of her mind told her that the mother goddess knew best, but another part of her wanted to scream at her, because how could such pain be good?
The air was sharp in her lungs, but she breathed it in and embraced it.
As she reached the mouth of the cave, she heard the screech of a dragon—high-pitched and drawn out in a way that made her chest seize up. She heard the others inside the cave stir.
“What was that?” a frantic Fox said as he exited the cave.
She shook her head, eyes searching the sky. Her mind reached out to Chalia, and the moment she felt her, she heard the scream in her head.
“Run! We’re under attack!” Sofia felt the words through her body. She clenched her hands over her ears as if she might soften the blow. Fox was there a moment later.
“Sofia?” he asked, keeping his voice soft. “What’s going on?”
“Attack. There’s an attack.”
Micael was quick to shout at the rest.
Sofia grabbed her dagger and a bow, unsure of what they were even facing, and she started running. Fox was behind her, pulling on his leather vest and sword as they scrambled through the snow.
Aurelia had told them not to enter the nesting grounds without permission, but Sofia didn’t think she’d care.
Even before they could see the dragons beyond the shield, she heard the chaos, and just as they reached the shimmering wall, half a dozen dragons shot into the sky above them.
Sofia turned to see Chalia coming up over the pass, three dragons on her tail.
Sofia didn’t recognize them and assumed they were the scouts Aurelia had sent out, but then she saw the soldiers on their backs and the ice shards streaking out from their throats—toward Chalia.
Fox and Sofia didn’t stop their run, the shield that hid the nesting grounds fizzing over her skin as she pushed through it, the air feeling thick along the edges. And then she saw the chaos beyond as the dragons readied for a fight.
“Sofia,” Fox said, voice scraping against his throat.
She turned to see what he was pointing at and felt her heart stop. Soldiers were pouring over the pass, swords raised in battle. But something was wrong. There were naked men among the soldiers.
“Oh,” she said, iron fear on her tongue.
“Wolfshifters,” Fox said.
“Chalia,” Sofia said, “I need you.” She breathed deeply as she watched the dragon sweeping down toward her. Her heart was steady in her chest. She felt calm for the first time in days, centered in her own body. She knew how to fight.
Sofia watched in horror as two men on the backs of their respective dragons swept low, dropping a net over a silver dragon.
It reared back, letting out a roar as smoke hissed from its scales, and it collapsed under the weight of the net.
It was iron—the same netting they’d tried to use to capture Chalia.
Her eyes swept across the sky, and she saw even more pairs of dragons holding nets.
Harlow had captured the scouts that Aurelia had sent after him.
Now he was here for the rest of them. It was her worst nightmare come true. Everything she’d begged Aurelia to prevent.
As she watched, their people ran up the mountain toward the fight. She wanted to scream out to help the dragon, but even as she thought it, two people cut off to the left, toward the fallen creature. Her chest tightened as she recognized Javi’s curls.
Chalia skidded through the snow, sending out a wave of ice as she came to a stop in front of them. Sofia could feel her body vibrating with the fight already, just as focused as she was. Chalia’s father was there a moment later, his head twisting around Chalia’s neck in an embrace.
“Thank Quelia, you’re okay. When the call went out and you weren’t here…”
Chalia hummed in comfort before pulling back. “I need to go back to the battle.”
Ielo gave a nod. “I’m coming, too.” He turned until he was looking at Fox, head tilting slightly. “You can come with me.”
Fox paled, but he kept his face neutral, nodding.
Sofia expected him to move toward the dragon’s back, but instead, he pulled her against him, giving her no time to protest. His lips were hot as they met hers, a sharp contrast to the icy air.
She let herself melt into him, pressing her body against him as she tasted him. Why did he always know what she needed?
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he said as he pulled away, his voice low and rough.
“That’s your job,” she said. His answering smile made her chest twist.
He turned, muscles tense as he moved toward Ielo. Sofia took a breath, turning to Chalia.
A roar shattered around them, and the two dragons froze.
“The eggs!” A dragon the color of the night sky came darting through the battlefield, eyes roving until she saw Chalia’s father. “They have found the eggs!”
Ielo let out a guttural sound that shot straight through Sofia’s soul.
“I will stop them!” he growled.
“They are inside the ground—we cannot reach them. Rost is trying to break through the stone, but we are afraid he will bring down the mountain.” The dragon’s head swiveled to Fox and Sofia standing there, so small and insignificant. “They can. The humans.”
Ielo let out a snort of discontent, and the dragons seemed to exchange words privately. Sofia wasn’t sure what they said, but a few moments later, Ielo turned to Chalia.
“Can we trust them?”
“I trust them with my life,” she said, and Sofia swallowed back the swell of emotion that gathered in her throat and behind her eyes.
Ielo nodded. “Will you come with us? To save our eggs?”
Chalia had said that no humans had ever been allowed in Quelia’s Womb.
Sofia recognized the honor of the ask in that moment.
But she also looked behind her at the soldiers and shifters flooding down the slope.
She’d lost track of Javi and the others in the shuffle, but dragons flew above, striking where they could.
“Sofia,” Fox said, looking at her expectantly. He had already taken two steps toward Ielo. “We have to go help them.”
She swallowed and nodded.
“Where are the eggs?” he asked, looking between the three dragons. Chalia’s father hesitated for only a moment.
“Get on!”
Sofia and Fox sprang into action, slipping onto Chalia’s back in the way that had become second nature. They turned toward the northernmost part of the grounds, flying low as snarls and screams echoed in the air. And Sofia couldn’t stop herself from looking back at the battle raging behind them.