Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Barbie
Iclimbed onto the dragon’s back, settling between the ridges of his spine.
With a powerful surge, we launched into the night, soaring so high the stars felt within reach.
The ring of snowy mountains sprawled beneath us.
Tyson’s vast wings beat against the wind that tasted of winter and night-blooming flowers.
Why does mate carry sadness? Tyson asked.
I wish we could stay here forever, I confessed, the thought a sharp ache.
We stay, he declared. This is our territory. Mate is safe in my realm.
We’ll have to return, Killian said, his tone grimly practical. Ruin has only retreated. The war is far from over.
Let worlds burn, the dragon countered, fierce and single-minded. Only mate matters. I guard what is mine.
Killian fell quiet. Perhaps he was thinking the same. I knew with chilling certainty that neither the man nor the dragon would ever choose the world over me. It fell to me to be the sane one, the one who remembered our duty.
We’ll return after the ride, I whispered, pressing my face against the sapphire scales. But we’ll always have this.
No sadness. No fear. I protect. Tyson vowed with the absolute certainty only a dragon could possess. We’ll stand between you and the evil god. He returns, and we burn him!
His fierce promise lodged in my throat like a shard of ice. Soon, I would have to break their hearts. For I had made a silent vow of my own: I would stand between my father and them, no matter the cost.
After our flight, Tyson returned me to Killian, and he brought me a blanket and a steaming mug of tea, bundling me until I was swaddled against the chill. He knew my power, yet he would always be overbearing and overprotective; it was in his blood. And I let him spoil me.
I didn’t need to be argumentative to show how strong I was. I wasn’t Sy. In fact, I never bothered to display my strength, beauty, or charm. As long as I had a roof above me, my shiny treasures in my shoebox, all the food I could eat, and Killian to ride, I was happy.
I snuggled against Killian, listening to him complimenting me and encouraging him to say more. He was never a liar; what he promised, he delivered. Who would have thought the realm’s most ruthless and coldhearted heir had such a deep well of tender words?
I nestled closer, resting my head on his chest until his steady, powerful heartbeat synced with my own. His arm wrapped around me, holding me as if he could trap me there forever.
But you couldn’t trap time.
And then, it was time to return.
“I love you both,” I murmured, just as he opened the portal back to Shades Academy. “So much.”
He smiled. “Show me how much tonight.”
Love you, mate, Tyson said proudly, his voice a contented rumble in my soul. “Just so you know,” I added, “everything I did, I did out of love.”
Then we stepped through the portal into his penthouse, our hands still linked.
The heirs jumped at our sudden appearance. They were already gathered in the sitting room, surrounded by maps and half-empty glasses, deep in a strategy debate.
“What took you so long to come back?” Silas complained.
“We had to start the meeting without you, Killian,” Louis added.
“Next time, bring us with you,” Cade chimed in. “We need to be able to reach you. War waits for no one.”
Before I could find my footing, Sy rushed over and pulled me into a fierce hug.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“I have so much to tell you about me and sugar,” she began in a rush.
“Sex can wait,” I said, extracting myself. “Gossip can wait even longer.”
“How was it?” she pressed, her golden eyes bright. “I wasn’t there to watch this time. Was the make-up sex good? Tell me everything.”
I’d just told her no gossip! Yet, even with so much I couldn’t share, the urge to confide in Sy was a physical ache. But more words would only risk my secret and hinder my move.
“I have errands to run,” I told Killian and Sy, nodding at the heirs, keeping my manner cool so no one would become suspicions, though my heart was pounding hard and dread filled my veins. “I should go check on Bea at the forge.”
My friend and her team were working nonstop to produce more blood blades, even though they knew Ruin could raise his army from the dead.
“We need you here, Barbie,” Silas said, his tone brooking no argument. “You and Sy need to stay in our sight. It’s the only way we can protect you.”
He was such a control freak.
“You know no one can really sneak up on me, right?” I asked.
“I’ll go with you, Barbie,” Sy offered.
“No, you stay,” I said, perhaps a little too quickly and harshly. “I’ll just hang out with Bea for a while. I barely get to see her anymore.”
Sy pouted, but Rowan pulled her into his arms, and the two were instantly lost in another kiss.
I rolled my eyes, forcing my usual levity. “Get a room.”
I had to act normal. I had to be my normal, irreverent self.
“We will, soon.” Sy grinned against his lips.
“Don’t wander,” Killian said. “Come back soon, or I’ll have to hunt you down.”
He gave me a light, familiar spank as I turned to leave.
“Hey!” I protested on instinct, and he laughed.
The other heirs looked on, shaking their heads in collective distaste.