Chapter 41
Forty-One
VAUGHN
Ithink I’ve found a new phobia to add to my long list—flying on the back of a dragon.
It isn’t anything like riding a roller coaster.
First of all, there’s no harness. At every drop and turn, I’m certain I’ll slide off the back of Larsson and plunge to my doom.
I’m holding Sophie so tight, I’m sure she’ll have bruises.
“Are we going to make it in time?” Igor shouts to be heard over the wind whooshing by.
The sky is most definitely pinker, and maybe the tension in my body is related to that as well. Vampires have a sixth sense about the sunrise. We know it’s coming even if we can’t see the sky.
“Yes,” Larsson replies in his dragon form, scaring the shit out of me.
“Whoa. I didn’t know he was verbal as a dragon,” I whisper in Sophie’s ear.
“Me neither. I’ve never been this close to one.”
“This is fucking awesome! I feel like singing,” Tish blurts out, then does start to sing “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.
To my utter astonishment, Solomon joins in, and then Vivi.
I look at her. She’s next to Sophie, and Lucca is behind her. Larsson’s back is wide enough to fit everyone comfortably. “What are you doing?”
“Come on, Vaughn, join us.” She smiles.
I shake my head, but Sophie piles on. “I want to hear you sing.”
“I don’t want to piss off you know who,” I say.
She turns her face to mine. “Please.”
“Fine, but if he nose-dives in retaliation, don’t blame me.”
She kisses me quickly, then faces forward again.
That’s all the motivation I needed. I join the sing-along with gusto, belting out the lyrics with all the emotion that’s swirling in my chest. It helps me forget that we’re racing against the sunrise, and I appreciate the stunning view from this high up.
The world below drowns in shifting shadows, but up here, the sky slowly goes from deep blue to magenta.
The pinkish light reflects over Larsson’s light blue scales, creating a beautiful kaleidoscope effect.
The song ends just as Larsson starts his descent over a familiar landscape—Lucca’s mansion. I’m surprised he didn’t do any sharp maneuverings to make us stop singing.
“You’d better hurry,” he says.
The rays of sun are already visible, so we climb down from his back as quickly as possible. No sooner are we all on the ground than he takes off without saying a word, not even “adieu.”
The front door opens and Gerard walks out. “Was that a dragon?”
Lucca takes Vivi’s hand and runs up the steps of his mansion. I do the same with Sophie. Gerard watches us storm the front door in bewilderment. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head.
All the shutters are already down, and only the lamp lights in the living room are on, plus the fireplace is lit.
It’s a cozy reception, but now that we’re all in the same room, the tension from before returns.
Igor stands stiffly and closer to the hallway as if ready to bolt at any second.
Not that he has anywhere to go with the sun out.
The situation escalates to the nth degree when Saxon and Aurora join us.
“Where the hell have you been?” Saxon asks, rushing past Igor without looking at him.
“Indigo Mountain,” Lucca replies.
Saxon’s brows shoot up. “Without us?”
“You were occupied,” Lucca retorts.
Aurora scans the room and notices Sophie, Tish, and Igor. “Uh, not to be rude, but who are they?”
I throw my arm around Sophie’s shoulders, pulling her to my side. “This is Sophie, my girlfriend. The cat is Tish, her familiar, and this is—”
“Igor Svechnikov,” Saxon cuts in. “You’re one of Jacques Tellier’s henchmen.”
“Hello, Sax. Long time no see.” The Russian smirks.
Saxon takes a menacing step toward Igor, his hands balled into fists. “It’s Saxon to you. What the hell are you doing here?”
“Whoa, do you know each other?” I ask.
“Yes, Saxon and I go way back.” Igor crosses his arms. “Didn’t he ever tell you he used to be on our side of the war?”
“Shut up,” I blurt out. “Is that true?”
Saxon’s face turns beet red. “That was before I knew better.”
“Everyone, calm the fuck down.” Lucca gets between Saxon and Igor. “It’s been a long night, and we have a lot to unpack.”
“I’ll bring refreshments and human snacks,” Gerard says before leaving the room.
Lucca turns around and sits next to Vivi, who had already sat down. She looks a bit tired. Sophie should probably rest too. I steer her toward the couch opposite Lucca’s. Saxon remains standing and glaring at Igor.
“Come on, Sax. Let’s hear the debrief.” Aurora nudges him to the love seat.
Igor doesn’t make a motion to sit down, and that’s when I notice the first familiar isn’t here.
“Where did Solomon go?” I ask.
“My guess is he went home. He probably didn’t want to be part of this discussion,” Lucca answers. “Now, I want to know everything we missed while we were away.”
I let out a loud exhale. “Get comfortable. It’ll be a while.”
SOPHIE
Vaughn tells the part of the story that pertains to his point of view, but there are things he doesn’t have all the details for because he wasn’t present—such as my visit to see my mother.
After I tell Lucca and the others how that meeting went, it’s like the air vanishes from the room. Everyone is staring at me in utter silence.
“Let me get this straight,” Lucca finally speaks. “You’re telling me my uncle and Tatiana have truly agreed to end the war.”
“Yes, that’s what she told me. I think her illness gave her clarity—at least when she’s herself and not a monster filled with rage.”
“I can’t believe the war was caused because King Raphael broke off the engagement. That’s an extreme reaction,” Aurora says.
“I don’t claim to have any understanding of the inner workings of my mother’s twisted mind.”
Vivi’s brow is furrowed, and she seems to be in deep thought. “I wonder if my mother had a hand in all this.”
“Why do you say that, love?” Lucca caresses her arm.
She looks at him. “I don’t know. King Raphael was her favorite human. It’s why she convinced the other sovereigns to grant immortality to him and his followers. She couldn’t bear the thought that he would die.”
“I didn’t know it was Queen Maewe who had that idea,” I say.
“I suppose that’s not a detail that was disclosed to everyone,” she replies.
“What are you implying exactly?” Aurora squints, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.
Vivi rubs her forehead. “I’m not sure. Maybe Rik can shed some light on the situation.”
“That’s Rikkon, Vivi’s brother,” Vaughn whispers to me.
“So now that all the information has been laid out on the table, what’s the plan? Sophie can’t return to her apartment,” Tish says.
“You’re not suggesting we stay here.” Igor looks at the cat as if she’s crazy.
“You have to, at least for the day.” Lucca sighs. “But if you want to fry, be my guest.”
Vivi stands up. “This house has plenty of rooms. I’m sure Gerard has already prepared a few of the guest bedrooms.”
“Sophie is staying with me.” Vaughn throws his arm around my shoulder, and I melt into him.
“Tish can stay with me,” Igor says.
Vaughn’s jaw drops. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
“I’d feel weird if I took an entire room to myself,” Tish says. “I can stay with the muscles.”
Lucca stands. “It’s settled, then. Let’s all rest and meet again in a few hours.”