Chapter 22
Vallie thought she might vomit.
For the last two months, the only thing on her mind was saving Verona. Every moment had been devoted to getting Verona out of Balaur.
And now that she had and they were so close to true escape, the enormity of failing, being caught, execution, settled in her stomach.
She pushed her nausea away and focused on Lambda. His strength was admirable. Not only was he jogging with her on his back, but he had the clarity to keep them moving, find Natya, and put as many miles as possible between the dragons and them.
He was a good partner. Level-headed when she was rash, focused when she panicked. They made a good team. Vallie held on a bit tighter and buried her face against the crook of his neck.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he mumbled low enough that Verona couldn’t hear.
“I am. Just anxious to get out of dragon territory.” Before reentering Balaur, Vallie had found the territory oddly peaceful. A wilderness in midspring, with birds and small mammals making their homes. Now, after seeing dragons, feeling their scales against her skin, the entire world had a sinister smudge across it.
She wanted to go back to Luven. She’d only seen snippets of the wolf city, but her mind created a perfect version of it—shops, holidays with Verona, dinner with Domitia, falling asleep against Lambda, wrapped in blankets, and then mornings spent lying in bed, just the two of them pretending to be the only ones in the world. It wasn’t real yet—she knew that. But, it was a goal. A place she dared to dream was a part of her future. She’d been so focused on getting Verona out that she hadn’t given herself time to think of what came next.
And this was truly the scary part. Being so close to freedom, to the life they deserved, only to have a dragon snatch it away.
“Your sister is a quick one,” Lambda said, nudging his head against hers.
“I can hear you!” Verona called. “And yes, I not only ate in Balaur, but I also did those damn stairs at least fifteen times a day. No lollygagging when you’re one of Bedek’s pets.”
“I would hardly call being chained to the wall in a dungeon lollygagging,” Vallie shot, biting back a laugh.
“Sure, sure. While you slept the day away, I carried heavy jugs of wine up and down those stairs over and over again. And I was the only pet! Since Bedek sold Carro south two years ago. I hope she’s ok.” Verona went quiet then, a shadow passing over her face.
“Maybe a wolf came to rescue her, too,” Vallie said quietly. “Or maybe she rescued herself, like Tella. Pushed her body harder than anyone thought possible and made it to a free land. Millonia grew up in the southlands. When she talks about the things she’s seen…they are spectacular.” Vallie thought of Massie then, the first of Cade’s pets to run off. She was sold to a western clan. The rumors were that the western dragons were worse beasts than the northern ones, but who knew what to believe anymore? Vallie’d been told the lovely creature who carried her would want nothing but children from her. So far, he hadn’t even broached the subject of making them.
It was a conversation that could be had later, once they were out of mortal danger, but…
But, if they made it. If Vallie and Verona and Lambda all made it back to Luven, why wouldn’t she want to bring a child into that world? Surrounded by family, growing up with cousins—that world sounded lovely.
“How many are still captive in Balaur?” Lambda asked Verona as they jogged side by side.
“I don’t know exactly. Hakkan still has three wives and now that Natya’s is gone, only two pets. Bedek had no living wives. Egan has six wives and probably ten pets? And Pakek has a small hoard. Only one wife and one pet. Then there are the servants… I think twenty all together? They are not bound to particular dragons.”
“Less than fifty,” Lambda muttered, setting his jaw. “I wonder how many trips it would take to free them all,” he mused.
“Now, you sound like me,” Vallie answered. “And they would start noticing. You’d maybe be able to get two more out on one mission, but beyond that, the dragons would be ready. Alpha needs to trade or start a war.”
“Who’s Alpha?” Verona asked.
“Ah!” Vallie exclaimed. “All right. When you get to Luven, you’re going to go to a hospital for a little while. Once deemed in good health, you’ll do a ritual with Alpha. You don’t have to, but you can’t stay in Luven without it, and I swear to every god and goddess if you abandon me after what I’ve done for you, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Shit, what’s the ritual?”
“Alpha fucks you from behind in front of a bunch of unmated wolves and you see if your mate is in the audience. And then three days later if Alpha didn’t knock you up, you get to go live with your mate if you have one or alone if you don’t.”
Verona blew out a breath and shook her head. “You couldn’t have gone back to the human lands? You had to pick to stay someplace where I have to be part of a public sex ritual?”
“And landed right back in Balaur? Fuck, no. Get ready. It’s super fast. And not sexy at all.”
Verona rolled her eyes. “Let’s get me to safety before I start making promises about fucking random wolves on the other side of that wall.”
“You’ll love the city. I promise. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh, better than the shit hole Maidenhead?”
“Much better. You won’t even call that a city anymore.”
*
Just before dusk, Vallie caught sight of Natya. She was running, tearing over the land toward the wall. It was a sight to behold—someone so beaten down, so starved and injured, running for a chance at a new life.
“Natya!” Vallie called out. She didn’t want them to scare her, appearing out of nowhere.
She whipped her head around and locked eyes with the three of them. Then, Natya stopped running and collapsed to the ground.
“Fuck!” Vallie jumped off Lambda’s back. “Go to her!”
He nodded and took off, running faster than she thought possible. He closed the distance in moments, quickly getting Natya to a seated position and slowly giving her water. She looked like shit from here.
Vallie’s head may have been pounding with every step of her feet, but she knew that Lambda had to carry Natya if they had any hope of making it to the wall. The next day just got a lot harder.
Verona grabbed onto Vallie and linked their arms together.
“Come on. We need to make it to the woods before dark. Can’t risk spending the night in the open.”
Vallie squeezed her sister’s arm. “We can make it. I know we can.”