Chapter 14
The night sky stretched overhead, stars twinkling above, cool air now replacing the heat of the day. I raced back toward my home, hoping Madden might be there waiting for me.
But when I arrived, it wasn’t Madden standing there in front of my little stone house. It was Helena, surrounded by shadows. I narrowed my eyes. Dragon shadows.
The Helena I remembered had red hair, soft blue eyes, a kind smile. But this Helena that stood before me wore black leather, a red cape fanning out around her. Her hair was braided and hung down her back, her lips a bright red.
She pursed them. “So it’s true. You finally broke that ridiculous curse you put yourself under. The faeries did a good job of hiding you, and truly, I didn’t care where you were. You weren’t here, defending your court, and that’s all that mattered.”
The dragon’s shadows swirled around her, smaller, the size of dogs, while their bodies were nowhere to be found.
“Where are the dragons?” I asked.
“Here,” she replied. “Somewhere.” She smirked. “Their bodies get trapped, bound, wherever their shadows are taken.”
Horror washed over me. She’d taken the shadows of my friends. Beautiful creatures, intelligent, and I hadn’t been here to stand up for them. Another regret. Another way I’d been too scared.
“Aw, what’s wrong, Seraphina?” Helena asked in a baby voice that made me want to throttle her. “Missing your little friends?” She paused. “Except you can’t really consider them friends when you never told anyone about them. Anyone but me.”
My fists curled. We’d been at war with the dragons for so long, and I was afraid that if I admitted to my parents I’d befriended them, I’d lose their trust. So I let the conflict between dragons and humans continue. I stood by and did nothing.
“I’m not that girl anymore.” I stepped toward her. “I’ve been gone a long time, and I had to fight to get back here. Just like I’m going to fight to defeat you. I won’t let you win, Helena.”
“I’ve already won,” she said. “You think you can defeat me? That your fire magic is any match for my shadows?”
The shadows grew before me, stretching up higher and higher until they mirrored the size of fully-formed dragons. Their jaws snapped, wings beating, and smoke puffed from their flared nostrils.
I held out my palms, twin flames blazing to life. The shadow shrunk back. My gaze shot to Helena.
“That’s cute,” she said, then flicked her wrist, and the shadows let loose a shower of fire, except it wasn’t bright red, but black. Black as night. It fell down over me, and I had to roll to avoid being burned, my own fire getting doused as I lost control of it, just focusing on surviving.
The shadows shrank again as Helena closed her fist, this time slithering toward the ground and toward me.
I shot out a stream of fire at Helena as I jumped to my feet and leapt over the shadows, then I stuck out my hands and sent up a wall of fire that made the shadows shriek and shrink away from the light.
I hadn’t used my magic often, and I was weak, out of practice. I wouldn’t be able to hold a wall like this for long.
Helena let out a cry as the fire I’d thrown at her sliced the sleeve of her arm, her skin blackening underneath.
She lost hold of the shadows for a moment, then gained control once again.
I let the wall of fire dissipate and dove behind a pillar just as the dragon shadows flew at me.
They bounced against the pillar, and I flattened myself to it.
Sweat gathered at the base of my neck, my breathing ragged. I had to kill Helena, but those damn shadows were like a barrier. There had to be a way around them, a way to get to her.
“Hiding again, are we?” Helena called out. “Just like old times.”
“No.” I stepped out from behind the pillar. “It’s not just like old times because I’m not afraid anymore.”
She smiled viciously. “I don’t believe you.”
I shoved out my hands, sparks raining down in front of me.
I couldn’t hold this forever, didn’t have the stamina for it, but if I was tiring, then so was she.
All magic came with a price, and even the shadow people had their limits.
She wouldn’t be able to control these shadows forever.
So that meant it would be a game of who could last the longest.
I was weak, tired, just emerged from a curse. That didn’t bode well for me, but as long as I kept this fire around, the shadows wouldn’t be able to come too close.
“You can’t hide forever,” she said in her sing-song voice.
I gritted my teeth, my arms beginning to shake as I held them out. I needed a plan. A better one than this.
A roar split the air, causing me to falter as five dragons, real dragons, beat their wings, soaring overhead.
My fire magic disappeared as I stared up at them in awe. Helena stared up at them, too, her jaw slack, her shadows withering down and curling into her.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
The dragons made a sharp turn, all of them descending—straight toward us. My heart beat hard in my chest as I watched them with wonder. They were so majestic, so beautiful. I didn’t know how anyone could ever fear them.
Helena reached out her hand, gripping onto their large shadows. I’d never known how she stole shadows, how any of the shadow people did.
“No,” I breathed out, lunging at her and holding out my palm. A sword made of fire grew, and I slashed it down between Helena’s hand and the shadow she was attempting to steal.
“You won’t take another shadow. Not ever again.”
The dragons let loose a stream of fire that burned right into Helena.
I stepped back as she shrieked, her entire body lit with flames.
She ran, arms wild, the dragon shadows around her trying to put the fire out, but it was too strong.
She dropped to the ground, her screams dying, her body turning to ash.
I watched with tears in my eyes. She’d deserved her fate, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t mourn the loss of what she’d been to me before she betrayed me.
The dragons landed, one by one. Their hulking bodies sank down in front of me, necks bent, heads bowed.
“You came for me,” I said, voice shaky as I approached them, laying a hand on one of them, resting my head against its scales. “How did you know?”
The dragon lifted its leg and pointed a talon behind me. I turned to see Madden standing there, ash covering his face and clothes.
“You brought them?” I asked.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” he said.
“I couldn’t find you, and I was scared the sorceress would get to you before I could.
I knew you’d be weak, that your magic wouldn’t be at its full strength, and you’d need help.
So I went to find them, convinced them not to burn me alive, told them you needed their help.
And they came. You’re their queen. You’re my queen. ”
My chest tightened as I stayed rooted to my spot, Madden walking toward me.
“I’m so sorry, Seraphina.”
I swallowed, not sure I could speak.
“I don’t deserve you, and if you want nothing to do with me, I’ll understand, but from here on out, I am yours.” He knelt before me. “I will serve you until my dying day. I will protect you, I will worship you, I will die for you.” He looked up at me. “I don’t expect anything in return—”
I grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet.
“No more secrets,” I said, voice firm.
“Never,” he responded.
“Good.” I rose up on my tiptoes. “Because I want you by my side as I rule.” I trailed my finger down his chest. “I want you in my bed.” I pressed a kiss to his lips. “I just want you.”
He wound his arms around me and pulled me into him, deepening our kiss.
We broke apart.
“What happened with Lord Vale? The Band of Mercenaries?”
His eyes grew hard. “I took care of them, told them that if they wanted to get to you, they’d have to go through me, and every dragon who is loyal to you. That changed their minds pretty quickly.”
I let out a shaky laugh.
“Hey.” He lifted my chin. “I am so sorry I put you through that.”
“You saved me,” I said. “And I saved you.”
“You didn’t just save me,” Madden said. “You gave me my life back, made me realize what I deserve, what I want. I might be a villain, but I’m your villain until the end of time.”
I threaded my hand with his. “Then let’s go. We have a court to take back.”