8. Calista
8
CALISTA
I jerked awake the following morning.
I dreamed I stood at the top of the castle and tripped, my body spiraling down past the windows, catapulting to my death against the pavers below. When I stared at the cold fireplace across the room and saw the lines of sunlight peek through the planks boarded up over the windows, I realized it wasn’t real.
Just a nightmare.
I kicked the sheets away because I was coated in a heavy sweat, my clothes soiled, my hair stuck to the back of my neck. I sat there as the dream slowly drifted away from my mind. Then my thoughts turned to Talon, the intense conversation we’d had the night before, when he’d asked me to be with him…rather than told me.
It was the first time I’d been given a choice.
I moved into the bathroom and got ready for the day, enjoying the shower in solitude as the steam fogged the mirrors over the vanity. When I was finished, I patted my hair dry with a towel then ran a comb through the strands, letting it air-dry.
I looked in my closet for something to wear, ignoring the dresses and heeled boots and opting for something simple, leggings with a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt, wishing to look as unremarkable as possible.
How are you, little one?
I stilled when I heard the words in my head, heard the echo that bounced around inside my mind. I turned away from the closet and looked at the room, expecting the powerful dragon to somehow be in my chambers. How are you talking to me?
I can feel your mind.
I got dressed in the center of the room, the bedchambers mostly dark because the sunlight had been taken away.
You can feel mine too—if you try.
I was still overwhelmed by the intrusion of his words inside my mind. It took me several seconds to recover.
You didn’t answer my question.
I’m okay. What about you?
It’s a cold morning. My favorite meal is hibernating.
What’s your favorite meal?
Bears.
Oh…
Grizzlies, in particular.
Why not other bears?
Because they’re bigger. What do you eat?
Um…not bears.
A delicacy you’re denying yourself.
I’m sure. I sat on the couch in front of the cold fireplace . So you knew Talon wouldn’t kill me…because you would ask him not to.
Yes .
Why?
Because he listens to me.
I meant, why did you ask him to spare me? Because I have the gift?
That was one of the reasons.
What are the other reasons?
You’re valuable. There was a pause. And I like you.
You like me?
I do.
I’m not sure what I’ve done to earn that.
You remind me of Talon. He was just as broken when we met.
I knew that depth of sadness and wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, even him. But he was the man who had taken everything from me, so perhaps he did deserve it.
But I suppose he still is…
I didn’t pry into his backstory. He might have saved me from General Titan’s grasp, but he was still my enemy as far as I was concerned. My father’s dead body on his desk would be forever ingrained in my mind.
You don’t like him.
How did he sense that? Why would I?
He spared you from an unbearable existence.
He’s the reason I was there in the first place.
Indirectly.
No. Directly.
Khazmuda was quiet for a while. I understand why you feel resentful, but I hope that’s temporary.
Fuck no, it wasn’t temporary.
Talon is a good man, and I know you’ll see that eventually.
I had dinner alone, sitting at the small dining table in my chambers, reading a book for company. My dinner used to be eaten across from General Titan, who inhaled his food like a dog and then looked at me like I was dessert. I was usually not hungry, disgusted by what would come next after we finished.
The only reason I ate alone by the fire was because King Talon had taken me away, and it was hard not to feel grateful for that. I had far more power under the thumb of a king than I did with a general. I did have a choice, and that gave me the first surge of power I’d felt in a long time.
The door opened without an announcement, and King Talon entered in his dark lounge pants, his chest and stomach bare, little shadows in the grooves between his muscles. He approached the table as his dark eyes locked on mine, his presence filling every corner of the room. He helped himself to the chair across from me, glancing down at my empty plate before he looked at me again. “You enjoyed your dinner.”
“It’s gourmet compared to what I had in the Arid Sands.” My eyes dropped down to my wineglass, and I traced my finger around the edge, slowly spinning in a circle, wondering if I could shatter it and stab him in the neck.
His stare was hot on my face. I could feel it without looking at him.
“What are the black diamonds for?” I noticed he wore no jewelry, no amulet around his neck or a ring with the material in the center. My eyes lifted to his, wanting to gauge his reaction to the question.
A shadow was across his jawline, a darkness because he’d skipped the shave. And with every passing day, it became darker. “Have you considered me?”
My fingers stilled on the glass. There was no denying King Talon was an exceptionally good-looking man, not just because of his handsome face, but because of the strong body that was constantly flexed under his skin. But whenever I looked at him, I thought of things I wished to forget. “You said you would share with me freely.”
“I will,” he said. “But I wanted to know if you were upholding your end of the deal.”
“Yes, I’ve considered it,” I said quickly. “And the answer is no.”
His eyes narrowed in more than disappointment.
“I can tell you aren’t used to rejection.”
His arms crossed over his chest as he sank into the chair, his arms looking even bigger when his elbows were bent. “I don’t consider your answer a rejection. It’s no tonight, but it may not be no tomorrow.”
My eyes dropped back to the wineglass, a small puddle of red wine at the bottom.
“And I hope it’s not.”
I refused to look up, to meet that demanding gaze. He’d claimed this continent as his own in a sweeping victory and had the power to do anything and everything he wanted, but he still didn’t force me to comply.
Maybe he wasn’t completely evil. “So you came here tonight hoping I would ask you to fuck me?” My eyes lifted to meet his.
That unflinching stare was latched on to mine like the jaws of a hungry wolf. “Yes.”
My eyes moved back to my wineglass.
“And you can still ask.”
I smirked slightly. “I’ll never ask something like that.”
“Once you’ve been with me, you will.”
“Damn, you’re arrogant.” I looked at him once more.
“I’m confident it’ll feel right. I would take you like it’s your first time…because it is your first time.”
My neck flushed with heat, picturing him being slow and steady rather than hard and aggressive.
“I’d be gentle with you—just as I have been gentle with you up until now.”
“I’m a prisoner.”
“But not the kind of prisoner you were before. You should see how I treat my real prisoners…”
My eyes dropped again. “Tell me what I want to know.” I grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled my glass. But before I could take a drink, he grabbed the glass and took a drink.
He licked his lips before he returned it to the center of the table, like it was for us to share.
I didn’t touch it. Instead, I drank straight out of the bottle.
His eyes warmed in a slight smirk. “There are very few people in this world who have the ability to communicate with dragons. I’m one of those people—and so are you.”
He confirmed what I’d already assumed. “Why do we have this ability?”
“Because we’re part dragon.”
I inhaled a slow breath when I heard what he said.
“Dragons communicate by connecting their minds. We’ve inherited that ability.”
I took several breaths, struggling to understand this revelation. “Khazmuda can feel what I feel.”
“Because you’re the same,” he said. “We’re the same.” His dark eyes were locked on mine, burning deep into my soul because his stare was as hot as fire. “When you’re Khondexed , not only do you have access to their mind but their strength as well. An ordinary man can be the greatest fighter simply because he’s Khondexed with a dragon.”
“Khondexed?” I’d never heard such a word.
“It means connected in dragon speech.”
“Dragon speech? Dragons have their own language?”
“They did at one point. But that was a long time ago.”
“Why did that change?”
“Because they’ve become enslaved by humans.”
“Enslaved?” I asked. “Khazmuda said he’s not enslaved by you.”
“Because he’s not. We’re connected by choice.”
“How do you enslave a dragon?”
He gave a sigh, like all he really wanted to do was climb on top of me, not have a complicated discussion. “Dark magic.”
“Can you do dark magic?”
“No.”
“But you’re a necromancer.”
“How do you know that?” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“I’ve heard tales about you raising the dead to fight for you.” I’d heard of the way he’d claimed this very kingdom, the bedchambers I slept in every night, with both his mighty dragon and his ability to wield the dead.
“They’re different kinds of magic.”
He didn’t deny it, so I assumed it was true. “How did you become a necromancer?” I asked the question even though I didn’t expect an answer, but I hoped for one.
His eyes drifted for several seconds before he reached for the wineglass and took a drink. “I said I would tell you about the gift. My abilities aren’t pertinent to this conversation.”
I was desperate to know more, but it would be pointless to pursue it.
He grabbed the glass and took another drink, finishing it off before wiping his lips with the back of his forearm.
“If being part dragon is rare, that means we’re related.”
“Not necessarily. That’s like saying you’re related to all humans because you’re human. But it does mean we come from powerful and influential ancestors. I know my roots, but I don’t know yours.”
I wanted to avoid his gaze to stop the silent interrogation, but the aversion would be a dead giveaway, so I held his stare.
“However, I think you do.”
My father had told me stories about his father and his father’s father, but nothing beyond that. A lot of our old texts had faded or been destroyed in floods and fires throughout the years. Little was known about our origins, if we were born in these lands or came from other places.
“Tell me who you are.”
I continued to hold his stare with an unflinching gaze—but I wanted to crack.
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because I don’t know who I am. My parents were regular people. My father was a farmer, and my mother was a seamstress?—”
“I asked you this before, and I’ll ask again. Do I look like a fool to you?”
No. Not in the least.
“Then keep your secrets, but don’t you dare lie to me.”
I did my best not to let my breathing increase, but I was nervous…fucking nervous.
“What I don’t understand is why you wouldn’t want me to know who you are. That’s the great mystery.” His dark eyes showed his mind working furiously, trying to solve a puzzle when all the pieces were missing.
I sidestepped his interrogation. “You wanted me because I have the gift. But for what purpose? Khazmuda is the only dragon in these lands. Without a dragon, I’m useless to you.”
He lounged in the chair, his body tight with strength even though he was visibly relaxed. But his eyes were still scorching, still so intense they seemed unforgiving. “I’ve shared what I’m willing to share for the night.” He pushed his chair back and rose to his feet, tall, muscular, and strong, his powerful muscles an armor under his skin. “We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow evening. Hope you’ll be more receptive then…because I’m an impatient man.”