Chapter 19 #2
“Because Alaric is a twat who refuses to let anyone ride him.”
“And you?”
“Sweetheart,” he purred deep in my psyche, sending heat spiraling low in my belly, “you can ride me anytime.”
Eyeroll. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Yes, I am. And my dragon form is rather exceptional, I’m told.”
The last time I’d seen Thorne shifted was at night, while I was running for my life. All I remembered of his beast was shadows and menace.
Curiosity won out. Carefully, I gathered my legs beneath me until I was straddling Thorn’s spine. Finally, I dared to sit up.
Gulp.
Thorne’s dragon was enormous.
Whereas Alaric’s beast was brawny, powerful, and ridged, Thorne’s was captivating.
His shining scales were black with an iridescent blue luster.
Leathery wings, black as midnight, stretched wide, broadening his already massive frame.
Thick muscles flexed in his shoulders, his wings slicing through the air with undeniable grace.
Down the back of his sinuous neck was a ridge of spikes.
More protruded from the edges of his jaws, a set of sleek, ebony horns curling away from his forehead.
If Alaric was a pack mule, Thorne was a stallion, sleek, swift, and untamed.
The flame in my center warmed at the sight of him.
Tentative, I loosened the grip I held on that blazing fire.
Stoked it, gave it fuel, oxygen. Let it build—then set it free.
Sparks tingled throughout every inch of my body, igniting every part of me.
Up here among the clouds, there was nobody to judge me. To shove me into a cage, defining who I was, who I was meant to be. No rules. Just me, the wind, and my dragon.
“Flarking hell, Thorne.” I didn’t hold back. “You’re beautiful!”
I could almost feel the beast preening beneath me, his growl emerging as more of a soft purr.
“I am rather fabulous, if I do say so myself.” He heaved a mournful sigh. “It’s a shame Alaric doesn’t let me out to play more often.”
Yes, shame on Alaric.
The ground below rolled like green waves in an ocean.
Golden sunlight shone down on our heads, the air crisp as it coasted over my skin, my unruly curls waving like a flag.
Instead of being held in a cage of deadly claws, I was one with the dragon beneath me.
His powerful body rippled against mine with every swipe of his wings.
While keeping my legs tight, I relaxed my hips, our bodies moving together.
Soaring on the dragon’s back, I felt freer than I had in years. I flung out my arms, pretending I was a mighty bird of prey.
“Careful up there,” Thorne warned when my hands left the spines on his neck.
“Screw, careful. I’m flying!”
His laughter rumbled through me, deep and rich, and for once, I didn’t mind.
THORNE
Serafina’s joy was infectious, and I found myself gliding instead of pumping my wings on the trip back to the mountain, telling myself I took the long way through unpopulated areas to prevent us from being spotted.
“Woohoo!” she whooped, and dammit, I smiled. I’d forgotten the raw exhilaration of flight. How good it felt to let the sky carry you.
Over the years, I’d taken my dragon form for granted, flying only at night, Alaric too afraid of discovery.
He’d raise hell when he learned I’d revealed myself in daylight. But there were worse things hunting us now than dragon slayers.
I banked left, and Sera squealed, part fear, part delight, arms snapping down to clutch my spines.
Laughter rumbled through my chest. I’d never carried a willing passenger before, only enemies—in my claws. How I loved to soar high with them smashed in my tightening grip, only to let them plummet to earth, their screams of horror and pain a delight to my ears.
Flying with Sera was far different.
Too soon, Gravestone came into view, black and soulless, as void of life inside as it was out. Stark compared to the hills and valleys we’d explored. I aimed for the flight deck. “Hold on tight, Princess. Time to land.”
Her thighs tightened, and I ignored the fiery pulse that ran through me. I’d come to discover there were many delights to be had with the curvaceous female straddling my back.
My feet touched down with little jarring, muscles straining in my wings to soften the blow. I landed soft as a feather, my cargo remaining safely in her seat. Not too bad, if I did say so myself.
Score one for the dragon.
“That was incredible.” She slid down my foreleg with the ease of someone born to fly, curls wild, cheeks flushed.
Eyes luminous with delight, she beamed up at me. Beneath her sternum, a soft light glowed.
My dragonflame.
I lowered my head and nosed the center of her chest. Sera laughed and ran her palms over my muzzle, petting me the same way she might her cat. I tried to be offended but failed.
“Thorne!” Alaric barked, the sharp sound of my name causing both Sera and me to flinch. To my disappointment, she immediately lowered her hands, tucking them behind her back. Her cheeks reddened as if she’d been caught doing something unseemly.
If only.
“Alaric,” I retorted calmly, though his interruption rankled.
“What do you think you are doing?” He curled his tail around Serafina’s back, guiding her away from the edge.
The protective gesture reeked of possession, stirring a low growl that rattled the scales along my neck. “I was simply delivering your charge home as ordered. Safe and sound,” I grated.
“Safe?” my brother snarled. “Then why was she on your back? That is an honor reserved for…” he trailed off, scowling.
An honor reserved for mates. While I would likely never claim one, flying with the woman who carried my dragonflame sure as hell hadn’t felt wrong.
Serafina dared to step between us, hands raised, her stance defensive. “It was no more dangerous than flying in a dragon’s claws, Alaric. In fact, it was quite exhilarating.”
The once-mighty king ignored her as he would a bug in his path.
“And how dare you shift in broad daylight where others could see you.” Smoke rolled from his nostrils. “Do you want the hunters to find me?”
“Would you rather I let your little pet die?” Speaking of which, was I the only one aware his precious treasure stood between two fully shifted Draconis?
“Who are you calling a pet?” Serafina planted a fist on her hip, squaring off with us as if we were a pair of squabbling mortals.
“What are you talking about?” Alaric asked me, ignoring her outrage.
“Ghouls attacked us in Ironwood.”
The words dimmed his fiery anger to dull embers. “Serafina, return to your room. I need to speak with my brother.”
“But there are things we need to discuss. We learned Speck and the others—”
“Later,” Alaric barked, and she stiffened.
She opened her mouth as if to argue, then thought better of it. “Know what? I’m about done with both of you. Go ahead. Set each other on fire. What do I care?” Flicking her wind-tousled curls over her shoulder, she sauntered past Alaric with her head held high.
Each fall of her booted feet rocked her hips, the vision of her in those form-fitting pants a sight to behold.
“What is she wearing? Did you have something to do with this?”
Alaric’s disapproving grumble snapped me out of the daze she’d created.
“I need a drink,” I muttered, letting the shift roll through me before I throttled him. Magic tingled through my limbs, my body changing. A golden light enveloped my frame, and when it dimmed, my bare feet rested on stone.
Once inside, I selected a pair of pants from the stack I kept near the entrance and dragged them up my legs.
Alaric entered the room behind me, his massive form lumbering to his nest. “Tell me what happened at Ironwood. Leave nothing out.”
Once I’d poured myself a glass of Ambrosia, I sat in a chair at the end of the long table, propping my bare feet on the surface.
I quickly explained the events of our trip, leaving out several choice moments that were none of his business, ending with the attack.
“There must be another explanation,” Alaric hedged.
“There is only one creature known for using wendigos and ghouls to do his dirty work. The Dark One has returned. This is the only explanation,” I growled.
“It’s not possible,” Alaric insisted, much as he did so many centuries ago. Just like when he was blinded by his own importance, convinced Pyrrhus was invincible.
I cocked a brow. “What about the ground tremors? The rise of the wendigos? The attack at Graycott, Nefarr, and now Ironwood?”
“The comet disrupts the balance of magic. That is all. The Dark One is gone. I will not run from ghosts like a coward.”
It was the fall of Pyrrhus all over again. With Alaric’s ego, the kingdom’s undoing. “I’m telling you, we need to leave this place. Now. Even if I have to drag you.”
“No,” he stated in that kingly way I’d long hated.
“No?”
“Being back in the mountain with the family hoard, and the healing waters, it has awakened something inside of me. Something I’ve missed for centuries.”
Tension clenched my shoulders. “You can’t honestly be thinking of staying here.”
“Even if it is The Dark One, he’s been underground close to a thousand years. He’ll be weak. Easily defeated.”
I barked a mocking laugh. “You are also weak and easily defeated.”
“Not for long.” He broke into a wet hacking cough, groaning as he shifted his weight.
“Sorry. What was that? Couldn’t hear you over the sound of your dying.”
His craggy face hardened. “I’m telling you, Thorne, she will be the one to break my curse. Here. In this place. We cannot leave. Not yet.”
Flarking Alaric and his infuriating self-absorption. “Just because you found her half-dead on Pyrrhus’s doorstep doesn’t mean she was sent here to be your savior. Did you ever stop to consider that the mark on her neck has absolutely nothing to do with you, you narcissistic prick?”
He attempted to growl, instead hacking another cough. “I recall a time when you would not dare to speak to me so.”
“Strange, because I do not.” I was the sole person in Alaric’s court who’d refused to kiss his ass. I’d no plans to start now. “Fine. Since you are determined to cling to this madness, you should know you’re not the only one to take an interest in her.”
My flame sparked at the double meaning I didn’t intend. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the flush of panic the words evoked. “The ghouls who attacked Ironwood were there for her.”
“You’re mistaken,” he said too quickly.
Flarking idiot! I lurched out of my chair, sending it careening over the stone in my haste.
“Dammit, Alaric, wake up. The Dark One has returned, and for some reason, he wants Serafina. Maybe even more than you do. For what purpose, I can only guess. What I do know is that staying here puts her life at risk.”
Alaric flashed his teeth, his temper rising. “While saving mine.” His green eyes narrowed to tight slits. “Days ago, you were eager to let her die. What changed?”
“Nothing has changed.” I paced several steps, the room suddenly stifling.
His craggy brow cut an all-knowing angle across his hollow head. “She’s getting to you. Isn’t she?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Another lap. Out and back. “She’s little more than an annoying inconvenience.” Though I’d said as much dozens of times, the words tasted like ash.
Alaric’s eyes burned into my being, seeing far too much. At length, he growled, “You’ve my permission to screw her if you must.”
That he would show her such disrespect shot a fiery jolt through my veins. My emerging spikes tingled along my spine. “You are so out of line.”
“Go on. Get it out of your system,” he drawled, unmoved. “Use her and leave her. Rest assured, I will be there to pick up the pieces, to deal with the repercussions of your thoughtless carousing. Yet again.”
“Enough!” Flames painted my tongue.
“What is it? The red hair? The defiance? She reminds me a lot of you in that way.”
“Shut up.” My bones ached with the desire to shift. To do battle. Something that would prove deadly for us both.
“Tell me.”
Inhale. Exhale. He would not provoke me. “Tell you what?”
“This sudden desire to protect her. Is it feigned? Is that it? You’re faking concern for her, using it as an excuse to spirit her away? To keep me from breaking my curse?”
“Now you’ve really gone off the deep end.”
“Maybe it is you who’s held me back all these years,” he dared to sneer. “You who keeps me from regaining all I lost.”
There was so much to unpack in that one statement that it was impossible to know where to start. “What you’ve lost?” I snarled. “Look around you. Travel the hallways of Pyrrhus. Count the corpses and tell me again how much you have lost.”
He lowered his head, voice raw. “I did love them, you know.”
I stiffened at the lie. What a load of nerf dung. Alaric was never an affectionate king. A generous king. A forgiving king.
“I never should have brought you here.” I twirled a finger over my head. “It’s addling your mind. Filling you with ideas of grandeur.”
“Remember.” He leveled his dark gaze at me. “Once I’m a man again, you’ll be free of the vow you made. I’d think you, of all people, would do anything to make that happen. Even if it meant endangering one insignificant woman.”
“Is that all she is to you?” I asked, failing to hide my disbelief. He forgot I knew him too well. This was all posturing. If she were insignificant, he wouldn’t be snarling like a starving wolf at the idea of losing her.
This argument was part of some ploy to throw me off the scent. He downplayed her importance because his need for her made him vulnerable. The thought that I held some sway with Serafina interfered with his control of the situation.
“Of course,” he said with false indifference. “Why? What is she to you?”
Ah, and there it was. He feared I’d grown attached.
“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. And that was the truth.
But I intended to find out.
Irony was, during Alaric’s tirade, he’d given me permission.