Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Marcus put the torch in its holder near the door.
Its red-orange glow danced over Fedra as she picked at the bread.
He had wanted to get farther into the mountain, but she had been too exhausted to go on, and he didn’t have the heart to push her anymore.
She hadn’t said a word about needing to rest, and to his shame, he hadn’t checked on her.
“In other words, you’ll force me to be there.” Fedra lifted her dark eyes to his.
He had purposefully sat on the darkened side so she couldn’t see him easily.
Every time he looked at her, he thought about her body against his and how easily she fit against him.
“If you’re considering joining her to thwart me, I’d recommend you change your tactic.
You pose a threat to her, regardless of your hatred for the dragons.
She’ll kill you the first chance she gets. ”
“So you say.”
“You’re welcome to test that theory, but you should also be aware that once you start down that road, there’s nothing I can do for you.”
Fedra chewed and swallowed the bite of bread before she said, “You talk to me as if we’re enemies.”
“You doona think so?”
“Does it matter what I think? You’ve already decided how to proceed.”
Had he been too hasty? Was there still a chance to sway her? He nixed those thoughts immediately. They each had their own goals that could—and would—never converge.
“There’s one thing I’ve not asked,” she said.
It would be better if they stopped this game of theirs. But he found he couldn’t do that. “What’s that?”
“How many different kinds of magic are there?”
For a moment, he had thought she would ask what kind he had. So far, her thoughts hadn’t taken her down that particular road. “As many as you can think of. There are Druids, Fae, elves, Hellhounds, Banshees, and too many others to name.”
“And dragons.”
“Of course, the dragons.”
Her gaze held his as she tilted her head to the side. He knew what was coming.
“What about you? What is your magic?”
Marcus craved a dram of whisky. He could walk out and put some distance between them to use his magic for a bottle of Dreagan, but while the scotch would taste good, he would eventually have to answer her question. “That is something you should’ve worried about sooner.”
“The fact that you’re evading tells me you don’t want to say.”
“I could tell you anything. There is no way for you to prove or disprove it.”
She looked away, nodding slowly. “True.” Her gaze slid back to him. “You told me you hadn’t lied to me. Why start now?”
“It doesna matter what kind of magic I have. As long as you’re near me, I can no’ use it.”
“You really aren’t going to tell me, are you?”
He twisted his lips. “As I said, it doesna matter.”
“What if you need to use your magic against Eurielle?”
“I willna as long as you’re there.”
“Why not bring Kora, then? Didn’t you say, as a Hellhound, she can defeat a Star Person?”
Marcus propped up one leg to rest his arm on his knee as he stretched out the other. “I also said that it took all of us to bring Miena down.”
“Why not do that again?”
“For one, it was three sisters against one. This time, it would be two to one. For another, you’re here.”
Fedra hurriedly ducked her head. “And I disrupt everything.”
He hadn’t meant to embarrass her, but there was no taking back his words. “It’s true. However, you’ve also given us a way to stop her from waging any more attacks. Your presence could actually save lives.”
“The moment I leave, it’ll be like it was before.”
“I didna come here without a plan.”
She went back to eating the bread. “Let’s say your plan works. Say you’re able to stop Eurielle—”
“Without taking her life,” he interjected.
“Without taking her life,” Fedra added. “Then what happens to me? Do you plan on chaining yourself to me for the rest of my life?”
He lowered his gaze to the floor. This was something he had been asking himself from the moment he discovered who she was. “We’re still figuring that out.”
“I suppose I don’t have a say in it.”
“I know exactly what you would say.”
“Wouldn’t you want retribution if something came to Zora and wiped everyone out?”
Marcus got to his feet. “That’s exactly what Eurielle is doing, and we’re trying to stop anything from happening so no one has to seek vengeance.
And I’ve been where you are. I’ve wanted justice for the deaths of those I loved, but I can promise you that even if you succeed, it willna stop the pain you feel.
No amount of blood covering your hands will ease that ache. Or erase the bitterness in your mouth.”
“So, you think I should forget my promise to my people?”
“It doesna matter what I think. You have to do what you have to do, and I have to do what I have to do. That’s the truth of it.”
She lowered her hands with the bread to her lap. “Which makes us enemies, I suppose.”
“It does.”
“We can have differing views and still be…”
He raised his brows, waiting for her to continue.
“Be what? Friends? You seek to harm those I care about. It doesna matter what kind of bond there is between us.” Or how deep the attraction went.
“A line has been drawn. I’m no’ stepping over it, and neither are you. What are we, other than enemies?”
“Then perhaps I won’t help you with Eurielle.”
There was no need to tell her that she didn’t have a choice. She’d figure that out soon enough. “Get some rest. There will be a lot of climbing tomorrow.”
Marcus walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He settled himself against it so it would alert him if she tried to leave.
It felt good to be back within the walls of a mountain.
It would be even better if he could shift.
Marcus still recalled the day he had woken from dragon sleep and reentered the world.
The changes had been so great that there was no sign of the Earth he had once known.
But time had a way of changing everything.
Wind shaped the sand, water eroded the land, and rain could reshape mountains. Birth, life, death. It was the circle of life that touched everyone except a small few like the Star People and the Dragon Kings. Yet there was an exception to every rule.
The Star People could kill a King. Dragon Kings could kill Hellhounds. And Hellhounds could slay Star People.
Eurielle might not show up at the palace.
Marcus might wait there for months, never seeing any sign of her.
If Lotti hadn’t gotten Villette to share what had happened between her and Eurielle, he wouldn’t have had the idea to come to Stonemore.
Something about the city drew the Star People.
First Villette, then Miena, and now, Eurielle.
He didn’t know whether it was the location or if each of the sisters wanted what the others had. Whatever the reason, Eurielle had returned to mock Villette. It stood to reason that she would try such a tactic again, though Lotti intended to be there instead of Villette.
That was the last he had heard from the Kings when he reached out to them at dawn.
Villette had refused to do more than share her conversation, but that wasn’t unexpected.
Villette had only helped with Miena to save herself.
There was no reason for Villette to join the Kings again.
At least not until one of her siblings once more threatened her life.
Still, his plan was a longshot.
Even if Villette hadn’t cooperated with Lotti, Marcus would’ve brought Fedra to the palace. It would help if Lotti were there to entice Eurielle to show. The real wild card was Fedra. He didn’t know if his threat would keep her from attempting to join with Eurielle. Perhaps he should gag Fedra.
He nixed the idea immediately. If she wanted to convince Eurielle, then he would let her.
She’d find out soon enough what type of person Eurielle was.
Though there was a small chance that Eurielle would agree.
She wanted to hurt the dragons as much as Fedra did.
While Fedra needed Eurielle, Eurielle didn’t need Fedra to carry out her plans.
Marcus gave up trying to sleep after a few hours and rose to scout the tunnels.
Merrill and Alasdair had mapped out the way up the mountain.
There had been no sign of anyone when he first entered the tunnels, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone there.
It was a maze of corridors, rooms, and even stairs that led nowhere.
He found where he needed to go and then explored more of the tunnels, finding remnants of armor and weapons left behind by Villette’s army.
Stonemore had once been prosperous, but Villette’s greed in crushing everyone around her and forcing the survivors to the city had led to overcrowding and poverty.
It was no wonder everyone had fled the city the moment there was trouble.
Then again, the fact that the dragons had been circling the city had something to do with it.
Eventually, he made his way back to Fedra and peeked into the room to find her still asleep.
He could watch her for an eternity and never get tired.
If only she weren’t the enemy. If only he had met her before the catastrophe on her realm.
If only she didn’t hold hatred in her heart, and he wasn’t a dragon.
He sat and rested his eyes for another two hours before walking into the room and dropping to one knee beside her. She was on her side, with one hand curled near her cheek and the other outstretched. Her lips were parted slightly, and her breathing was even and deep.
He stared down at her, his hand halted halfway to her.
He ran his gaze along the soft curve of her jaw to the exposed area of her neck and back up again.
Before he knew what he was doing, he lightly brushed aside some hair from her cheek.
His fingers lingered against her soft skin for a moment longer, then dropped to his side.
Many of the Kings had longed for mates. He had celebrated with his brothers each time they found love.
At one time, he had been desperate to find his mate, but the longer he lived, the harder it became to believe he would ever find her.
Dragons mated for life. Some never found their other half.
Marcus believed himself to be just such a dragon.
It was why he had given up any thoughts of romance centuries ago.
Why then did the sight of Fedra asleep make him reconsider that, regardless of whether she was an enemy or not?
He was playing with fire, and he had been from the moment he dug his way to her and carried her from the pod.
Lying with her the night before had only added gasoline to an already raging blaze.
The only thing that had stopped him from giving in to his desires was her hatred of dragons.
If he saw even an inch of change in that, he might not be able to hold back.
Distance, both physical and emotional, was the only remedy.
Yet here he was, daring to touch her.
Marcus shook himself, then stood and returned to the door. From there, he said, “Fedra? Fedra. It’s time to wake.”
She stirred and was slow to open her eyes. His blood surged with heat at the sight of her waking. Even now, he fought the urge to go to her. If he had remained at her side, there was no telling what he might have done.
“We need to get moving soon,” he stated gruffly and left the room.