Chapter 29
Carly
I was positively fuming as I marched down toward the beach. I couldn’t believe it: he hadn’t expressed any remorse at all! I didn’t know what I’d been expecting. Maybe an apology for being young and reckless? Or some indication at least that he regretted his actions? Certainly not that the villagers had deserved it. The freaking children hadn’t tried to slay him.
Then again, why was I so surprised? He had set Leonard and Leonard’s buddy on fire without a second thought. And he’d said it himself: dragons didn’t care about anyone else but themselves.
But I’d thought maybe Desmon was different.
I remembered the way he’d taken in a desperate woman and an orphan. The sweet way he tried to earn Q-Tip’s trust despite the bunny’s innate fear of predators. He treated those working at the museum well too, from what I gathered.
Would he really burn Darlington to the ground in a fit of rage? How could this be the same man?
I plopped down into one of the lounge chairs on the beach that faced the western shore. The sun was just setting, and the sky was a beautiful mix of pink, orange, and purple. The gorgeous display was completely at odds with the hurt and confusion I felt in my heart.
A particularly bright streak of orange had me suddenly remembering what it was like to be surrounded by Desmon’s flames. For me, it felt so warm and wondrous, like a loving touch. How could something so wonderful be so devastating?
He’d said that his dragon had recognized me as his mate. He’d used his fire to protect me. Suddenly, I was wondering what could be so important that he had felt he needed to resort to such deadly measures in that village. He had been trying to tell me, but I’d been so angry that I couldn’t listen. Now I wished I had.
A strong floral perfume wafted in my direction, and a woman with jet-black hair and a perfect body sporting a dark green bikini approached my row of lounge chairs. Underneath the heavy floral notes, there was something that reminded me of burning wood. I’d never smelled anything like it. If it had been applied with a lighter hand, it might have made for an intriguing signature scent. As it was, I could hardly breathe.
Something about her unsettled me, especially when I realized she was looking directly at me. She grinned and showed sharp teeth that reminded me of Desmon’s when he was in dragon form.
I immediately knew it was Gillisandra.
I scrambled out of my chair and backed away.
She snorted. “A human mate. You’re every bit as pathetic as I imagined.”
Eamon was suddenly in between us. “Get away from her!”
The demon’s ability to dematerialize and pop in and out of existence sure was handy. I hadn’t even realized he’d been there.
Gillisandra just laughed. “What are you going to do, demon? Fight a dragon, a witch, and a wizard all by yourself?”
I glanced around but saw no one else nearby. Down the beach, there was a couple holding hands and walking by the shore, but they didn’t look to be paying attention to us.
Without warning, I was being lifted up into the air. I shrieked, my legs kicking at nothing, as an invisible force dragged me toward her.
Gillisandra cackled. “Too late. She’s already mine.”
Eamon reached for me but encountered a shield; the second he touched it, he was thrown back. He sailed through the air and landed in a palm tree.
Gillisandra turned to me, and in the blink of an eye, she was behind the shield with me, her hands around my neck. “Where is the compass?” she hissed.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Pathetic. Foolish. Don’t lie to me. I can smell lies.”
“I don’t have it.” That, at least, was the truth. I’d placed it in the safe inside the master bedroom at the villa.
A little wisp of smoke emanated from the she-dragon’s nostrils, much like happened with Desmon when he was frustrated.
“Demon. Go find your master and bring him here.”
“There’s no need for that, Gillisandra.”
Desmon!
“Just the dragon I wanted to see. Let’s make a little trade. The compass for the girl.”
When Desmon didn’t immediately hand over the compass, she squeezed my neck until I was clawing at her hands for air. “Or I could always set her on fire, and we can both watch her burn.”
“I’ll get it. Don’t you dare harm a hair on her body while I’m gone.”
Gillisandra released me, and I gasped for air. “I’m glad we have an understanding.”
Minutes later, the compass was in Gillisandra’s possession. She laughed as she tossed me at Desmon.
“I always knew you were weak, just like that useless brother of yours.” She glanced down at the compass before looking out at the ocean, grinning with all her teeth.
Then she transformed into a green and black dragon and, with a flap of her wings that sent sand into my eyes, leapt into the sky.
“Liam. Eamon. Do everything you can to prevent her from reaching the artifact, but do not risk your own survival.” Desmon eyed the two severely. “I mean it. Don’t get yourself into trouble that I can’t get you out of.”
Both demons nodded solemnly.
Then, holding me in his arms, Desmon opened a portal to his cave.
Once we were inside it, he didn’t set me down until we were right at the two chests covered by the sheet. I cringed, not wanting to face that terror again. But he ripped off the sheet and positioned me directly in front of the smaller metal one.
“Open it. You deserve to know all of the story.”
“I don’t want to.” I backed up like I was afraid the chest would burn me, only to bump into Desmon.
“Please, Carly. I need you to understand.”
Tentatively, I reached for the chest. I don’t know what I expected to see, but fragments of a giant broken eggshell, a child’s leather shoe with shiny brass buckles, fuschia and purple scales of differing sizes, a small claw wrapped in a leather thong and made into a necklace, and a tiny toy sword definitely weren’t it.
When I didn’t immediately touch any of the items, Desmon reached around me, picked up the largest of the shell fragments, and put it in my hand. I saw an image of a much younger Desmon, not that he looked old now, sitting in his human form next to a sparkling red and purple egg about the size of a pumpkin, reading to it. They were inside a castle that reminded me of the second floor of his current home, but this was clearly another time and another place. Then the scene changed, showing Desmon, now in his dragon form, curled around the egg at night, sleeping.
The weight of something infinitely important settled in my consciousness.
Holding my breath, I put the shard of eggshell down and I reached for one of the smaller scales. I saw a tiny dragon, purple and pink, not much bigger than a cat, and completely helpless. Desmon held it in his arms, cradling it like a baby.
Behind me, I heard a sharp intake of air from Desmon, but nothing more.
I reached for the next item, the toy sword. This one didn’t give me an image, but I heard the sound of a boy laughing followed by Desmon’s voice, equally jovial, and then the boy replying. I couldn’t make out the words, but I felt their happiness and love, and their feeling that together they could conquer the universe.
Then the shoe. This time there were no words. Instead, I found myself running through the woods, panicking. I’d been playing with the boys from the village and they’d brought me into a barn. Their sires had been waiting for me inside, led by a man in shining metal. They were going to kill me. So I ran. I looked down, my eyes landing on the leather shoes on my feet, then up at the sky, wishing I was big enough to fly. But I wasn’t, not yet. I wasn’t going to make it home!
When the vision ended, I was panting for air as if I’d really been there, running for my life.
“Be calm, Carly. Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not really happening. You are safe here with me.”
I turned and looked up into Desmon’s face. He suddenly looked much older.
“One more,” he encouraged. “For me. The claw. But be warned: it’s bad.”
I reached for the claw and was greeted with a searing pain so strong in my hand that I snatched it away. But I wasn’t a quitter. I reached for it again and gritted through the pain.
The next image was of a small dragon, sprawled lifeless on the leaf litter of an ancient forest. Then, the scene jumped to a village.
I was the claw now, and I was being held aloft by a knight in armor, like a trophy. Around me, the town exploded in thunderous applause. I watched as the boys I’d thought were my friends were gifted real swords for their bravery. Their mothers beamed with pride. The villagers celebrated long into the night as I watched, horrified, from around a man’s neck. Then, there was a loud screech, and a red and orange dragon appeared in the sky, spewing dragon fire and rage. Elation filled me. My sire was here! Everything would be all right now!
I was sobbing, gasping for air, when Desmon took the claw from my hand. Then he wrapped himself around me, comforting me when I should be the one comforting him.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” I sobbed.
“I never told you. I never told anyone.” He carried me to the nest and climbed inside. Then, lying in a half-shift so he could wrap his wings around me, he told me his story.