Chapter 77 Valen
VALEN
She is in danger! OUR MATE IS IN DANGER!
My Drake is roaring in my head, demanding that I listen to him.
I don’t feel anything from the collar, I tell him. But I’m uneasy too. We haven’t gone far from the castle but going back—especially in my Drake form—might put Irena at risk.
I mean, it would be one thing if she wanted me there—if she was waiting for me to rescue her. That wouldn’t be a problem. But what if I go back and she doesn’t want me—what if she’s determined to put what we had in the past and never think of me again?
In that case, showing up in her Court would only make her a pariah among her people—a woman who consorted with a “beast” would definitely be loathed and vilified. And…
Fuck, what am I saying? Of course I’m going back.
My Drake may be feeling something I can’t sense because of all the blood we’ve taken from her.
And there’s also the fact that I gave her a drop of my blood to heal, back when we first flew away together.
That formed a kind of blood-bond—one that lingers between us, even though I haven’t actually Bonded her to me.
We turn in the sky, wheeling in a huge circle to head back towards the castle.
We’re going, I tell my Drake. But don’t be surprised if she wants nothing to do with us.
She needs us! he insists. We must hurry—hurry!
He stretches himself and his great wings—our wings—slice through the sky, speeding us onward. As we go, I begin to feel his sense of urgency as my own. What if she’s in trouble? What if she’s chained up in the dungeon as she was in that fucking vision the Door of Uncertainty showed me?
What if she’s dead?
The thought is unbearable—I push it away. But a shadow of fear is growing in my mind. I need to get to her—need to make certain she’s all right. If she sends me away again, I’ll go—for good this time. But first, I have to be certain she’s well and safe.
I just hope those fucking visions were false glimpses of the future because if either of them was true…
I can’t think about that but inside I feel a drumbeat of fear and uncertainty growing…ever growing.
Fuck—I have to get to her!