65. Killian
KILLIAN
“No matter how hard you fight against the current, it will only drag you down. To see the beauty on the other side of the chaos, you must move with it.” His father’s words repeated over and over again, and he as Esemeray fled down the temple steps.
“Is that Riggs?” Esemeray asked breathlessly.
“Keep moving.” Killian stared out into the distance, his heart pounding at the sight. Izara stood before Riggs, her long, silver dress whipping in the wind.
What the fuck happened?
Temple guards lay dismembered across the blood-soaked sand. Every last one of them, dead. Riggs was not a killer. He couldn’t believe his eyes—didn’t want to believe them. It was a long shot, but Killian placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled, hoping River heard his call.
“Is…is he hurt?” Esemeray questioned in a panic, the wind whipping her hair behind her shoulders.
Killian’s chest heaved. Every fiber of his being begged him to get to his brother, but he needed to get Esemeray outside of the gates. He promised Riggs he’d give her the one thing he wished he gave his wife.
Safety.
He had failed Layalara, but he would not fail Riggs.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
Not ever.
Not when Riggs was the only thing on this planet that made moving possible. The only thing that kept him from losing his damn mind. Riggs was the float carrying him through the current. The person who made it possible to see the light in his darkest days.
He would not fail him.
“Keep moving! We will get to him.” He gripped Esemeray’s hand hard and carried his steps rhythmically. “Almost there.” He could see the bottom of the stairs, the sandy ground growing closer with each step.
Esemeray’s eyes were lined with tears. “Killian, something’s wrong.”
Glancing toward Riggs, Killian’s heart stopped. His brother was walking away with Izara, fading away into a rolling cloud of dust, Killian tripped, nearly rolling his ankle but regained his balance.
Where is he going? His heart hammered against his rib cage. If Izara used her power on him…
Dust whirled through the air and headed right for them.
A dust storm.
“Godsdammit,” Killian muttered, thinking of a quick plan. River galloped toward them, and Killian’s chest surged with gratitude. “Esemeray, when I say jump, you jump!” Killian bellowed, careful not to miss a step. Esemeray nodded, keeping her eyes on him.
Three.
Two.
One.
“Jump!”
Killian had done this move countless times, but never with anyone else. They landed perfectly on River’s saddle, just as he hoped for. Killian pulled in a deep breath, his lungs expanding, a prideful smile dancing on his lips.
Esemeray had done good. She had done really damn good.
River’s movements were strong underneath them, the city blurring beside them. “Hang on!” Killian wrapped his arms around her as he reached for the reins and raced toward the gates.
Time was on his side today. Something he’d never had. And he could only thank Riggs for pulling through.
Once they reached the gates, he yanked back on the reins, stopping River in an instant. “Easy boy. Well done.” Killian leapt off, turning toward Esemeray. “Stay put, I need to open these gates.”
No guards lingered, but the streets were packed. Distant chatter merged into something unintelligible while kids ran up and down the streets kicking a ball back and forth. A vicious wind blew causing his footing to slip.
“Shit.” Killian turned, needing to gauge how much time he had before the dust hit them. He had sixty seconds to open the gate before the sand split their skin and sucked them into death.
Esemeray called out, panic clouding her eyes, “Let me help!”
“No. Stay put.” Killian grunted from the weight of a gate.
Fifty seconds.
Pushing with everything he had, the gate moved slightly but not enough. “Fuck!” He swallowed hard, surveying all the children. They were blissfully unaware of their approaching. Killian shouted, “Everybody move. Now!”
Forty seconds.
He pushed again not caring that he could simply not breathe, not caring that his eyes were on the verge of popping. Not caring that his veins were on the brink of snapping at any second. Breathing heavy, he turned, needing a new angle, his chest heaving.
“Push!” Esemeray yelled at his side, her face flushed, eyes bulging.
Thirty seconds.
As if she gave him the strength he needed, the gate moved an inch, then another, then another. The strain on his biceps, on his calves, on his back, threatened to collapse. He felt it all. Every tear. Every burn. Every pound of effort.
He bellowed, “Evacuate to safety!” If he couldn’t save himself, at least he could try to save Esemeray and the women and children. But they didn’t move, they just stood there in shock. “Move out the fucking way!” Screaming filled the streets, and everybody started running.
Twenty seconds.
The gate opened, but not enough for him to fit through. Killian looked to Esemeray, who was putting everything she had into opening the gates, needing to keep his promise. “Go, Esemeray!”
Her face was bright red, dripping sweat. “No! I won’t leave you.”
“You have to, please go!”
Ten seconds.
Fuck it.
He pushed her through, the full weight threatening to crush him. I tried, my love. I look forward to being in your arms once?—
“What the fuck…” Killian breathed, staring up at the massive obsidian dragon above him. His hair tangled with every beat of her mighty wings. Then talons wrapped around his torso and yanked him in the skies.
“River!” Killian screamed, reaching his arms out for his companion, watching the suffocating swirl of dust swallow him whole.
She flew them to the top of a canyon, clear of the dust storm circling Sulu City, remaining shifted despite releasing him.
“Do you want to tell me what the hell that was about?” Killian shouted, throwing a rock off the cliff. His hands shook at his sides, his chest collapsing.
I’m going to have a godsdamned heart attack.
Never once had he been gripped by talons and carried through the sky. Never once had he been that terrified in his entire life. He had no change of clothes, and he was certain he needed new pants.
She snorted, sunning her wings while searching the cloud they left behind.
He threw his hands in the air. “Are you going to shift back so we can come up with a plan? Or are you going to stay like that for the rest of the time?”
Everything had gone to shit.
Riggs was missing.
River was dead.
They ruined the relationship with their father’s biggest account. And on top of everything else, Esemeray was a godsdamned fucking dragon.
Her eyes narrowed on him as she blew hot steam.
Killian leapt back, feeling the blaze on his forearms. “Fuck! Burn me, why don’t you?” Killian squeezed his temples, trying to calm himself. She didn’t deserve his outburst, not after she just saved him.
“Look, I’m sorry.” Killian offered a thankful smile. “Will you please shift back so we can talk?”
She angled her head, scraping her talons across the sand as if she were trying to say something.
Killian sucked his teeth. “I don’t speak dragon.”
Black mist blocked out the sun, her dragon form replaced with her human one.
Esemeray covered her body as best as she could, but Killian could still see a glimpse of her breasts.
He whirled around, cheeks staining as he removed his tunic.
“Here.” He tossed his shirt to her. “But before you shift again, make sure to return it. It’s my only one. ”
“Thank you.” Her voice shook. “I-I’m sorry about River.”
He sniffled, heart stinking, unwilling to face her. “Thank you…for saving me.” He didn’t want to talk about River. He wasn’t ready. He blew out a breath, pulled it together and faced her. “Why a dragon?” Dragons used to thrive in Razareth long ago before they were extinct, among other beasts.
Esemeray fidgeted with the bottom of his tunic.
“Aria used to read me picture books when I was a young girl. The Tale of Wings and Fire was one of my favorites. The dragon’s fierceness saved the world, its braveness keeping it going despite the evil in the story.
” She held her chin high. “It was always something I wished to be.”
“A dragon?” Killian questioned, sliding his hands in his pockets.
“No,” she breathed, “brave and fierce.”
Killian offered a small smile. “You are.”
Esemeray shook her head, staring off the cliff, her hair flowing behind her. “I used to be…”
“You’re brave, Esemeray…” Killian said, “I have never seen a woman push a one ton gate with her bare hands…or risk her life to save an asshole like me.”
She hid her smile. “You’re not an asshole…anymore.”
He’d beg to differ, but just said, “Good to know.” Killian nodded, crossing his arms. “What other picture books did she read to you?”
“A whole lot of them.”
“Do you know of a creature that can track anything despite the distance? Preferably with no wings. I don’t think my pants will survive another flight.”
She placed her hand beneath her chin, staring at the sky for a moment, then met his gaze and exhaled. “I know just the creature, but I can’t promise it doesn’t have wings.”