Chapter 7
seven
“The wish…”
“…your mothers…”
“How else could this happen to…”
“…nothing we can do about it now.”
Conversation drifted over me, but I couldn’t speak through my chattering teeth, and my eyes were too heavy to prop open. I resigned myself to listening in, determined to do my best to remember the details.
“The mate bond isn’t active.” Rían, that was definitely Rían. “That means she didn’t fully shift.”
“Not a full shift?” Sloane barked out a laugh. “Then what the hell was that?”
“Mmmph.” I struggled to swim toward full consciousness. “What…was…?”
“I was hoping you could tell us, Bestie.” Her laughter rang out, slightly unhinged.
“You burst into flames, which, okay, is a problem, but they formed a dragon. You—she?—wavered, like a mirage. And boy was she pissed at that SUV. She kind of engulfed you and spread her wings like a shield to protect you and Rían. Then she smashed what was left of the SUV with her tail until it was a smoldering pancake.”
That must have happened while I was dazed because I remembered the smoking SUV and the tail, but the rest was news to me.
“You saved me.” Rían’s face swam into view as he leaned over me. “How did you know there was a bomb?”
“Let the girl breathe.” Fayne swept into the room. “She’s only just opened her eyes.”
The scratchy linens, I was realizing, were familiar ones. I was in the emergency clinic.
“Have you learned anything yet?” Rían locked on to her. “Did Roe have any information?”
“We’ll get to that.” She shooed the small gathering. “I need a moment alone with Ana.”
About to protest, I reached for Rían, but Fayne got there first, smacking away his hand.
“This won’t take long,” she promised me, “but you might want privacy to hear what I have to say before you share it with anyone else.”
That she would cut me off from Rían meant whatever she had learned from this Roe person was big.
The potential need for secrecy made me want to cling to him even more.
But I understood this was a gesture of respect, from the former maguri to the future magna, and I couldn’t find it in me to devalue the offer.
With a little effort, I got a reassuring smile pinned in place for Rían’s sake. “See you soon.”
Once the door was shut, Fayne pressed a hand against it, and a ripple stirred the air.
“The insulation in these rooms is nonexistent. Now we can talk without anyone overhearing us.” She perched on the foot of my bed. “I don’t mean to frighten you with these precautions, but given our location, let’s call this a HIPAA addendum.”
“You’re not doing great on the not-frightening-me thing.” I shoved upright, collapsing against my pillows. “Does this mean you can explain what went wrong with my dragon?”
“Nothing went wrong.” She tipped her head back. “You’re just…not what we expected is all.”
Hand to my chest, fingers seeking out the scale, I frowned. “I’m not a wish dragon?”
“Do you remember what I told you about how mystisch, mystic dragons like myself, present?”
“There’s no rhyme or reason to when they pop up in a bloodline,” I quoted Rían, recalling it quickly.
“Your breed is also a bit of a wild card. There’s no predicting when it will manifest in a bloodline or what triggers it. Had we gone off genetics, you would have been a glücklich, a luck—or wish—dragon like your mother. That was the most likely scenario.”
A large part of the reason our parents wanted Rían and me to end up together was so he could protect me, but it had me curious if there was more to it. “Do you think the wish had anything to do with what I became?”
Had a slip of the tongue or an awkward turn of phrase twisted my fate even further?
“The wish his mother and yours spent on you was a hope that, as mates, you would fall in love and bind their families even tighter. There’s always a possibility their interference altered more than your futures, but it’s just as likely fate pushed back.
” Her gaze drifted to me. “According to Roe Seon, a renowned dragon scholar, you’re a feuervogel, which translates to firebird.
It’s the dragon equivalent of a phoenix. ”
“I’m a bird?”
“Nowadays they do claim dinosaurs had feathers.” She clasped a hand over the foot nearest her.
“You are not a bird, Ana. You’re a dragon.
Feuervogel are compared to phoenixes because their powers share, I suppose you could say, a similar origin.
Both stem from elemental magic. That’s why control has been a struggle for you.
Part of it is the result of your fledgling status, of course, but summoning your flame also roused your dragon. ”
“So, when I struggled to douse the fire, I was really attempting to rein in my dragon?”
“That appears to be the case, yes. The push-pull of energies must have been confusing for her. Likely she couldn’t determine whether you were calling her out or not, given how quickly you shoved her down as soon as she began rising.
” Her low chuckle drew my attention to her.
“That you succeeded on even one occasion is miraculous for someone new to their powers.”
“I get how that could make learning to control my fire difficult, but what was different today?”
“Aside from your mate’s life being in danger?” She hummed low in her throat. “Your practice must have loosened the seal, prying its edges more with each session until it allowed her to break through sooner than expected.”
As hard as I was fighting to retain this torrent of new information, I had one big question left.
“Does this mean I don’t have an actual dragon form?” I bit my bottom lip. “Will I be able to fly?”
“Your form, from what I understand, will evolve over time. You’ll likely wear your dragon’s essence like a cloak but retain your human shape until your bond matures.
Roe believes, in time, with practice, that you will dissolve into the element during your shifts.
You’ll become a creature of pure fire.” She gripped my ankle in a reassuring hold.
“As to the rest, I see no reason why you won’t be able to fly.
” She shrugged. “Phoenixes do, and their feathers are no more substantial than your wings.”
“I’m not sure why that’s important to me when flying makes me reach for the Dramamine every time.”
“I wouldn’t let the motion sickness get you down. You know how some people only get carsick when someone else drives? You might be the same way with flying. You won’t know until you try.”
“None of this sounds too horrible.” I flicked a glance at the door. “Why keep it from Rían?”
“Consider it a formality.” She placed her hands on her thighs.
“These types of conversations are usually held between a parent or guardian and a child. Confirmation of the child’s breed, and all it entails, is kept a secret until the child’s coming out party.
That’s when the big announcement is made.
” She stared into her lap. “You’ve lost out on experiencing so much. I didn’t want to cost you this too.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t feel like you have to humor me, but I would be honored to throw your party. You won’t hurt my feelings if you decline. This is something you should do, or not, for yourself.”
“I can tell Rían?”
“You can tell anyone you want or no one at all. Party or no party, it’s your choice.”
The softness in her voice and features confirmed how much this meant to her, and it was within my power to let her have this moment.
“I never had a surprise party as a kid, but they always looked like a good time. This is even better, because I’m not in danger of wetting my pants if someone jumps out and screams surprise in my face.” The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. “Let’s do it.”
“This will be so much fun.” She jumped to her feet, ready to take on the world, or at least caterers. “I’ll start planning today, and we’ll block out some potential dates that work for you to run past the others.”
Seeing her like this, I got a glimpse into Rían’s childhood, into the love and care put into raising him.
How had the meager scraps of affection I was fed as a kid ever sustained me?
“That sounds great. Thank you. I mean it.”
“We’re family.” She flicked away my thanks with a flip of her hand. “This is what family does.”
Not all family was the first thought to pop into my head, but I was done dredging up comparisons.
I had to let go of the past and move on.
I couldn’t allow it to chain me down, to hold me back, and resolving the situation with Carmichael would go a long way toward helping me achieve that personal goal.
Oh no.
The mission.
“Are we still going out tonight?” I fisted the cover in my hands. “To search for Carmichael?”
“You’re in no condition for that, especially not if you want Burdock to discharge you so that you can go home and spend the evening with Rían and Goldie.
She rented a couple of movies and bought snacks.
It would be a pity if you fought against doctor’s orders and were forced to spend the night here instead. ”
Seeing as how the doctor was her boyfriend, or whatever label they chose for themselves, she had the pull to make that happen if I pushed back too hard.
“I don’t want to let everyone down.” I bunched my hands in the sheets. “I don’t want them to think I’m a flake, or that I’m weak either.”
“You saved Rían’s life.” A sheen glittered across her eyes. “They would walk into a volcano for you now. Not a single one of them is going to begrudge you a full night’s sleep after what you’ve done.”
“Good thing there are none of those in Brentwood.”
“The risk of someone throwing Liam in is too high for us to ever settle near one.”
Surprise laughter bubbled out of me, reminding me I was unharmed but still tender.
“He can be obnoxious when he sets his mind to it, but he’s been nice to me lately.”
“All he’s ever really wanted is for Rían to be safe and happy, and you’ve proven yourself capable in both regards.”