Chapter 42
T he pounding at my temples was the first unwelcome feeling that stirred me from unconsciousness. The second feeling caused my eyelids to fly open; the painfully strong, deep sense of desire I needed to immediately satisfy. The craving to answer the call humming in my chest grew with the distant beat of a tribal drum. It coursed through my body, imploring me to find my bondmate. It superseded the ability to identify my surroundings, the bed that was both familiar and somehow not. I wondered why my arms were spread over my head and why my legs matched them, pulling my limbs spread eagle toward the bottom of the bed. As I tried to rise, my question was answered.
I glanced up and found large iron shackles around my wrists—thick chains tied taut to the bedframe jingling as I attempted to move. The overwhelming panic brought bile to my throat, but as a wave of something so potent and indescribable settled over the room and brought a moan to my lips, it faded away. A new desire to relieve the growing ache between my legs emerged. I gripped the iron chains as the feeling assaulted me, my back arcing of its own accord.
“My goddess, you’re simply intoxicating when heightened with pleasure,” a familiar male voice said from the dark corner of the room. “It’s making it impossible not to stroke my dick right now, Asherah.”
My eyes snapped open, the panic growing anew through the wave of lust enveloping the room. I wasn’t prepared for who emerged from the shadows while I lay completely helpless and chained to a bed.
Kane Ruema.
Fuck .
“Of course, my mistress wouldn’t be pleased if I smelled of you when I returned to her,” he said as he casually strolled to the bedside.
My breath came in quick succession as I felt the telltale signs of my release building from the energy surrounding me. The ache was unbearable. And when Kane’s fingers skimmed the scales of my legs, I was mortified by the moan that escaped my lips unbidden, mortified that my ceremonial garments now lay on the floor beside the bed.
I watched as Kane bit on his lip. “Look at you. So incredibly horny. I bet if I took these chains off right now, you’d ride it. Wouldn’t you?” His hand traveled higher up on my thigh; the feelings of lust, shame, and terror fought for dominance within me. But it was lust that had me arcing into his touch. I gripped my iron chains tighter, trying to fight against the sensation and how good it felt.
“I won’t, of course. The mistress’ directions were very clear. You’re to stay here till someone finds you tomorrow morning.” Another wave from the ceremony crested through the room. Kane grabbed the noticeable bulge between his legs, stroking himself over his scales. “Fuck. Even with this potion, I can sense it.” He laughed. “I can’t even imagine what you must be feeling right now.”
“Fuck off.”
“Oh, I plan to.” Kane’s hand snapped out and cupped my center, and it took every ounce of remaining will to keep my scales firmly in place. “But I’m saving myself for my Queen.” A deep sense of mortification outweighed all other feelings warring within me. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about the true Queen of Atlantis. My true mate.” The meat of his palm pressed against the scales above my throbbing nub, and the level of shame was overwhelming when I moved my hips to meet him. The tears began to well in my eyes with the effort to stop my traitorous body. “You fucking sick asshole!” I voiced ahead of a moan I couldn’t control.
“That’s it, little Princess. I’m taking what is Draevyn’s while he’s taking what is mine. Seems only fair, doesn’t it?” Another wave came, and I finally broke. The chains warmed under my palms as I thrashed against them, but my attempts to avoid pumping against his hand were of no use. The constant waves of pleasure from the ritual had me in complete submission. “My goddess. You are divine when you come. No wonder Draevyn is hooked.”
“I hope he fucking kills you,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
“I’ll be too locked behind the brig if he tries to come for me. That’s where I’ll be when I confess to your kidnapping and tell them it was my idea and mine alone.” Kane shrugged. “We must do what we can to ensure the proper Queen is on the throne.” His hand slowly moved up my torso, cupping my breast, the scales holding him back from pinching what he wanted. “Certain sacrifices must be made.” He sighed like he wasn’t blatantly violating me.
To my utter penitence, another release began to build behind the last. A knowing grin spread across his face. “It’s infuriating, isn’t it? I’m afraid it won’t stop until the morning.” He released my breast, and the guilt from the longing I felt for his touch hit me hard. “I’m saving myself for my Queen, though. So, I need to be careful, or else my own willpower will snap.” The bed dipped with his weight, his mouth coming mere inches from mine. “And I’m so fucking close to snapping,” he breathed against my lips. I had enough presence of mind to turn my head, my tears falling to the pillow. But that proved to be a bad idea when his tongue coasted up my neck. I squirmed in both pleasure and shame. “Mmm, if your neck tastes this intoxicating, there’s no telling what you taste like between those beautiful legs of yours.”
“Stop,” I rasped.
“Stop?” he murmured against my skin. “But your body isn’t telling me to stop, is it?”
“Just stop! Please!”
“Well, since you asked so nicely.” He sighed and pulled back, my body sagging in both relief and disappointment. “I guess I’ll go and wipe the tears from my mistress’s face. She’s bound to have returned to her quarters by now. She’ll be so distraught when Draevyn rejects her again,” he sneered.
Another wave came through, and I moaned with the onslaught. “Rejects her?” I managed to ask.
“One way or another, my Queen is about to discover that Draevyn Eliron is not her bondmate as she has claimed for centuries. Either he agrees to present himself with her before the Bohiti to prove to her that he isn’t her mate—as I have told her repeatedly—or he refuses, leaving me to pick up the pieces of her broken heart once again.” He stared off in the corner of the room. “One of these days, she’ll realize that her mate has been in front of her this whole time.”
Melysah’s mate wouldn’t be in this realm much longer if I had anything to do with it, but I didn’t think saying that while chained to the bed at his mercy was a good idea. “You think she’s your bondmate?”
His head snapped to me. “I know she is.” He rose from the bed and stood over me. “And I’ll let you in on a little secret. I plan to be right at her side when she takes over Atlantis. It will be me who will be King, not Draevyn fucking Eliron.” He placed clenched fists on the edge of the bed and leaned in closer. “So, again. I’ll take the fall for kidnapping you both. My Queen will set me free when she takes the throne.”
I froze. “Both?”
He rose with a smug expression on his face. “Did I not tell you the best part? How could I forget? Should Draevyn refuse her—which he will—we plan to remove him from the realm. Melysah’s quite viscous when she doesn’t get her way. Makes things so much hotter in the bedroom.” He reached down and grabbed his crotch.
Gross .
“We’ll take him somewhere no one can find him and leave him to die. So, the real loser in this? It’s you. You’re not sitting a single pretty little ass cheek on that throne. You’re not getting your bondmate. And the real Queen will ascend. It’s perfection.”
Sheer panic coursed through my body but was immediately extinguished by another wave. “I’ll kill you myself.”
The bastard laughed.
He laughed.
“You can try.” He tapped his finger to his chin. “But something tells me you won’t be in this world long either.” He casually stepped back, heading for the bedroom door. “Enjoy the rest of the evening, Your Highness . It may very well be the last bit of…pleasure…you feel for a long time.”
He turned and left the room.
The sweat dripped slowly down my forehead onto the pillow, joining the endless tears that had fallen throughout the evening. A deep sense of hopelessness replaced the endless waves of pleasure that had died down, with the sky beginning to lighten outside. With the fog of lust lifting, I began to think of ways I could get out of these chains. From what I understood, iron rendered a Fae’s power useless. But I wasn’t just any Fae. I was the Hekiti. There had to be a way. I had to warn the others about Melysah and Kane’s plans and Draevyn’s kidnapping. I wouldn’t stop until I found him. Of that, I was one thousand percent certain.
My gaze drifted to the chains above my head, my brow furrowing when something clicked in my head. Through the haze of the dramatic evening, I seemed to remember the chains heating in my grip at some point.
Did I…
I wrapped my hands around the chain and focused with all the strength I could muster, and felt the chains begin to warm.
Those chains would have to get a whole hell of a lot hotter than that.
I remembered how my air element emerged. It was a moment of panic. I thought I was going to die. And yet, it was Draevyn’s life in danger now. My bondmate had been kidnapped. I paused when a deep sadness swept through me. Draevyn wasn’t my bondmate, at least not officially. We’d have to wait another turn around the sun before we’d have a chance to present ourselves before the Bohiti again.
And didn’t that just piss me off?
In fact, it pissed me off so much that the chains began burning bright orange. I channeled that single irritating fact through the palms of my hands and watched with utter satisfaction as the chains began to melt and drip onto the bed.
The bedding began to sizzle.
“Shit.”
I summoned water to douse the tiny fire by my head. I’d need to work quickly, then. I let loose a determined groan and watched as one of the links finally broke free on my right, followed by the other. A pained cry escaped my lips as my arms dropped—the muscles in my shoulders burning like hellfire. Within minutes, my ankles were freed. I wrapped a palm around each shackle, melting them, and my eyes went wide when I realized that my scales below the shackle burned like fire.
Lit like a Fire Fae.
I didn’t have time to ponder over that little fact as I did the same to the rest of the shackles, finally freeing myself from the nightmare I’d been thrust into the night before. With my limbs aching, I ran from the room toward my father’s quarters, my feet pounding against the stone floor and my chest pumping for air as my muscles protested. When his door came into view, I wept with relief.
But when it opened and Reneah exited the dark room beyond the door—I stopped short, my mouth dropping to the floor in open shock. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her very human red silk pajamas hung slightly askew beneath her floor-length cotton cardigan. When Reneah closed the door behind her and finally met my very confused gaze, her eyes went wide as she wrapped her cardigan tighter around her body.
We simply stared at each other.
Reneah was supposed to be safely away from the palace, away with the humans in the human quarters. She wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the palace until the morning, and the sun had just risen, which meant she’d been in Dad’s room all night.
The sound of pounding footsteps coming from the stairwell broke our stare off, Dax and Myles emerging through the entryway, heaving for breath. They stopped short when they took in the scene before them.
“Oh shit,” Dax and Myles exclaimed at the same time.
I pointed to Reneah. “I take it you all knew about this?”
Dad’s bedroom swung open, his head peeking through the opening with blurry eyes. Those eyes whipped into saucers as he realized who was in the hallway. “Oh shit.”
Myles and Dax exchanged a glance before Myles stepped forward. “I’m afraid explanations will have to wait. Draevyn has been kidnapped.”
“We were both kidnapped. Separately.”
Four sets of eyes swung in my direction, but it was Dad’s furious gaze that held my attention. “Who did this?”
“Melysah and Kane.”
My arms remained crossed as my gaze pinged between Reneah and Dad—the former looking anywhere but in my direction. Myles sat beside me in the deadly quiet living area, his foot tapping a mile a minute. And Dax chewed his nails in the corner of the room, monitoring everyone like we might implode. The ticking of the clock echoed across the room, heightening the anxiety taking residence in my body.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
I read a book like this once. You know…the one where one friend starts dating the other friend’s father. In fact, I actually adored reading this trope. However, now that I was living it, my feelings about the trope had drastically changed. I made a mental note to avoid that particular section at Fae Flings. So many questions ran through my head.
So many.
But all of them would have to wait.
I cleared my throat. “Okay. We need to figure out where Draevyn is.”
The entire room breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“Melysah claims she had nothing to do with the kidnapping,” Dax informed. “She’s already telling the council that Kane did this alone.”
I could feel the heat rise to my face. “Lies. All of it.” After the things that Kane said and did, I could hardly compose myself enough to say, “That motherfucker said he’d tell everyone it was his idea when he held me captive.” I could still feel the ick of his touch against my skin. It’s a much different memory without the effects of the ceremony encouraging me to let go of myself.
I felt…gross. Dirty even. I hated feeling that way. Hated still recalling his touch on my most intimate of places. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“Sher,” Dad started, his gaze empathetic, “did he…are you—”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I cut in, shaking my head. “I can’t. Right now, I need to focus on rescuing my bondm…” I sighed, “Draevyn.”
“He’s still your bondmate, Asherah,” Dax reassured me, his tone every bit the gentle giant that he is. “Just because you weren’t formally bonded doesn’t mean he’s not. In fact, I’m willing to bet that the key to finding his location is within you. The call from the ceremony is so fresh, you’ll likely be able to let the bond guide you.”
I sat up straighter. “I can do that?”
“Of course,” Myles confirmed. Dark circles blanketed the area under his eyes, a clear sign that Aurelio’s night had gone as planned. “Why don’t you take a few deep breaths and see if you can find the tether? Close your eyes.”
My lids came down, and I inhaled deeply. I was met with nothing but darkness.
“Exhale,” Myles guided me.
I let out a slow stream of air followed by a slow inhale.
“You may start to see a faint string of light coming from your chest,” I heard Myles say. “Try and lock in on it and follow it to the end.”
I steadied myself and let my body relax. As my breathing steadied, the rest of the room fell away, and I found the faint light floating before me—the bright, faint blue rope tethered to something—someone—in the distance. Carefully, I followed it to the end. My brow dipped in a furrow when the tether brought me into a dark cavern, the faint light of the moon streaming through an opening at the top. It was a moon I’d witnessed a million times before in the Above World. It cast its light on a male form, his head hanging forward as he hung from two iron chains embedded into the cavern ceiling. The beautiful face I’d kissed so tenderly now displayed deep, bloody gashes—the blood slowly trickling down his face. I gasped as my eyes flung wide open. “He’s in the Above World. They have him captive in some sort of cavern.” I leapt from my chair. “I’m going after him.”
“We’ll go with you,” Dad said, rising from his chair.
“I’ll find Aurelio,” Reneah murmured.
I swiveled to her, her gaze cautious. On the one hand, I didn’t enjoy the idea of…whatever was happening between them. On the other hand, Reneah was the first friend I’d made in Atlantis, and that meant something to me. “We’ll talk when all of this is over, okay?”
A mixture of relief and hope sparked in Reneah’s eyes. She gave me a solemn nod before I turned my attention to Dad, who was looking at us with equal caution.
My spine straightened. “I’d like to talk with you as well.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed on a swallow. “Of course, Sher.”
I wheeled around and hurried out of the room and down the stairwell, Dax, Myles, and Dad trailing me. My mind was in a frenzy of panic. The image of Draevyn hanging in the cavern brought bile up from my stomach.
“We need to speak with Tibu,” I said to the others as we strode across the palace bailey—the portcullis rising with our approach.
“Oh, right,” Dax said as he kept pace beside me. “I’d forgotten how you can speak with sea creatures.”
Our steps quickened when the mote came into view. “I’m sure you’ve seen my mother do that a million times.”
“Actually, no,” Dad countered, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to him, meeting the amused look on his face. “Your mother never had that ability.”
“She didn’t?”
“No. That’s a Sher thing.”
My brow furrowed. “Huh.” I’d have to ponder over that one later. Without wasting another minute, I dove into the water, following the current to the open sea.
It didn’t take long for Tibu to hear my call. He met me in the murky water lit only by faelight. I could feel his concern as he reached our group, circling slowly around us.
“ Asherah Delmar. You’re in distress. ”
“ Hello, Tibu. We need your help. ”
“ Name it, and it is yours, my Queen. ”
The others kept their gazes glued to the massive shark. Dax swam a little closer to my side when Tibu swiveled in the opposite direction. “ My…mate was kidnapped before we were properly bonded. I don’t know where he is exactly, but I can see a cavern through the bond. ”
“ Hmm, that’s most alarming. ”
“ Do you know of any caverns in the Above World? Ones that may be close to Atlantis? ”
A pause. “ I can think of a few places, but it will take some time to search them all. ” A few smaller sharks arrived behind Tibu, and Dad froze beside me. I could feel Myles closing in at my back. “ These are my brethren. They’ll assist you in finding your mate. With several places to search, I think it wise to split up so we can cover more area. ”
“ Thank you, Tibu. ”
“ You’re welcome, my Queen. We are skilled at tracking. I’m confident we will find him. Perhaps, if the villains are still with your mate, you’d be kind enough to provide us with a…snack. ”
The fuckers who kidnapped and tortured Draevyn getting torn apart by sharks seemed like a small mercy, but it would have to do. “ You have yourself a deal, shark. ”
I relayed every word Tibu had spoken to Dad, Dax, and Myles. I’d search the waters with Tibu. Dax and Myles would pair up with part of Tibu’s brethren while Dad would search with the other half. We set out on our way.
Seven caverns. We’d searched seven caverns so far, and I was beginning to lose hope. The bond was starting to fade with the passing day. The sun’s rays coasted across the ocean’s surface like a drape of light floating in the wind. Draevyn had been hanging from those iron chains for several hours now—several hours of him lost to me. I could only imagine the pain he must be feeling.
“ Do not worry, my Queen. There are only two more caverns left to search. We will find him ,” Tibu said confidently.
Tibu slowed as he approached a sea wall littered with plankton and algae. Strips of seaweed drifted across the surface as we entered the underwater cave—the darkness immediately enveloping us.
Suddenly, something within me lit like a beacon. “ I think he’s here, ” I told Tibu.
“ Go. I will send the call to the others and stand guard in the water. You have my protection. ”
My tail whipped through the water as the bond went from dim to bright. I swam past Tibu and followed the call till it brought me to a shallow pool, the sun’s rays filtering through the opening at its center. My heart beat heavily in my chest as my fin peeled into scaled legs. I breached the surface.
And there hanging as he had been in my vision was my friend, my lover.
My mate.
Draevyn was scaled from the hips down, the ‘v’ at his lower abdomen visible. Even with the evident signs of exhaustion, he still looked like a fallen god.
And my fallen god wasn’t alone.
Sitting at the bottom of the rock that Draevyn hung over was a Fae clad in brown trousers and a dirty tunic—picking his nails with a dagger, utterly unaware of my presence. Next to him was a Water Fae—casually leaning back on his arms as he stared at a spot on the cavern wall—the pure picture of boredom. His chest was bare and wholly exposed, like a threat didn’t lurk anywhere near him.
I could hear the blood rushing to my head at the sight of them looking so casual as my mate hung near death just a few feet away. I channeled all the anger of the past twenty-four hours into a wave that formed beneath my feet, the water churning with an angry roar as it lifted me high in the air. I unleashed my trident, the two males jumping from the floor with staggered steps and wide eyes. I chanced a glance back at the shallow pool, witnessing the fin slinking lazily back and forth.
It was time to feed.
I returned my attention to the seething males as I said, “You dared to touch my mate,” my voice echoing in the darkest tone I’d ever heard from my lips.
The Fire Fae male conjured fire in his palm. “Look what we have here. The wannabe Queen. It seems you’ve picked up some skills since last I saw you.”
It hit me then who this male was: one of the Fire Fae from The Blue Fin, one who was responsible for my mother’s death. My hand tightened around the stem of my trident.
An evil grin spread across his face. “Ah, you do remember. Good.”
“Yes, it is good. Your death will be that much more satisfying.”
He let loose a sinister laugh. “Little fishies can burn, Princess. Are you sure you want to play?”
I tilted my head and let him see the upper half of my scales burn like molten lava, let him see the trident in my hand—its light reflecting off the wave carrying me. The Fae froze, eyes wide, struggling to comprehend. “Are you sure you want to play?”
I didn’t give him an opportunity to answer.
I leapt from the wave, landing before the Fire Fae while the Water Fae attempted to escape on the other side of the rock and into the water. I watched with sick satisfaction as he scrambled back when rows of gleaming white teeth breached the surface. It distracted me enough to miss the fireball hitting my chest. I glanced down at the scales that lit a little brighter than the others. My head snapped to the Fire Fae, who glared at my burning scales with his mouth hung open. I tilted my head. “Aw, you didn’t think that would hurt me, did you?”
The Fire Fae dropped into a fighting stance, baring his teeth as he said, “I may be just one Akani, but you can’t defeat us all. Our Queen will rise!”
“The fuck she will.” My trident whirled through the air, the stem catching the male in the side—a grunt resounding before he wheeled around with his blade, the tip nicking my throat. Blood dripped from the cut and sizzled as it touched my fiery scales.
“You’re nothing but a faeling with a glowing, golden toy,” he spat.
I dipped into my fighting stance. “Well, you’re about to meet your end from the tip of my toy, asshole.”
With a loud roar, he lunged forward with his dagger above his head, my trident clanking against it as it came down on me. I pushed it away and jabbed his nose with my stem. I relished in his cries of pain as he gripped his nose, the blood seeping through his dirty fingers.
Taking advantage of his moment of pain, I wheeled around and whacked his head with my trident. Before he hit the ground, I impaled him in the stomach with the tip—the blood squirting from the opening.
But I’d barely had a moment to revel in his pained and anguish scream. The foolish Water Fae wrapped an arm around my neck from behind, cutting off my air supply. “You will never be my Queen,” he breathed into my ear. My trident dropped to the floor as I wrestled against his grip. As I struggled for air, the Fire Fae crawled across the rock, reaching for my trident. His hand scratched across the bare rock as I dispelled it—a curse of defeat and pain leaving his lips. When stars began blanketing my vision, I clawed at the Water Fae’s arm. My gaze shifted to Draevyn, and the sight of my mate hanging from those chains a few feet away gave me everything I needed to rally through. I reached back for his face, sending all my fire magic to my palms—the sickening smell of burning flesh invading my nostrils on a deep inhale as he released his hold. His wail echoed loudly against the jagged cavern walls, and Draevyn’s drooping head lifted slightly.
He was alive .
I summoned my trident and whirled around as I lunged forward and pierced the scales at the Water Fae’s thigh. He fell back on the rock, the blisters already forming on his panicked face. Before he could register his last moments on this earth, I raised my trident in the air and slammed it down, piercing his chest. He wailed in pain as I dislodged my trident. His cries were cut off when I lodged the tips into his throat. I ignored the gurgling; I ignored the sick snap of his neck as I twisted my trident. I ignored the blood splattering on my scales as I cut his head loose.
But you’d best believe I paused and watched as his head sailed through the air with a swat of my trident, landing firmly in the jaws of the awaiting shark. That, I couldn’t ignore.
Draevyn’s wail of pain sounded behind me, dragging my attention. The Fire Fae gritted his teeth as he sent tiny fireballs into Draevyn’s bare back. He stabbed that nasty dagger into Draevyn’s lower back. I ran at full speed, shooting ice daggers into each of his eyes with perfect precision. I’d like to think the years of playing darts at The Blue Fin helped with that particular skill.
With one final stab of my trident through the male’s heart, his body gave a final jerk before going limp. I conjured air, lifting his body on a frenzied whirlwind. “Game over, dickhead.” His body dropped into the water with a deafening splash, the rest of Tibu’s brethren tearing his body apart. I watched with a satisfied grin. What did that say about me? I didn’t really care.
“ Nanichi .”
I wheeled around to Draevyn, his head giving a slight bob. “Draevyn!”
My muscles burned as I climbed to the top of the rock, my nails digging as I reached him. Flakes of blood trickled to the ground below as I gently cupped his face. “My love. Wake up. Please.” I kissed him softly on the lips—the salt from my tears mingled with the coppery tang of his blood.
A pained groan left his lips as he lifted his head an inch. The swollen, narrow slits of his eyes landed on me. “ Nanichi ,” he croaked. “ Nanichi .”
The tears flowed like the Shingu down my cheeks. “I’m here. I’m here.”
Water splashed behind me, drawing my attention. “Sher!” Dad called. The others had arrived, their eyes wide as they beheld Draevyn’s state as he hung limply.
I returned my attention to his iron chains and followed its path to the cavern ceiling. I gave the chain a sharp tug, testing the strength of it. My biceps protested in pain, and I finally relented, holding back a sob.
“No. Use.” Draevyn murmured. “Tried that.”
Right. Because that would be the first thing he would do. I understood what must be done. I knew it meant exposing what I was to Dad, Dax, and Myles, who stood a few feet behind me.
But Draevyn was worth the risk.
I brought my hands to the chain at his left arm, carefully avoiding his scales or skin. “I’m going to get you out, but you have to remain very still.” I thought I heard him chuckle.
“Sher, what are you doing?” Dad asked.
I didn’t turn when I answered him. “Trust me.” I channeled all my anger into a single link in the chain. I thought of Melysah touching what was mine. I forced myself to think of Kane taking what wasn’t his. I thought of the Akani who’d tried to abduct my mate. I thought about waiting another year to complete the bond with my lover.
Mine.
My teeth gritted with the force of the power that flew to my palm and lit in a low glow. The metal began to drip on the rocky ground. When a few accidentally dropped on his hand, my heart skipped as he hissed in pain. “I’m so sorry. So sorry, love.”
“Goddess divine. Is she doing what I think she’s doing?” I heard Dax ask.
“Yes, Dax. I believe she is,” Dad replied.
Despite how heavily I concentrated, I didn’t miss the point of pride in his voice. Finally, the link gave way. Draevyn bellowed in pain as I caught the brunt of his weight under his arm. “Hold on, Drae.”
I glanced over at Dax, Cathan, and Myles, their faces arrested in shock.
“Can…uh…one of you hold him up? Please?”
Dax snapped out of his trance and rushed up the rock, taking my place under Draevyn’s arm. I immediately got to work on the other chain, gripping another link in my palm. My mouth fell open. The shades of my scales were completely different—burnt orange mingled with a lighter shade of peach. With no time to think about that particular change, I began funneling the last remnants of my power into the chain link.
A few more drops landed on Draevyn, his grunts of pain muffled by Dax’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Drae. You got this, brother. Be strong. She’s nearly there,” I heard Dax encourage.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Myles exclaimed.
After what seemed like an eternity, the link finally broke, and Draevyn grunted as his knees hit the ground. Dax stepped back as I knelt in front of Draevyn, cradling his head matted with dry blood on my shoulder. “You’re free. You’re free.” I gently swept his hair off his face.
“I’m so…sorry. Should…have been…there,” he wheezed.
I brought my warm palms to cup his bruised cheeks and kissed him softly—his chapped lips gritting against my smooth ones. “There’s nothing you could’ve done differently. And none of this shit is your fault.”
His eyes began to droop. “So tired.”
“It will be my honor to carry him to Atlantis, Princess,” Dax said from behind me.
I twisted around and jerked back. Dax, Myles, and Dad knelt on a knee at the shoreline with their heads bowed. “What are you all doing?”
Dad lifted his head, the tears spilling from his eyes as he uttered one single word.
“Hekiti.”