Page 48 of Born of Blood and Thorns

"It was after I led an attack on a village of witches," Lore said painfully, not meeting my eyes. "The moon goddess had a daughter there, a half-mortal child. My men showed no mercy, slaughtering all in their path for retaliation against the vampires. The goddess arrived to find her daughter dead. In her grief and rage, she damned us all for the innocent life I had taken."

Lore's shoulders slumped under the weight of guilt and regret. "Her curse turned my family and kingdom into lifeless statues, frozen in time. Each night my dragon form is freed, but without memory or reason. Only a sacrifice of love will break it."

My mind reeled with this devastating revelation. We were star-crossed lovers, destined to die together to free Lore's kingdom from eternal suffering. Fate had bound us in tragedy.

"There must be another way," I whispered. I knew this, but I'd had some desire to find a solution, a misguided hope, even as reality's despair threatened to drown me. Lore just shook his head, the bleakness in his eyes mirroring my heart's darkness.

He turned away, his broad shoulders slumped in defeat. The yawning chasm between us had never seemed so vast, yet I could not surrender to despair.

I had run toward this castle to save myself, and this dragon had answered my plea. He had been there for me every time I had needed him, the one to heal my broken soul, and now he was slipping away into the darkness forever.

Months ago, I decided to break the curse by killing Lore. Now, I knew I could never go through with it. I doubted I ever really could. I feared all was lost as that feeling that something wicked, something terrible that settled under my skin and clung to my bones, was coming—and soon.

I found myself lost in thought as Lore had long since left me to ruminate in my morose thoughts. I heard the roar close by as I walked through the halls past the ballroom and armory, not daring to look at the furniture—no, the enchanted people—that littered the floor.

The acrid smell of smoke roused me from restless dreams. I stumbled to the window, gazing at the hulking shadow perched atop a crumbling tower, eyes glowing crimson in the gloom.

My dragon.

My Lore lingered somewhere within that monstrous form, locked in the curse's cruel prison. I had to try to reach him before he completely lost himself to the ancient magic corrupting his soul.

Shivering in my thin nightdress, I crept outside into the chill night air. The dragon's slitted eyes tracked my approach, a menacing rumble vibrating in his massive chest. Tendrils of inky smoke unfurled from flared nostrils.

"Lore..." I called softly, hands raised in supplication. "It's me."

The dragon hissed, its serpentine tail lashing against a weathered stone. I stood firm, my heart hammering against my ribs. When his head reared back, his maw gaping to release a jet of blistering flame, I fell to my knees.

"Please!" I begged, tears streaking my soot-stained cheeks. "Remember who you are!"

He froze, the fire dying in his gullet as I gazed upward in wordless entreaty. Scaled lips retracted from dagger-like teeth as the creature slowly bent his terrible visage closer. One gleaming obsidian claw-tipped my chin up, razor-sharp edge against my vulnerable throat.

Without flinching, I met the slitted crimson eyes, imagining I could see echoes of Lore's human spirit behind their feral ferocity.

"You are more than this curse," I whispered through bloodless lips. "Our fate is not written in the stars. Only you can reclaim yourself from the darkness."

A shudder rippled along sinuous coils, and vast pinions rustled. Confusion clouded those draconic orbs for one breathless moment, and my heart swelled with fragile hope.

The shutters closed, the beast retreating back to inhuman instincts. It reared up with an ear-splitting shriek that reverberated to my bones.

As it took flight, the wind from its wings nearly dashed me against the stones. Still, I clung to faith that I had reached Lore, but only briefly. We would find a way back to each other. We had to believe it or surrender to despair.

Somewhere within the dragon's fiery heart, our love lingered. Next time, I would pierce his armor of anger and pride. Lore and my dragon were in there, and I would set them both free.

CHAPTER 23

Bella

"You know what you should do," Alysha mumbled as she poured another glass of wine.

"What is that?" I asked slowly, watching to see if she spilled the wine. It sloshed precariously, cresting the sides of the glass. Alysha smiled a slight grin and sipped her glass. At the same time, she one-handedly corked the bottle and settled it onto the small table between us. I looked at the furniture entirely differently now. Anything could be more than a bed or a table.

The first night after I’d found out about the furniture, I slept on the floor until the next day when Alysha woke me with her cackle. Telling me not to worry and that I wasn’t sleeping on top of anyone. I was still not convinced.

“Just go sneak in his room, undress, and hide under the covers. When he lies down, pounce on him.”

“Pounce on him?” I asked slowly, shaking my head. “You want me to surprise him naked.”

“And bounce on him,” Alysha said while making a vulgar expression with her hands smacking together.

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