Page 67 of Burned

I let out a broken wail, slamming my fist into the soft dirt and dragging in pained breaths through clenched teeth. It can’t end like this. Not now. Lord promised me we’d have centuries, fuckingmillenniatogether, not just a few weeks. I try to stand, but pain sears through me. I collapse right back into the dirt and close my eyes.

I drift in and out of consciousness for only the gods know how long, an endless cycle of pain versus nothingness until death seems like the kinder option. But then Lord’s words come back to me, breaking through the fog.

He tried to kill me and left me for dead.

Except I won’t die.

Not yet.

I reach down to assess just how bad the damage is. Will Lord be feeling the poison seeping through his own veins yet?Is it making him weak? My shirt is stiff with drying blood, and I shove my fingers through the hole to check the skin beneath. To my surprise, the wound doesn’t feel nearly as bad as it did before. Actually, the pain is starting to fade as well.

A stunned laugh bursts from my lips, and I probe a little more. I’m almost sure I can feel my skin slowly knitting itself back together even now.

He used a regular sword to cut me.

He doesn’t know how the bonding works or that I have Lord’s healing powers now.

More laughter rocks me. Maybe I’m hysterical from the blood loss or maybe just from relief. Maybe it’s just fucking funny that if my dad knew half as much about dragons as he thinks he does, Lord and I would both be dead already.

Viggo lets out a rattling breath a few feet away, and that sobers every ounce of gallows humor inside of me. I push myself up out of the dirt, soaked with my own blood, and I crawl to Viggo. His back is rising and falling with shallow, uneven breaths. He’s still alive. Thank fuck, he’s still alive. But he’s in bad shape.

I flip him over. His face is bruised and bleeding, so swollen he’s barely recognizable. He manages to open his eyes a crack and twist his mangled lips into a smile, flinching through the pain of it.

“I’m alright, baby bro,” he rasps.

“Are you strong enough to get up? We need to get to the Drake compound. Are you with me?”

He searches my eyes for a second. “Is it worth it, Al? Because when it’s all over, we have nothing. No family, no home. Are you willing to put everything on the line for this dragon?”

“You’re kidding, right? We were just beaten to within an inch of our lives by our own family. What exactly am I giving up?” I brush his hair from his blood-stained cheek. “I know I’m askinga lot of you. I’m asking you to turn on our family, but what they’re doing is wrong. If they survive the attack, they’ll kill us if we stay here. I have to go to Lord.”

His brow creases. “What about me? If we do this, I have nothing.”

“You have me.” I grip his hand in mine. “I won’t desert you.”

“But will your dragons accept me?”

I close my eyes for a second, searching the bond between me and Lord. I feel a wave of warmth and love return.

“Yeah. I think they will, but if dad and Digby kill them first…” I can’t allow myself to finish the sentence.

Viggo nods, using my hand to pull himself up. “You’re right. Even if I’m left with nothing, I can’t keep living like this. I think I always knew at some point I would have to take a stand. It’s time we end this. It’s time we do what’s right.”

“Thank you.”

Once we’re back on our feet, Viggo exhales, but holds his side. “A few cracked ribs. I’ll survive.”

“The Drakes have ways to help us heal.”

He looks down at the wound on my side that’s already nearly gone. He tilts his head, clearly confused.

“Long story. I’ll tell you over a beer later, huh? Right now, we have some dragon hunters to fight.”

As we head to the garage to get a vehicle, I do my best to send my love to Lord and reassure him that I’m alive and on my way. All I can do right now is get there as quickly as possible and hope I’m not too late.

If something happens to any of his brothers, I’ll never forgive myself. And if something happens to Lord, I’ll die too. If that happens, at least I’ll be with him. If my journey to the afterlife begins, I’m going with Lord.

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