Page 92 of The Soul of the Dragon

For the remainder of the walk we stayed silent. I could feel that whatever she'd been hoping I would say hadn't happened. But Cordelia had meant nothing to me because she was not for me. I wasn't sure how else I could say that without coming off even as more of an asshole than I already was.

"This is it," I stopped next to the cave I'd first emerged from. Had it really only been a few weeks ago? For some reason it seemed longer. So much had happened.

So much had changed.

"I can feel it. I've never been in this part of the realm before. But honestly, I don't think anyone comes out this far. The nearest village is many miles away, and these wild parts of the realm are known for the kinds of creatures that tend to dwell in them.

"Imps?"

She nodded. "And others."

I stared at the cave, barely hearing her descriptions of the creatures that lived here. I felt a pull to go to the portal, but I also didn't want to leave. Because of her, I was torn between two worlds. I had to go back, but I also didn't want to leave her behind.

"Come with me," I blurted, despite my father's dire warnings that no one was to come back with me.

Her body jerked."What?"

I grabbed her around the waist and kissed her as if my life depended on it. Maybe it did. I could feel her magic in that kiss and its warmth flooded through me, winding its way around my magic—my dragon. By the time I broke us apart, I was drunk on her, and it was clear that I couldn't walk away from her.

"Come to the human realm with me. You didn’t want to go without your magic, and that I understood. But now you can." I pressed a gentle kiss again to her lips. "Stay with me. Let me love my omega the way I was meant to."

"I can't."

ChapterThirty-Six

Kitra

Ishuttered my eyes closed against the pain I saw in Isaac's gaze before he backed away from me.

"What do you mean you can't?" I shuddered against the nasty snarl in his tone. My refusal had struck him and I needed to remember that. The dark edge of his voice had come from pain.

"I have to figure out why my mother left me her magic, and something has to be done about the King."

"Fuck the King. If you come with me, he will be out of your life for good. You'll have nothing to worry about."

I wasn't sure I believed that. "If I walk through that portal with you to a realm I don't belong we are messing with magic we don't understand. I don't know much, but I do know time and magic are volatile in different realms. Even your coming here will have repercussions."

"That's a chance I was willing to take then and a chance I'm willing to take now."

I shook my head. It wasn't as simple as Isaac thought. But I could help him. "I can't go with you, but I do think I can break your curse."

"What? How?"

"The magic my mother possessed is similar to what you refer to as dark magic. Only we call it blood magic and it's extremely rare, not to mention volatile. If I can channel her magic through the spell you have, it might break. But we'll have to open the portal and hope we can keep it open long enough for it to be done."

"This sounds like all the more reason to go with me. Won't the spell be much easier to perform from there?"

I shook my head. "My magic is primarily fueled by the fae realm itself. It will be far more powerful from here. Please, let me do this for you. I owe you that much."

"You owe me nothing," he practically spat the words.

I held up the amulet that I had shoved in my pocket back at the castle. "You gave me my mother. I know you understand how much that means to me." Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to shed them. I would not make this harder for him by crying. I had to let him go and him me. No matter how broken hearted that would leave me.

"Kitra," he whispered, his tone sounding as broken as I felt. He had yet to share the words my soul ached to hear, but I could feel the emotion from him nonetheless.

"Please, let me do this."

He dropped his head. "You know I won't deny you anything."

---