Page 109 of The Dragon Queen

“Thank you for your protection, Talon Rothschild.”

My eyes flicked away in shame. “None of this would have come to pass if I hadn’t been foolish enough to make a deal with the God of the Underworld. I knew what I was doing when I did it, so I have no excuse.”

“Do you know the difference between the living and the dead?”

Tempted by the question, I looked at her again.

“The dead do not sin, because they sinned in life. Mistakes and errors are the burden of those whose hearts beat. You have a long life ahead of you, Talon. So long that I’m not sure if or when we will see each other again. You will make mistakes and that’s okay—because that’s what it means to be alive.” She looked at me with a slight smile on her lips. “You’ve redeemed yourself in the eyes of all. Go be in peace.”

Her hand remained in mine, and she gave a gentle squeeze before she released it. “Return the way you came, but expect a visitor on the way.”

I inhaled a painful breath, unsure if I could face Vivian again after the tearful goodbye we’d shared. I’d buried her in my heart and locked the casket. My love for her would endure forever, but my heart now sang for someone else. Calista didn’t deserve to share my heart with anyone else.

“It is not her,” Riviana said as she read my mind.

I stared at her for another moment before I straightened, leaving her there to bask in the light.

“Goodbye, Talon.”

“Goodbye, Riviana.” I turned around and returned the way I came, moving through light so bright that I didn’t know if I headed the right way. There was no door in the distance. There was nothing but light.

But then I blinked, and I stood in the courtyard outside the castle. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue. The air was full of sea salt. A colony of sea gulls flew by in the distance. I looked around me, seeing that the trees were still there, not ash from the fires that burned them. Olive trees bloomed with their fruit. Flowers were everywhere. It was exactly as I remembered it…before the battle.

“Talon Rothschild, King of the Southern Isles, Lord Prick…”

I stilled when I recognized his voice, a voice that still came to me in my dreams. The breath I took burned like fire. My eyes burned too…with tears of acid. I turned around and stilled when I saw him there.

Silas.

The widest smirk was on his face, a sparkle in his dark eyes, like he was genuinely happy to see me. “How are you, brother?”

The tears filled my eyes until they spilled over my cheeks.

His smile didn’t drop as he came close, close enough to grip my shoulder. He didn’t mock my tears as he gripped me. “Death isn’t so bad, Talon. Have you seen Riviana?” He gave a quiet whistle. “I’ve always liked redheads.”

I chuckled through my tears, appreciating the emotional lift.

“I’m okay.” He turned serious, giving me another squeeze before he let me go. “Truly.”

I inhaled a breath and forced my tears to steady. “I’m sorry. I just…I didn’t expect this.”

“I wanted to talk to you last time you were here, but I knew you needed Vivian more.”

“You—you still speak with her?”

“Sometimes,” he said. “It’s not like we’re together all the time. It’s hard to explain, but because of the light, it’s impossible to feel sadness or anger or resentment, all that other bad shit. The second it comes is the second it’s gone. It’s like being high on the best substances all the time.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“That doesn’t sound bad.”

“Not at all,” he said. “Riviana told me this is probably the last time you’ll be here—since you’re fused with an immortal dragon. Just know that we’ll be okay if you decide to never join us. If you’re happy, we’re happy.”

“My dragon can’t live without me.”

“And neither can your woman.” That boyish grin stretched across his face. “Vivian said she was quite the looker, and that’s saying something, coming from Vivian.”

“Vivian was always too good for me.”

“I always said she was out of your league.”

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