Page 67 of Fae Exile

~ ELOWYN ~

I kept my head inclined toward the blue dragon and waited. For what, I wasn’t entirely sure. But that same intuition that had led me to also bow to the dragon in the Wilds directed my actions now. Somehow I understood the blue dragon commanded the others.

However, unlike with the dragon in the Sorumbra, my instincts were at war within me. Though he was several feet behind me, I felt Rush as acutely as if every one of the hard planes of his body pressed against mine.

A part of me wanted to whirl around and stab him straight in the heart as he’d done me—see howhefucking liked that! Another part clenched in apprehension at leaving my back exposed to the man who’d so easily hurt me. Yet another urged me to run to him, to burrow into his embrace, and to kiss him until he found his way inside me. Only then would I feel at ease, like I could breathe properly.

I hadn’t realized how much I’d yearned for him until I laid eyes on him. Given how we’d parted, it was a frightening amount. I needed to see if he was all right after he’d run through dragon’s breath to get to me. His clothing had appeared to burn, though he hadn’t paused to so much as check on himself. Thosemoonlit eyes of his that had haunted my dreams, both awake and asleep, were wild with desperation, vibrating with his need to reach me.

I still couldn’t believe I was at the palace. Even more so, I couldn’t believe I was so tempted to forgive him.

The greater part of me, however, realized there was nothing more important than connecting with these dragons, getting them to stand down. After all, I couldn’t kiss the fuck out of Rush if we were both burned beyond recognition.

“Elowyn, please.” It was a strangled plea. Again, for what, I didn’t know. Surely he didn’t expect me to back off when there were half a dozen adult dragons in this room.

Ignoring Rush for now, I ran a gentle hand along Saffron’s back, hoping to soothe his trembling. No dragonling should be this frightened of his own kind.

“It’s okay,” I cooed. “It’s gonna be all right.”

Finally, I dared peek up toward the queen’s throne, noticing for the first time that my father’s was demolished.Shocking. The man probably hadn’t even voiced a peep of complaint, fully cowed by the woman who was supposed to be an equal partner in Embermere’s rule.

The blue dragon peered up at me then too, its eyes dark and sparking with intelligence. Its head was covered in a smooth patch of scales, their edges demarcated by a thick coating of dust. But through it I could see: the dragon lacked a crest atop its head.

A female, then, and a fierce one at that.

“What’s she doing?” I heard one of the guys hiss—maybe West. “It’s gonna eat her!”

At that, the blue dragon’s eyes flashed, and she chuffed ... as if she understood. My brows climbed my forehead. Could she have?

In my two-plus decades in Nightguard, dealing mostly with the younglings, I hadn’t once seen evidence they comprehended spoken conversation like people did.

Then again, these dragons appeared to have come up through the very-solid-looking floor. The impossible didn’t seem to limit them.

With my head still pointed carefully down, I peeked around me. The other dragons also dipped their heads in my direction—a freakingmarvel, that’s what that was. They’d climbed through gaping holes in the floor as well.

I frowned. Dragons were supposed to be extinct in the mirror world. Where were all these dragons suddenly coming from? And why was I here to witness them instead of in the Sorumbra where I’d been minutes before?

“El,” Rush called to me again.

I scowled and pinned my attention on the blue she-dragon, forcing my body to stand down. If it was indeed a mate bond that strove to drag us together, certainly even a connection of that magnitude would prioritize basic survival.

“Hello,” I said to the dragon, feeling utterly ridiculous. But what exactly did one say to a creature that could bite off your head in a single chomp?

Slowly, I drew up my head to stare directly into those large eyes of hers. “I, uh, admire and respect you. Really, I think you’re absolutely incredible. Um ... could we, ah ... I’d like to work together.”

I shrugged at how lame that had been, but stopped speaking before adding an obvious,Will you please not eat us or burn us alive?I hoped that went without saying, even for a dragon.

She, too, lifted her head, but her stare upon mine was so intense, so ferocious, I couldn’t help but fear I’d made a misstep and we were all moments away from our deaths. If that was the case, I wouldn’t hold grudges. I wanted to die in Rush’s arms.

The she-dragon looked from me to Saffron, before studying everyone else in the room. A quick look over my shoulders provided glimpses of the other dragons scattered around the hall, also raising their heads to watch us.

“Oh, by the holy Ethers,” Azariah mumbled from where he still hid behind one of the few pillars to remain entirely upright. “I can’t take this much longer. Are we going to die or not?”

“Not, I should hope,” Hiroshi answered, drawing a glance from the she-dragon.

I took a few steps forward and, just out of sight, Rush’s breath strangled into a wheeze.

Ignoring him as best I could when my body itched with the need to touch him, I met the dragon’s stare head-on. “I—we—mean you no harm. In fact, we want only to help you.”

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