Page 35 of Storm of Blood and Shadow

“Are you fucking serious?” I vent a disbelieving laugh. “Did you expect we would all stay here quietly andnottry to escape?”

“I expected you to understand that humans roaming defenseless and unprotected on this island is a stupid fucking idea.”

“That’s why your brother is so furious,” I say acidly. “He’s afraid you’ll lose some of your precious breeding machines.”

Varex rises and moves a step closer. His height and the purple heat flickering in his nostrils make my heart beat faster. “He’s furious because he loves the Princess. And she could die, because of you.”

It’s the first time he’s ever been truly angry with me. Much as I hate to admit it, his disapproval makes me doubt myself. “Serylla chose to run. I warned her and the others about the predators you mentioned—”

“You warned them, and yet, according to Gosrik, you created a distraction so they could leave without his notice.” Varex’s slender muzzle approaches my face, and his tongue flickers out to taste the bruised flesh of my jaw. “You have been damaged.”

“I’ll heal.”

“You’ll do it elsewhere. As my brother says, you are too dangerous to be left here with the others.”

I retreat a step, half-inclined to run from him, but he moves with snake-like speed, snatching my body in his front claws, whirling around, and pushing off with his strong back legs. He springs to the barrier and uses it for leverage to get airborne.

We fly low through the valley, over the forest. I spot four dragons, two of whom are holding recaptured women in their claws. Then Varex speeds through a pass between two mountains, angling his wings to carry us west, then south.

“Where are you taking me?” I shout.

“Does it matter?”

“I want to go home.”

“I considered taking you home,” he says. “But Kyreagan and I had a good conversation today, and a good flight together, in which he shared more of his heart. I will not endanger my relationship with him, nor will I undermine his authority before the clan. He is my blood, and though I care for you deeply, he must come first.”

Every word he says infuriates me, more so because I understand the bond of family and of blood, the responsibility that comes with those ties. But what angers and thrills me the most is a single phrase:I care for you deeply.

It’s what I wanted—to gain emotional and sexual leverage with him. I’ve achieved both, and yet he still won’t take me home. He is still just as steady and principled and upright as he has always been, willing to sacrifice his desires, my happiness, and everything else on the altar of his clan’s future and his brother’s will.

I can’t help admiring him for that, even though I wish I could usurp Kyreagan and the clan in Varex’s heart. I want to be the most important thing in his life… but only so I can use that position to get back to Elekstan. Nothing else matters.

Varex glides over a sharp ridge and dives down the cliffside toward the foaming water below. I manage not to scream, even though I’m terrified at the sharp descent. He pulls up just before we hit the water, then wheels around the cliff and darts into a seaside cave, his claws scrabbling against pebbles and shells.

Afternoon light pours into the cave, revealing that farther in, there are several shallow pools, stretches of flat, smooth stone, and clusters of crystals, both pink and purple. The crystals have an unusual luster, an inner glow that’s faintly visible even in the daytime. I suspect they shine even more brightly at night.

“This cave is part of a network that runs throughout the island,” Varex says. “Fenwolves cannot access it, nor are there any voratrice dens nearby.”

“Voratrice?”

“Underground monsters. Like the one that killed my mother.” He uncurls his claws so I can disengage myself from his grip.

“Your mother,” I repeat, watching him closely.

He chuffs and tosses his sleek black head. “Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Don’t look at me with that scheming expression, like you’re going to use her death against me.”

“I wasn’t,” I protest. But I was. I would have, and he knew it. He knows exactly what I’m doing, how I’m trying to manipulate him, and yet he still confessed,I care for you deeply.

“I have something to take care of,” he says. “I will return soon. Do not attempt to leave this place. There is no way out except the ocean, and I doubt you are strong enough to swim the lengthy distance between the cave mouth and the nearest beach.”

Whirling away, he bounds out of the cave and disappears.

And now I have nothing. No shoes, no food to eat, no chores to do, no one to talk to… and I left my bag in Varex’s cave.

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