Page 449 of Kingdoms of Night

A giant tear welled up in Hora’s eye and dripped down her cheek. But she nodded, then sighed in relief. “Thank you, Tanis.”

What was she doing? He didn’t... He didn’t understand what was happening right now. Why did she have his sword? Surely she wouldn’t...

Tanis lifted the sword and positioned it where Hora’s jaw and neck met. Where the acid had eaten away at so many of the scales that a simple blade could kill a great dragon. With a ragged, angry cry, she shoved the sword into Hora’s neck all the way to the hilt.

With one last breath, the dragon lifted her head at the sudden pain, and then went quietly into death.

He’d seen the dragons alive and well in their home. He’d seen the fallen dragons, lying on the fields behind them where they had tried their best to protect their home. But he’d never watched one die until now. And he felt as though a piece of his soul went with her into the afterlife.

Tanis sank down onto her knees in the pool of blood that spread out from the wound she’d inflicted. She held the sword in her lap, fingers caressing the blade as she stared down at it.

He met Aster’s worried gaze and knew he shared the same fears with his sister. His dragon’s mind would fracture under all of this stress. All these terrible moments could break her.

Taking a careful step forward, he put his hands on her shoulders. “Tanis, we shouldn’t linger here any longer.”

“She should have died around her family,” she whispered. Her reflection stared back at him in the smooth metal of the blade. “She should have been laid to rest in the field of our ancestors. Not on this mountain where no one will visit her. She’s going to be so lonely, Rowan.”

Damn it, he wished there was a better answer. He wished he could tell her that everything would be all right, and yet...

Rowan dashed away a tear from his cheek and squared his jaw so no more fell. “We will visit her. We will come back, and we will remember her as she deserves. But that cannot happen if we don’t make it out of here alive.”

When Tanis didn’t move, Aster stepped in. His sister scooped her hands underneath Tanis’s arms and gently pulled her up onto her feet. He didn’t know what words were said between the two women. Aster framed Tanis’s cheeks with her hands, holding onto the dragon’s face with a soft grip and whispering words so close that Rowan couldn’t hear.

Tanis nodded and then started toward Rowan. “Let’s go. I need to wash this blood off me, and there should be a stream nearby.”

He didn’t keep track of time after that. He would follow these two to the ends of the earth if that was what they required.

They spent the rest of the day looking for that spring Tanis remembered. Dragon blood dried on her legs and through her clothing until her skirts were stiff with every movement. Eventually, they found the stream, and he gave them both privacy to clean. Rowan didn’t need to intrude, even though he desperately needed to clean himself as well. He did that after they were settled and ready to make their beds for the night.

And in that chilly water as the moon rose overhead, he reminded himself that he was here for a reason. The ancestors must have sent him here to protect this last dragon, and not just his twin. Otherwise, how would he have arrived at the right time? Exactly when he was needed?

Rowan dried himself off and joined the other two when he was ready. His sister knew how to make a camp, and she’d built up a fire that would keep them all warm.

None of them had thought to bring a tent, but they had mats to lie on and blankets, thanks to Rowan’s quick thinking.

Tanis shivered by the fire, her arms wrapped around her waist as she stared into the flames. Something still wasn’t right with her, and he supposed that was to be expected. After all, she’d just lost all her family in a single night.

He didn’t even think. Rowan rounded the fire and sat down behind Tanis. Then he drew her into his arms with his legs around hers, holding her tight to his heart.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“You’re cold,” he replied. “I can warm you until you fall asleep.”

She was so tired, she didn’t fight him. Tanis leaned her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes. He knew the moment she drifted off to sleep. He could hear the change in her breathing as she finally relaxed. And she deserved it after all they’d been through.

Aster caught his gaze on the other side of the fire and slowly lifted a brow.

“What?” he mouthed, so he didn’t wake the dragon in his arms.

“Careful, brother.” She turned toward her own sleeping roll, but he could see the laughter in her eyes. “You’re in too deep already, and there’s a long way to go yet.”

Who was she to tell him he was in too deep? She was the one who had chosen to stay here and serve the dragons. He’d only followed her down this winding path.

But a soft whimper from Tanis had him tightening his arms around her, and he knew what his sister meant. He might be in too deep. But damn it, drowning with her felt so right.

CHAPTERTEN

CHAPTER 10

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