Page 22 of Wrath of the Dragons
“It’s not him,” I whisper. “He’s dead.He’s dead.”
“El?” Cayden frames my face. “What’s wrong?”
He rubs his thumbs along my cheeks and curses when I don’t answer. Ice shatters after he removes one hand, and moments later, freezing fingers clutch the back of my neck. “Open your eyes,” he demands, and I do, forcing myself to focus on the water dripping down my back instead of my panic. “Breathe.”
“Ailliard.” He rubs his thumb into my hair as I search the area againto spot the man. My palms moisten, but all it makes me think of is Ailliard’s blood coating them as I tried to pull my knife free. The man that set me off bears a remarkable resemblance to Ailliard, but it’s clearly not him. I haven’t mourned him, haven’t wanted to, and I wish I could crush the small sliver within me that felt relief at the thought of him being alive. Death makes idealists of us all.
“I thought—”
I shake my head, realizing how ridiculous I sound. I killed him myself. I threw the knife that took him down and commanded Calithea to engulf him in flames. I knelt in the blood of the man who was the closest thing I had to a father. He’s gone.
I force hollow laughter to crawl up my throat. “Don’t mind me. The mind plays tricks on us when we’re sleep-deprived.”
Cayden’s green eyes sear my profile until I force myself to look at him. “You don’t have to play this game with me.”
I innocently shrug. “What game?”
“El.” The way he says my name…the softness…the understanding…. It sends another tremor through my hands.
“Please don’t,” I whisper.
A muscle flutters in his jaw and a dark look crosses his features when he realizes he won’t be able to breach my defenses tonight. I don’t want to talk about Ailliard. I don’t want to think of him. I don’t want him to have any power over me anymore, but sometimes it feels as if even death can’t retract the claws he dug into my mind. Cayden remains silent, locking himself in yet another battle of wills in our ongoing war of stubbornness, but he doesn’t push me for now. It’s neither the time nor the place, but the tension between us is like a kettle just about to start screaming over a fire.
Chapter
Eleven
Elowen
It’s still dark outside asI bound down the side steps of the castle, leading to the lake littered with frost-tipped rocks. I am unable to be confined a moment longer. My dragons softly snore along the shore, and the dampness within the earth seeps through my pants as I kneel at the center of their circle. Calithea’s silver eyes blink open and she moves her head closer to me, allowing me to trail my fingers along her snout as I hum a soothing tune. They must’ve fallen asleep out of pure exhaustion and my heart twists in my chest when I think of them sleeping huddled together in the dragon chamber.
How old were they when they grew too large to fly within the confined space?
How many days did they wish to die while staring out at the skies they now fly through?
There isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do to save them from suffering. Delmira curls her tail around me as the others inch closer, drawn to my presence even in sleep. All I’ve ever wanted were my dragons, not a crown or a kingdom. I’ve always known I’d kill Garrick for what he did to them, to me, and now to Cayden. But when I think of what my future looks like, it’s as if I’m staring at a horizon I’ll never reach. All I’ve done with my life is wake up and try to survive to the point that I’ve forgotten how to live.
Footsteps thump in the grass as the sun bleeds over the mountains,and pebbles dance along the lake’s icy shore as Sorin’s growl vibrates the ground. I soothe him down the bond and smile at Finnian over my shoulder.
“Are you ready?”
“Are you?” I ask. The green cloak and brown tunic he wears complement his features nicely; a pin with the Veles sigil sits proudly on his chest. In true Finnian fashion, a bow and quiver are thrown over his shoulder and a sword is at his waist.
His throat bobs, his voice coming out as a hoarse whisper, “No.”
I release Calithea and rise to meet him. “You don’t have to come if it’s too much for you.”
“I won’t remain here while you’re forced to lose our home.”
“I’m losing land.” My hand wraps around his. “I’m not losing my home.”
He blinks away the water in his eyes, yanking me forward by our joined hands. “Wherever you go, I go.”
The tension in my body loosens. Finnian has always been more than a friend to me from the moment he first made me laugh. Our bond has never been reliant on what I could give him, and most of the time I think he wished I wasn’t the lost princess of Imirath. “Maybe one day that statement will take us somewhere warm.” He laughs but it’s strained, and I pull back to look up at him. “What is it?”
“I know we haven’t spoken about it, but I need to say this.” He bites the inside of his cheek as his chest rises on a deep inhale. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since the night Ailliard betrayed us…recalling memories of our childhood, the way he treated you, the way my life was easier because you shielded me.”
“Finnian, stop.”
