Page 52 of Killian
“Dravyn,” Aloisa said, spotting him. “Come and sit with us.”
“I will be nearby,” Killian promised, releasing Dravyn’s hand. Dravyn turned toward where Killian had gone and nearly swallowed his tongue. At his feet, small seeds were already sprouting. But it wasn’t Killian’s magick causing Dravyn’s entire body to lock in place. It was the gorgeous vines crisscrossing Killian’s exposed skin. Vibrant green leaves appeared in his black hair, and a thin coronet of flowers befitting the ruler of druids bloomed before Dravyn’s eyes.
Never in his life had he ever witnessed such a glorious or sensuous sight. His rod firmed, and Dravyn was so lost in his staring that he forgot to be embarrassed. Something Dravyn could only describe as magical passed between him and Killian. With Dravyn’s dragon spurring him on, he took a step closer to the druid.
Killian moved like lightning and took a chunk of Dravyn’s hair in his fist. His hold wasn’t tight, and Dravyn loved it. Hewould have smiled at the pleasure, but Killian surged forward, and his lips touched Dravyn’s. With no experience of kissing, Dravyn stood there helplessly, and his mouth opened. That turned out to be a wondrous thing. Killian licked his way in, and his tongue soon stroked Dravyn’s.
Something unnamable swept through Dravyn, and he was conquered in that moment. Gone was any shyness or reticence about the future. For several breathless seconds, Dravyn was Killian’s mate. No more. No less. It was perfect. His dragon roared with triumph. His soul glowed brighter, and his heart bloomed.
Dravyn was far from ready to stop, but Killian took a step back and stared at him.
“Thank you,” Killian whispered. “I didn’t expect a kiss to feel like that.”
“I have not been kissed before. It is not always like that?”
“No. No, Dray, it is never like that.”
Be brave, Dravyn told himself. “I should like to do it again.”
“Allow me to grow a few things, and I will kiss you as long as you wish,” Killian told him with a wink. The druid sauntered off, and Dravyn stood there stupidly as the gorgeous vine-covered man grew crops in the space of a minute that took Dravyn a few seasonal harvests to produce. Magick was truly wondrous. So was Killian.
Chapter 20
Death lifted a brow as a growl ripped from Justice’s throat. With a twitch of her fingers, Justice summoned an enormous sword and stabbed it ferociously into the black stone floor.
“Why are you ruining my home?” Death asked, though she was not angry at her sister. Their experiment was difficult to watch. With their ability to manipulate time, the days moved fast in their viewing mirrors. Thankfully, such skills had no effect on the people trying their best to survive in the realm the sisters had painstakingly crafted to replicate earth.
As it turned out, without their mother there to create a fresh realm, the former demonic realm needed constant maintenance. The magic wanted to twist and revert to the day it was created, but none of the sisters involved would allow it to return to that barren state. Instead, it had the potential to be a lush home worthy of the remarkable inhabitants they had placed in it.
But things had not turned out the way any of them had predicted.
“Fate, your choice to not grant Chrysander his title has spun out of control,” Justice complained. “Each day themembers of The Council wake and worry about their survival. The dragons are a menace.”
“To say nothing of what has happened to the D’Vaires,” Eternity muttered. At Death’s side on the settee, Eternity’s posture was rigid thanks to the anxiety they each felt whenever they escaped to Death’s home to catch up on their latest project. Death viewed the chaos far more often than anyone else, and she tired of explaining to Eternity that she was not reverting to her old way of avoiding the main palace.
Death was so focused on monitoring the mess they had created and caring for the spirits in theebirlloba, she had no time to leave her home. She had grown fascinated and sometimes horrified by the way the events had twisted themselves with a few changes made to the story of the extended D’Vaire clan.
“How would I have known that so many dragons would willingly follow Bernal’s lead and prey upon magickind?” Fate demanded, her blue eyes narrowed.
“So many lives lost,” Life muttered. “I am working constantly to rebirth these souls so we do not upset the balance of magic on Death’s realm. If anyone should know what we are up to, they will no doubt demand to have some say. Additional voices will add nothing but misery to the people in this realm. I would not have guessed things would play out in this fashion.”
“I am sorry, Death. We did not think this through,” Eternity said. “The steady tug on your magic must be difficult to handle.”
The dragons were relentless, so—as Life had just mentioned—she to rebirth new souls back into their new realm. Were they adding new fodder for the dragons so willing to murder innocents? Each day, Death’s magic was yanked and pulled, and while she was too powerful a woman to have it impact her abilities, it was annoying.
Death sighed. “It is an irritation for me. No more. No less. What concerns me is the toll it is having on the souls we put in this realm. Look at Chander. Can you imagine our Arch Lich on Earth picking up daggers and spending hours each day practicing his skills? When he is not sharpening his abilities with his blades, he is reading magic books and practicing spells. But most of those books are filled with destructive spells to better defend himself.”
“I thought removing the elders would have united his people instead of tearing them apart,” Justice commented. “Instead, those fools split. They fear Chander’s demonic side. Thanks to the seeds sown by the elders, some believe him an illegitimate leader. I thought the elders would have needed ampler time to create such chaos.”
“Perhaps it is because the necromancers had such poor leadership before Chander,” Life suggested. “They dealt often with chaos. Recall that the elders were all themselves ousted rulers. Prior to those horrible men and women were Faustus and Domitia. Those two were evil incarnate.”
“Can we not focus on the positive?” Fate asked. “Look at how Egidius has grown to understand he was wrong to believe himself high above the other sorcerers. The Council is more united than ever. They are a large family, and everyone gathers at Castle Leolinnia. Drystan and Conley have a stronger love without their separation. Unlike our Conley on Earth, he has never laid down his sword, so his skills did not atrophy. He is nearly without peer.”
“I doubt Rafe could best him easily—or at all—despite how he also practices daily,” Life replied.
“Someday they will meet, and we will see, but I bet it would be a draw in this realm,” Fate said.
“How can you mention Rafe if you want us to remain positive?” Justice demanded. “Look at what Aleksander has endured. Peer into his soul. He is so broken. So damaged.”
