Page 53 of Tempest Blazing
Chapter 23
Tess
The sound of massive wings beating overhead sliced through our conversation. Everyone went silent, heads tilting toward the windows as a familiar presence slammed into my consciousness.
"Little one."
Relief flooded through me so completely I nearly sagged in my chair."Thalon."
Through the kitchen window, I could see him landing in the clearing beyond the house—forty-five feet of obsidian and gold scales gleaming in the morning light. His eyes found mine through the glass, ancient amber burning with protective fire.
"I need to speak with you. Alone."
"He wants to talk," I said, pushing back from the table. "Just us."
Mason's hand tightened on mine, the mate bond flickering with reluctance. "Everything okay?"
"I don't know yet." I squeezed his fingers before releasing them. "But I need to find out."
Ciaran was already moving toward the door, shadows sliding around him like living things. "I'll portal everyone back to the library grounds. Give you privacy."
"Makes sense you'd have a warded house," Draven said, standing and stretching. "Being a literal legend and all."
Kane nodded thoughtfully. "Safe house, neutral ground, protection from scrying—strategic positioning."
"Plus," Mason added with a rare hint of humor, "probably gets pretty lonely being the only dragon shifter in existence. Good to have somewhere to retreat."
Something flickered across Ciaran's face—too quick to interpret, but it made my chest tighten with unexpected sympathy. How long had he been alone? How many centuries had he spent isolated, caught between worlds, belonging fully to neither?
"The wards will hold," Ciaran said simply. "Take all the time you need."
He gestured, and shadows began pooling near the doorway, forming into what looked like a shimmering portal. One by one, the others stepped through—Mason last, pausing to catch my eye.
"Find me when you get back?"
"Always."
The portal snapped shut, leaving me alone in the suddenly quiet house. Through the window, Thalon waited with the patience of mountains, his massive head tilted slightly as he watched me approach.
Whatever he needed to discuss, whatever had brought him here with that weight in his mental voice—I had the feeling it was going to change everything.
Again.
I took a deep breath and headed for the door.
Cool air bit my face as I stepped outside, carrying the scent of pine and something deeper—ancient magic that hummed from the very bones of Ciaran's sanctuary. Thalon rose gracefully to his feet, his enormous form somehow managing to seem both imposing and gentle as I approached.
"Is it okay for us to be wandering around like this?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at Thalon as we walked. The question came out sharper than I intended.
Thalon's scales shifted from obsidian to gold in the filtered light, his massive presence reassuring behind me. "Ciaran has made this a safe place for you," he said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to harmonize with the soft hum of magic rising from the earth itself. "And if he hadn't..." His tone darkened slightly. "I would have."
The certainty in his words steadied me. Our bond pulsed beneath my ribs—a connection that felt more precious now after nearly losing it.
"When that demon had me..." I swallowed hard, the memory still too fresh. "I've never felt so helpless, Thalon. All that power you've been teaching me, all those hours of training—none of it mattered. I couldn't even scratch him."
My hands balled into fists. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm worth all this—the risks you all took, the effort to save me. What good is a dragon rider who can't even defend herself?"
Thalon's mental presence wrapped around me like a warm embrace."You are worth everything, little one. Every risk, every moment."
