Page 132 of Deadwood
“Need I remind you not to insult our own, Vulcan,” my voice boomed, yet the dragon didn’t stand down. He stepped forward, bringing his head to my level. “Or perhaps you’re jealous.”
From my peripheral, Silax moved to a stand, sensing the rising tension.
“She is distracting you. Or do you not see that? I thought you were smarter, King.” Vulcan’s voice was dangerously low, the gold flecks in his scales flaring brighter as he spoke.
I refused to let him provoke me with the title, but his indirect insult of Auria was reason enough for my smoke to wrap around his legs like a coil ready to spring. “This is not her fault.”
“Tell me, then, if she had not shown up, would you be infiltrating their supply right now?”
Siara, the brave one that she was, stepped between us. “Alright, boys. No need to whip them out and measure. We’ll get this sorted out. In the meantime, let’s all stop blaming Auria for shit that doesn’t involve her.”
Her words were a slight shock as just earlier, she had done the same. I’d been right, then. She was just as attached.
Mentally, I shoved the word away. I couldn’t allow myself to grow attached to Auria. She was to leave, and I’d likely never see her again. It was better this way.
“Siara’s right,” I said as Vulcan dropped the act, giving me space. He’d never dare put a gnarly talon on me, and I’d likely never do the same to him. That never stopped the threats from flying, though. “None of this is her fault. She’ll be gone in a few days, and we can get back to the plan.”
After the incident earlier, I was thankful Glacies wasn’t here for this. She was overly protective of Auria, and I didn’t need that interfering with any of this.
“Flynt, were you and Silax able to find a weak spot over the chasm?” I asked, turning to them. I’d sent them to see if their attempt ended the same way the bones dragon’s had when it had hit the invisible wall in the cave.
He shook his head as Silax stepped up behind him. His light brown scales were muted under the silver rings casting a glow upon the meadow. “We tried to fly over multiple different areas of the chasm, even tried over the ocean, but there’s something blocking dragons from entering at all angles. Clearly, fae can get in, so it’s only for them.”
“We tried, too,” Siara added. “No luck.”
Off to the side, Azurina nodded, green hooded eyes sparkling in the night.
“We need to figure out why, and soon.” There’d be no way to follow through with all of this if the dragons couldn’t fly into Amosite, and after my experience in the caves, we couldn’t get them in through there either.
Something had to be powering an invisible wall of sorts. We just had to figure out what that was and destroy it.
“The plan is still on,” I said, more so to assure Vulcan. “We’ll make this happen, and we’ll get what we’ve been fighting for. My father didn’t die for nothing, and neither will we. Is that clear?”
Dragons and fae alike gave nods of approval.
Now we just had to figure out how to do this without truly making the fae population extinct, and possibly bringing the dragons down with us.
CHAPTER 41
AURIA
Despite the exhaustion, I’d barely slept last night due to my mind spinning, repeating the conversation with Bowen over and over. I’d been so angry at myself for the attack, as if it was somehow my fault. Granted, my part in the poker game had presumably started all of this, successfully putting a target on my back, but I was tired of not living. Though the little bit I had gotten the chance to do ended up in bruises staining my neck, a broken rib or two, and a steamy shower with a man I couldn’t seem to stop arguing with. It was almost like a twisted version of foreplay, yet Bowen and I would never get past the bickering.
He’d said they didn’t need me. While it shouldn’t have been a shock, the statement had echoed through the dense forest of my mind until the early hours of the morning, every leaf dangling from unstable branches screaming his words at me.
Well, I didn’t needhim.
After using the healing vial I’d found set beside the book to mend my ribs, I’d pulled on a long, deep blue dress with a revealing neckline that dipped into a low V between my breasts. The slit in the thigh went nearly to my hip bone, and with each step, it revealed more. The outfit showed far more skin than I’d ever felt comfortable with before, but with only days remaining until the bridge was crossable again, I wanted to do as much as I could, and that included wearing risqué dresses. Second on my agenda for the day was to act as if the attack hadn’t affected me at all. If anything was going to show them not to fuck with me, it’d be me exuding confidence out in the open, not hiding away, scared for my life.
I clasped the opal necklace around my neck, the pads of my fingers brushing over the tender bruises painting my skin. I’d only healed my ribs, keeping the bruises there to heal on their own. I wanted people to see what had happened, and that despite it all, I was still standing.
I’d been so close to death last night, and in that moment, when the air squeezed from my lungs and burned a hole in my soul, I’d found it truly wasn’t a fate I wanted to meet anytime soon.
I left my hair down, thrown over my shoulders to cascade down my back in silky waves. For once, the strands had obeyed, and they were less frizzy than ever.
A glance in the mirror sent satisfaction coursing through me at the intrepidness that seemed to radiate off of me by appearance alone. I headed for the door, but as soon as I opened it, I stopped short.
Bowen stood with his back against the post of my small porch, tossing a dagger up in the air, only to catch it by the handle. His heel was propped up against the wood, his stance casual but stiff, like at any moment, that blade might land true.
