Page 148 of House of Embers
“Would they?”
“If you foughtwithus.”
“That’s never going to happen, love,” Roake said. “Kerrigan would kill me before letting me into her army. She only hasn’t because…well, I don’t know why.”
“I asked her not to,” Audria said on a breath.
“And why is that?”
“You know why.”
Roake tilted his head. “Because you love me.”
“No,” Audria said with a shake of her head. “I can’t love you. You lied to us for all these years. You believe what he’s saying. You work forhim, Roake. Can’t you see that my heart is broken?”
Roake closed the few steps and pulled Audria into his arms. They were on opposite sides of this war. Shedidlove him whether or not she’d admit it. He opened his mouth to try to beg her to come with him anyway when he felt aclickin his chest.
Audria gasped. Her hand went to her chest. “What did you do?” she accused.
“Me?” he asked. His own hand was at his center. “Nothing.”
“Something attached to my magic,” Audria said, pushing away from him. “Make it stop.”
“I can’t. It attached to mine too.”
“What is it?” Audria asked.
Neither of them had answers as theclickhappened a second time, ripping their bonds free from their dragons. They both collapsed into the grass. Audria screamed. Roake had never known such pain. Even the love of his life couldn’t make up for the loss of his dragon.
***
A hand fell on Cyrene’s shoulder. “Must you?”
She turned with a wicked smile as she swung Shadowbreaker up and rested the tendrille blade at her lover’s throat. “Practice makes perfect.”
Dean pivoted, hitting her wrist. The move broke her hold, dropping the sword into his hand. He swept it up to his shoulder.
“Show-off,” she grumbled.
“I grew up royalty,” he said, brushing a kiss to her lips. “Some things are just ingrained.”
“I never wanted the stupid sword anyway.”
“You’re getting better with it,” he acknowledged, weighing the magic-repellant blade in his hand. “And it was made for you.”
“Give me magic, and I’m fine,” Cyrene said. “Or a pretty dress. Ireallykill in a pretty dress.”
Dean snorted. “Red’s your color.”
She winked at him. “You know me so well.”
“Creator, I hope so. I went to the ends of the world and back for you.”
Cyrene leaned forward, greedy for another kiss. As his lips landed on hers, aclickregistered in her chest.
“Uh…”
“Did you feel that?” he asked, instantly changing from her dreamy husband to the battle-hardened man he’d become.
