Page 22 of Galadon
Tears filled my mother’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. How did you survive?”
“I’d like to say she held back, but I’m not sure she did. She was too far gone by the time she lost control. I was a goodstudent, though, and I knew all her fighting strategies.” I paused to carefully choose my words because my mother didn’t need the worst details. “While I didn’t come away without significant injuries, I managed to tear her throat out, and she died quickly after that.”
“It must have been awful for you.”
I sank into my red chair across the room, needing some distance. “It was—very much. I barely remember the weeks that followed as I healed and mourned. So, if a slayer could resist temptation and not kill a child for four years yet still turn on him in the end, how could I trust Rayna? Unlike the other slayer, I don’t think I can kill her if we become mated. She’ll end up turning on me, and I’ll die. She will hate herself for it.”
“Surely it is different with fated mates,” Ujala argued.
“I don’t see how.”
She gave him a pointed look. “You should talk to the Taugud pendragon. Maybe he can give you insight we don’t have on the matter, considering he should be an expert by now.”
I didn’t like the idea of talking to anyone about my personal issues, but to appease my mother, I didn’t outright refuse. “I’ll consider it.”
“Good. See that you do.”
Chapter 10
Rayna
By the time they reached the Faegud jakhal, Rayna had managed to get her emotions under control. Being rejected by someone who was her soulmate wasn't easy, but she would find a way to move on from Galadon. If she wasn’t good enough for him, fine, so be it. She would shove all her feelings into the well-worn mental box with all the other things that had hurt her over the years. The idiot shifter didn’t deserve her.
At least, that’s what Titan had told her during their flight. He’d been kind enough not to judge and simply consoled her. It was too bad they had no chemistry together, or he would have been the perfect person for a relationship. Somehow, he understood her in ways no one else did.
Titan set them down on the landing pad in the central part of the jakhal. Though the Faegud had quite a few stone buildings dotting the area, everything was open in the middle for the rock formations designed to worship the dragon goddess, Zorya. They were in beautiful patterns that glinted in the moonlight with a mixture of colors that Rayna wished she had time to study further.
But by the time Titan finished transitioning to his human form, Lorcan stood waiting for them at the edge of the large, heavily scorched pad. Though it was fully dark outside now, she could see him well enough from this distance, thanks to a nearly full moon and enhanced slayer vision. The former pendragon’s son had a medium-large build with corded muscles, long brown hair that reached past his shoulders to frame his face, tan skin, and orange eyes. He was like something from a romance novel cover with his good looks and arrogant enough for the role.
Technically, Lorcan was single, but he had an arrangement with Aidan’s sister, Phoebe, and her female mate, Ozara. The latter had a daughter with him, and the former was due with his child soon. He visited them often, being a doting father, but his obligations to them ended beyond that. From what she understood, he was still searching for his permanent mate but not in any hurry.
“How is it going, Lorcan?” Rayna asked, forcing a smile.
He lifted a brow. “Well enough. I wasn’t expecting a visit from you, though.”
She shrugged. “I found a nest of over two hundred Kandoran, which is a few more than I can handle on my own.”
Lorcan chuckled. “Yes, perhaps two or three too many. I’m surprised you’re coming to us instead of the Taugud.”
“I did go to them first.” She gestured at Titan. “But Aidan can’t provide enough warriors to fully get the job done and suggested I come here to request your help.”
“I’m afraid to say this isn’t a good time for us. We have the Bitkal coming soon, and that’s a priority over everything else. After we’ve selected a new pendragon, that person can authorize warriors to assist you.”
Rayna sighed, frustrated that they needed to approve a new leader through a complicated process first. “Surely, you’ll win, right?”
She’d heard his mother, Hildegard, had been grooming him for years to take the position.
“One never knows.” He shrugged, uneasiness in his gaze. “But I’m certainly going to try winning.”
Something more was going on there, but his body language had stiffened. Lorcan didn’t want to talk about it with her. Rayna had never witnessed a Bitkal before, so she had no experience with the matter. She did know the competition could be cutthroat, and dragons weren’t above killing off the competition.
“Aidan said it will be a few weeks until his warriors are ready. Do you think—if everything goes well—you could possibly back us up by then?” Rayna asked, hopeful. She didn’t want to sit on the problem much longer than that in case the nest moved or acted on any plans they might have.
Lorcan appeared to mull it over. “Yes, if it’s me, we could likely manage it not long after that.”
“Let us know if you need anything,” Titan said, giving the other shifter a solemn look. “My pendragon wished for me to tell you that, along with reiterating that he will gladly act as a witness and adjudicator.”
“I appreciate it, though that should be enough.”
