Page 107 of Dreams and Dragon Wings
My inner dragon snarls at me, irritated that we have offendedNa’therya.
I know, I know, I try to soothe that wild part of my soul.But how could I have told her then with my Shade tempting me to devour her at every turn?
“Aurelia, there is more—”
“Wait,” she gasps, the word little more than a breath on her lips. She stands before the apple tree, staring down at the nearly lifeless forms of Brisa and Glorana resting there. Their eyes are closed. Their chests weakly rise and fall.
My aunties do not have much time left.
Nor do we have the time to wait.
“You must understand,” I urge the back of her head, willing her to look at me again. “The Jewel War began once we dragons realized a Jewel’s gift could be taken by force. Masters of Spirit could bind a Jewel and torture them until they agreed to give the gift away.”
“No—”
I grip her by the shoulders and swing her around to face me. “Vaei. And if all else failed, a dragon could simply consume the Jewel’s essence—their soul—and claim for his or herself at least a small portion of the gift. Maybe only twenty more years of life at most, but at least that was something.”
My eyes search hers.
She now looks so lost I can hardly stand it.
“Don’t you see,Na’therya? First, my people nearly hunted yours to extinction. And then Malice cursed me so that I would be driven mad with hunger to consume you to take your gift for my own. And now Malice will either force you to give him your gift, or he will surely consume you if you refuse. There is no way to win in this if you stay. You must leave.”
Within my hold, she trembles, and I immediately release her. I want to embrace her, to soothe her, but I see that she needs space.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so terribly, terribly sorry. I should have told you back in Spindleton so you could guard yourself against this moment. But I feared…” Dare I tell her now? But I must. Imust. “I feared you would misunderstand my feelings if I did.”
“Your feelings?” she echoes, retreating from me by a step.
I let her go, though my arms ache to tug her back in close.
She glances around the garden and then looks at me as if something I have said has horrified her beyond words. Her hands lift, covering her mouth.
“Bene,” she exhales against her fingers, the words muffled. “You’reBene.”
I frown at her, confused by this sudden declaration. “Of course I am.” I look down at myself, giving my torso a pat. I look the same as I always do when I am not in my dragon form. “Who did you think I was? Malice?”
“How insulting,” Malice’s voice drawls from just behind me. “We look nothing alike.”
Aurelia’s scream echoes through the garden as I whirl to face him, a bestial snarl erupting from my throat. I place myself between my uncle and my Jewel, my teeth bared. I may not be able to protect her in the waking world, but I can certainly try to protect her here.
Except even here, it is Malice who makes the rules.
Some force I cannot see lifts me off my feet and binds me fast, like iron bands constricting my chest. I struggle in vain, kicking and thrashing. But I cannot move.
Nor can I speak.
Malice turns toward Aurelia, an infuriating smile curving his lips. “How convenient of you, Nephew, to only explain part of the story—the part that makes you look like a hero rather than a villain like me. Let us explore the details you left out, shall we?”
Naei! I was going to tell her the rest. I was going to tell her everything.
I open my mouth, but no sound emerges. My inner dragon claws at its prison, fighting to be loose. I look at Aurelia—at her beautiful sky-blue eyes that stare up at me with such hurt and confusion.Naei, na’velar. I never wanted to hurt her. I made her that promise back in Spindleton, and I meant it.
I meant every word.
“Don’t you find it interesting, my dear,” Malice speaks again, drawing Aurelia’s attention back his way, “that Benevolence only came to find you after all these years when he stood to lose yourgift to Friedemar? To be fair, that is also why I came to find you, but I will never claim to have had any other motive like my nephew will.”
I try to growl, but even that is silent. Mute, I shake my head.
