Page 8 of Empire of Death
“They must know the antidote. Otherwise, they wouldn’t risk permanently wounding themselves by mistake.”
“True.”
“Then we’ll torture them until we get our answer,” Hawk said. “Sounds like a good time.”
I stared at the fire again before I felt Wrath’s stare on the side of my face. Hawk seemed to be absorbed in the flames, so I turned to look at my lover, hoping that Hawk didn’t find my concentrated stare into the black wilderness odd.
“He’s more than I originally gave him credit for.”
All I could do was stare.
“Reminds me of your father, in both good and bad ways.”
My father didn’t possess a single bad quality, in my opinion.
“Do you see something?” Hawk suddenly asked.
My eyes flicked back to him. “Thought I heard a bear, but I think it was a rabbit.”
“I’d hunt if I weren’t so tired,” he said. “Sitting on a dragon all day is strangely exhausting.”
“Yeah, my thighs are always sore. I actually prefer traveling by ship because of it.”
“And being sick all the time?” he asked in disbelief.
“I don’t get sick.”
“Every time I’ve been on a boat, I’ve spilled out my guts. Guess I got that from Mom?” he said as he cocked his head. “But I don’t recall her saying anything about seasickness.”
“It’s not an inherited trait. It’s an acquired taste. At least that’s what Dad told me.”
He gave a quiet chuckle. “I’ve kept my eye on the horizon just like he taught me.” He shook his head. “Never made a difference.”
“It’s more than that. It’s understanding the rock of the waves and remaining in equilibrium. It’s a dance that becomes second nature. You anticipate the next movement and constantly keep yourself perfectly upright, unless there’s a nasty swell.”
Hawk listened to every word then gave a slight nod. “I suppose that makes sense since he spent a lot more time with you out at sea than he ever did with me.” His voice was packed with a twinge of resentment…and disappointment.
I wished I could tell him about Lena. Wished I could explain why Dad was just naturally more worried about me since he’d already watched his first daughter die in a leap of flames. But I just couldn’t, not when it wasn’t my place, not when I shouldn’t have known about it in the first place. “He’s spent more time with you than me with other things.”
“Nice try, sis. It’s fine.” His eyes dropped back to the fire as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Not your fault. I shouldn’t come for you like you’re the problem, because you aren’t. If we were any other family, I would have been the favorite just because I have a dick in my pants. Would be the heir to the throne and the recipient of the world’s adoration. It wouldn’t matter that I was younger. It would only matter that I’d been born a boy instead of a girl.” His eyes flicked back up to me. “And it’s pretty cool that Dad doesn’t think that way.”
“Yeah, it is cool.”
“I just need to come to terms with it. I’ll get there…in time.”
“You know how much Dad loves you.”
“I do,” he said. “But it’s not the same as the way he loves you.”
It was like a horse kicked me right in the chest and dented the plate that protected my heart and ribs.
“A father should love his children differently.” Wrath remained kneeling by the fire, his eyes on my brother before they turned back to the fire. “Because every child is different, regardless of whether they’re raised in the same environment by the same parents. They have their unique strengths and weaknesses. Your father’s error was simply overcompensating for his personal loss.”
“Talk to Dad about this.”
After a long stare at the fire, Hawk gave a slight shake of his head. “Who knows if that chance will ever come now.”
“It will.” I thought if I said it enough times, I would believe it. I couldn’t live in a world where my father was gone. That was the natural way of life, to grow into your prime and watch your parents wither away until they faded from this world completely. But with the power of the dragons granting us immortality, my father was supposed to be there always. That was what I expected, as horrible as it was that others didn’t get to expect the same. But all of that changed when a war interrupted our peace. “And when it does, I implore you to speak with him.”
