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“Mom …” What could I say? I didn’t need to state the obvious, that I was pregnant, but this was the first time she had met Darren. She had left me with Alfred, thinking I would be taken care of there. I walked up to her, and Darren kept his arm around me as he accompanied me. After the trauma he had been through, he wasn’t about to let go of me for a second, especially in this strange place. I noticed he kept glancing at Azrael, and it was clear he didn’t trust him. I can’t say I did either, but it was more like I accepted his presence for what it was.She looked exactly the way I remembered her, only she looked healthy now. She smiled, slow and unsure, as if I might dissolve if she moved too fast. “Hi, baby,” she said, voice thick and real, not the echo I’d tried to preserve for years. “Lissa, look at you. It feels like you are an entirely different person now.” She reached a tentative hand toward me, and I took it greedily. As if she were a lifeline and I didn’t want the rough water
In the darkness, I could hear movement. Darren gripped my body tighter against his and let out a warning growl. “Do you think you can scare me off with that timid, gurgling noise?” A deep voice scoffed, hidden behind a veil of nothing. “Who are you?” I asked, and the voice chuckled. “I told you already. Death … but you can call me Azrael.” The shadows began to peel back and an eerie blue light began to glow. With the light, a dark figure was revealed. A black cloak was draped over its body and head. Azrael tilted his head up, and I looked at him in shock. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but not the silver eyes that met with mine. Nor the chiseled jaw and muscular chest that was revealed from the swaying of the cloak. His face was flawless, and to be honest … he was beautiful. It wasn’t a matter of opinion, he simply was a beautiful man—or creature. “Why are you showing yourself to us?” Darren positioned himself more in front of me as he challenged Azrael. However, if he was who
Dayanara moved closer to me, and Lyle came with her, still keeping a steady hand on her. Dayanara was on high alert as she held her hand in a defensive position.Look at those eyes. There is no fear. Nothing. They know what we are and look how they stand there confidently. Dayanara’s voice entered my mind. Be ready for anything.“Eira, to my flank,” the drangel barked. Her voice was cold and sharp, a whip-crack that brooked no delay.The water dragon moved instantly, her feet a whisper over the bare ground. But before she could close the distance, Squall shot out a hand and snatched Eira’s wrist. His claws dug in, not to hurt, but to possess. To claim.The air shimmered with a hot pulse of dragon magic, and for a moment, I thought he might shift right there and drag the whole cave down on our heads just to keep her. “Let my servant go,” the drangel snapped, wings flaring as she stepped forward, lips curled in disdain as her eyes glowed with power.“Squall.” Dayanara’s voice was sharp
The bubble held all five of us: me, Darren, Squall, Dayanara, and Lyle, our bodies mashed together by the force of the descent. White water from the falls pounded on the outside, blinding us, erasing the world. The water was rough and vicious, attacking the bubble and jolting us around. We struggled to stand because of the constant assault. Every heartbeat, I worried the spell would pop and we’d be tossed into the violent fray of water.Dayanara stood in the center, arms up like a conductor, her eyes nearly luminescent with strain. Darren wrapped himself around me, legs braced wide, every muscle flexed as if he could anchor us with sheer willpower. Lyle was on the opposite side, flattened against the bubble like a drunk in a rolling barrel.Squall barely looked at any of us. He was pacing, hunched and restless, his head cocked as if listening for something through the chaos. His eyes, usually cold as glass, now glimmered with fever.The water went from blinding white to bruised gray, t
The next morning, we left for the elven forest. Lyle and Dayanara insisted on coming with us. The dragons weren’t ready to leave yet and would need another day. There was no point sitting around and doing nothing, and Dayanara thought her powers might be helpful.The world spun below—a blur of green valleys and the jagged blue teeth of rivers—while Squall’s dragon wings cut huge swaths of shadow over the earth. I was pinned between Darren’s chest and the obsidian curve of Squall’s back, his arms a cage around me, his breath burning a line behind my ear every time he exhaled.I hadn’t let go of him since the moment he kicked down the palace doors. It wasn’t just the mate bond, though that felt like a current too wild to ever fully contain. It was the way his hands never stilled, always tracing some invisible constellation across my ribs, my belly, my thighs. As if anchoring himself in the only reality that mattered.Last night, we reconnected in every way possible. We didn’t get a lot o
I explained everything to Darren about Ivy and Angelica. He seemed very concerned when he heard that Angelica was also the reason for the first war. It was a key issue that needed to be addressed. He also wanted more details on the dragons’ strategy, especially when it came to finally entering the battlefield.Eventually we made it to the dining hall, no one brought up the fact that we had taken a while. It seemed to be an unspoken understanding. We went over and sat next to Lyle and Dayanara.“The oppressive anger … is gone.” Lyle looked over at Darren. “The curse was transferring to me. It wasn’t full-fledged, but the anger wasn’t something I could control. I don’t know how you’ve managed as well as you have. I knew it was bad, but I never realized how consuming and dark it was … how draining and controlling it was. I could see myself, but couldn’t stop myself. It was almost like I was watching me from the outside. Ren, I think it’s amazing how much you’ve overcome this.”“It started