Next update will be Thursday
When Lyle told Dayanara that he needed her, my heart broke. I tried to read Dayanara to see what she was thinking. Lyle’s body was so close to hers that I couldn’t see her that much. Then she suddenly shoved at his chest, but he didn’t move.“You’re suffocating me,” her voice was thin, almost childlike.He eased back half a step, hands raised in surrender. “I’m sorry. I just—Dayanara, please. Give me a chance. One fucking chance.”She was silent for a long moment and I could see the turmoil in her eyes. She was torn and in pain. It did something to me. The strange power inside of me began to bubble and grow. It spread through my body, leaking into every vein. The feeling grew and buzzed up my spine. This was a living pulse inside of me, but it wasn’t me. It was my baby. It was strange, but I think it was reacting to the fight. Feeding off my feelings and wanting to stop it.I felt the edges of my control slipping. Static electricity sizzled through my hair. I tried to look away from D
I waited with bated breath for Dayanara to say something. The whole cave was in suspended animation as we all waited for her to respond. When she did, though … it wasn’t what I expected.She squared her shoulders, wiped at her cheeks like she was smashing tears back into her skull, and stared straight at Lyle with a look that made the rest of us want to vanish into the stone. “Let’s get going,” she said, voice flat and cold. She stepped away from him, not even bothering to look back. She turned her gaze to Toril and jerked her chin up, like a challenge. “Lead the way.”I felt my stomach drop. So did Darren, by the look of him. His jaw tightened, and he watched Lyle like he expected him to bolt, but Lyle didn’t. He just stood there, frozen, staring at Dayanara as if she’d just kicked him square in the soul. The mate bond was supposed to be everything, the answer to every prayer, the thing that made all the pain worth it, but Dayanara walked away like it meant nothing.Toril and Sven mov
We popped out not far from the others, but we were in a strange tunnel that dripped with water. Darren’s hand rested on my hip as he guided me through.“Where is your mom?” Squall asked anxiously as we came around the tunnel bend. Dayanara was beside him, obviously controlling him from going after Eira. Lyle was next to her, hands buried in his jacket pockets as he seemed to be struggling with his emotions again.“She went to her mate.” Toril answered before I could. I looked at her in surprise. How did she know? She smiled at me and nodded her head. “It’s part of my skills. You kept your end of the bargain and now I will keep mine.” With a flick of her finger, I felt something cold and electric slice across the air and wrap around my wrist.There was a flash, a shock of light, silver and hot, biting into my skin like a fevered snake. I gasped, and for a moment my vision went white, all the world collapsing to the point of contact. Then the feeling settled, a tight, buzzing band around
“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 waters
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