by Riley Storm
“King Galen.”
“No,” the big shifter rumbled as he came forward. “Just Galen.”
“Very well. Galen. What can I do for you?” she asked, fighting down the fluttering feeling in her stomach. She knew better than to entertain such hope. It had been shattered twice already in one night. She was not about to endure another episode of it.
“I need to talk to you,” he said.
She lifted her eyebrows in question, noting the gravity of his words, the emotion present in them. Maybe she was talking to Galen, and not his Kingly persona.
“You’ve had plenty of chances to talk to me,” she pointed out. If he wanted this, it wasn’t going to come easy, that was for sure. She had to know he truly meant it.
“I know. And I’ve screwed them all up. Badly.”
Kyla worked her jaw, looking at him in the gloomy darkness. Although she could mostly see him, she couldn’t pick out any details. Whispering a command, her staff grew bright once more, this time acting as a light for her to see by.
“You haven’t done a great job, no,” she said, though her voice was gentle.
“So it was made clear to me,” Galen said wryly. “First off, I think I owe you an apology.”
Intrigued, she gestured for him to continue.
“I have treated you badly. You’ve tried to…to, talk, with me, about, um, everything,” he said, fumbling over the words. “And I’ve shut you out.”
“Are you ready to let me in?” she asked quietly, deciding just go for the jugular instead of standing around talking.
Galen was silent. He was present, however, his attention fixated entirely on her, and she didn’t get the feeling that his mind was somewhere else. “I don’t know how,” he said at last.
Kyla almost told him that it wasn’t enough. That he needed to be better than that, but she realized even as she thought it, that he was trying. Galen hadn’t said he wouldn’t. Just that he didn’t know how.
“Tell me what you do know,” she said instead, not putting the words in his mouth, but giving him encouragement at the same time. Letting him know she was willing to listen. To give him one final chance.
“I know that you make me feel things,” he began, before breaking off.
“What kind of things?” she asked, sensing that however vague his statements might be, they weren’t easy for the normally private dragon to say. He was trying, for her, and she could respect that.
“Things that I haven’t felt in a long time,” Galen said, looking grateful for her prompt. “That I haven’t felt since Katherine passed away.”
“Good things?” she asked quietly, unsure if she should draw attention to his past mate or not. That was a landmine that Kyla simply did not know how to navigate around. She had no experience dealing with deceased lovers. Hopefully, she wouldn’t screw it up or say the wrong thing.
“Yes,” Galen answered quietly, his head tilting downward. “Things that no woman other than her has made me feel.”
“Why did you try to send me away then?” she asked, wanting to distract him. She could sense the shame he felt in admitting to his feelings for her. That would fade with time, she believed. For now, she wanted him to focus on the feelings themselves, to accept them, to believe they were real, and to tell them to her.
Galen lifted his head. “I don’t want you to die too,” he said, and his voice nearly broke saying it.
“Oh Galen,” she said, forgetting everything that had already gone on between them that night and throwing herself at him. “It’s not like that,” she said, letting herself get wrapped up in his arms as he held her tight. “It’s not the same.”
“I want you to live,” he said gruffly, trying to disguise his emotions. “It should have been me last time, Kyla. I should have been the one who died. But I was too slow. I couldn’t save her. Don’t you understand?”
She nodded, stroking the back of his head as the big shifter broke down in her arms. So much of the mystery surrounding his determination to keep her away was clear now.
“It should have been me,” he repeated dully.
“You are not to blame,” she said. “Nor does Katherine blame you, of that I am certain. You didn’t attack her. You tried to protect her. The fault lies with the one who attacked you. The mage,” she said, hating that he would draw lines between his mate’s killer and her, but knowing it was unavoidable. “That’s the one to blame. No one else.”
“You don’t think she would be mad that I’m falling for a mage?” Galen asked hoarsely. “She should hate me for it.”
“I would hope that if she met me, Katherine would realize I am not my ancestors. That I no longer harbor you any ill will. Not after meeting you and getting to know you. To most of us mages, especially the younger ones, the war is history. It was over a long time ago. We have moved on, we’re not war-mongers. We just want to exist, to learn our craft.”
Galen shrugged, not sure what to say.
“I don’t blame you for anything,” Kyla said, stroking the back of his head. “Nor does anyone else. You need to stop blaming yourself.”
“If I’d been just a bit faster…” he said.
“Then you would be dead, and your fellow dragons wouldn’t have the right person to lead them. Everything you’ve done, Galen, every choice, every action, it has all led up to this moment. This is the time you’re needed. This is where you’re supposed to be. They need you to be you, and to help them in the coming fight.”
And you need help in it. Kyla kept her thought to herself. Galen didn’t need to know about her plan. Not now, not when she had no idea how to make it work.
“I wish I’d found you earlier,” he said quietly, and one of his hands moved from her back to stroke her hair. “Under different circumstances, perhaps, where we could have had time to explore this.”
Rising up on her tiptoes, Kyla planted a kiss on his cheek. “Perhaps we’ll have the chance to do that before long anyway,” she said. “Never give up hope, Galen Drakon.”
He straightened. “You’re not staying then.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
The big man bit his lip, and began to nod.
“It’s not because I don’t want to,” she said, stroking his cheek. “Know that I too, feel things for you. That I want to explore them.” She bit her lip. “And maybe, just maybe, if things work out perfectly, you’ll see me again and we can try it.”
Galen’s shoulders rose and fell. “I would like that,” he said as he exhaled his breath. “A lot.”
“Me too,” she said, pulling him in for a real kiss. Kyla let it linger on for as long as she could.
Pulling back, she patted him on the chest. “I have to go now.”
He nodded firmly and stood back. “Know that I care for you.”
She shivered at his words. “I care for you too, Galen Drakon, King of the Dragons.”
Then she was gone, the spell she’d called to mind ages ago carrying her up and over the wall. Landing without a noise, she dashed forward.
The instant she cleared the wards, her magic flowed easier. There was a shout from somewhere to her left, but it was too far. The vampires too slow.
Magic flowed through her mind and out her staff. Two portals appeared, one on the ground, the other shimmering in mid-air, a pretty target for the vampires.
Shadows darted in, aiming for her decoy.
Kyla turned, raising her left fist to the group of vampires charging at her. Only one finger was raised.
She stepped through the portal and dropped several feet to the ground, appearing in the same courtyard at the Academy through which she’d left. It felt like ages since she’d been there, though in reality it had only been days.
The portal closed and she stood up, brushing herself off.
The easy part is done. Now it’s time for the hard part.
Kyla walked off into the Academy, wondering just how the hell she was going to pull this off.
Chapter 26
; “I don’t like it!”
“You don’t have to like it, you just have to do it! We’ve been over this.”
Galen slowed as he approached the common room, the rumbles in his stomach forgotten, as was his quest for food. He’d heard the voices growing louder as he approached, but now they were shouting.
The last thing he wanted to hear was an argument. The night was fading, and the vampires hadn’t attacked. They were going to live to fight at least another day. He suspected that it would not be the following night, but the night after that the attack came. There was nothing to back it up besides his gut feeling, but Galen just knew.
“Hey,” he said, darting around the corner before anyone could resume their shouting.
The room was large, meant to hold two dozen people with relative ease. The six people sitting in lounge chairs made most of the room look empty, but it certainly didn’t feel that way. It was filled with his family, and to Galen, no room ever felt empty when that was the case.
“Galen.”
He froze mid-step at the glower and cool tone that Olivia directed his way.
“Uh, hi? What can I do for you?” he asked, starting to regret entering the room at all. “What did I do?” he added belatedly, deciding to just accept the blame then and there.
“You came up with this plan,” Olivia said, crossing her arms.
Galen looked around the room, noting that all the women had similar looks, and all were directed his way.
“Um. I just got here. Can you clue me in on what I missed?”
“You want us to leave you all here to die.”
Galen sagged, shooting Aaric an unhappy glare. The fire dragon had told him that the others had accepted their fates and were just trying to live out the last bit of time they had together as best as possible. Apparently, things hadn’t been quite so well after all.
Shocker, he thought to himself, knowing full well the strength of a dragon mate.
“You’re not staying,” Victor growled when Cheryl turned her look on him. “That’s final.”
“You can’t seriously want to stay?” Galen said, looking out at them, including Liz, who was holding baby Melina. He let his gaze drop to Cheryl’s stomach, and then gave Olivia a knowing glance, telling her that she too should know better. “It’s suicide.”
“You’re staying,” Sarah pointed out from where she stood next to Jax.
“To buy you all time,” Galen said. “The gryphons have agreed to meet you out by the north wall. They will fly you to safety after we draw the vampires in on us. You will be safe, as will the children.”
The woman looked unhappy at that. “Don’t use our children against us.”
“Would you rather I just pretend like they don’t exist?” Galen retorted. “Life dealt you a hand, in that only you can bring a child into this world. It’s a miraculous gift. But it comes at a cost, and you cannot deny it,” he said, realizing that now, here, his family needed him to be the King.
“I know,” Olivia said, slouching. “I just…I don’t want to lose him.”
“And you think I want to lose you?” Aaric exclaimed. “But we both know what’s coming. As strong-willed and smart as you are, this is a battle you just can’t fight, my love. It’s not fair, I know, but it’s the truth.”
Olivia turned a pleading look on Galen, but they both knew he wasn’t going to change his mind.
“The plan will remain as we’ve already discussed,” he said quietly, leveling a gaze at all the occupants of the room, making sure that they all understood. “You will take the tunnel Jax has been working on to the north. Upon exit, the gryphons will fly you away, faster than any of us, or the vampires, can match.”
The women nodded, almost as one moving closer to their men. Galen envied them that closeness. He wished he could have it himself, but he was glad that Kyla, at least, was far away from the coming mess. It bothered him not being able to figure out what she was to him, but at least he’d managed to confess to her that he had feelings, to let her know she wasn’t alone in that regard.
But it was for the best that she was gone. Although he’d spoken up, Galen still wasn’t sure of his ability to move on. To accept the past and believe that, somehow, he’d been granted something nobody else had. It was…it made no sense, he knew that.
“The others are doing the same,” he continued after a moment. “The women and the young. They are being sent to safety. Our species will live on, and it is with you that the responsibility for that exists. I cannot think of a greater honor to bestow upon you. Or four women more capable of ensuring we are not forgotten.”
“We don’t want it,” Sarah all but snapped.
Jax pulled her in tight to a hug, shooting Galen an apologetic glance. It wasn’t necessary though. Galen knew the women were just scared, that they were terrified of losing their mates, of being forced to confront everything that would come on their own. Most of them had been prepared to live out long lives while mated.
When the dragons died, however, that bond would be shattered. The women would live on of course, but only for the rest of their short human lives. They would in, effect, be completely mortal once more. It was a shocking turn of events, so soon after some of them had just begun to accept their new reality.
“None of us wants this,” he said calmly. “If you think any of us chose this, or are happy about it, then you’ve got another think coming,” he said, forcing a smile on his face for the benefit of those present. “The truth is, the vampires are a bunch of assholes. They don’t want anyone to be happy. Everyone needs to be as miserable as them.”
He saw a few shoulders bounce at the lame attempt at a joke. It was better than nothing, and honestly more than he’d expected.
“When do we have to leave?” Olivia asked quietly into the silence that followed.
“When the attack comes,” Galen said. They’d been over this before, but he knew what the real question she was asking was. How much longer do we have? “It’s not coming tonight though, by the looks of things. My gut tells me it won’t be tomorrow night either.”
“Why not?” Liz asked, rocking Melina gently while the babe slept, peacefully unaware of everything going on around it.
Galen envied the child and its blissful ignorance of youth. Better not to have memories of a dark time like this.
“The night after is the new moon. The least amount of light. It’s also supposed to be dark, overcast and perhaps even stormy,” he explained. “They won’t wait much longer, that much is for sure. Two nights from now, they will attack. I have already begun the preparations.”
The women nodded, and the men pulled them close. Galen watched his House, his family, marveling at the brilliance of their love burning bright against the shadows that threatened to engulf them all. If there was one thing that would see them through this, one thing that would give them a hope against the darkness, it was that.
Even as the others held each other close, Galen ached for a certain short-haired, dark gray woman with small eyes, thick cheeks, and eyelashes so long he could get lost in them. He missed Kyla dearly. More than he was willing to admit, to her or perhaps even to himself.
“Get some sleep,” he said gruffly, turning and departing the room, leaving the mated pairs to enjoy the comforts of one another in peace.
They didn’t deserve to be focused on him, not at a time like this. What they needed was one another.
The way he needed her.
He closed his eyes as he walked, sending his thoughts out through the ether of reality.
Kyla…
Chapter 27
“Took their sweet time,” she growled as the other Council members finally filed in to the chamber.
“Play nice,” Loni said from at her side.
Kyla glared at the younger mage, but there was no heat behind the look. Her angst was borne of the fact that she wasn’t sitting up with the rest of the Council but was instead down at floor level.
That’s because you called the
meeting. Which means you have the floor. Make the most of it.
Chewing on her lower lip, she turned her back to the Council, who were taking their sweet time getting seated, chatting among one another, and essentially ignoring her. She was used to that, however, and paid it no mind.
As the youngest person on the Council body, and a woman at that, Kyla received more than her fair share of scorn. Even Magruen, one of the older members and a woman, looked down at Kyla with some scorn.
They’re old. Stuck in their ways.
That was why Kyla had called a meeting of the entire Guild. All mages present at the Academy or within easy travel time had been invited to attend. She’d called for it within moments of returning to the Academy, before meeting with the Archmage, before meeting with anyone.
Yet another reason for the cold shoulder you’re getting. The Council wanted you to report to them. Privately. Now you’ve called a public forum, one that they cannot control, and they aren’t happy about it.
That was just too bad for the crusty old farts. Kyla needed to get her message out, and she needed to get it out fast, before the Council could try and censor it. And censor it they would, because once Kyla started speaking, she doubted a single one of the geriatrics on the Council would appreciate it.
“Order.” The Archmage’s voice boomed out over the assembled crowd.
Kyla noted the numbers and smiled tightly to herself. There were a lot of mages present. More than she’d expected. Many of them were young, in fact the majority of the crowd was, but then again, she’d long since accepted that she was a lightning rod for the younger mages, with her voice of change, of a desire to see things and do things differently.
That hadn’t been her calling in life, or a desire of hers when she’d first started her ascent, but Kyla had recognized that fate had gifted her with an extraordinary set of powers, and that she should put them to good use.
If I get the chance to.
“Council Member Langston. You have called this general meeting of the guild,” the Archmage continued, looking at her, irritation plainly writ on his face.