by Elise Whyles
Liam laid her on the ground. He gathered stone after stone to lay as foundation for the altar. Covering it in the robes they’d left behind so long ago, he carried her over to the resting place.
“I will find a way for you to live again. No matter how long it takes. You will have life or I shall walk the path to paradise,” he promised.
Cool air flowed through his nostrils, forming ice around the altar. It built and built until a crystal had formed around her prone body. Pressing his front talons against it, he opened his massive jaws and exhaled. Clear, glittering, the cap showed her in all her glory. Her long, pale hair spread like gold around her shoulders, the dark cloak she wore covered her wound.
“Sleep, little one. Sleep for now.” Liam turned to pad to the opening. A glance upward revealed an approaching storm. The weather matched his mood as he glanced behind him. With a huff, Liam took to the skies. He had much to do.
* * * *
“Not again.”
Impatient, clipped, the feminine voice drew Una’s attention from the pristine field she’d been standing in. She bowed, her hands clasped before her. “My lady.”
“What do I need doing to ensure you do not return until your time…which, I might add, is quite a ways off?”
“I beg your forgiveness.” Una straightened as Seraphine moved forward. “I had no desire to return so quickly, but when the heart demands who are we to refuse?”
“You desired death?”
Una shook her head, a knot of emotion clogging her throat at the suggestion. Death hadn’t been what she’d wanted. Nay, she’d wanted life, an eternity in the arms of a strong, venerable man.
“Child, tell me what it is that has such a look of misery upon your face.”
“Death seemed the better option. Liam should not have to perish for my sins.”
“Liam?” Seraphine’s eyes grew distant, vacant, as she stared at her for a moment. “The young dragon who risked everything for you.”
“Yes. He offered me much, and I did love him for it. I do love him for it. When the dragons came, they took him away in chains. He was to be put to… I could not allow it. He is a man of honor and courage, why should he pay for the burden I placed upon his shoulders?”
“It has bothered you for a while, hasn’t it?” Seraphine took her arm. “Come, walk with me, child, and tell me more.”
“Indeed. Oh, at first I did not feel a burden to him. How could I?” Una fell into step with her as they strolled through the waist high grass. “When Amuliana cast me out I feared everything. I feared the monster my guide had become. Feared dying in that wretched icy place, most I feared not being able to return to what I felt was my place. Then he found me, he saved me, and yet I resented him so dearly for what I thought was his making fun of my loyal service.” Una paused, her mind retreating down memories she’d thought lost. “I feared and resented him, but at the same time, I needed him. That need has not faded any, not since when that woman killed me. Oh, I ramble on, my lady. Forgive me.”
“Did he mock your service?” Seraphine asked.
“No, he mocked Amuliana’s intentions. When the fey sliced my throat I saw so clearly what had been hidden from me,” Una admitted. “He did not feel my loyalty was a small matter, but that who I served was undeserving. Aye, I saw it all.”
“Saw what, my dear?”
“She keeps those who are beneficial to her. My years of service and dedication were of no more use to her than yesterday’s leftovers. I was disposable.”
“Liam is a very wise dragon. Experience has taught him it is not always wise to follow a god blindly.” Seraphine smiled and waved at two young women frolicking in the flowers. “Sad as it may be, his time was to come before yours. The balance—”
“What do I care for balance? Liam’s death would serve no purpose other than to soothe the ruffled scales of a dragon god who needs to learn his place,” Una snapped. “What does it matter the crime? Why should Liam face death for giving life? Why, if I were before that foolish god right this moment I’d give him a piece of my mind.”
“So fierce, so certain of your place, of your mind. You are very much like your mother, your sister…who I am told is quite determined to stand beside her husband in all matters.” Seraphine stepped around a small tree, its branches stretching for the sun. “You think you would advise Draconi of his folly?”
Una trailed her palm over the tops of the grass, a smile tilting her lips upward. “Oh no. Just very certain of my love for Liam. But I suppose it is a moot point. Liam is alive, I am dead, and the dragon god is not here for me to rage at.”
She paused, the other woman’s words rattling around in her mind. “Mother? Sister? Both are dead then?”
“Your mother is. Your sister is wed to a vampire warrior. A man as honorable as yours,” Seraphine explained. “Many years ago, your father sold you and her into slavery. Gawain, your sister’s husband, rescued you both. Before he could return you to the vampire realm, Amuliana’s henchman—”
“Anagor stole me. I have spent most of my life in service to a goddess who kept me to entertain herself.” Una sighed, her heart saddened. “Still, if it had not come to pass, I would not have met Liam. Had I not met him I would have no idea of the joy life can bring or the peace to be found in the heart of a man whom I love.”
“True.” Seraphine stopped and turned to face Una. “It does not, however, change the fact you are not to be here. This has not happened before, I must think on the matter. Unfortunately, for you that means spending time here. In this place. Your soul is not in line for rebirth, and you are too good to go to the other side.”
“Trapped between.” Una nodded. “Very well, I shall spend my time idly here.”
Seraphine patted her arm and vanished. Una stared across the lush greenery, her mind slipping to her beloved. Was he well? Had his wounds healed? She prayed for both.
“You do not belong here. One such as you belongs on the other side of the gate.”
Una whirled at the rasp of an old voice. She stared at the man before her. His shoulders hunched beneath the gray of his robes, an older man leaned heavily on a staff.
“You should plead entry. Perhaps you will be granted entrance.”
“Paradise is for those who have earned it.” Una offered a quick smile. “I do not feel I have done so. Come, sit, old man, you look about ready to topple.”
“Thank you, you are most kind.” He shuffled forward to sink with a groan atop a flat rock. “Tell me, young vampire girl, what brings one so young to this place? You should not know death so young.”
Una shrugged. The answer to that question was terrifying in its simplicity. But would anyone else understand her logic, her reasons? She doubted they would. “Love, old man,” she explained. The image of Liam as he fought the dragons filled her mind’s eye. The play of muscles with every swing, the sweat glistening, it was a bittersweet memory.
“Love, it is a miracle, a gift, is it not? Though it can be a double-edged sword.”
“Love was not what killed me, but rather the pompousness of a god.” Una plucked a straw from the ground. “He condemned my man for giving life and thus is responsible for this. He would have him killed, punished for sharing of his heart. Yet he has no punishments in place for the cowards who destroy and kill randomly. No punishment for the male who tried to harm me when I first arrived in the dragon realm. Aye, a pompous ass is what he be.”
“Be careful, little vampire, gods are not notorious for their generosity.”
“What care I if he is? I am dead. My mate lives, free of the burden I was. What is that wretched dragon going to do? Burn me to a crisp? Ha, I dare him to try. I welcome the flames. Cut out my heart and use it for a necklace? What does having a heart matter when the one it belongs to is on the other side?”
The man cackled and slapped his knee. “I do believe you. He is indeed a fool. One who would do well with your counsel.”
“Yes, yes he is. Why I’d like to thrash him soundly
, but I’d not want to get his blood on me. Might stir my instincts and I would rather starve than feast upon him.”
“Ah, it is so nice to sit here in the sun’s warmth and listen to you. Come, tell me more, my dear.” He leaned toward her, his voice falling to a whisper. “What else would you do to this wayward dragon god?”
Una smiled and patted his hand as she sank to the ground. “After I’d thrashed him but good, you mean? Why I’d file his teeth down to dull bumps and dangle the most delicious morsel before him so he can want it but never have it. Then, well, then I would spit in his eye.”
* * * *
“She deserves life.” Draconi crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Una stride across the field. He’d been more than a little put out by her rant. That was until he saw the fear, the loneliness and want behind it. Una loved Liam with her whole being, and her sacrifice had cost her much. “She is spirited, kind…a bit judgmental, but overall a fine young lady.”
“I cannot send her back.” Seraphine smoothed a strand of hair from her face. She turned to look at him and he shifted beneath the censure in her gaze. “You could, if you had a mind to.”
“She is a vampire. I cannot—”
“You can. Selene has already given to her one life, she cannot do more. You, on the other hand, my dear, pompous dragon, should welcome her to the fold.”
“A dragon and a vampire wrapped within the skin of one being. What has become of this world?”
“The same thing that has become of all our worlds. Amuliana’s interference. Soothe the scales of the dragon male who even now paces and waits with little hope his beloved will awake. Then you had best go and soothe the feathers of another—one who can cast shadows upon your lands as easily as your woman can light your fire.” Seraphine leaned closer. “Only Selene will not be so generous.”
“I have no way of entering Selene’s home. She forbids all males to enter.”
“You need not journey far, simply look to the east.” Seraphine pointed out before vanishing.
Draconi glanced over and sighed. Selene, followed by two of her highest priestesses, advanced toward him, a battle staff in her hand. “Women. So emotional, so needy. They should learn to control themselves more readily.”
“So, I see you have succeeded in taking the life of one of my chosen.”
“I did not kill the girl.” Draconi held his temper with an iron fist.
“Really? She is here, is she not? Be off with you, dragon, I have business this night.”
“You cannot return her to the living.” Draconi stared at her. “Death does not reveal so much so eagerly. Seraphine will not give her up so easily.”
“I shall plead my case without—”
“Seraphine has right to the girl’s soul. She is dragon, as such she is mine.” Draconi grabbed Selene’s arm, huffing a cloud of smoke at the priestesses. “Tell me, Selene, what would you give to have her life returned?”
“I make no bargains.”
“I will give her life, on one condition.” Draconi all but dragged Selene away from her servants.
“What is that? I will not crawl into your bed.”
“Tell me why.”
“Why what?”
“Why you are so fiercely determined to stop Amuliana. It is not because you seek a lover. Do you seek her power?”
Selene glanced to where Una sat atop a rock, her fingers plucking at the grass. “I see, you wonder what my motives are. So be it. I shall tell you. I desire to have Amuliana pay for the death of a child. In her zealousness to stir the flames of discontent, the unborn child of a queen was sent to the underworld.”
Draconi gasped, shocked to the marrow of his bones. “The Queen of Vampires was pregnant?”
“She was.”
Draconi stared at her in the silence that stretched between them. “How does the death of your Una change what was already lost? She is not the reincarnation of that child.”
“No, she is not. She is from a line of warriors who showed great courage in their service to the queens. She herself is devoted, loyal...and seeks to find the peace only love can bring. She would fight to the death to protect one she felt needed it. You can see that, can you not? She risked it all for her dragon...even her life.”
Draconi nodded. There was a ring of truth to Selene’s words. In spite of the vampire lineage, Una had shown the qualities of a dragon. She had proven her heart again and again, and how had he repaid her? “Very well, I will honor you with her life. From this day forth, should you need help, need a supporter, call upon me and I shall aide you without question.”
“Thank you.” Selene squeezed his hand before vanishing into the growing shadows.
Draconi remained in place, his mind tangled. In her faith, in her willingness, Selene had given him a glimpse of what had been lost. Dragon, vampire...both had been wronged by Amuliana and Saltar. Now it was up to them to repair the damage.
Chapter 20
Liam’s claws scraped across the stone floor of the cave as he approached the crystal altar Una slept on. The glittering of the stones he’d already gathered cast multicolored beams across the cave walls. Glowing embers of the fire he’d left unattended draped a gold curtain over Una’s body.
Offering yet another prayer to the gods, Liam checked on the coffin’s lid, the small stones he’d set around the head of the coffin like a crown of fire. Sprinkled in her golden hair jewels of every color and size sparkled. With his muzzle, he nudged the lid, sliding it free. Transforming into his human form, Liam placed the latest gift he’d procured across her throat.
Sapphires and gold glittered with an inner fire that spread across the pale expanse of her flesh. He smoothed her long hair over the furs, his fingers tangled in the golden strands. “Even in rest you grow more beautiful. What I wouldn’t give to have you wake.”
He leaned down, his lips brushing over her temple.
Liam bit back a sob at the cold, dry feel of her skin. The suppleness, the smoothness he remembered was absent.
His eyes slid closed, his heart breaking a bit more. “I still seek life for you, my little one. I will not rest until you are restored to me. You pleaded with me to live for both of us, but I cannot. How does one live when their very life has ended? You are my life, my world. Come back to me so I may have that which you wanted.”
He straightened, his gaze sliding over the dark silk he’d dressed her in, the smell of her blood soaked clothing driving him mad. With care, he adjusted the lace at her throat, smoothing a speck of down from her shoulder before he stepped back and placed the crystal back in place.
Liam placed a few more pieces of wood on the fire and glanced out the cave opening. Snowflakes as large as his hand danced from the heavens. The wind whistled and sang through the rocks. If not for the heavy weight on his soul, he supposed it would truly be beautiful.
“Why has he forsaken me?” Liam poked the fire. “Why does he refuse to give her back? Is it not enough to punish me thus?” He watched the sparks scrambling upward, the heat from the flames encircling him but doing little to warm his body.
A yawning groan echoed from within the cave, followed by a sickening crack. Beneath his feet, the ground heaved and bent, folding as though between some power beyond his sight. The shaking sent him stumbling to his knees. Startled, Liam leaped to his feet, whirling, one hand going to the sword at his hip. Icy shards lay in broken chunks along the cave floor. A massive piece of ice slid from atop Una’s tomb, falling to the ground to roll to his feet. The finely etched glass cracked along the surface. Precious stones dropped and rolled across the floor, followed by the casket itself.
“No!” Liam darted forward, his hands outstretched.
Fury raced along his nerves at the fine layer of debris covering Una’s still body. Wincing as the fine glass slid into the flesh of his fingers, he plucked at it, tossing it aside.
“Ah, little one, I am...” He stuttered to a halt, stumbling backward when she moved.
“What moc
kery is this?” Liam rasped as Una’s head turned, her eyes fluttering open to glow silver.
“Liam?” Soft, filled with sleep, Una’s voice curled around him, easing his pain...and lighting his rage.
* * * *
“Liam?” Una reached for the simmering male before her. She could feel life rushing back into her body, hear the beating of wings. One minute she’d been standing beside the old man, the next someone or something had thrown her back, sending her into a maelstrom of lights and sounds.
She struggled into a sitting position, her palms wiping at the ice and glass littering her body. She pressed against her side, her fingertips searching for a sign of the wound. Instead of a wound, she felt the gentle curve of a scale. “What on...” Lifting the beautiful gown she wore, she stared at the silver and red scales that shimmered and danced in the muted light.
“Little one?” Uncertainty, doubt echoed in Liam’s voice as he inched closer to her.
She lifted her head and smiled at him. Stretching out a hand, she sighed. “I am not certain to whom you prayed, but I could feel your pain, hear your heart calling to me. How could I refuse you?” She frowned, a niggling thought at the edge of her mind. “Though I do have to admit, it may be wise to avoid praying to your god too soon. I’m afraid I was very unpleasant in my regard of him.”
A squeak of alarm left her lips as she was roughly pulled into her dragon’s embrace. “Who cares what Draconi feels?” He laughed, a joyful sound, as he pressed hot kisses to her face. “You are back in my arms. Gods above and below, I longed for you. I could not allow you to go. Forgive me, my little one—”
“I love you, there is nothing to forgive,” Una promised as she wiggled in his grasp. “I would do it all again in a heartbeat, never doubt that. I know you do not love me, but perhaps in time—”