by Kym Dillon
“A little longer,” she murmured.
“Daya…”
“I’ll wait,” she said sharply. Her lips trembled, and she forced herself to gentle her tone and find a smile when she turned to him. “You go ahead and have dinner, Kenna. I’ll be in in a moment to join you.”
She hugged herself and faced the road, but the Healer didn’t leave her alone. He stood in silence with her. “How long do you think has passed in the Fire Realm?”
“Lord knows. A day? Hours?”
“He’ll be back for you, as he promised.”
“How do you know? Do you know his destiny? This war could kill him. He’s only destined to end it, not survive it. I don’t even know if…” She clamped her lips shut, refusing to voice the fear that had stuck with her for years in the Sky Realm. The fear that Arken was already dead. She shook her head and sighed. “I’m not made for this, Kenna.”
Something thumped inside the house, and they both looked back. “That darn cat,” Kenna chuckled. As he spoke, however, the tabby rose from the rocking chair and stretched languidly. The Healer met Daya’s gaze, and they both looked at the open door again.
Daya quickly drew the gun that she always kept handy. She pressed herself to the wall of the house and put a finger to her lips to signal for Kenna to be silent. The Healer quietly eased a dagger from his waistband and nodded. A tiny flicker of hope flared to life as Daya supposed her son had finally returned. But, that thought died when she heard the unmistakable voice of the dragon eater.
Daya snapped the safety switch and gripped her gun tighter as she kicked in the door. “What are you doing here?” she asked fearlessly.
Feis put down the electronic tablet she was examining. “Nice to see you, too. You’ve aged well.”
“I wish I could say that same. Unfortunately, that would require you to be dead and buried.”
“There’s that humor I remember,” Feis chuckled. Daya lifted her gun, and the dragon eater clicked her tongue and shook her head. “I wouldn’t try that if I were you. Can’t you tell? I’ve fed recently. My power is at an all-time high.”
“You must not know the magic of my realm.” Daya fired. The blast briefly deafened her, and the bullet smashed through her favorite vase, but it was worth Feis’ look of shock. “I get successively better with each shot. Try me.”
Feis circled the room and sent a searing ray of heat toward her, but Daya blocked it with a wall of water. The Healer skirted the waves to get to her side. “How did she get here?” he hissed.
“I have no idea, but it’s up to us to get rid of her. If Feis roams free in my world, all hell will break loose.”
“Oedaya,” Feis called to her in a sing-song voice. Daya dropped the wall to see what she was up to, and the woman crooked a finger and dragged her closer. She screamed in surprise as her feet moved of their own accord. “Someone wanted me to give a message to you,” Feis whispered silkily when Daya was within reach.
The dragon eater clutched Daya’s face, digging sharp nails into her skin. A soft whimper escaped. Kenna released a roar and came at the high priestess with dagger raised, but she made short work of him. he crumbled to the floor, writhing in anguish.
“Stop,” Daya grunted.
Feis squeezed her face tighter and whispered in her ear, “This is all your fault. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here…and Arken wouldn’t be dead.”
“You’re lying.” She struggled to break free, but the woman was unnaturally strong.
“You won’t live to find out.” Feis lifted her off her feet and glared with menacing eyes. Daya reached for the glass of water near her on the living room side table, but they were too close to draw up a wall between them. The dragon eater’s heat began to burn her skin, and she squirmed helplessly. A pain she had never before experienced tightened in her chest. It felt like fingers of flames clenching her heart.
“Then, I’ll die knowing you’ve been defeated,” Daya panted. “That’s the only reason…you’d waste our time…on a worthless mortal like me. You’ve met the water dragon, my son.” She smiled through her agony, and the dragon eater flung her away.
“I won’t kill you swiftly. I came to make you suffer.”
Suddenly, the room rippled, and two men stepped through a doorway that hadn’t been there seconds before. Daya struggled to rise from the shattered bookshelf Feis had thrown her into. “Soleis,” she said weakly.
He moved faster than humanly possible. One minute, the dragon eater was preparing to strike her again. The next, her son was tearing into her with a wicked set of iridescent claws. Arken growled as he brought out his broadsword and made one clean sweep through the air. Daya’s eyes widened.
The dragon eater’s stunned face was arrested in its last expression as her head fell to the floor. Her blood sizzled like acid. Daya looked away as the rest of the woman withered to ash. Her chest heaved, and she squeezed her eyes shut. This felt like a dream. It felt like it couldn’t be real. Too much had gone wrong for everything to suddenly go right.
She slowly opened her eyes as someone kneeled before her. “It’s done,” Soleis murmured. She let out the breath she was holding and snatched him into a hug.
“You’re back,” she gasped. “I can’t believe you’re back.”
“And, I brought someone else along,” Soleis chuckled as he helped her to her feet.
She laughed excitedly as she turned. “You can’t be here,” she whispered in wonder. Arken’s muscular arms wrapped around her and she squealed with delight. “The war? Is it over?”
He tightened his grip but sighed. “We have to get back to it, but I had to reach you.”
Daya pushed away from him. “You mean it isn’t finished?” she asked in alarm.
“Their leader is dead, and their battleships are all but destroyed,” Soleis pointed out. “We merely took a break to save a life and get back to the party.”
“Spoken like the arrogant three-year-old I know and love,” she grinned.
Arken stepped away from them to examine the deceased healer with a sad frown. “Yes, he’s our son. Arrogant as the year is long. But, he’s what we need, and we have to get back to the Fire Realm. I don’t want to lose another one of mine in this wretched purging of dragon eaters. Let’s go.”
Daya hardly had time to brace herself before Arken and Soleis grabbed her hands and made the leap into the Between. Her spirit soared higher as she realized the years of waiting and aching and missing them had finally come to an end. The threat to her world was laid to rest. The Fire Realm would soon be saved from the evil that had sucked it of life for generations.
She would soon stand at the side of the man she loved as queen of a race of dragon shapeshifters. All of it—every single detail—felt like something out of a fairytale. She couldn’t believe it was true, and yet it was. She had survived enslavement to a demented sorceress and falling in love with a monster. She wondered where this journey would take her next.
Just like every trip into the Between, this one ended in a disorienting jolt. She opened her eyes and found herself walking forward, nearly into the surf. Arken snatched her back. “Stay here,” he ordered. Daya nodded, looking up. The sky was filled with dragons. He snatched a soft, tender kiss before flying off to join them.
Daya stepped into the shadows of a large rock and watched her son follow in his father’s footsteps. Looking around, she didn’t know where she was. She had never seen this island, nor had she seen anything like the ships that looked made for seafaring but were floating in the sky.
She recognized the fierce frenzy of battle. Her heart leapt into her throat, but this time with anticipation. The sky was thick with smoke. She tasted it. It tasted like victory. Squinting into the sun, she watched Soleis and the king send the last of the sky ships crashing into the ocean. It was done. Something inside her eased a tension that had been with her for what felt like a lifetime. Her future was secured, and she felt it to the depths of her spirit. She had finally made it to the pl
ace where she could retire in peace and never have to go it alone again.
Arken descended to the ground and morphed into man-shape with his arms widespread and a grin on his face. She laughed and ran to him, launching herself into his embrace. “Oh, you made that look too easy,” she giggled.
Moaning, he kissed her deeply. “I do what I can.” His eyes swept over her face. “How are you?” he asked lightly, as if they had only been away a handful of hours. Daya wriggled out of his arms and playfully punched his shoulder.
“I’ve been miserable without you, you ass!”
Soleis strolled toward them from the far side of the beach, and he held the Heart of the Dragon in hand. It was amazing to see. She hadn’t touched it since placing it in the Between for safekeeping. Now, the catalyst that had sparked the entire war was at her fingertips as her son reached it toward her.
“There’s one last thing I’m destined to do,” Soleis replied solemnly. Daya arched a brow as Arken hugged her from behind pulling her back against his chest. There was a pleasant tension in his body that told her that he was in on the secret.
“What are you two up to?” Daya asked as she clasped the stone to her chest.
Arken whispered in her ear, “I asked you to be my queen, and there’s only one way to make that official. Oedaya of the Sky Realm, will you transform for me?” She tingled with awareness as his voice stirred her soul and his breath swept over the side of her face. She closed her eyes, knowing everything would be different. This world will change you, she remembered Ainsey’s words. The Heart of the Dragon began to warm in her hands.
“I will,” she replied.
When she opened her eyes, Soleis looked pleased with himself. “And, my duty here is done,” he stated, backing away.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“I’ve saved four worlds today. I might as well see one of them.”
“But, Soleis—”
“Oh, let him be,” Arken chuckled. “There’s something I want to show you.”
“But, our son is—”
“Fine. He’s fine. And, you have yet to experience the wonder…” Arken planted a kiss on the side of her neck and said quietly so that she barely heard him. At what he promised, she blushed vibrant red, matching the stone in her hand. Oedaya of the Sky Realm couldn’t wait to experience dragon sex.
As for the water dragon? He’d be back. It was his destiny.
THE END
Coming Soon…
Blood of the Dragon
Dragons of the Realms Book 2