by Meara Platt
“He’ll hurt you.”
“He’ll kill Ygraine! She’s out there. Let me rescue her.” Before he could shove his shoulder against the golden wall again, Melody let out a gasp and clutched her heart. Her golden light began to flicker. She lost her grip on the Razor Cliffs and would have fallen had he not reached out in time to catch her. “What are you doing to me?”
“It isn’t me.” Cadeyrn drew her securely into his arms, knowing she was safe from the soul catchers by now. He felt the rampant pounding of her soft, sweet heart and feared it would burst from the strain of protecting him and his Fae counselors. She was taking on too much, fighting to protect them not only from Brihann but from Ygraine’s onslaught as well.
“It feels like a knife sawing through my heart. Brihann’s hurting me.”
“No, not Brihann. It’s Ygraine.” He fumbled into his pocket and removed the pouch of herbs Ygraine had given him. You must give Melody a spoonful or she’ll die, Ygraine had warned. Could he trust her words? He had to.
“Why does she want to hurt me?”
“She doesn’t mean to. We had a plan … only she’s decided to change it. Here, swallow this. You must, Melody,”
“And if I don’t?”
“You’ll die, sweetheart.”
She cast him a long, pained look. “You called me sweetheart.”
“Did I? Please, I know it smells as foul as demon stench. You must take it.”
She nodded, closed her eyes, and ingested the potent mix of herbs he’d carefully measured into his hand. Her face contorted and she began to gag and shiver.
He drew her against his body so that she could take his warmth. “I feel numb, as though my body is floating away. What’s happening to me?”
He didn’t know. By the Stone of Draloch, he was acting on blind faith. His instincts were on high alert and all his alarm bells were ringing. “Do you see the moonlight?”
She nodded. “It’s beautiful. The streaks of red have faded away. I only see a shimmering silver.”
“Go to it, Melody. You’ll be safe there.”
“No, not without you!”
“You must let me go. I need to save Ygraine, whether or not she wishes it.” He understood Ygraine’s plan now, understood that she had disguised herself as Edain to lure Melody into the underworld, knowing he would never have allowed it. But Ygraine needed Melody here, wanted her here. Foolish, tormented Ygraine, she’d been the one manipulating all of them, manipulating everyone all along. She was determined to do whatever she had to do so the Prophecy would be fulfilled, one way or another. “She changed our plans, put all of us in danger.”
Melody reached out a trembling hand, her fingers lightly tracing the line of his clenched jaw. “But she would never hurt you. She protected you all these years.”
“And she means to protect me now, to protect both of us. She blames herself for the Fae Dark Time and intends to sacrifice herself to see it end.”
Melody’s eyes darkened as she let out another soft cry and writhed against him. “She’s taking little pieces out of me!”
“To increase her strength.” He blamed himself for inadvertently putting the idea into Ygraine’s head in the first place, when they’d discussed the Prophecy. They couldn’t change what was written in stone, but he’d been the one to suggest they change the interpretation … and because of it, he’d lose—
The wall of golden light flickered as Melody began to struggle for breath. Her cheeks were now ashen and her eyes shut tight against the pain. “No! Hold on, sweetheart. Hold on to me, take strength from me. Take it all, take everything I have.”
Melody’s breath couldn’t seem to steady. She opened her eyes and cast him a pleading gaze. The color was draining from her cheeks. By the Stone of Draloch! Ygraine, be done with her or I’ll kill you myself! Had his counselor gone mad? Did she mean to take all of Melody’s mortal heart?
Melody was in such a delicate state he feared the slightest push against the golden wall still flickering around them would do her irreparable harm. He dared not shove his shoulder against it, for it could shatter … along with her heart. “Please, Melody.”
She nodded. “Cadeyrn, I want you to know that I love you. From the depths of my soul, I love you. If you’ll still have me, I’ll be your queen.”
He kissed her hard on the lips, understanding the courage it took for her to utter those words, those very words that she believed would condemn her. She was ready to face death, indeed had faced it moments earlier with Necros.
Now she was truly and irrevocably his, body and soul, her love boundless and freely given to him. “There is no other for me, Melody. You are my queen, the only woman I shall ever—”
The combined force of three dragon tails, those of Brihann, Python, and Necros all striking the barrier of golden light at once, overpowered Melody’s defenses. The wall of rock shook with cataclysmic force, and as his Fae counselors fought to steady themselves, Cadeyrn heaved Melody onto a secure outcropping to keep her safe. Whatever potion Ygraine had mixed would get her into the moon’s shimmering light … if only Melody would allow herself to fly upward.
The force of three dragon tails struck again, proving too much for either of them to overcome. He fell backward, losing sight of Melody as he dropped from the Razor Cliffs onto the cavern’s marble floor. He landed ungently at the feet of Mordain and Bloodaxe.
Bloodaxe reached for his axe, but in the next moment, there was a blinding flash of light.
Cadeyrn shielded his eyes against the painful brilliance, heard Mordain and Bloodaxe scramble back against the shadows, and then heard Brihann let out a blood-curdling shriek. “I know that light! Come out, you who are older than the Fae Dark Time.”
Ygraine!
As Cadeyrn’s vision returned, he saw Ygraine step calmly into the center of the cavernous underworld hall. She carried no sword or shield, wore no protective armor. She looked old and frail in her long white robe. “Will you face me as a dragon or as the husband I once knew? Come, Brihann. Are you afraid of an old woman?”
“I fear no one, not you or the whelp you’ve shielded from me these five thousand years.” He came to ground before her, the force of his talons resounding through the hall as he violently struck the marble floor. “I could break you in half with the flick of my tail.”
“Try it.”
“If you insist. Here’s a love tap to remember me by,” he said, cracking his tail with the force of a whip, but before Cadeyrn could leap forward to protect her, an unknown force blew past him, straight toward Brihann, knocking Brihann off his feet and sending his large dragon body soaring backward to crash against the granite rocks at the base of the Razor Cliffs.
Melody!
She must have done it, for Ygraine appeared as startled as he was.
He grinned.
Lord, he’d better not cross her in their marriage!
In the next moment, Melody was at his side, her soft, slender body warm and perfect beside his. He reached out to draw her behind him, his protective instincts on heightened alert, not that she needed his protection even with so much of her life spirit drained. The slip of a girl packed a mighty wallop.
Even Bloodaxe and Mordain feared her. They were on their knees, bowing to her. He wasn’t so foolish at to believe they meant to surrender, yet he’d never seen fear in a dragon lord’s eyes before.
He saw it now.
Ygraine was furious. “Get her to safety or she’ll ruin everything.”
*
Melody gazed at Cadeyrn’s broad back, wanting desperately to throw her arms around him and express how dearly she loved him. However, she knew better than to distract him while the three dragon lords—Necros, Python, and a now-recovered Brihann—circled overhead, gliding lower and lower until she could feel the wind of their wings against her cheek. Brihann was angrier than ever; she could sense it.
Bloodaxe and Mordain remained on their knees, but couldn’t ever be trusted.
She heard a du
ll murmur emanating from Brihann’s throat, a call of some kind to his minions hiding in the depths. She then heard the clatter of talons and knew his demons were edging closer, regaining their courage, or somehow bound by Brihann’s spell and forced to come forward. Brihann had only to shout the order and they would attack.
Cadeyrn stood firm, his sword drawn, his shield with the Draloch black dragon emblazoned on it serving as a reminder that he and the black dragon soaring overhead were closely related. His cumbersome chain mail and hauberk were slashed and tattered, but had saved him from more serious damage. Brihann’s tail could slice a man in half, and that had been Brihann’s intention toward Cadeyrn.
“You heard Ygraine. Get out of here while we distract Brihann.” Cadeyrn nudged Melody toward the Razor Cliffs, still protective. Always protective of her. But this was Cadeyrn’s nature, Melody realized, and loved him all the more for it. He didn’t care for his own safety. He cared for her.
His movements were smooth and agile as he attempted to guide her out of the underworld. His sturdy black boots were almost worn through from the poisonous, green demon ooze. That same ooze covered much of the marble floor, making it slick and dangerous. “I won’t leave you,” she insisted, hearing her own words begin to slur.
“You must.”
She was feeling lightheaded again and her body felt as light as a bird’s wing. “What’s in that potion?” She stared at her hands. “My fingers are numb.” More than that, Melody felt herself on the verge of fainting. Brihann’s onslaught, that foul potion, and the life force Ygraine had carved out of her were all taking their toll. She shouldn’t have used up the last of her strength to toss Brihann about like a rag doll. A very heavy rag doll. It had felt so good in that moment. She was suffering for it now.
Still worth it.
Brihann’s large, black shadow silently glided overhead.
Melody set her hand on Cadeyrn’s back. She saw his muscles tense, but couldn’t feel his warmth or the coarse fabric of his tunic over his hauberk. She was beside him, yet not there. A part of her was floating upward, up the Razor Cliffs toward the moonlight. No! She needed to stay with Cadeyrn.
Suddenly Edain was there, grabbing hold of her hand … the beautiful faerie was crying. “Come away. It is Ygraine’s wish.”
In the next moment, Brihann snapped his tail, whipping the air with a sharp crack aimed at Ygraine. “Old hag, you’ll feel my heat as you never felt it in your cold bed.” He took a deep breath and let loose a wall of fire that engulfed Ygraine in flames.
“No! Edain, let me go! I can save her!”
But Cadeyrn was now at her side as well, holding her back. Edain was openly sobbing. Cadeyrn had tears streaming down his face.
Melody inhaled sharply, unable to hold back her grief or look away as Ygraine’s long, white robes caught flame, as the devastating heat slowly worked its way upward, consuming her hair, her arms, her entire body in a fiery roar. Ygraine did not fight, did nothing to protect herself.
Tears stung Melody’s eyes. She tried once more to slip out of Cadeyrn’s grasp, but both his arms were around her now and she could feel his shudders, his tortured breaths against her cheek. “Why, Cadeyrn? How can you let this happen?”
“Ygraine wishes it to end this way. This is what she’s wanted all along. It’s making sense now. She disguised herself as Edain and brought you into Brihann’s underworld. She never told me, knew I’d forbid it.”
“I still don’t understand. What will her death accomplish?”
“She will be the one to fulfill the Draloch Prophecy. That’s why she needed to take those pieces of your heart. She needed you to be a part of her, for now and always. You and she will always be bound to each other, bound long after her spirit departs this world.”
As Melody watched, Ygraine transformed into her, the mortal queen of the Draloch Prophecy. Melody felt as though she were looking into a mirror. Her green eyes. Her reddish-brown hair. The exact shape of her body. “Cadeyrn, I’m so sorry,” she said in a ragged whisper, her anger and sadness still raw.
“As am I.” His voice was filled with anguish.
In that moment, Melody realized that Ygraine had also taken a nick out of Cadeyrn’s heart, thousands of years ago, as though she knew her purpose since the onset of the Fae Dark Time. That piece of Cadeyrn’s heart may not have been necessary to fulfill the Prophecy, but Ygraine would cherish it even after she passed on. Both of them were now bound to Ygraine. It seemed right. Cadeyrn was the child she’d raised and protected all these years. Cadeyrn was the child she loved. “I should have realized. I could have stopped her.”
“No, Melody. You were always meant to live.” He cast her a mirthless smile. “True love always survives. That’s what Ygraine taught me, though I didn’t understand the significance of her words for the longest time. Don’t despair, sweetheart. She expected this, hoped for this. She’s taken one of her numbing potions and feels no pain.”
At first, Brihann, Necros, and Python had gloated as Ygraine burned. Their minions licked their oily lips in glee. Then each suddenly noticed Ygraine’s transformation into Melody. Their demons began to shriek. “No!” Brihann roared. “No! It’s a trick!”
But Necros and Python had shifted back into their natural forms and were on their knees before the burning symbol of Fae victory. The demonic minions scrambled back into the depths, terrified of what they’d just witnessed.
Mordain and Bloodaxe … Melody didn’t know what to make of them. They weren’t scared. They weren’t angry. Their expressions revealed nothing.
Brihann clutched his heart and gaped at the dying Ygraine. “You bitch, I’m bleeding. What have you done to me?”
Cadeyrn drew Melody closer to his side. “She’s undoing the healing incantation,” he explained.
Melody remembered what she and Cadeyrn had seen when carried back in time by the Stone of Draloch. They had passed in shadow, standing unnoticed, unable to help Cadeyrn’s parents, unable to warn Ygraine or Fiergrin, unable to stop Brihann’s killing of innocents. Ygraine had been the first to understand his depravity and respond by stabbing him. Her mistake was in regretting her actions and healing him. That fateful act of kindness marked the commencement of the Fae Dark Time. Ygraine was now fixing her mistake. Brihann would be made to suffer his old wound for as long as he lived.
Brihann was now alone in his battle, his roared commands unanswered. Injured and still bleeding, he now aimed his fiery breaths against Cadeyrn and Melody, but to no avail. “Time to go,” Cadeyrn said, taking firm hold of Melody’s hand and keeping her close as they easily darted and dodged the hot bursts. She’d never seen any creature so enraged. But then Brihann let out a final shriek and disappeared into the foul depths.
The other Dragon Lords disappeared as well.
Suddenly she, Cadeyrn, and their Fae companions were alone in the tomb-like silence, alone to grieve as the last of Ygraine’s fire died out, leaving nothing of her body but ash.
Melody uttered a silent prayer. Ygraine had made the ultimate sacrifice so that she and Cadeyrn could live on in peace and happiness.
Was that great sacrifice enough?
Had Ygraine truly fulfilled the Draloch Prophecy?
Cadeyrn led Melody to the base of the Razor Cliffs, where the other Fae counselors had gathered. “Don’t look back, sweetheart.” He gave her a hot, hard kiss, and then drew away and summoned Beogrin, issuing quick instructions to guard her.
“You’re leaving? Wait, where are you going? Let me go with you.”
“You can’t follow where I must enter.” His gaze turned soft and anguished. “Not this time, sweetheart. It’s too dangerous for you. Beogrin, take her home.” He chanted a Fae incantation before disappearing with a tearful Fiergrin and Edain.
Chapter Twenty-One
Home apparently meant the vicarage, for that’s where Beogrin took Melody once they’d made it safely up the Razor Cliffs and into the English countryside. She wasn’t surprised as much as disap
pointed, for home to her now meant the Fae realm. Nothing held her to the world of man except her love for her mother. That was no small thing, but she also loved Cadeyrn.
She belonged with him now.
He returned soon afterward looking so tired and achingly handsome that the breath caught in her throat. He dismissed Beogrin and then took her hungrily into his strong, gentle arms, holding her as though he never wanted to let her go. “At last,” he said in a husky murmur as soon as they were alone.
She put her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear. “I missed you.”
“I know. I missed you, too.”
“You did?”
“Desperately.” He was still holding her, running his hands lightly over her body … along the curve of her waist, up her back, groaning as he slid his hand across her breasts. “I love you, Melody. I’ve wanted to tell you, feared to tell you. Refused to admit it even to myself for the longest time.”
“I love you, too. That sounded nice. Say it again.”
“I love you.” Then he lifted her into his arms, set her on the bed, and showed her in every way possible. He didn’t hold anything back, allowed her to take all of him in, every raw sensation, his every kiss showing how much he needed her, wanted her. She responded with equal intensity, matching him kiss for kiss, touch for touch, her breathless shudders mingling with his as he buried himself inside her.
His thrusts were hot and deep and glorious, rendering her helpless. She grabbed his shoulders, clung to his warm skin as she let go of her heart, trusted him, held back nothing, and allowed her body to respond with wild abandon. She was driven mindless by a consuming need, wanting more of him, all of him, and wanting to give all of herself to him.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “That’s what you are, what you’ll always be. My beautiful craving. My love. My happiness.” She felt his essence erupt inside of her and joined him in his ecstasy. They soared across the heavens together, forever bound in love.