Kieren nodded. “That should be the safest route.”
“Agreed,” said Lorian. “If we’re lucky, they may believe we already gave them the slip and have called off the scouting parties.”
Kol’s piercing gaze scanned each one of them. “Let’s go then.”
Valla tossed a pair of leather gloves to me. “You’ll need these.”
“Thanks.”
Kieren and Bowen slipped into another room off the living area. As Kol took my hand, leading me to the door, I noted it was a small armory. Swords, daggers, jagged weapons of steel lined within a wall-to-wall glass case. Kieren handed Bowen a quiver of steel-tipped arrows and a bow.
Kraven must have been well-armed as he marched directly outside.
Conn stood to one side, thumbs hooked in his front pockets, staring at Valla with a mischievous grin on his face. “You don’t need to arm yourself, Blondie?”
She passed right behind him, nose in the air, twisting with brutal speed, whipping out her rapiers from concealed sheaths, and criss-crossing them at his neck. If he were an enemy, she could behead him in two seconds.
Conn grinned wider. “Someone’s a bit sensitive.”
“I’m not sensitive, Red.” His smile slipped. “I’m just always armed. Best remember that.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’d ever let me forget it.”
“Got that right.”
She whipped her rapiers away, the steel-on-steel zinging a vibration in the air before she sheathed them in scabbards sewn into her pants. I’d thought they were just odd-shaped pockets.
Kol tugged me along as I’d craned my neck to watch the display.
“What was that all about?”
Kol shook his head. “Those two have hated each other from afar for a very long time. Whenever they’re forced into one another’s company, they always exchange a few barbs.”
Considering the heated exchange, I imagined what might happen if that anger transformed into another kind of passion. Maybe they fought to avoid other emotions brewing under the surface. I didn’t have any more time to consider it as we stepped through the cabin door.
Once in the night air, a cool mist wrapped me in a chilly embrace. Billowing vapor hovered on the lake and around the cabin, curling slowly in the breeze, layering the night in white.
Behind me, I heard buckles clink together. Kol unfolded the harness we’d used before.
“Why do you call this place Blind Bird Falls?”
I cinched the harness strap around my waist and buckled it tight. Kol had strapped his part of the harness to himself already.
“You see that tree over there?” He pointed to the massive evergold, the one with arm-like branches stretching far and wide.
“I do.”
“Kieren and I used to play a game with Valla there. We’d hide a bread roll somewhere in the branches and blindfold her. Using her Morgon senses, she had to find the prize.”
“What if she fell?” Yanking the harness tight across his chest, he arched an eyebrow. Then it hit me. “Wings. How could I forget?”
“She was never in any danger.”
“Still”—I finished the last strap—“it seems kind of dangerous as a child’s game.”
“The Morgon world is different than the human’s.”
I’d begun to see that, wondering if I had any place in his world. Perhaps Kol was right in choosing not to heartbond with me. Maybe his instincts were better than mine.
He spun me around and pulled me flush against his chest, buckling us together. Leaning down, he whispered, “I like the way you feel against me like this.”
I lifted my chin in the air, refusing to meet his heated gaze over my shoulder. “I’m sure you do. I think you just like having me bound to you and at your mercy.”
“Oh. No doubt of it.”
“Hmph. You’d best just keep your eye on the sky and your head out of the gutter.”
His arms wrapped around my front. “Later.” A quick kiss on my neck as he braced me in his arms.
I stared up at the smudge of moon hidden behind billowy clouds. “Fly, Moonring.”
“As my mistress commands.”
With one bend of the legs, we rocketed into the night sky, flying low over the lake, moving south. I gripped the straps crossing my chest, the best place to “hang on.” Though I had no real control at all. I hoped Kol understood how much trust this took for a human, placing my life in his hands. Literally.
Flanked on our right were Kieren, Valla, and Bowen, their wings dark against a mist-gray night. To the left in V-formation were Lorian, Kraven, and Conn. Because of the haze, we steered closer to the ground, rather than find cover in the clouds.
We moved swiftly over and out of the valley, crossing a rocky, barren wasteland. We finally drew close to Gladium, flying over the frosted forest of Singing Wind Woods.
I’d muffled my face behind the collar of my trench, but still the cold seeped into my cheeks and gloved fingers. Kol’s arms tightened around me. “You’re shivering.”
I snorted a laugh. “Humans aren’t built for flying in the freezing cold.” I couldn’t hide the tone of bitterness from leaking into my voice.
“What’s wrong, Moira?”
“Nothing. I just—”
Slam!
My body jerked sideways. Someone gripped my arm. I caught a flash of yellow wings. One of Kol’s arms left me, then the other as he grappled mid-air with two, maybe three Morgons. We spun toward earth. I punched at the Sunsting soldier gripping my arm, my fist glancing off, landing nowhere. A flare of silver. A dagger. I screamed, kicking and struggling. The whole time we were surrounded and gripped by the enemy, wings flapping, all of us falling in a mass of grappling limbs.
The cries of mid-air battle echoed above us. A fireball burst from someone, beaming across the inky sky. The distinct singing of Valla’s Drakonian steel clanged against another. One of Bowen’s arrows whistled through the air, hitting a large target.
The solder who gripped my arm swung his dagger toward me. No, he wasn’t aiming for me. It was the straps linking me to Kol.
“No!” I screamed.
I was yanked away from him. A bellowing growl filled the night. I glimpsed Kol held by two Morgons as we still spun mid-air—one trying to stab a knife in his chest, the other attempting to stab him in the back. He had both men by the throats, squeezing the life out of them, his face contorted in rage. The one with a death-grip on my arm sliced through air, severing the other strap.
“Kol!”
Feeling our bonds broken, silver eyes whipped to mine. His great wings beat furiously to free himself from the grips of the other men. I dangled in the hold of my captor. He laughed, his hand wrapping my wrist.
“You want her, Moonring? Go get her.”
The vise on my wrist released me, tossing me into the night. I screamed.
So did Kol. “Moira!”
Falling, falling, falling.
Breathless. I flailed my arms, helpless to save myself.
Treetops filled my vision. Frozen, craggy branches stabbed upward, as if rocketing toward me, though it was my body plummeting down. I closed my eyes, unable to watch my death come closer. I stilled my limbs and opened my arms, finding peace in no longer fighting for control, because there was none to be had. I pictured the one who meant the most to me in all the world—hard planes, icy stare, warm hands, warmer heart.
“I love you,” I whispered into the wailing wind.
Arms wrapped around me from behind. We sped toward the earth, avoiding the trees.
“Tell him so the next time you’re alone.”
“Kieren!” Tears streamed as he shifted me in his arms so I could hold onto him.
“Hang on, Moira darling. I’ve got you.”
In the dense growth of trees, he didn’t set me down, but flew close to the ground into the heavier woodlands where massive evergolds grew close together. “I need to hide you.�
�
I could hear someone yell not far behind us. “Moonring!”
Barron Coalglass. My heart hammered against my ribcage. Kieren banked hard left toward a fat, hollowed-out tree. He dropped me inside, but it was too late. Barron was upon us. Kieren whipped around, wings up. I burrowed farther into the hollow of the tree, loose bark crumbling on my shoulders.
“I know she’s there,” crooned Barron. “As soon as I kill you, I’ll find her.”
“You make it sound so easy, Coalglass.”
“It will be. You’ve spent too many days in the Senate, Moonring. Your hands have grown soft, your hide thin.”
“Is that so?” Kieren circled, leading Barron away from the tree. “I’ll give it to you. Even leaderless, your operation seems to be functioning well.” He drew him farther away into a clearing.
Barron laughed. “Leaderless?” His chilling tone pierced me with cold hatred, his voice a viper’s sting. “She tried. But failed.”
My heart plummeted. I couldn’t read Kieren’s expression from this distance, but the silent pause told me he digested the truth of the statement. Barron wasn’t bluffing.
“Your king lives?”
“Oh, yes.” Having circled around, Barron was now opposite Kieren in the clearing, facing me. Arrogance and triumph dripped from his voice. “Poison has no effect on my lord and master. Unfortunately, the sedative she dosed him with did. Even so, he no longer wants her for just a breeder.”
Relief washed over me until he spoke again.
“He wants her for much more. After he punishes her.”
My heart sank, stomach clenching tight. Barron’s black eyes found me in the gloom. “And I intend to help him do just that. As soon as I dispatch you”—he glanced upward—“he’ll be along shortly, so let’s get this over with.”
Barron lunged, lightning-swift with the aid of his wings, slicing a concealed dagger across Kieren’s chest. Kieren cried out. The two grappled and fought, steel swinging, wings flapping. I cringed, watching the two fall to the ground. A crunch of wings. Barron bellowed, blowing a line of orange flame, singeing Kieren. Another cry.
I glanced up through the barren trees, fearing I’d see the monster, looking for help, finding no one. A panting struggle. Blood gurgling in someone’s throat. The two Morgons collapsed, one on top of the other.
Both still as death.
Terrified, I tip-toed into the open, crunching fallen leaves beneath my feet. Kieren splayed unmoving atop Barron, whose staring, black eyes showed no spark of life. Careful of Kieren’s wings, I pulled him by the shoulder, rolling him off of Barron. Kieren’s short-sword was buried to the hilt under Barron’s ribs, blood pouring a dark pool into the ground.
The front of Kieren’s shirt was burned away, his entire chest a mass of seared flesh. But his chest rose and fell. Alive.
“Oh, Kieren.”
I didn’t dare touch him further, knowing the pain of the burn probably knocked him unconscious. I curled into a trembling ball next to his body and waited.
No one came. Time stretched. My shivering grew more violent, wracking my body from teeth to toes. So cold.
I heard nothing but a night bird in the tree above me, a scurrying animal in the fallen leaves, the wind singing a solemn tune through silvery branches. My fingers stopped stinging. My breath grew shallow.
Singing Wind Woods.
Petrus said there was magic in this place. That it clung to the Moonring Morgons because their clan was first born in these woods. Would it protect me because I was beloved by Kol? Would it keep me from dying?
“Please protect us,” I whispered to the woods, voice broken.
My thoughts hazed. My mind drifted. I wasn’t cold anymore. I couldn’t feel my fingers or my feet. I couldn’t feel much at all.
Something slunk close to the ground along the trunks of trees, drawing closer. A flash of orange-gold light, then it vanished. Or so I thought. It reappeared among the roots of the closest oak. Thin, spindly limbs, like these branches. Feline. Familiar.
“Hello?” My voice was hoarse, hardly making sound at all.
It meant me no harm, slinking nearer. Round, golden eyes peered close to my face.
I smiled. “Seerie.”
Petrus’s pet, the necrominx. She lowered her black nose and touched it to mine, shocking my body with a spark of vibration. Warmth spread into my blood, flowing into my chest, my limbs, fingers, and toes. I began to shake, my teeth chattering.
She burrowed into the curve of my abdomen, radiating mystical heat straight into my body. I could feel the blood pumping faster into my cheeks and nose. Soft fur brushed under my chin.
There was no doubt now. Magic did live in these woods, and I was favored. Blessed. I wouldn’t die. I would have the chance to see my love again. Such a precious gift made me weep with joy. Seerie shifted, licking the tear from my cheek, tongue rough but tender. I laughed, chest aching from the slow thaw of my body.
“Th-th-thank you.”
The necrominx snuggled under my chin, a rough purr rumbling against my neck.
I wouldn’t waste this gift. I must swallow all fear, all pride, and tell Kol what he truly meant to me. That even without the bond of soulfire, he was everything to me.
The wind blew a sweet melody, whistling and singing through the trees, as if angels lived here, carrying their ethereal song to those it loved best. Silver branches waved in the wind, brushing and rustling, making their own music of the night. I felt cradled in warmth and safety, the necrominx close to my heart, wind-song caressing my soul. I whispered again to the spirits here, lips trembling. “Thank you.”
Seerie lifted her head and pricked her ears. She stepped lightly to the edge of the tree line, staring back, imploring me with orange eyes to follow. She was right. We had to find Kol and the others. With warmth in my limbs, I moved to follow, touching a hand to Kieren’s cheek. “We’ll bring help. Hold on.”
He appeared lifeless, though a pulse still beat in his throat. I forced myself to leave him, knowing Seerie would lead me to Petrus’s cabin.
Seerie slipped through the woods more urgently, stopping every few yards to glance over her shoulder. Her fey eyes darted in all directions. She hopped over a protruding root from a thick-trunked tree. These evergolds were old, branches hanging thick and heavy, their knotty and gnarled roots protruding high out of the earthen floor.
Seerie paused, her gaze shooting straight into the sky. Hissing, she implored with her eyes for me to follow.
I stared up, seeing nothing, but obeyed anyway. A prickling of fear crept up my spine. She crawled into a deep groove between jutting roots. I did the same, crouching down, back against the trunk, curling my legs into a ball. Seerie pressed her body against my legs. The familiar spark of necrominx magic enveloped me, darkening the shadows around the tree to deepest pitch just as the sound of great wings beat overhead.
Sucking in a breath, I froze, watching the monster king land a short distance away, folding massive black wings to his back. I felt a growl quiver in Seerie’s belly. The beast-like Morgon pivoted his head in all directions, lifting his nose into the air, inhaling deep. Then he swiveled his head toward us and stepped forward.
Trembling in the dark, I prayed that whatever magic this little feline had, it was enough to hide us from the creature stalking closer. His voice rumbled when he spoke, like boulders rolling down a mountain, sending a shiver through my frame. “I can smell you.” The crooked grin creasing his sharp-angled face made me cringe. He opened his arms, clawed hands extended. “Come to me.”
He laced those three words with a pulse of dominance, which rippled outward from his body. It beat against my chest, snatching my will and forcing me to move forward. I was no match for Morgon magic.
“No,” I whimpered, tears pricking, unable to withstand the compulsion to obey.
Seerie hissed when I moved out of her supernatural shadow, bounding away into the woods, leaving me alone…with
him. I stood, my back ramrod straight, my body yielding to his will as it had done before.
With a feral gleam in his eyes, he puffed up his bare chest and moved toward me—controlled, powerful—with slow, purposeful steps. His prey caught, there was no hurry.
Wrapping his fist around my braid, he gave a tight yank, tilting my chin upward. I yelped. He curved his other hand around my waist, claws digging into my back through my clothes.
I trembled under the scrutiny of his serpentine eyes with slit pupils gazing their fill. He bent his head and inhaled my scent. “You’ve fucked him again.”
I couldn’t respond. His eyes narrowed, mouth drawn in a tight line. “I’m not accustomed to my servants defying me.” His voice grated against my skin, claws piercing my skin.
“I’m n-not your servant.”
His grip tightened in my hair.
“Ah!” I gasped.
“No. You are not a servant.” His mouth cut into an obscene smile, revealing a row of canine teeth. He relished my pain. “You will be my queen. There is only one way to scrape your lover’s scent from your skin.”
Heart hammering, I pushed against his shoulders to no avail. His grip held hard, his motive sure. He wanted…
“Soulfire,” I whispered, nearly choking on the word.
“Yes.”
I kicked and fought with my arms and legs, the rest of me pinioned against him.
“Be still!” His voice thundered with Morgon dominance. I bowed my back, the torture of defying his will paralyzing me. “Succumb to me, and the pain will go away.”
“No.” I shook my head, frantic.
“You must.” His beastly features contorted to reveal the savage monster he truly was. “If you do not, everyone you know will die.”
Captured in his fiery gaze, I saw the crumpled bodies of Lucius and Jessen in a pool of blood. I saw my parents ripped into pieces on their living room floor. I saw Lucius tossed off the roof of a high-rise with broken wings. I saw Kris, Macon, Sorcha, Lorian, Valla, Kieren, Kraven, Conn—all of them—glassy-eyed and lifeless. Finally, across my mind flashed an image of the one I loved most, stretched on a floor, beaten beyond recognition with the cool, void expression of death frozen in place. I didn’t know whether he put those images in my head somehow or whether I conjured them myself. The impact was the same.
Waking the Dragon Page 26