by Rachel Jonas
“Don’t be angry with Liam.” When she mentioned him again, I peered up to find her gazing thoughtfully toward the window.
“Despite what you may think, he did this stupid, stupid thing … because he loves you.” It was clear she hated his decision, but it was equally clear she respected it.
She didn’t show it often, but she had a soft side. Especially when it came to us. Her family.
“He told me,” I replied, clarifying. “In a letter.”
Her head tilted with intrigue. “Oh?”
“He wanted to make sure I understood.”
She nodded. “And do you?”
I gave the question some thought, taking a sip from the glass she brought with dinner.
“Not at first, but I get it now,” was my answer. “I only hope he doesn’t regret it.” I stared at my bowl for a long time, praying that wouldn’t be the case.
“Regret it?” she asked. “Because of his state when you left him today?”
I nodded once to confirm. “He wasn’t himself.” It wasn’t just the outward, physical changes. Even the depth of his voice shook me.
“He knew there was a chance things wouldn’t go according to his exact plan,” she shared. “He convinced himself this process would be no different than when Elise performed the ritual centuries ago, but what we couldn’t seem to get him to consider was that, back then, she awakened human children. Not children who already possessed traces of dragon DNA in them. Not humans who were already powerful supernatural shifters. We can’t be sure those traits, although they’ve been dormant within him, aren’t the cause of these changes.”
My brow knitted together with fresh concern.
“I’ve never witnessed the act myself, but from my understanding, regeneration should have taken hours,” she explained. “The healing process, based on Elise’s recollection, was quite grueling, lasting the better part of the night for the children of Ars-en-Ré … but that clearly wasn’t the case for Liam. His transition was almost … immediate.”
I hadn’t done a ton of worrying today because he was alive and well when I left. I’d only been anxious.
Until now.
“Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“I can’t answer that,” Hilda replied. “But what I can say for sure is that he’s better off as he is now than he was as a human.”
“Because he’s not vulnerable anymore?”
Hilda shook her head. “There’s that,” she sighed. “And there’s also the fact that order has been restored.”
I didn’t understand at first.
“I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him, having roles between the two of you reversed. He took pride in his ability to protect you, his mate, only to find he wasn’t capable of that anymore, and what’s worse, discovering that you had to protect him.”
She smiled a bit. “But, I suppose all that’s changed now. Based on what you described, Liam can hold his own once again. Perhaps even more so than before.”
I had so many questions. Questions Hilda, and maybe no one else, could answer.
Pressing her hands into the mattress she pushed off my bed. She was set to walk away, to leave me to eat alone, but I stopped her.
“Thank you,” I stated, smiling when she did. “For dinner. For the talk.”
She offered only a gracious nod before leaving me alone with my thoughts.
All one-million of them.
***
Pure exhaustion—emotional, physical—it was the only way I could have possibly fallen asleep, still awaiting a meaningful update from Elise.
However, at the quiet mechanical ticking of the front doorknob being turned, I sat straight up in bed, hearing the sound all the way from my bedroom. I hopped down and rushed for the stairs, counting heads as they filed through the entrance. First Elise, then each of my brothers.
My eyes peered into the darkness just beyond the threshold, searching for one more. Only … there wasn’t one. Elise latched the door behind my brothers and my heart crushed beneath the weight of disappointment.
I didn’t know what to think, what to ask. All I knew to do was sit down before my knees gave way beneath me on the stairs.
“Well?” Hilda greeted them, doing all she could to quell the anxiousness she tried hiding earlier, but it was no use. She cared about Liam as much as she cared about the rest of us.
Elise puffed a fatigued breath between her lips. “It’s been a long, tiring day,” she said first. “But he’ll be okay.”
I stood, finishing my descent down the stairs, blurting a question as soon as I reached the bottom.
“Then … where is he?”
Elise met my frantic question with a smile, and then an embrace.
“Waiting for you outside on the porch,” she answered. “He asked me to send you out, so the two of you could speak in private.”
There was more. I heard the hint of a syllable on Elise’s lips when they parted, but I didn’t wait for what she’d say next. I had one thing on my mind—seeing Liam.
I snatched the door open and rushed out. Glancing right, then left, my gaze landed on him. It was clear he’d thought through all the details, probably had been doing so for weeks, even before knowing for sure he’d follow through with this plan. He even remembered a second change of clothes, seeing as how the others had likely been disintegrated and he currently stood before me in jeans and a tee.
My eyes filled with tears just thinking about it—the pain he endured out there. Alone in the wilderness.
I scanned him again, taking another step in his direction, noting another change I hadn’t picked up on before. When my gaze slipped to his arms, there was only skin. No ink to speak of. The tattoos I now knew every single detail of were missing, had been burned away.
He stared back with so much hidden behind those eyes, saying nothing. Although he hadn’t revealed even a hint of what thoughts ran through his head, I knew; saw right through him.
There was hope, uncertainty.
He was trying to read me, but I gave no indication as to how I felt about this reckless thing he’d done.
But, with the way my heart swelled, I couldn’t keep him guessing for long.
My bare feet moved swiftly across the cool brick beneath them, right until they left it the next second when I leapt on him, sure he’d catch me. From the look he wore just before he went out of focus through a blur of tears, he expected something else.
Fear, anger maybe, but not this.
I’d gone through a range of emotions during the day, but once I saw him, the only one that remained was relief.
I loved him enough that the hell I’d been through didn’t even matter. I imagined he had a similar feeling when I came back yesterday from the journey to save my parents.
“Please don’t hate me.” It seemed like such a silly thing for him to say.
Letting my eyes drift closed as I held him. I shook my head. “Couldn’t even if I tried.”
My cheek was warm to his and I noticed the difference already. The strength in his arms as they gripped my waist tighter, the energy that vibrated within him. It was so familiar, but much, much stronger than it’d ever been before. I guessed it had to do with what Hilda explained, about his DNA basically being supercharged now. But I didn’t care if he was different. No matter what changed, he was still mine.
I leaned away, parting my lips to speak, but those words never came. Instead, I conveyed the feeling with an action—a kiss so deep I could’ve swore I felt it down in my soul.
He didn’t need to ask my forgiveness. I understood. He was never meant to be only human. He was a dragon, the fiercest the world had ever seen.
And he was mine.
“I’m so sorry.” He exhaled the words and I felt them moving feverishly over my lips as my legs cinched his waist just a little tighter.
I didn’t answer, only kissed him harder, deeper. It felt so good knowing we’d been given a second chance, an opportunity to give forever another try.
&n
bsp; I hadn’t voiced it to him, but I was all too aware of how limited our time could have been. But now, thanks to an act some considered stupid, and I considered brave … we had that back.
Our kiss slowed and my fingers came to rest at the nape of his neck just beneath his hair. I would have stayed there with him forever, but I couldn’t be selfish with his time tonight.
“We should get inside,” I suggested. “Hilda’s been worried about you, too.”
He responded with a nod while his gaze stayed trained on me, but before placing me on the ground again, another kiss pressed to my lips.
This moment, having him back … it meant everything.
With our fingers laced, we took slow steps toward the door. My eyes traced the outline of finely sculpted muscle that showed through the back of his t-shirt as he led me into the house. Everyone still congregated in the foyer, waiting for him, no doubt. Just like I suspected, Hilda made quick work of getting to Liam first. She truly did miss him, and if he hadn’t believed it when I told him before, he should now.
She stepped forward, placing a hand on Liam’s cheek, offering a warm smile before speaking. “You’re stubborn as a mule, but … I admire your courage,” she admitted.
He laughed, taking no offense to my aunt’s abrasive way of even saying nice things.
“When you get a moment,” she said as the smile she wore faded just a little, “Come see me. It can wait until morning, but … we need to talk.”
Liam seemed to notice the shift in her tone, too, but didn’t address it. Now more than before, I had a deeper suspicion that the conversation with the Oracles was about him.
My heart fluttered a little, but I tried to ignore it.
“I’ll find you in the morning then,” he promised, which seemed to appease Hilda for now.
Even with her clearly deciding not to ruin the night, I couldn’t shake the feeling that, whatever this was she needed to discuss with Liam … it was about to change everything.
***
The house was still and quiet. We laid face-to-face, the room illuminated only by the flicker of a single candle’s flame. With the sheet draped over my body, tucked beneath my arms, Liam was the opposite. He was so free with me and I envied that. Envied that the years he remembered with me made him so confident, knowing there was no real need to hide. I guessed I’d get over that eventually, just not tonight.
I breathed deep, loving that twinge of smoke I caught hints of in the air, smoke that wasn’t my own. It was his, a sign he was back.
Completely.
Lacing my fingers with his, my gaze roamed every inch of his smooth skin, still in awe over the absence of curved lines and vibrant color that once marked it.
I breathed deep, trying to sense my dragon, but she still hadn’t returned. I half thought she’d be back and stronger than ever by now, but that wasn’t the case.
When I released a heavy sigh, Liam’s brow twitched. Next, a warm hand landed on my cheek.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” The question was weighted down by real concern.
So much so, it made me laugh a bit. “No,” I said at first, amending the statement right after. “Well, actually, a little, but it was worth it,” I grinned, recalling how much different it was being with him this time, versus all the others.
His heightened strength and virility were overwhelmingly apparent, as was his attempt at bridling both. It simply wasn’t possible. The end result was a series of aches and pains in unmentionable places. Minor discomforts I was sure would disappear within the hour.
“My apologies,” he crooned as white teeth flashed. A wide smile stretched across his face and I shoved him.
“I nearly believed you,” I lied, rolling my eyes with the words, noting the hint of ego behind his.
He took my hand, placing a kiss in the center of my palm before bringing it to his chest where a powerful heart beat within it.
“Seriously, what’s bothering you?”
I felt for her again before answering. “My dragon’s still not right,” I sighed. “She’s still not coming forward, only my wolf.”
Once, I’d been so afraid to explore that side of who I am, but over the last few weeks, my wolf was all I had. I’d come to rely on her strength, her ferocity when my own courage dwindled.
Liam was thoughtful as I stared at him—every perfect detail of that beautiful face. I know that’s not traditionally a word assigned to describe a man, but it was the only one fitting for him in this moment.
The hand he held warmed when his veins began to glow—their usual orange lava now replaced with red. It was hypnotic to watch.
“I think I may know why she’s still distant,” he said, blinking hazel eyes at me.
“Why?”
“Our tether,” he shared, wetting his lips when adding, “I think it’s because our link has been severed.”
I hadn’t even considered it, thinking she was merely in mourning because he’d been made human, not realizing it was the connection she missed.
“How do I … I’m not even sure I can still do it.” This was something new for me, but I was comforted by the fact that I’d only tethered myself to someone once in my former life as well.
Liam squeezed my fingers between his.
“Just concentrate. Last time it was somewhat more … ceremonious,” was the word he settled on, “but that doesn’t matter. Try calling her up again.”
It took a lot not to release the frustrated sigh creeping up my throat. He had no idea how many times I’d tried to bring her forward over the weeks, only to have her rebel.
But then my hands warmed, and I gazed at them, the moving streaks that stretched from the tips of my fingers, up my forearm. I almost didn’t believe that she’d come when I called for her, but then it hit me; it wasn’t my request she responded to. It was Liam’s. His dragon’s.
I smiled and so did he.
“Good. Now, burn blue,” he said next.
I concentrated again, focusing on the moving light until the orange began to fade, dimming to allow a brilliant turquoise to emerge. It was almost laughable how much more my dragon cooperated with Liam than she had with me lately.
“For this part, I can only tell you what it felt like for me, because this isn’t one of my abilities. But, somehow, you made it feel like …” He paused to locate the memory, and then described it as best as he could. “You made it feel like a piece of me went into your soul, and a piece of your soul came into mine.”
I stared, imagining it, the red pulsating in his arms mingling with the turquoise in mine. There wasn’t more he could add because he wouldn’t have known more than that. The rest was up to me.
My lids closed on an image of him staring, waiting with confidence in his gaze that I could do this.
I hoped I wouldn’t let us both down by failing.
I followed what little direction he could give, imagining pieces of our souls trading places, mine finding refuge in his, his finding refuge in mine.
Foreign energy pulsed from my palm where it met Liam’s and I focused on it, forcing that sensation to spread from my hand, up my arm, and finally to my chest—where I always felt that invisible thread that linked us no matter the distance.
It faded and the lights beneath our skin had died when my eyes opened again. Liam blinked at me, and I didn’t miss the faint smile on his lips. I felt it, knew he could, too. Somehow, without any clue what I was doing, our tether had been restored.
“I’ll never take this feeling for granted again,” I promised, saddened as I recalled the moment it died before, the emptiness it left behind that night.
Liam brought me closer and his mouth melded to mine, bringing to my attention that I’d never felt more connected to him than I did in this moment—mind, body, soul.
As the kiss deepened and I held him tight, listening as he wandered inside my head for the first time in way too many days.
“And I’m never letting you go.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nick
My grandfather’s estate was no longer just a safe-haven for me, but for my friends as well. With Officer Chadwick working around the clock the past few days, helping those who could no longer help themselves, Roz hadn’t left my side, but she wasn’t the only one who’d been crashing here. Chris and Lucas were becoming permanent fixtures, too, with both their moms being nurses and doing their part to aid the injured.
Our town was a mess, and yet somehow, the four of us managed to find solace.
In each other.
A night of movie watching was an attempt at forgetting the chaos that surrounded us. It didn’t help, but we all needed the closeness, the comfort of being around friends after living through a disaster in which we could have lost them.
In short, we all learned a lesson in taking things, and people, for granted.
I was the first to wake, blinking into the dim light that peeked in past the heavy drapery. It was super early judging by the sun’s muted, orange glow. Choosing to camp out in the living room together, the floor was a jumble of colorful blankets and cushions from various couches that we borrowed from all over the house.
Beside me, a sleeping brunette who’d never believe she snored as loudly as she did, brought a smile to my face. Slipping a numb arm from beneath her head, I shook off the sensation of pins and needles dotting my skin and sat up, spotting Chris sprawled out in front of the big-screen, and Lucas somehow wrapped tight in a blanket near the fireplace. I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done without them here, but I’d learned how to be grateful in recent days.
There was cereal in the kitchen and I didn’t feel like waiting for the others to wake up and join me, so I figured I’d knock back my first bowl, and eat the next two or three with them. These days, we all ate enough where I was sure we’d each need our own box anyway.
I moved through the dining room quietly, passing through the butler’s pantry to get to the kitchen. Instead of turning on lights to brighten the large, dark space, my feet moved across cool tile, headed for the window over the sink to draw the curtains.
And when I did, I stumbled back, only stopping when I slammed into the counter, silent with shock as I stared out.