Tears filled his eyes. “If you were a dragon, that would be true,” he whispered. “Go, please. He’s coming.”
Eldred appeared before Nemia and shouted, “Kill Esmeralda, Ororo.”
His body morphed and flowed into the dragon.
Esmeralda threw a blade at Eldred, but he disappeared. “Fly, Nemia. Leave now.”
Ororo struggled to break the hold on the command, but still tore Esmeralda’s head from her body, and Nemia took flight. A wail of agony tore from his lips, making the tree and castle shudder.
Nemia flew from the balcony, pain thundering through her as the rest of the harpies decimated the army, save for Ororo and Eldred.
The blame didn’t fall at the dragon’s feet, but she hated him all the same.
Nemia paced her room, contemplating her next steps. She was no closer to being free of her prison. The wards had kept her safe from the Elder Guardians, but hers was a lonely existence.
What she wouldn’t give to find someone to fill the holes in her life. Friendship, companionship, sex…
She kicked at the wall. As long as Eldred lived, and especially if he really had this spell to force a mating, she wanted to be nowhere near him. Though, would it work if he was cursed as well?
So many questions without answers. She flung herself into a chair and stared out the window. She remembered when this mountain was full of laughter and love.
Eldred ruined her happy home, her childhood, her love, all of her damned life.
* * * *
Eldred was furious.
Zoe was gone. She hadn’t come back. He paced her tower and tried to call Ororo again. The dragon had broken his own bond.
He pulled the parchment from the sheath and studied the spell again. Then he pulled out the ceremonial dagger that was used to work the magic. No intimacy was required for the bond to take hold.
Once the bond was intact, she’d remember how much she’d loved him in the past. They could finally have the life they always wanted. The child she carried was a liability. A product between Storm Master and harpy. He’d never met a stronger willed creature than a harpy. And he knew of nothing stronger than a Storm Master or Mistress.
He needed to find Zoe. Perhaps allowing his intended to keep the child would gain him enough strength to overcome the Elder Guardians. Maybe then he could take his kingdom back, and Zoe would learn to be royalty.
He needed to find her and hurt her bad enough she had to rely on him. She could grow to love him with time. He dispersed into air and flowed through the wall and down into the village beyond in search of any sign of Zoe.
Chapter 24
Dead…Kellan was dead and gone. Her heart had been torn out, and she hadn’t fully processed the reality.
Zoe sat in the room Aquila gave her and stared at her phone. There were so many decisions to make, things to do. She needed guidance, and she was starting to think the only person who might be able to help was her father—if he was even back from wherever he went.
Either way, she needed to get back to life, somewhere far away from Scotland and all of her worst memories. Maybe later she’d settle into her cabin in New Zealand where Kellan helped her make some of their best memories.
Tears trickled down her face, and she clutched one hand over her heart, the other over her stomach.
A creak brought her head up. Lonny walked in with a sad smile. “Hey, Zoe. Sorry I wasn’t here sooner, but I was trying to figure something out.”
“What?”
He sighed. “What happened to Kellan’s body.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said it burned up and blew away?”
She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. “I can’t even send him off the way I should.”
“I’ve learned something in my years, Zoe. Rituals don’t change what happened, and they don’t make you feel better. Right now, we need to move. Eldred is searching for you, and we have a short window to get you out of here. Sammy is ready with a plane.”
Dipping her head, she stood and walked to the door.
“That easy?” he asked lightly.
“What else am I supposed to do? There is nothing here for me.”
“True. Come on. Let’s get you off this continent. I understand we have a couple more passengers.”
“You’re coming too?”
“I came to help you. Been here all along. Who do you think made sure you had food? Maybe not as much as I should, but I was trying to be discreet.”
A smile pulled at her lips. “Thank you. I didn’t want to eat anything Eldred gave me.”
“Don’t mention it. Our group looks out for our friends. I know you don’t fully believe us yet, but you will.”
Aquila and Ororo followed, bringing up the rear, while Lonny led them to the street where a black Land Rover sat. He opened the passenger door, and she climbed in.
“Buckle in. We’re going to make our own path.” Lonny drove to the edge of town and touched the dash with a whispered spell.
A sense of weightlessness settled in as he drove forward.
“Is the vehicle and everything in it phased out?”
“Yeah. Want to make sure we give away as few clues to our presence as possible.”
She couldn’t argue with that, though she’d never seen anyone turn something as large as the vehicle and people inside invisible.
The rest of the trip was made in silence. Lonny parked in a hangar and the doors closed. She climbed out to find the same jet that brought her out here weeks ago.
Sammy opened her door with a frown. “Didn’t expect to see you without your man.”
“He’s—he’s gone.” She sighed and moved past him to climb onto the plane.
“Sorry, love. That’s terrible to hear.”
She dropped into her seat, closing her eyes.
“Hey, where am I taking you?”
“As close as you can get to the Adirondack mountains.”
“Nightwing?” Sammy asked.
She nodded. “How’d you know?”
“Brent. Don’t worry. I know where to take you.” Sammy patted her shoulder, then bent to kiss her cheek. “Get some rest.”
She dipped her head and curled in the seat. Aquila and Ororo settled in across from her. Lonny beside her.
Sleep took her away.
* * * *
The wind blew over the lake behind their cabin. Zoe walked down to the water and sat beside the gentle lapping waves. “Why am I here?” she asked to no one.
Kellan was gone, he couldn’t visit in her dreams.
“Don’t give up on him,” a female whispered from behind her.
She turned and found a redhead she couldn’t quite place. She wore a gown of crimson lace that matched her hair.
“Saressa? Why am I dreaming of my dead mate’s dead mother?” She snorted and dropped her head into her hands. “Must be going nuts.”
“No, you are not. Sometimes death is simply a new opportunity. Wouldn’t you be happier if he came back to you?”
She wiped at her face and glared at Saressa. “Of course I would, but I don’t see how that’s possible. He died in front of me. Eldred killed him, and I couldn’t save him.”
“Sometimes death makes us stronger. Nothing can stop Kellan. Not even death.”
“Impossible.”
“Then what does it hurt if I show you something?”
“Fine,” Zoe muttered. “Where?”
“Follow me.” She offered her hand, and Zoe took it. Saressa pulled her to her feet and beckoned her to follow inside.
Zoe’s heart ached as she stepped into their bedroom.
“Watch.” Saressa crossed the room to open the window. A breeze rolled in and quickly picked up speed until it was a swirling gust that twirled around the bed.
The shape of a body formed, then filled in.
Kellan!
He gasped, his hand going to his chest as he sat up.
“He can’t see you, but he’s there. No one knows h
e’s there but you and me. He needs you.” Saressa disappeared.
“Zoe!” Kellan cried out, panting hard as he searched the room. “Zoe, where are you?”
* * * *
The dream faded. Zoe sat upright with wet tracks streaming down her face. Such a cruel dream.
“What’s the matter?” Lonny asked.
“Nightmare full of false hope.”
“How so?”
“Don’t want to talk about it.” She pulled the blanket someone had draped around her tighter and closed her eyes again.
“If you want to talk, I’m here.”
“So am I,” Ororo said.
Zoe snorted.
Aquila sat down beside her and rubbed her arm. “Me too.”
She wanted to laugh, but the pain was too much. They were a strange group. Two rare air fae, an air dragon, and a water dragon. Made little sense, but a strange comradery had grown between them in a short time.
The woman Lonny wanted had pushed him away. Zoe’s mate was dead. And the two dragons were finding their way together.
“How far into the trip are we?” Zoe asked.
“Nearly there. Another hour. Relax.”
She climbed to her feet and moved to the front of the plane where Sammy sat at the controls. “Hey, think I could hire you to take me to New Zealand after I have time to see my father?”
He looked up with a curious smirk. “Sure. Though, why?”
“Kellan took me there. Maybe spending time where we were the happiest will help me find closure.” Or maybe she was crazy, considering there was something to that dream…but if it were possible? Then she definitely needed to talk to her father first. He knew so much about everything. It was why she had such respect for various fae.
She almost wished she could have Sammy redirect the plane, but she’d finally grown a backbone and would demand answers. Least he could do would be to tell her what he knew of her mate and his mother.
Even in the dream, Saressa had creeped Zoe out. A woman she only briefly glanced at during a party before all hell broke loose. Was it possible to come back from the dead?
“New Zealand it is,” Sammy promised. “First you still want to head to your father’s?”
“Yeah. There’s so much he needs to explain. I’m not sure I can handle it if he blows me off again.”
“Has he in the past?”
“Too many times to count. And hey, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to fly me around. Just tell me what I owe you. Even if Brent has this one covered, I might want to keep it a secret when I go to New Zealand. So that’s all on me, and please don’t say a word.”
Sammy nodded once but didn’t say anything. Chances were, if he thought she was in trouble, he’d tell someone who could do something about it.
“Thanks.” She walked back to cabin and took a seat.
Lonny watched her with interest, as did both dragons.
Chapter 25
Emptiness flowed in as Zoe’s presence faded. There had been someone else with her, but he couldn’t quite figure out who. Kellan’s heart thundered in his chest as he tried to fathom what in the abyss had just happened.
Eldred attempted to attack Zoe, and Kellan put himself between them. Then Zoe buried Eldred in a rockslide. Was he dead? Did she live?
And how the fuck am I alive?
He watched her begging him not to go as he slipped away. His soul had been sucked into the abyss but ejected before he got his bearings.
I died in Scotland. How the fuck did I wind up in New Zealand?
Kellan sat up, and the world spun, twisting his stomach in knots. He flopped back.
How did Zoe get here, then disappear?
Kellan ran his hands over his body. Not a stitch of clothing. He lifted his arm and found the tattoos there.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he rolled to his side. Useless questions rolled around his head. He didn’t have a phone there. So unprepared.
At least he had clothes. Documents. Credit cards. He could get around from here.
Once again he sat up. This time he stayed upright without the spinning and nausea. He went to the dresser and pulled out some clothes.
A voice came from another room as he pulled his pants up. Confused, he wandered through the cabin until he found his mother in the mirror above the fireplace.
“Saressa?” His voice wavered. “This mirror isn’t enchanted.”
“No, but mine is, and I can look through any mirror as long as I have a connection to the person on the other side.”
“Shit. Have you been spying on me?”
She snorted. “I’d call it looking out for you. I showed Zoe your resurrection.”
“How is that possible?” Kellan asked in shock.
“My family’s line is full of phoenixes. A specific combination of water and fire traits in our blood allows us to come back. We aren’t the only ones. Reance,” she sneered at the name, “is also. I wasn’t sure you would inherit the trait, being mixed with Air and Earth, but luckily, you have.”
“Resurrected?”
“That’s what I said.” Shaking her head, she sighed. “I don’t mean to rush, but I only have so long. Your skills will come back, but it may take days or months.”
“What happened to you?” Kellan asked, desperate to understand why she wanted to help him. There had to be another reason.
“I’m not important right now. You are. Eldred lived. He’s pissed. You have to find Zoe, but getting to her won’t be as simple as opening a portal. Not yet.”
“No power?”
“Being a Storm Master, you may gain your power back faster than I did.”
“Thanks,” he muttered and walked away. There was no phone, no Internet. They had power and water, but no way to communicate without a phone. Wait, he could drive to town and get in touch with her. Catch a flight. He could get to her before it was too late.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he went to the drawer in the kitchen that had his keys.
“Be careful, Kellan,” Saressa called. “I didn’t say it enough, but I love you.”
His lip curled as he walked out the door.
* * * *
Lonny put an arm around Zoe as he walked her to the black Land Rover. “Relax. You need to see him.”
She snorted. “Have you met Nightwing?”
“Of course I have. I hired him to ensure I was always armed.”
“Some form of fae blades?”
“Among other weapons. Never can be too sure, especially when an earth dragon would do anything in his power to kill your type.”
“You never explained why that was.”
“Shit. I’m not totally sure, other than he felt jilted by something one of my ancestors did.”
“That’s less than comforting.”
“Yeah, well, not to worry. Without being tied to someone on this side of the veil, he can’t come back. The only time I may run into him is Isa and Toryn’s wedding, but that will be in a castle, and I doubt he’ll be invited.”
“Did you know who my father was before or after meeting me?”
“Before. You do realize we keep track of all Others, especially fae, in case anyone gets out of line with the humans. We don’t want a wide scale scandal when they realize we exist, and some of us are literally monsters.”
“Not you.”
“Or you,” Lonny countered.
“Maybe if I were more a monster, I would have killed Eldred, and I’d be done with him.”
“Don’t think like that,” Ororo said from next to her. “You don’t want to be like him.”
“True.”
Lonny handed her a phone. “Almost forgot to give this to you.” He opened the passenger side door for her, and she climbed into the front. The two dragons climbed into the back.
By the time the engine purred to life, the phone rang. Her brow arched as she turned to Lonny but pressed talk. “Hello?”
“Zoe, it’s good to hear your voice.”
“Kell
an? You’re really alive?”
“I love you too much to leave you because some asshole wants to take you away from me.”
Her heart raced in her chest as she closed her eyes. “The dream. You’re in New Zealand?”
“The dream?” Kellan asked.
“Yeah…um…” She looked at Lonny and sucked in a breath. Should they take care of Saressa after all the hell she caused? Most definitely. However, that was a concern for a later time. So, she improvised. “Someone pulled me into a dream and showed me you coming back to life in our cabin. You called my name.”
“Yeah. I felt you there. You were there, but only in the Dream Realm.”
Her heart swelled. He was alive. She didn’t understand. “Apparently. Why don’t you open a portal?”
“I tried. I don’t have access to all my magic yet. I’m getting on a flight in a few minutes, but I wanted to call you and let you know I’m coming.”
“Coming where?”
“You’re going to your father’s, right?”
“How do you know that?” she asked in amusement.
He laughed softly. “Figured after my death you’d go to him for answers.”
“We’re driving there now. How are you going to get here?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be there just as soon as I can be.”
“I love you, Kellan. Please hurry. And…don’t be offended when you learn of my dragon. By the way, you didn’t warn me about yours.”
“Your dragon?”
“Yeah, the one who served Eldred pledged his loyalty to me. He has a thing for Aquila.”
“Oh?” Kellan chuckled. “Tell me you aren’t hurt.”
“Was heartbroken until I heard your voice. You’re flying out here?”
“I am. I’ll be there before you know it. Wait for me. I want to meet your father.”
“All right. Maybe by the time you get here I’ll have the answers he never gave me.”
“Will you tell him about me?”
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