by Donna Grant
Sabina was still staring at him when he took three running steps and launched them into the air. This time, she didn’t close her eyes. This time, she didn’t say a prayer.
Instead, she basked in the power of a Dragon King.
The fear that had begun to swallow her before was tamped down when Roman landed safely across the river. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she found herself pressed against a wall of rock with Roman’s body trapping her.
“If you doona know how badly I crave you, then I didna do a good job of showing you before,” he whispered in a voice deep with emotion—and desire.
He captured her lips, the kiss passionate and fervent as both succumbed to the hunger they each had for the other. It was a kiss fraught with longing and a yearning so deep that it could never be filled. It was a kiss of fire, an inferno of desire and need.
It was a kiss of unspoken promises.
And hope.
When he pulled away, she awkwardly opened her eyes, trying to regain the breath he’d stolen. Her knees were weak, her heart thudding in her chest. And a throbbing had taken up residence deep within her.
He rested his forehead against hers as they waited for their breathing to return to normal.
His fingers slid down her arm to intertwine with hers. Then he straightened, staring silently at her, waiting for her to tell him that she was ready.
Sabina smiled and squeezed his hand.
“The ledge is narrow, but I’ve got you,” he said.
She didn’t doubt it. “I know.”
Together, they turned and began walking toward the opening Roman had pointed to. Sabina could just make out an entrance, and she was glad to have something to think about rather than the fact that she was walking on a narrow ridge against a wall of rock with nothing but magma below her.
If she didn’t have Roman to hold onto, to give her courage, she’d never be able to do this. And if she thought about it too long, another panic attack would hit. She turned her head away, refusing to think about where she walked or where the heat came from.
Hopefully, the rest of the way would be easier than what they’d had to cross to get there. But they were across the river of fire. However, they were far from being safe.
Well, at least she was far from it. Roman had said nothing but a Dragon King could kill another King, and she didn’t wish to put that to the test at the moment.
The ledge was littered with various rocks that slid out from beneath each step. Roman kept her steady—again. Even though she attempted to pick the best places to put her feet, she still slipped a few times. Roman, however, didn’t so much as even have to catch his balance.
They were nearly to the entrance when there was a loud crack. Both of them halted. Roman’s head swung to her. A scream tore from her throat as a part of the ledge crumbled beneath them.
She was going to die. Her hair was in her eyes, preventing her from seeing Roman and reaching for him. She wanted to be touching him when she fell into the river so she wouldn’t be alone.
And oh, God. She was falling!
Suddenly, something gripped her hips. The wind whipped her hair from her face in time for her to look at Roman. She smiled, but it vanished when he chunked her upward.
Sabina had no time to think as she was flying again, this time up. She landed hard on her side, rolling several times before she stopped. She immediately scrambled onto her hands and knees to the side to look down, not even thinking about her fear.
She hastily searched for some sign of Roman while fighting the nausea that hit her at gazing down from such a height.
“Rooooomaaaan!”
A sob escaped when there was no answer. What the hell had just happened? How was she alive but he wasn’t? How … oh, God. Her arms gave out as she fell onto her stomach, tears swimming in her eyes as she squeezed them shut. She couldn’t even look for him.
“Roman,” she whispered.
In the next moment, there was a loud noise. Her eyes flew open in time to see a form burst from the river and spread its wings as it soared upward. Sabina jerked up and fell onto her butt as she watched in shock as lava slid from Roman’s pale blue scales without leaving a mark.
He dipped a wing and turned, his ivory eyes landing on her. He then flew straight toward her. Sabina scrambled to her feet and backed up against the wall of rock, giving him as much room as she could for him to land.
Her mouth parted in surprise when he dove toward her, tucking his wings and head. She blinked, and the dragon was gone, replaced by his human form as he landed elegantly on his feet, his legs bent and his hands on the ground.
She waited until his head lifted before she ran to him and threw herself at him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
There was an instant where Roman wondered if he could save Sabina. Even when he fell into the magma, he hadn’t been sure she’d made it back onto the ledge.
It wasn’t until he emerged from the river and flew around that he caught sight of her. That’s when the band of steel around his heart had loosened enough for him to breathe.
He closed his eyes as he held her against him. While his fall and reemergence had taken but seconds, that time had felt like eons. And during it all, he kept wondering if he’d be able to hold her again.
“I thought you were gone,” she said, her hands shifting over his back as she clutched him tighter. “I thought you were dead.”
“I told you, only another Dragon King can kill me.” He didn’t bother to tell her that he prayed he’d pushed her toward the wider section of ledge, or that his heart had stopped when he lost sight of her.
She shook her head against his neck. “You fell. Into a river of fire.”
Roman pulled back to look at her. He grasped her face between his hands and waited until her dark brown eyes were focused on him. “Lass, dragons are made of fire.”
“So, even if you weren’t a Dragon King, you would live?”
He hesitated.
“I knew it,” she said, her face crumpling.
“But I am a Dragon King.”
She swallowed loudly. “I know.”
Roman yanked her against him once more. He couldn’t stop touching her, holding her. There were few things in his very long life that brought him fear. Sabina dying was one of them. His heart still thumped erratically.
“Did it hurt?” she asked.
“What?”
“The magma?”
He rested his cheek atop her head. “I didna feel it.”
That wasn’t a lie. He’d been too concerned about her to think of anything but her.
They stood for several moments in silence, each lost in thought. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done had she not survived. But she wasn’t dead. She was in his arms, safe.
For now.
“Was it the Others?” Sabina asked.
He knew she was referring to the rock’s collapse. “I can no’ be sure one way or the other.” He paused, then said, “You doona have to continue.”
She jerked back to look at him with a condemning glare. “You said I needed to be here.”
“You probably do. I can have Ulrik bring you to Camlo, and then return you to me when I’ve found the sword.”
Sabina stared at him for a long moment. Then she stepped back, out of his arms. “You don’t think I can handle this. To be honest, I’m not sure I even want to. But I have to do this.”
“It isna that I doona believe you can handle it. It’s that when I thought you might be dead…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. Emotion welled in his throat, choking him. He swallowed heavily. “That’s twice now. I doona want to tempt the Fates a third time.”
Her shoulders dropped as she pressed her lips together. “I want you to know something right now. If I do perish, whether it be because of my own stupidity, the Others, or simply Fate, it isn’t your fault. I would never hold you responsible.”
“But I hold myself responsible.”
She smiled at him then. A c
urve of her lips that was full of defiance, acceptance, and gentleness. “You can’t be held accountable for everyone.”
“Just you, lass.”
“Do you always say the right thing?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Rarely.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“It’s true. I find peace when I’m alone in my workshop crafting designs from the metals.”
Her brow furrowed deeply. “You can hear the metals, right?”
“Aye.”
“And you can shape them?”
“Aye,” he replied again.
The smile she gave him was slow and extremely sexy. “Have you ever controlled them within the ground?”
Now he frowned. “No. Kellan can call metal to him, so when I find it, he then brings it to the surface.”
“Why haven’t you tried to control it in the ground before?”
He shrugged, trying to figure out what she was getting at. “It’s no’ my gift. And there was no need.”
“There may be now.”
Roman glanced at the entrance that awaited them. “If I try to shift any of the metals here, it will crack the rock, and the mountain could crumble around us.”
“I’m not talking about those metals. I’m talking about V’s sword.”
Roman blinked at her. “But I can no’ hear it.”
“Yet you know it’s here somewhere. Right?”
“Aye.”
“Maybe it’s simply waiting for you.”
He quirked one side of his lips. “Or the Others could prevent even that. I’m no’ against trying to do as you’re asking. I will. But only when we’ve found the sword. After this,” he said, motioning to the river below. “I doona want to risk anything.”
She smiled sadly. “Risking everything is exactly what we’re doing.”
“For me, maybe. But no’ you.”
“You can’t make that decision for me. Besides, we both knew the risks.”
He ran a hand over the bottom part of his face. “I did, but you didna. There is nothing wrong with stepping back.”
“That’s just it. I can’t. You need to understand that. I’m part of this, remember? I gave V’s sword away. And he may never forgive me for that.”
“V is stubborn, but he isna stupid.”
She huffed out a breath. “I’ll admit I’m scared. Standing here surrounded by a river of fire and contemplating entering that,” she said, pointing to the opening, “terrifies me. But I’m still going.”
“You’re verra stubborn.”
Sabina shot him a sassy look. “Yep. I am.”
“I suppose it willna do me any good to try and sway you to change your mind?”
“Nope.” She shook her head as she removed her jacket and tied the arms in a knot around her waist. “Shall we go?”
He was well aware that she wasn’t enthusiastic about going, but they had to keep moving. She held out her hand, waiting for him to take it. Then she faced the opening, took a deep breath, and began making her way forward.
Roman let her set the pace. He wanted to give her as much time as possible to change her mind. But, secretly, he was impressed and pleased with the courageous decision she’d made.
When they reached the opening, Roman had to turn sideways and bend his head to the side to enter. He went first because he wasn’t sure if the Others had set any kind of traps or not.
As soon as Sabina crossed the threshold, he made sure the ball of light was with her. The passage was so tight that he had to wiggle through the protruding rocks. He couldn’t look back at her, but the fact that she wasn’t tugging on his hand to stop was a good sign.
“Are you sure this is the way?” she asked, breathing heavily from the exertion. “This doesn’t look like it was used by people.”
He paused and put their joined hands on the rock. “You can no’ feel the metals, but they’re there. Silver, gold, and iron, just to name a few. Some running in tiny veins that zigzag through the rock. Others in thick lines. And they’re all headed this way.”
“What do they sound like?”
Now he really wished he could see her face. “Imagine a piece of music that moves you so much that even, days later, you can hear it in your mind. That’s what each of them sounds like to me.”
“That sounds incredible. You’re very lucky.”
He smiled as he started walking again. “You’re fortunate yourself. You have Romani blood and have the Sight.”
“I’ve not used it in so long.”
“It’s still there, waiting for you to find it again.”
He felt, rather than saw her smile. Roman was tired of scooting sideways through the passage. Not to mention that he’d really like to stand up straight. Sabina wasn’t having the same issue with the ceiling, but even she had to turn to the side to move.
His hope that the tunnel would open up was dashed as it went on, and on, and on. Sabina winced as she banged her shoulder. He bit back a curse when he tried to move his head around a projection of rock from the ceiling, only to graze it with the back of his head.
Before he could warn Sabina, she yelped. “Damn. That hurt.”
“Aye. It did,” he grumbled.
Minutes turned into hours. They kept moving, no matter how slow their progress.
At one point, Sabina tugged on his hand. “I need to stop for a moment.”
Roman went down on his haunches to straighten his neck. She pulled out the bag of nuts from her pocket, and he produced another bottle of water. She eyed him as she ate her snack.
“What?” he asked.
“Do you eat regularly? I know you ate at my house, but you haven’t since then.”
He nodded. “Aye.”
“As a dragon? Like, swooping down from the sky and snatching a cow or two?”
Roman laughed and shook his head. “I’ve no’ done that in ages. I get hungry, but I can skip meals if I have to.”
“I’m guessing your stomach doesn’t rumble?” she teased.
He grinned at her. “Oh, it does.”
“How did the other animals view you before the humans came? I’m assuming there were other animals. You had to eat something.”
“Do you think about how chickens, cows, or pigs feel about you?”
She shook her head.
“Neither did we.”
“That makes sense,” she said with a shrug. “I’m guessing V is still unconscious?”
Roman frowned. “Hang on.” Then he looked away and opened the link with Ulrik. “How’s V?”
“The wanker is still out,” Ulrik grumbled. “However, Eilish and I are learning quite a bit from Camlo.”
“Like what?”
“Like how he’s always known of the Dragon Kings. Apparently, the animals told him.”
Roman laughed, glancing at Sabina. “I’d like to know what else the animals told him.”
“That’s what Eilish is attempting to find out. So far, nothing. How are you two doing?”
“It could be better.”
Ulrik harrumphed. “How close did she come to dying this time?”
“Too bloody close.”
“And the sword?”
“We’re closer, but we’re having to go slow because of the tight passage.”
“Well, keep me posted. I’m no’ sure how much longer I’ll let Sleeping Beauty rest before I slap him awake.”
Roman was laughing when he severed the link and turned his head to Sabina. “V is still out.”
“And that’s funny?”
“Ulrik calling him Sleeping Beauty is.”
Sabina’s face split into a wide smile. “That is pretty humorous.”
“I do believe it’s going to be his new nickname, which will annoy the hell out of him.”
“And why all of you will use it,” she replied.
“Damn right.”
She chuckled as she put the cap on her empty water bottle. “Another Dragon King here, huh?”
“And his mate, Eilish, who happens to be a powerful Druid.”
“Let’s hope they get V to wake. Any chance you can just punch your way through the rock?”
“I’m about ready to do just that.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Isle of Skye
“Ugh,” Rhi said and shoved away the book she’d been reading.
She rose from the chair and paced the room, anxious and irritated. And the fact that she couldn’t find what she looked for even among the Skye Druids made things even more annoying.
“Right about now, Talin would say he was vexed.”
She halted mid-stride and jerked her head to the doorway at the sound of the Irish accent. As soon as she saw Daire leaning a shoulder against the entry, she smiled at the Reaper.
“By the way,” Daire continued, “if you ever truly want to rile Kyran, tell him you’re vexed. The word irritates him like nothing you’ve ever seen.”
“That’s good information to have.”
She stared into the silver eyes of the Light Fae who now answered to Death. His long, black hair was pulled back in a queue, and he looked … ridiculously happy.
“How are you?” he asked.
She held out her arms and looked around the chamber.
“Yeah,” he said with a laugh. He glanced at the floor and took a deep breath before he pushed away from the door. “I wanted to tell you why I stopped following you. I wanted to do it the moment Death gave me new orders, but there wasn’t time.”
Rhi shrugged, shaking her head like she didn’t care, but she did. Oh, did she ever. Daire had become a trusted friend. She missed him. Mostly because she didn’t talk to many other Fae now, and the sound of his voice was sorely missed.
“I’m sorry, Rhi,” he said.
She walked to the table stacked with books and turned to him. She put her hands on the wood and leaned back, bending one knee as she crossed her ankles. “You know I wasn’t exactly thrilled with you knowing my every move, thought, and conversation.”
“I never knew your thoughts.”
She smiled tightly. “We both know you did. I let my guard down when I’m on my island.”
“Everyone needs such a place.”
“Why are you really here, Daire? I am happy to see you, and I appreciate your apology for bailing on me, but you haven’t said where you went. And I don’t think that’s why you’ve come.”