The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “God,” she closed her eyes, “we were just supposed to have hot sex, and that was going to be it.”

  “That was never it,” he reached a hand to her face. “I know you thought that in the beginning, but I always knew it was going to be something more. I knew I just had to wait it out.”

  She looked at him in disbelief.

  “You knew I'd love you?”

  “Ah ha, so you do love me,” he teased her softly.

  She blushed bright red. “Never something I thought I'd say in my life. But I'll say it if you promise to take the secret to the grave.”

  “That I will do,” he said. “But I may bring it back.”

  She perched onto the edge of the bed, knowing that the clock was ticking down the minutes that she could be there. “I hope so,” she said.

  “Ariel.” She turned around to find her sister-in-law, Rosa, standing there. “You're back.”

  “I am,” Ariel said, getting up to give her a hug. “How are you?”

  “I'm all right,” Rosa said. “Alexander? Any better today?”

  “Perhaps a tad,” he said, glancing at his wife. “But that could be the change in attendance”

  “Such a romantic,” Rosa rolled her eyes. “Ariel, I love you, but I need you to leave.”

  “I know,” Ariel said, and then stopped. “What? Why? Are you trying something?”

  “Halloway magic is the oldest and most powerful magic,” Rosa reminded her. “And it grants dragons immortality, if you remember.”

  “I do,” Ariel answered, looking between the two of them. “But I understand you needed a full life force of Halloway magic.”

  “In the case of Cole, it's only half,” Rosa shrugged. “I don't know if this will work, but I'm trying to give him as much magic as I can stand each day. It might make a difference.”

  “Please,” Ariel said. “Try anything. I'll go away, so I don't disrupt the process. Call me if anything changes.”

  “Ariel.” Alexander reached his hand out, not quite ready for her to leave. “A kiss, my love.”

  She obliged without a word, leaning down to place her lips on his. They had kissed thousands of times over the years, and she always enjoyed it. This time, though, she tried to remember every aspect of it. How he responded; how it felt; how they knew when to nip. She was far too aware of the fact that it may be the last time she ever kissed him in this lifetime.

  Chapter 14

  “Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?” Spencer asked her. It was a week into their honeymoon, and they had chosen an all-inclusive resort in the middle of Bermuda. It was sunny, classy, and a small enough island that they had plans to explore the whole thing before they left. However, they had mostly spent the time floating in the pool and relaxing in the ocean or in bed. Their plans to explore the island weren't quite working out, but he didn't mind.

  “No,” Katianna said. “But maybe you could go and bring me something for later? I just want to stay here, take a cool shower, and then relax.”

  “I can stay with you,” he said, concerned. She had been quiet today, moving slowly, and he had been watching her every movement like a hawk.

  “Spencer,” she reminded him. “I don't breathe fire; I'm not used to heat. I just want to relax, that's all.”

  “I don't breathe fire in human form either,” he said, but kissed her gently. “I won't be twenty minutes.”

  “Please eat first,” she begged him. “I don't want you to come back so ravenous that you consider eating the livestock.”

  “There are a ridiculous amount of chickens wandering around, if you've noticed,” he pointed out. “It reminds me of the old days.”

  “The old days had chickens just wandering around?” she raised an eyebrow. “I guess that was the definition of fast food.”

  He laughed at that, shaking his head.

  “Only you, my dear, could make a joke like that and get away with it.”

  “I was just suggesting,” she grinned, “that Kentucky Fried Chicken has a longer history than it realizes.”

  “Go and take a shower,” he said. “I promise you that I will be back before you are done.”

  “Can you bring me some of those pastries?” she asked. “From the dessert cart? And then just some coffee.”

  “Coffee?” he replied, in shock. “It's evening. You want to be up all night?”

  “Caffeine helps headaches, so I want to ward one off. But also, I wouldn't mind being up all night.”

  “Katianna…,” he started, and then decided to take her up on her invitation. They were on their honeymoon after all. “I'll be back soon.”

  “See you,” she said, waiting until he was gone before she headed into the bathroom. Taking off her clothes, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was thinner than she would have liked, having lost weight despite the buffet here. Her face seemed odd to her, her eye twitching. It had never done that before, and she had been working for the past half hour to control it. Now that he was gone, it was a relief to relax and take a deep breath.

  Her vision was going funny around the edges; black spots dancing in front of her eyes. She told herself she just needed to cool down, and she turned on the shower.

  It only took a moment for the water to become the perfect temperature before she stepped in.

  The cold water hit her, and she breathed out. Her body had been burning, and it was instant relief.

  This place was heaven; it really was. She had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that she didn't have to go back and live with her parents. She loved them, of course, but she had moved on from that life. This was real life–living with Spencer; having him come home to her every night.

  She was almost finished with school and had spent some time looking for jobs already. He said that she didn't have to work, but she wanted to, and he accepted that. She wanted to manage a grand hotel somewhere, maybe a former castle. She thought fondly of her time on Umora, even though they had parted on unclear terms. It had changed her life, and she wanted a reminder of those days around her.

  The last she heard from Enya, Alexander was dying. She wished she could reach out to offer her condolences to the family. Dragons were so majestic and so strong; she couldn't believe that they could just waste away. She hoped he would be all right, but she saw death differently since Spencer found her.

  There was always a way to return somehow.

  The water pounded onto the back of her neck, and she closed her eyes, letting the stream wash away the soreness of her muscles.

  She was so tired today, and the world swirled around her. She arched her back, trying to steady herself, and lost her footing.

  Her head made contact with the marble behind her with a loud crack. For one moment, she felt incredibly nauseous. The world rushed up to her, and the last thing she remembered was her cheek cracking against the drain.

  Her limp body pushed open the door; the water quickly flooding the bathroom floor. Her hand lay out in front of her, her wedding rings sparkling from the recent cleaning.

  It was exactly twenty-three minutes until Spencer returned. He was carrying enough food to feed an army, wanting her to be satisfied. His arms were full, and he knocked on the door twice before becoming concerned.

  “Katianna?” he called through the door. He put his ear to it and heard the shower running. “Still?”

  Putting some of the food onto the floor, he reached into his back pocket, pulling out his key. He slipped it into the door, and pushed it open.

  The first thing that he noticed was that the carpet was soaking wet. There were noticeable puddles of water everywhere, and it was coming from the bathroom.

  “Katianna?” he asked, moving toward the bathroom door. He opened it, and the sight he found was horrifying.

  There was blood everywhere on the bathroom floor. Her body lay half out of the shower, her eyes unseeing as they stared up toward the ceiling

  “Katianna!” he screamed, moving toward her. “Help! Help me
! Somebody please help me!”

  His brain should have registered to call 9-1-1, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He was stuck in the early 1900s, the first time he had found her like that.

  He grabbed a towel, wrapping her in it as he picked her up. She was limp, and he frantically reached for a pulse.

  To his relief, there was one, but it was weak.

  “Help!” he screamed again.

  It only took a moment more before a member of the staff came running.

  He didn't remember much about the next few moments. He knew that there were more staff members running in, and someone called 9-1-1. The paramedics came rushing in, and they had to pry his arms from her to try and help her.

  It was the most terrifying moment of his life to see them pressing on her chest; hooking her up to machines and putting her on a stretcher

  “Is she going to be all right?” Spencer asked frantically. “Please, is she going to be all right?”

  “We're doing everything we can, sir,” the paramedic said. “Come with us. We're taking her to the hospital.”

  He had lost her before, and he knew what this was going to feel like. But it didn't mean it got any easier. He held onto her small hand as the ambulance sirens screamed, talking quietly to her the whole time. He wanted her to know that he was there; he wasn't leaving. And if it ended like this, he wouldn't stop looking for her.

  There was fear in the pit of his stomach, though. What if her lives weren't unlimited? What if he never found her again?

  And what if Ariel's words were right? What if this wasn't real?

  The hospitals had changed in the last century. The equipment was updated, and the terminology was different. Procedures were quicker and more efficient; doctors were more confident in their tests results than their own minds.

  One thing that he noticed hadn't changed was the emotion. Despite the advances in technology, hospitals were still places of fear, of tension, and of sadness. There were still families pacing the hall; people crying in corners–overtired eyes and weakened life forces. For all the advances they had made, they still hadn't been able to cure death.

  They took her straight through emergency setting her up in a room. She lay motionless, while they ran a battery of tests on her. Spencer went with her for every single one. There were CT scans, blood tests, x-rays, and some things that he wasn't even sure about. He didn't protest to anything, letting them do what they needed. He signed papers, gave permissions, and stepped back when they needed him to. He would have let them open his own body and donate whatever was needed if it would have made a difference.

  But as two days and nights passed, he knew that nothing would make a difference.

  “It was an aneurysm,” a doctor said to him quietly at dawn of the third day. “She was born with it, most likely. Did she show symptoms of any head pain in the past?”

  “Yes,” Spencer said, numbly, speaking of this life and the past few ones. “Always.”

  “Was it ever investigated?” the doctor said, and he shook his head, numbly.

  “No,” his voice broke at that. “We've only been married two weeks.”

  “I'm sorry,” the doctor answered, flatly. “There's not much we can do in these cases. We've run the tests three times, and each time, it's come back with no brain waves. She's gone. I'm sorry. All that's left to do is turn off the machines.”

  “No,” Spencer replied, sharply. “No, please. She could come back.”

  “Sir, maybe you misunderstand me,” the doctor replied. “She is gone, her brain is dead. The machines are the only things keeping her alive. She can't come back.”

  “She can,” Spencer said, quietly, closing his eyes.

  “You let me know when you want me to turn off the machines,” the doctor said softly. “Take as much time as you need.”

  He left the room then, leaving Spencer to hold her hand, his own trembling.

  He never had to make a choice like this before. She had always died young, and in his heart, he knew that this time wouldn't be any different. This was just the way it was. But to make the choice to take her life away was something he wasn't sure he could do.

  He had to be sure in the belief that he would find her again. He had to truly believe that this was his Katianna, and that the second he pulled the plug, her soul would soar to a new body.

  It would be at least fifteen years before he was able to recognize her again. He would wander the galaxy alone – waiting, hoping, and praying. He would look for clues, hire witches to follow magic trails, search the internet–anything that he could do.

  “Till death do us part, my love,” he whispered softly, kissing the top of her head. He was trembling as he stood up. “But I will find you again. I will.”

  He desperately wanted her to respond, to wake and tell him that she loved him. He wasn't sure he could wait that long to hear those words again or see those beautiful eyes.

  But he had to, for this was what fate delivered to him.

  “I'm ready,” he said, going out to the hallway. The doctor looked up from his notes, surprised

  “That was fast,” he answered. “Are you sure?”

  “I'm sure,” Spencer replied. “I will see her again someday, and I want to speed that process along.”

  The doctor's brow furrowed. He heard a lot of talk about death in his career, but that was a confusing phrase. He didn't question it, though. People said odd things in the throes of grief.

  “All right,” he said. “And again, I'm sorry.”

  “It's all right,” Spencer repeated. “I'll see her again soon. I have to.”

  Chapter 15

  “And what about marriage? Have you ever thought about remarrying?”

  Ariel froze, looking at the reporter in the mirror. She was used to doing interviews just about every second she wasn't performing. She was the biggest name in theater and had broken into Hollywood several years ago. Her dancing career had given way to an acting career that she thought would keep her distracted after Alexander died. Truthfully, she threw herself into the role because she couldn't stand being herself.

  It had been twenty years since he died, slipping away on Umora despite everyone's best efforts. It had thrown her into a state of grief that she hadn't thought she'd be able to survive.

  True to Nicholas' word, she remained a dragon princess. They weren't as close as they were twenty years ago, but she was still their sister. It just hurt to see their lives successful and happy. All three brothers had children; all their spouses had managed to find a way to survive. Only she was alone, and it broke her heart every time she saw them holding hands.

  “No,” she said, quickly. “I won't be remarrying. I think this interview is over.”

  The reporter realized that they had screwed up, and got up. “Ariel–”

  “Thank you,” she practically shoved them out of the door, slamming it behind them.

  Only then did she let a tear slip down her cheek.

  She quickly moved to the makeup mirror to dab up the tear and fix the damage that had been done. She was due on stage in ten minutes, and she was glad it was a show she had done a million times before.

  She tried not to think about the fact that the first time she had done this show, Alexander had been alive. He had scoffed, shaking his head, and telling her that as long as she was happy, he didn't care that the show rapped the American Constitution. What would he think, now that she had toured with it off and on for twenty years?

  She felt numb as the lights dimmed and the opening music played. She was just going through the motions, dancing the steps, moving with her partner through the beat. She didn't feel a thing, except for trying to push out the grief.

  It wasn't until she came to the very front of the stage during the second act that she felt a shock. She spun around, searching the dark auditorium. She was a professional; she didn't miss a beat. But she certainly threw off her partners, trying to change the blocking every second song to get close to the edge of
the stage.

  She could have sworn she felt a dragon in the crowd, somewhere.

  The theater seated three-thousand people; she couldn't pinpoint it. Her skills were rusty; it had been a long time since they had been put to use. She remembered the days when the dragons taught her to hone it, to search for links between two beings, and to sniff out magical trails. Those days when they were all young, happy, and full of adrenaline.

  “What the hell were you up to?” her partner asked as the curtain fell the final time. “Did you forget everything?”

  “I hear the crowd roaring; I couldn't have done that bad,” she snapped. All she wanted was to go back to the hotel and pull the covers over her head. She didn't want to deal with people; she didn't want to feel their life forces.

  So, what if there were dragons in the audience? They could have come from anywhere in the galaxy; they could have come through the Other. She felt it occasionally, passing someone on the street or standing in a taxi cue. None of it felt familiar; none of it felt like the one thing she searched for.

  It was as if the only thing she could feel for anymore was a dragon prince. But she knew the one she was reaching out for would never reach back, no matter how much time she wasted.

  “Whatever. Don't forget to go to the stage door,” her partner said, rolling his eyes.

  “Oh, shit,” Ariel growled. She had forgotten that part of their contract was to sign autographs at the stage door in a rotating schedule. She had traded shifts twice to do interviews, and she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. If she asked someone else to do it one more time, her cast mates would likely never forgive her. “Do you have a pen?”

  “They have pens, diva,” he replied. “Just go quickly. You and I have an interview in the green room in half an hour.”

  “Yes, your majesty,” she rolled her eyes.

  “That's yes, General Sir,” he teased her and she broke away. She couldn't even stand the light flirting that actors often spat out. She knew it meant nothing, but it reminded her of a time when it did.