I blinked, and I found myself on a field—a long-forgotten battlefield where the bodies of soldiers were fresh, and the war still raged. Swiftly, I turned around as the battle cries of men rang out around me. To my right, swords clashed loudly, singing the praises of steel against steel. One man, rustic-looking in his ancient medieval battle garb carried a large axe, killing any man that came upon him with one sweeping motion.
To my left, there were a few men still in the course of their battle, fighting for their lives. Then my attention drew ahead of me where a rider on a black horse bounded from the trees with an army behind him. He drew his sword as a mighty cry bellowed out from his mouth. The crew behind him all cried out too and charged at the remaining enemy soldiers.
It was the man on the horse who drew my attention the most. Sword in hand, he charged toward the big man with the battle axe. The closer he got, the clearer his image became. I blinked in disbelief, as though my mind didn’t want to accept what I had seen.
The man riding the black horse was Jacob, as if he was back in some medieval time where Knights existed and fought fiercely. My mouth dropped open, and I stood in awe as he swept by the axe man, slicing across his chest. The man stumbled forward as Jacob hopped off the horse, gained his footing, and composed himself for battle.
I’d seen this giant man with an axe already kill everyone in his path. He was more than just a man, but something not entirely human. From my left, I heard a war scream, and my attention snapped to another man who charged toward me with a giant sword in one hand and shield in another. At first, I thought everything I had witnessed was a vision—no one told me that visions become real. I looked around the ground to find anything I could defend myself with, and the only thing I noticed was a rusty old sword. The sword didn’t look as though it was sharp enough to cut hot butter, as my Grams would have said, but it might be useful as a defensive weapon.
Quickly, I claimed the sword to my hand as the swordsman approached me. He came down on me with his sword, and I blocked it with Old Rusty. For a vision, this one felt too real. I pulled my knee up and kick-pushed the man backward. He toppled back and fell over a dead body to the ground. I looked up to see Jacob locked in a battle to the death with the jumbo-sized man. Jacob did his best to move out of the way of the giant and his axe. One hit was all it would take to kill Jacob.
The swordsman lying on the ground in front of me moved, which brought my attention back to him. Quickly, I stepped over to him and placed my foot onto his chest.
“What do you want?” I asked as I held Old Rusty at his throat.
“For all of your kind to die,” he seethed as he brought up his sword. Immediately, I shoved Old Rusty into his throat and watched as the life faded from his eyes.
When I looked up, the giant took a swing toward Jacob, who stumbled and lost his balance. Horror filled my heart as I watched the battle end. The axe came across Jacob’s chest and cut what armor he had in half.
“NOO!” I screamed and ran forward, leaping onto the giant’s back and shoving Old Rusty into his neck from the side. The giant fell forward to the ground, and I hopped off his back and ran to Jacob.
Jacob’s weary eyes lifted to mine as I dropped down to the ground beside him. I looked over his wounds and wanted to find a way to heal him, but nothing came to mind. In my heart, I knew he would die. With one hand on his blood-covered chest, he reached out to me with his other hand.
A weak smile crossed his lips as he took my hand in his.
“Death is not the end for us. We will find one another in the next life—I swear by it.” He closed his eyes, and his hand loosened its grip around mine.
I looked around the battlefield, tears streaming from my eyes at the massive destruction of some long-lost war. Death had surrounded me, and Fate had cursed me in that moment. I lifted my head to the cloudless blue sky, closed my eyes, and screamed to the top of my lungs.
Without any warning, a powerful bolt of electricity shot down into my body. When I opened my eyes, I was back in the room with Jacob. The electric tingles had felt much like the one I felt when I went through my transformation. A blue aura emerged in my hands, then wrapped and twisted around my fingers. The energy felt terrific—like pure power. I placed one hand on Jacob’s chest and the other one on his forehead.
“It’s not your time, Jacob. Come back to me,” I commanded through gritted teeth. I felt the electricity, or whatever it was, swirl around inside me as if it had been looking for a host to connect with. Then I felt the connection coursing as a straight line directly into Jacob. When the last of the blue waves of energy entered him, I pulled my hands back and watched with anticipation.
At first, nothing changed. But then, as the seconds passed, his skin came back to color, from the pale greyish-white to a more human-like, smooth ivory color—the same color as my skin. The next thing to change was his hair, from the roots to the ends, as blue waves spread over each one—repeatedly, bleaching them from their color. The process amazed me. His body remained still as a board—he didn’t even flinch.
The door bolted opened behind me, and in walked the King first, followed closely behind by Karina, Mia, and then Evan. Tristan and Kyle, of course, waltzed in last. The King looked down in amazement at Jacob, then to me, then at the monitor.
“He’s alive?” The King’s voice was above a whisper. I nodded, then looked at each one of their surprised faces. The old King looked to me again, his gaze narrowed. “What manner of a being are you, Dragonborne?”
“EVIL! That’s what they are! They must be destroyed—all of them!” Evan shouted and grabbed a dagger from one of the King’s men.
Then he pushed through the King’s guards and charged toward me with the dagger held high in his hand. Kyle moved fast and stepped in between Evan and me, catching Evan’s hand. He applied so much pressure that Evan dropped the dagger onto the floor.
“Damn you all! Damn you to hell!” Evan shouted. “Jacob’s life is no more! It’s your fault.”
The King swiftly in front of Evan. The tall statuesque man hovered over Evan, lifted his right hand and brought it down hard across Evan’s face, sending him flying back against the wall.
“Remove him from my sight. He has been dismissed as an Elder and shall be held in contempt murder of a Royal Heir. The Elder’s Court here shall be reconceived.” The King’s guard collected Evan and pulled him away.
“Ugh—ugh.” At the sound, I turned to see Jacob’s eyes had opened.
A smile erupted on my face as I stared down into Jacob’s. His once-brown eyes had now turned into a permanent crystal-blue like mine. The experience he had, although much quicker than mine, had made him fully Awakened.
“Welcome back.” I smiled.
Jacob looked up into my eyes, blinked, then smiled broadly. “I had the weirdest dream. You were there, and we were in a big battle on some ancient battleground.” He looked around the room to see The King. “Grandfather?” He frowned.
“Ah, there, there, my boy. All is well—all is well.” The King smiled and patted his grandson’s hand. “It’s time for a change in this life. The war will end today, I declare it by none other than my own blood. We have much to learn from Dragonbornes and their abilities that far exceed our own. We were meant to be keepers, watchers, and loyal helpers to man on this earth. It saddens my heart that we’ve become so blind to how far we’ve ascended from our true meaning.”
Jacob frowned as if confused. “Are you saying you’re changing the Laws?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I am the only one who can. We shall have peace between Bloodbornes and Dragonbornes.” The King lifted his softened gaze to me. “And you, my darling little Dragon girl, thank you for saving my grandson’s life. There is no greater honor I could bestow upon you than to give you what you desire the most.” The King bowed.
Confusion wrapped her claws around my mind, as I tried to contemplate what he meant. My gaze drifted around everyone in the room in search of an answer. Tri
stan’s eyebrows rose as he pursed his lips together, then smiled. Karina nodded her head and smiled, tears falling down her face. Mia, well, she just hugged her mother as she cried, too. Kyle looked just as bewildered as me. Then there was Jacob, who reached over and took my hand in his.
“You don’t know what he’s offering you, do you?” Jacob’s lip curled up into a half-smile.
I shook my head. “Not, really, no.”
“He’s offering brotherhood back to the Dragonbornes. Our lines will be united together.” Jacob’s fingers brushed over mine. “That means there are no longer any laws that can be broken.”
“But—” I looked from Jacob to the King. “Your lineage? It’s a sacred bloodline, and it’s remained pure for thousands of years.”
“This is correct, and it will still remain pure. I’m an old one, and as Bloodbornes become ancient in our age, we can see as others cannot. I see Jacob’s spirit within his body. It’s bright and shining. We have long believed that Dragonbornes were—well, their spirits were not of their own. I see now we were wrong for judging them, and their dragons.”
“The Dragons do not belong to Dragonbornes, sir.” Kyle cleared his throat. “The dragons have always tried to protect the humans from demons just as the Bloodbornes.”
The old King frowned slightly, then turned to Kyle. “Are you saying that you have no control over dragons?”
“That is correct. Would you have control over your grandson or even daughter? They are individual beings, just as we are. We are as much a part of them as they are of us, more so than what anyone knows.” Kyle clasped his hands together in front of him and shifted his weight from foot to foot.
“Amazing.” The King whisked around to me. “Then such a union will be honored and blessed.” He clapped his hands together, then patted Jacob on the side of his leg. “I must say this is a new look for you, but it suits you well, grandson.” Everyone in the room shared a light moment of joy, one which was desperately needed. “It’s late, we must rest. Tomorrow is a brand-new day for us all.” And with that, everyone left the room except for Karina, who lingered a little longer at the door.
“Jessie, I always had faith in you, and I’m proud to welcome you to our family.” Her eyes brightened, as did her smile, then she closed the door behind her, leaving Jacob and me alone.
I turned to him. He had by now seated himself on the side of the bed. “Why do I have the feeling you were just promised in marriage to ‘seal the deal’ between Dragonbornes and Bloodbornes?” I folded my arms across my chest.
Jacob chuckled, then ran his hand through his new white hair. He resembled himself, but slightly different, and yet it was still a great look for him. “I—uhm—” He reached out and pulled me to him, then looked deep into my eyes. “I wouldn’t want to argue with him.” Jacob’s lips curled into a broad smile. “I mean, after all, he is the King.”
I slipped my arms around Jacob’s neck and leaned closer to him as he pressed his forehead against mine. “Does it make me a selfish person to be happy that things worked out for us?”
Jacob nuzzled my nose with his. “Then I must be selfish too. Because,” he inhaled a deep breath and pulled me closer still, “there is no way I could stand living in that dungeon downstairs.”
I frowned and drew my head back. “What? Why?”
“Because that’s where they would have me. And you know as well as I do that you don’t get the good food there.” He chuckled, then leaned closer and brushed his lips over mine. “Not to mention, your lips—”
The door opened, and Tristan blew in like a north wind. “OKAY!”
“TRISTAN! GO AWAY!” Jacob and I both yelled at the same time, then laughed.
Tristan snapped his head back and waved his hand in the air toward us as he half-turned away. “You two have got issues I don’t want to even deal with! Tell me to go away—” He faced us again. “Just so you know, I’m much older than both you two whelps!” Tristan dashed out the room, closing the door behind him.
Before I could say anything, Jacob’s hand clasped the side of my face and held me still as his mouth met mine. Softly and gently, his tongue traced the inside of my lip as I inhaled a quick breath and met his tongue with mine. My fingers trailed the length of his muscular arms, then made their way to the back of his neck.
Jacob wrapped me tighter against his body as the kiss deepened, my tongue chasing his with delight. His hand slipped to the back of my neck, cradling me as his mouth devoured mine. My heart raced and pounded against my chest, as though my veins had been kissed by a fiery flame that flushed my skin with a warm sensation. I wanted that moment to last forever, and how long it lasted, I didn’t even know. But when that kiss broke, we both were breathing a bit heavier than usual as our lips rested on each other.
Jacob inhaled a deep breath, which caused his chest to rise and fall against mine. “Everything is so different,” he whispered softly, then pulled back slightly and gazed lovingly into my eyes.
“Like how? I mean, you did say that you weren’t fully Awakened.” I looked up and noticed his blue eyes softly glowing.
“I was. Partially anyway. But this is different, though. I feel everything around me—I can sense things.” He paused. “I feel you—your heart.” My cheeks burned at that, and I lowered my eyelids. He gently placed a finger under my chin and lifted my face back to his. “Your heart is so beautiful and pure.” He took another breath. “I know what you went through when you were Awakened. It’s not an experience I would wish on anyone, though.” He chuckled.
I laughed, then took a step back as our hands found one another. “I think you had a rough time because of the venom war that raged inside of you.”
Jacob’s face paled as his eyes went hollow and wide. “Oh yes, I do remember you bit me. Something about fangs, I believe?” He lifted a brow and pursed his lips together.
“Oh—” I drew my bottom lip in and held it for a second with my teeth. “Uhm—yeah, I found out I got fangs. I guess you’ll get them too.” I tried to sound a little encouraging at the end.
Jacob’s mouth formed a perfect O before he closed it, and it was as though he went into some kind of deep thought for a second. “Fangs, huh?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“Well, I guess they will be better to—eat you with?” Without warning, Jacob’s fingers slipped from mine as he began tickling my sides. I squealed and brought my elbows down to try and protect myself, but it didn’t work. Jacob laughed, of course, but I didn’t think it was cute—even though I laughed as well.
Jacob chuckled, then took me in his arms. “I know our souls were together a long time ago.”
“When you were out, I saw some type of battlefield, where you fought with this giant dude.” I wrapped my arms around his and rested my back against his chest.
“His name was Authrost. I remember him, for some reason.”
“Wait—that was real?” I twisted around and took a few steps backward.
He nodded. “Yes, it was one of my previous lives. A life where we were together.” He frowned. “Authrost is a Nephilim.”
“I take it that war was one we lost?”
“Yes, it was, and it was a bloody war. Although I don’t remember what happened to him.” I shook my head. “I didn’t see anything, either, but it was like some strange, haunting dream.”
“Well, it was something that happened in the past. And guess what? We have our entire future ahead of us.” He took a long step and quickly kissed me on the lips.
Jacob was right, we did have our future ahead of us, and there was no sense in pondering over past lives. Tomorrow hadn’t been written, and we were the masters of our lives’ journey. Our destination may have already been written, but it was up to us to discover the journey. My mission wasn’t over by any means, and tomorrow would start a new chapter in Jacob’s life, as well as mine.
CHAPTER TWELVE
∆
The next morning brought much to be desired, along with a few new s
urprises. After breakfast, I had my regular classes, and then combat training with Gordon. Everything was fine, even with Kyle there to make sure the training went well. He had appeared to be a bit overly protective of me, especially when it came to Gordon teaching me the Bloodborne combat moves.
“Always pay attention to the opposition’s moves, every step they take—because each action may land a fatal blow.” Gordon moved around, then quickly brought down an ax upon me.
I brought the daggers up and crossed them, and caught the ax on the two daggers. It was easy enough to do.
Kyle cleared his throat. “Not bad. But there’s just one problem.”
Gordon’s brows drew together, and he slapped the ax handle across his other hand. “You got something else in mind? Or is it just the fact that my teaching techniques amuse you?”
“All I’m saying is, you’re trying to teach her like you do Bloodbornes.” Kyle stood and walked over to the table where he looked over all the weapons. “Don’t get me wrong—you’re probably good at what you do. However,” he turned to face Gordon and me, “she needs to learn how to fight as a Dragonborne—after all, that’s what she is.”
Gordon narrowed his gaze, then stepped away from me. “Please—” he motioned his hand through the air toward me— “be my guest. Take it as an opportunity to amuse me.”
A sinister smile swept across Kyle’s face as he looked from Gordon to me. “The pleasure will be all mine.” He pulled out his baton and slapped it against his hand. “I’m not going to be easy on you.”
I’d seen Kyle in battle before, and he wasn’t a person I would ever want to fight. A certain amount of reluctance crept into my heart that made it jump from my chest into my throat. After I swallowed, trying to dislodge it, I took my stance and held tight to the daggers. There was no shame in defeat. However, I refused to let him sense my fear.
“I’m not afraid of you,” I murmured.
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