There will be one more chapter posted this week. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!
Dayanara moved closer to me, and Lyle came with her, still keeping a steady hand on her. Dayanara was on high alert as she held her hand in a defensive position.Look at those eyes. There is no fear. Nothing. They know what we are and look how they stand there confidently. Dayanara’s voice entered my mind. Be ready for anything.“Eira, to my flank,” the drangel barked. Her voice was cold and sharp, a whip-crack that brooked no delay.The water dragon moved instantly, her feet a whisper over the bare ground. But before she could close the distance, Squall shot out a hand and snatched Eira’s wrist. His claws dug in, not to hurt, but to possess. To claim.The air shimmered with a hot pulse of dragon magic, and for a moment, I thought he might shift right there and drag the whole cave down on our heads just to keep her. “Let my servant go,” the drangel snapped, wings flaring as she stepped forward, lips curled in disdain as her eyes glowed with power.“Squall.” Dayanara’s voice was sharp
The bubble held all five of us: me, Darren, Squall, Dayanara, and Lyle, our bodies mashed together by the force of the descent. White water from the falls pounded on the outside, blinding us, erasing the world. The water was rough and vicious, attacking the bubble and jolting us around. We struggled to stand because of the constant assault. Every heartbeat, I worried the spell would pop and we’d be tossed into the violent fray of water.Dayanara stood in the center, arms up like a conductor, her eyes nearly luminescent with strain. Darren wrapped himself around me, legs braced wide, every muscle flexed as if he could anchor us with sheer willpower. Lyle was on the opposite side, flattened against the bubble like a drunk in a rolling barrel.Squall barely looked at any of us. He was pacing, hunched and restless, his head cocked as if listening for something through the chaos. His eyes, usually cold as glass, now glimmered with fever.The water went from blinding white to bruised gray,
The next morning, we left for the elven forest. Lyle and Dayanara insisted on coming with us. The dragons weren’t ready to leave yet and would need another day. There was no point sitting around and doing nothing, and Dayanara thought her powers might be helpful.The world spun below—a blur of green valleys and the jagged blue teeth of rivers—while Squall’s dragon wings cut huge swaths of shadow over the earth. I was pinned between Darren’s chest and the obsidian curve of Squall’s back, his arms a cage around me, his breath burning a line behind my ear every time he exhaled.I hadn’t let go of him since the moment he kicked down the palace doors. It wasn’t just the mate bond, though that felt like a current too wild to ever fully contain. It was the way his hands never stilled, always tracing some invisible constellation across my ribs, my belly, my thighs. As if anchoring himself in the only reality that mattered.Last night, we reconnected in every way possible. We didn’t get a lot o
I explained everything to Darren about Ivy and Angelica. He seemed very concerned when he heard that Angelica was also the reason for the first war. It was a key issue that needed to be addressed. He also wanted more details on the dragons’ strategy, especially when it came to finally entering the battlefield.Eventually we made it to the dining hall, no one brought up the fact that we had taken a while. It seemed to be an unspoken understanding. We went over and sat next to Lyle and Dayanara.“The oppressive anger … is gone.” Lyle looked over at Darren. “The curse was transferring to me. It wasn’t full-fledged, but the anger wasn’t something I could control. I don’t know how you’ve managed as well as you have. I knew it was bad, but I never realized how consuming and dark it was … how draining and controlling it was. I could see myself, but couldn’t stop myself. It was almost like I was watching me from the outside. Ren, I think it’s amazing how much you’ve overcome this.”“It started
I couldn’t process this. My father was alive. This entire time, he was trapped in another dimension. And my mother … was most likely alive as well. How? I never did get to see her body when she died. She had requested that my last memory of her not be of her being dead. Was that really all a lie? Did she fake her death and leave me? Where was she now?I sat down on the bed, trying to wake up from the shock. I told Darren to go and get cleaned up, that I just needed a moment to process everything. He hesitated, not wanting to leave me. I promised I would wait for him, that I needed a moment to think. I knew he was afraid I would be upset with him for leaving my father behind. Never. I’d lived without my father for years, but I couldn’t survive without Darren. I needed him back, and then we could go from there to free my father. Darren suspected that my mother might be in the elven forest, because that was where the watch had reacted. I figured we would start there.All this time … my pa
Allissa“What do you mean we can’t?” My fingers bit into my hand as I tried to keep my composure.“It’s a dimension created by the gods. They choose who enters and leaves. We can’t, as in it’s impossible—” I cut Dayanara off, not wanting to hear that type of talk.“You are telling me that the gods took my mate away from me on purpose?!”“I’m telling you that Darren being there is the will of the gods. We don’t know why, though.”“It must be his test. I guess he failed.” Gunnar’s voice was quiet but it was still irritating.“My mate wouldn’t have failed! You shouldn’t talk about what you don’t know,” I snapped in agitation.“It’s going to be okay.” Magnus stepped closer to me and leaned down so that his face was level with mine. “I’ll help you. I won’t leave you alone. I’ll help raise your child and be there to support—” Suddenly, his words halted. He looked at me as if I was a slug. His brows knit together and then he stepped back. “It vanished. It was there just now, and now it’s gone