I watch my mate across the table from me. She’s holding herself together, but the cracks are starting to form. She’s falling apart.I’m not sure she realizes that she’s been creating gusts of wind when she has strong emotions. It makes it a lot easier to read her because outwardly, she’s not giving me anything. But she’s having a harder time controlling her element.I can imagine that the thought of Avani taking his pregnant mate to his cave of treasures hurts Zephyr in more ways than one. First, if he’s there, he’s not helping to find Ancalagon, which could feel like he's choosing that son over his son with Zephyr. But also, he’s protecting his mate and their child, when Zephyr can’t protect hers.I’ve been watching her push her food around on her plate, after the first bite that looked like she barely got it down, she hasn’t eaten anything. She’s struggling, not letting me in so I can help her, and I’ve had enough.I stand, her head whipping up to look at me as I move around the tab
I’m not sure I’ve ever broken down like I did with Ishir last night. And I know I’ve never let someone hold me, seeking them out to hold me while I cried. He thinks my sadness is due to my missing son, and most of it is. But the rest is about having to kill these shifters. Their pain and their cries are haunting my dreams. It seems that only Ishir can quiet them down, helping to bring me peace again. I had to leave early this morning, before Ishir woke up. I heard my phone ping with a text, and I knew who it was. Oliver. He gave me a new address to meet him at. I’m not sure what that means, but I have to assume that Ishir is closing in on him and he’s moving. It was news to me that he’s moving Ancalagon, and that Ishir has found a couple different places with his scent. I figured he’d brought him to the warehouse to get him in the city and then was housing him somewhere, although I’ve never been able to find out where. If he’s moving him, why doesn’t the video image of where they ha
The last time I was with Zephyr, I woke alone. Again. It’s not like I’m a heavy sleeper, but when the woman wants to slip away from me, she does. I had smelled the scent of magic when I walked into the penthouse that night. Magic and blood. Then, when she had been on the verge of falling apart, I needed to show her that she’s mine, that I don’t care how damaged she thinks she is. I know from being around Tana and Avani that nothing is more important to a dragon than being accepted and claimed by their rider. I’m not technically her rider, but I am her mate, and so I had done what I could do to show her that she’s mine, no matter what. When I had stripped her down, I’d seen the burn marks, the bruises. I didn’t say anything to her and I didn’t say anything to Avani when we found the dead witch and warlock beheaded the next day, but I’m pretty sure I’ve found my assassin. It’s my mate. I know I should have told Avani and Cedric, but I can’t betray Zephyr like that. I need to find out
“Why?” “What did I do?” “How can you do this?” The voices of the ones I’ve killed continue to haunt me. They are always with me now, tormenting me. Somedays, like today, I don’t even realize that I’ve killed again until they are in my head and I know they are gone. I should call myself the soul collector. Every one of them, going back to the owl are here, in my head, screaming and crying and asking me questions I don’t have a good enough answer for. I tried, for the longest time, to tell them it was to save my son, to save Ancalagon. I needed to help him, I needed to save him. “How long ago was that?” “You killed me months ago.” “I’m dead and he’s still a prisoner.” “Is he even alive anymore?” “STOP IT!” I scream at them, covering my ears with my hands. He has to be alive, he has to be. If I did this, if I killed these innocents and he’s dead…. “You’re cruel.” “You’re a horrible person.” “A horrible dragon.” “You’re wicked, evil.” “You’re no better than Oliver.” “I forg
My mother never came for me. I heard her voice, she told me to hold on, that she was trying to get me out of here, but she never came. Of course, I don’t know if that was one day ago or one year ago. I’ve been inside for as long as I can remember, strapped here and only smelling the air outside when they move me. After I killed several of the humans who were participating in my hell, they covered my eyes. Now, I haven’t seen anything or anyone in who knows how long. What I do know is when my mother saw me, she told Oliver that I was too small and he needed to feed me more than he was. Since he wants me to be some sort of killing machine for him, he listened, and I’ve been growing at an amazing rate. This is good and bad. It’s good because I’m getting stronger and the DNA of my aunt, the water dragon, and the fire dragon are absorbing into my body, making me even stronger. Most dragons can breathe fire, but now, my fire is hotter than anything on this planet. I’m biding my time befor
I roar at the little man who thinks he’s going to claim me. I am the mighty air dragon. “You’re not that mighty.” “If you were, we wouldn’t be dead.” “And your son would be safe.” I scream, at the voices in my head and at the man coming toward me. He looks familiar, but I don’t have time to remember why. I pull on my wind and blow it at him, sending him sprawling. When I do, he shifts, becoming a giant Bengal tiger. But he is still no match for me. He snarls at me, racing toward me as I use the wind to kick dirt and sand into his face. I lift up onto my back legs intending to stomp on him, but his scent of damp earth and exotic spices distracts me, just long enough for him to get underneath me. I slam my front legs back to the ground, protecting my stomach from his attack. I feel something wrap around my back left leg and when I look, I see he’s shifted back to his human form and a rope I didn’t see before is now tied around my leg. I scream again, twisting and sending him flyi
Avani takes off to get his mate and presumably to get Zephyr’s sister and the good doctor. I have no idea what is going on inside Zephyr’s head, but I know that killing those shifters has made a mess of her psyche. While he’s gone, I begin cutting the ropes off of Zephyr. “You shouldn’t have done this, Ishir. You should have killed me,” she says, and her voice is so broken, so sad that it hurts my heart. “No, Zephyr. I told you, you are mine. I’ll take you however I can get you,” I say, leaning over and hugging her snout, realizing that I can understand her now that I’m her rider. As soon as she submitted to me, my body began healing. I’m thankful because I’m going to need every ounce of strength I have to help heal my mate, not just physically, but also mentally. “They’ll kill Ancalagon now. He told me that I had to kill them to keep Ancalagon alive. But I know you won’t let me continue the killing.” “No, I won’t. Not only because you are killing innocents, but also because it’s
When Ishir found me in my self-imposed hell, lost, alone and miserable, it was like he had become the light, shining inot this dark place to help me find my way out. I latched onto him and he held me, not once acting angry or disappointed that he had claimed me. He was patient, stroking my hair and whispering softly to me. In my mind, I could feel his love for me, feel how much he wants me, but I still think he deserves better, better than this broken shell of a dragon that I've become. “Hush, I’ll decide what I do and don’t deserve.” I sit back, looking at him. He strokes my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Yes, I can hear you," he says. “But it’s time for you to shift back now, Zephyr. We need you in your human form. We’re all here for you, and I’m going to stay in your head, keeping the voices at bay until you can control them better, but I need to be able to work with Avani and Cedric to find Ancalagon. Merethyl and Kaylani are here, they will stay with you while I meet w