by Skye Jones
“How did you find it?” Rhyndor’s eyes searched hers.
“I loved it, once I got over my panic attack. Loved how we connected, too.”
He beamed at her words, flat out beamed, and she wanted to see the expression on him more often.
Callum started to explain to her in some detail how the magic protecting their land worked, and she tried to follow some of it, but she found it hard. She looked forward to starting up her own magic lessons again, though.
She realized Rhyndor no longer stood by her and turned to look for him, but she couldn’t see him. She chatted with Callum and then Aiden and Mia when they turned up five minutes later. She kept glancing around for Rhyndor, wanting to talk to him about what they’d shared up there, but she couldn’t find him. Then finally, on her last glance around, she spotted him. Sitting toward the edge of the plateau, facing out over the valley floor, he spoke with Steffan. A small fire flickered in front of them, casting their faces in shadow, and they appeared to be seated on beer crates or something similar. Both men’s faces were serious, their conversation evidently deep and meaningful.
Steffan shook his head at something, but Rhyndor clasped his shoulder and rose to stand. He headed their way, and she looked away, a strange sense of foreboding taking hold in her stomach, souring the food she’d eaten earlier.
As Rhyndor came to stand by them, Callum looked at him then shook his head. “Hell no. Not tonight, Rhyn.”
“Yes, tonight. I want it over and done with. It’s going to exhaust me for a few days, and I want it done so we can take Lilly back to the Scottish clan while she decides what she wants to do.”
“What’s the rush? We’re fine here. No need to leave yet.” Callum sounded panicked, scared.
“Aiden has a dig in a week, some archaeological find he wants to explore. I want to get it done tonight, so Steffan can recover in time for the dig, and so can I. Even if Steffan stays here, Mia will go with Aiden. Which means Lilly will be stuck here without her sister. I want her to be able to go visit Claire. Be with her family while she mulls all this over. It makes sense, timing-wise. Steffan gets the chance to recover in time to go with his mates, and we can go to Scotland and spend some time there while Mia is away.”
“I don’t want you to do it at all.” Lilly blurted the words out before she’d considered them, and she realized they were true. She hated the idea of him hurt or sick.
He cupped her cheek with one large hand. “I know you don’t, Lils. But I need to do this. I have to make it right. It’s the only way the three of us can ever be together without the past hanging over us like some sort of poison cloud.”
“The past doesn’t hang over me at all,” Callum scoffed. “I’d gladly leave here tonight and never come back. Steffan’s okay. He’s not in danger from the poison.”
“Oh, but he is.” Soft tones made Lilly look around to see Rhiannon approaching their small group. “He is in much danger. At any time, the poison can overrun his system. Kill him or make him exceedingly sick. As he ages, his strength won’t always be a match for it. You wish to do this tonight?” She gave a nod of her head toward Rhyndor.
“Yes. Let’s get it done.”
“I’m coming.” Lilly shocked herself again.
“I’m not sure, child.” Rhiannon regarded her with sad eyes. “It won’t be pleasant to witness.”
“I’m not a child, and I want to be there for Rhyndor.” She jutted out her jaw.
“Me too,” Callum said.
Rhiannon pursed her lips. “All right, but you cannot interfere at all. You might harm either dragon if you do.”
They both swore not to interfere, no matter what they saw or heard, and then they were following Rhiannon and Kate in a somber procession toward Kate’s house in the village.
When they got there and trooped into the living room, Lilly struggled from the beginning to keep her promise. Steffan lay on the floor in front of her, on a bright rug, his pants ripped on his thigh and revealing an awful scar. It made her sick to look at it, so she avoided it.
“Once I start the ceremony, it cannot be stopped.” Rhiannon placed a metal bowl on the ground, full of something looking like oil. “This goes wrong, it cannot be undone. Rhyndor, you must bring forth your dragon claw. When I instruct you to, you must reopen the wound, and in the old language, ask for the poison to return from whence it came. Steffan, you can’t move, no matter how much it burns and hurts. As you do this, Kate and I will be saying the incantation as Rhyndor takes the poison back into his body. Then we will apply the salve to Steffan’s wound, and you, Rhyndor…you must summon all your strength to heal. You may seem fine at first, but the coming days will be rough.”
“I can do it.” He looked right at Lilly, his eyes burning into hers, then turned to Callum. “I’ve got two people to live for.” Then he frowned and added, “Not saying it to pressure you, Lil. I need to live for you whether you are here with us or out there in the world. I need to be here in case you ever need me. And, Callum, you might think you don’t need me, only want me. But it’s not true.”
“Of course it’s not true, you arrogant shit. I do need you, hence me thinking this is a very bad idea.”
“You dare stop this, and I’ll end you.” Aiden spoke from the other side of the room, giving Callum a fierce glare.
“No one’s stopping anything. Let’s get this done with.” Rhyndor took off his shirt and placed it carefully on the side. In only his jeans and shoes, he knelt by Steffan.
Then he extended his arm, and Lilly gasped as part of it began to twist and change right in front of her eyes. Where before there’d been a human forearm, now grew a huge, lizard-like appendage with a terrifying set of claws at the end.
Kate and Rhiannon started to chant, and despite not understanding one word, Lilly swore she began to sense magic in the air. The room seemed to heat and the light to dim. Their words washed over her, lulling her somehow despite her terror at what was to come. Both women held their hands aloft and pointed up to the sky, bundles of herbs in their right hands. The herbs caught alight, and the women began to turn, one clockwise, one counterclockwise. They chanted faster and faster, never raising their voices. Suddenly, all movement ceased, and Rhiannon pointed to Rhyndor.
“Now. Do it now.”
Rhyndor took a long, lethal claw and began to slice into Steffan’s thigh, right along the livid scar line. Mia gave a sob and looked away. To say Lilly experienced conflicting emotions would be the understatement of the century. She felt empathy for her sister, but for the first time, she resented her. Mia’s mate was being healed, but Lilly’s might become sick, or worse.
Her thoughts registered, and she almost bolted upright from the shock. Her mate. Fuck it all, she thought of him as her mate, and she’d only realized it in this moment of great danger. As he dug his claw into Steffan’s leg and began to chant, she understood, with sickening clarity, that she may have left it too late. She wanted this man…male…and Callum too. However crazy, however fast and fucked-up this thing between them might be, she wanted it. And he might never know.
Fidgeting in her seat, she tried to contain her need to speak, to move, to stop this. The urge built within, and she tried to remember what Rhiannon had said about why no one should attempt to stop things. For the life of her, though, the words evaded her. Her legs tensed and she pushed off from her seat, but a strong arm fastened across her chest, holding her in place. Callum turned to her and shook his head once, his eyes as somber as she’d ever seen them.
She stayed stuck in place, Callum holding her there, his eyes never leaving hers as chanting once more filled the room. She didn’t watch Rhyndor take the poison back into his own body; she didn’t wish to see such an act of vandalism occur. Then it all ended.
Silence and stillness filled the room, and slowly, oh-so-slowly, she and Callum turned to look. Steffan groaned softly in pain, and Rhiannon poured the thick black liquid all over his wound, muttering quietly under her breath.
Rh
yndor turned to look at them, and he grinned. Her heart soared. Thank God. As he watched them, Rhyndor’s grin began to fade. He rubbed his sternum, once, twice, and then gave a small moan. A tiny sound, before his face turned white and his eyes rolled back in his head. Like some mighty oak felled in the forest, he dropped to the ground, silent and still.
“What’s happening?” Lilly tried to move, but Callum’s arm remained locked over her.
Rhiannon stopped tending to Steffan and turned to Rhyndor. She looked at him and then glanced at Kate, eyes wide.
“What’s wrong?” Steffan sat up with a wince. “What’s with the looks, you two? Fucking tell me what’s going on.”
“This should not have occurred.” Kate’s voice wobbled.
“What occurred?” Steffan roared.
“Rhyndor’s dead,” Rhiannon sobbed. She held her hand over his heart and gave a moaning cry. “He’s dead. Oh gods, how did this happen?”
“You!” Callum shot out of his chair and grabbed Rhiannon by the throat. “You did this. You swore it might indeed hurt him, maybe badly, but it would not kill him. How can he be dead? Take the spell back, take it back, right fucking now. You take the poison back, Steffan.”
Steffan began to nod. “Yes.”
“No.” Aiden ran to Steffan and began to pull him to his feet. “No. He deserves this. He tried to kill you. We’re leaving. You’re not putting yourself in danger for him.”
Steffan pulled his arm out of Aiden’s and shook his head. “I’m not leaving. There must be something we can do. Something.” Steffan looked at Rhiannon, his eyes wild.
“This shouldn’t have happened. The danger comes slowly over the days and weeks to follow the ritual. This is wrong. This is dark magic. We need to counter it.” Kate rubbed her eyes, which were streaming with tears.
“Yes.” Steffan pushed.
“There’s only one thing. And it’s dangerous and risky and may not work.”
“What is it? Anything. I’ll do it.” Steffan’s eyes pleaded with her.
Rhiannon’s face turned grim as she spoke. “It’s not you who needs to do anything.”
She turned then to look at Lilly and Callum. “His true mates, they need to be the ones to do this. But mark my words. It’s dangerous.”
“I’m in.” Callum didn’t hesitate.
“Me too.” Lilly didn’t need time to think. She didn’t care if this put her life at risk. The big, beautiful male lying silent and unmoving on the floor was an affront to everything good in the world, and it shocked her to understand she didn’t want to be in a world where Rhyndor didn’t exist.
“Lilly, you’re not sure you want to mate these guys.” Mia came across the floor. “I’m so, so sorry.” She sobbed through her words and wiped at her eyes. “But you can’t do this. You’re still undecided, unsure. You can’t risk your life for him. Rhyndor wouldn’t want it.”
Callum sighed, and it seemed to empty him of more than air, as if his life-force itself had vanished. “She’s right. He wouldn’t.”
Lilly squared her shoulders. “Well, Rhyndor isn’t always going to be the one to decide who does what in this triad. When I join you two old-fashioned idiots, there are going to be some changes. Now—” She turned to Rhiannon. “What do we do?”
Lilly didn’t need more time to think. In that moment, she took a huge leap into the unknown and didn’t fear it. Not one bit. Her only fear was Rhyndor not waking up and her never being able to see his face again.
“Christ, Princess. You slay me.” Callum lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
Rhiannon stood and moved to the kitchen. “Lilly, you come with me. Aiden and Callum, you carry him upstairs and place him on the bed.”
“Lilly, this is dangerous. You may lose part of who you are. Some of your memories, some say part of your soul.”
“Will it kill me?” she asked Rhiannon.
“No. It won’t kill you…or, it shouldn’t.” She stopped and bit her lip. “But after tonight, I’m not sure what’s going on. Even if it goes as planned and doesn’t kill you, it may leave you…not yourself. Worst-case scenario, you lose an essential part of yourself. It’s bordering on messing with the dark arts, do you understand? And all sorts of things can happen when you do that.”
Lilly shrugged to hide the sick feeling the idea churned up inside of her. She’d only just found herself. The idea terrified her, but she couldn’t leave Rhyndor dead. There simply wasn’t a choice, because her heart screamed for him to come back to her. She’d gone and fallen in love and not realized it. Love and lust, and something much more earthy and fundamental. Something purely dragon she’d only listened to for the first time while flying with Rhyndor.
“This is grave and, some might say, unnatural magic we meddle with, child.” Rhiannon began to root through Kate’s cupboards, gathering things together. When she seemed satisfied with her haul, she handed some over to Lilly, and they walked through the living room and up the stairs.
When they reached the bedroom, Kate had lit candles all around the room, and the blinds were drawn. She gave them all a serious look. “We must never talk of what is about to occur in this room. Some of our kind think this magic is too far… Dark arts.”
There she went again with her ominous warnings. Lilly shivered and placed the herbs and bottles of potions in her arms onto the dresser. Rhiannon followed suit, and then she and Kate began to mix things into bowls.
Soon they were finished, and they turned and faced Callum and Lilly. “We need you to drink this. It will put you in a trancelike state. You’ll be aware of everything happening around you, but won’t be able to move. We’re going to summon your dragons and then their shadow selves.”
“I don’t have a dragon. I can’t change form.” Lilly didn’t believe this! They’d come this far, and now they’d have to stop. The two magic women surely understood she was latent.
“You do have a dragon, my dear.” Kate came toward her, holding a bowl aloft. “It resides within you, even though you can’t change form. She’s going to come out tonight, or I should say, one part of her is—her shadow soul, and it may hurt. A lot. But there’s more.”
Lilly braced herself as Kate continued to explain.
“Because your shadow dragon will have been out of your body, it may make her more vulnerable to magic, bad magic, in the future. This magic we are about to do also means you three will be more closely bonded. It’s not the same as the mating moment—when your spirit dragons merge—but it will still mean you each hold a tiny part of the other. Do you understand?”
Lilly nodded. It all sounded scary, but she couldn’t not even try.
Things passed in a blur then. Chanting began once more, but this time urgent and low. The flames in the room flickered, and her fear built as the chanting increased. She and Callum sat on the edge of the bed, side by side. Rhyndor’s still, silent body was behind them, laid out on the mattress. She didn’t dare bring herself to look at him. How he’d gone from being such a larger-than-life character to this silent, unmoving shell in a blink of an eye killed her.
“Drink, Lilly.” Kate held the bowl to her lips and tipped it up.
Rhiannon did the same to Callum. They both drank, and at first, she felt nothing but a slightly pleasant buzz. Like she’d downed one too many vodkas. Then the buzz intensified, and her face went numb, quickly followed by her neck. When the sensation reached her chest, she panicked at possibly not being able to breathe.
“Keep your breaths shallow. You’re fine.” Kate’s voice soothed her some, and Lilly focused on taking shallow but slow breaths.
Bit by bit, her whole body tingled, followed by cold and numbness. Soon, she might as well have been a statue, not a living person, for all she could move. But she remained horribly aware of everything in the room. Her breathing continued in the low, slow way she’d focused on, and her eyes blinked every now and again, but nothing else moved. She tried to swallow and found she could, but like her blinking and breathing, it too
k much effort. She wiggled her fingers and they moved a tiny amount, but when she tried to move her legs or lift an arm…nothing.
“Now we begin.” Kate raised her arms, as did Rhiannon, and they began to chant. Wind blew into the room from nowhere, chilling and icy on Lilly’s skin.
Lulled by the chants and the lack of anything happening, Lilly began to find her fear replaced with a sense of calm, but then something tugged at her. Deep in her chest and belly, something moved. Something so elemental and part of her, it felt as if her insides were tearing from their moorings. She tried to scream, but her vocal chords simply didn’t have the energy, and a squeak of air blew from her lips instead.
What the hell was happening to her? The tearing sensation intensified, and then something burst free from her. One moment, it resided inside her, a part of her she’d never acknowledged but had always known on some deep level, and then it was clawing its way out of her.
A vivid, emerald green dragon floated out of her and drifted toward the wall on the far side of the room, where a shadow separated from it.
From Callum emerged a smaller replica of the dragon she’d seen earlier in the day. And from behind them came Rhyndor’s much bigger beast, but still massively scaled down.
As the two male dragons reached her female, the shadows of their forms separated and joined with her shadow dragon. Lilly watched in fascination as the brightly colored dragons returned toward their hosts, hers flying back into her body in a rush of endorphins and feel-good hormones as an essential part of her came home.
The three shadow dragons began to move around one another, against the wall. Dark and dangerous-looking, they reminded her of scary shadow puppet shows she’d seen as a child. Suddenly, her dragon stretched her wings and held them aloft, her chest out and proud. Lilly recognized it for its smaller size, despite the lack of color to help tell the creatures apart.
Callum’s shadow dragon approached hers and merged with it. Where before there’d been two, now there stood one. Then Rhyndor’s big beast approached, and it too merged with her smaller dragon, disappearing completely.
