Stars (Dragon Reign Book 8)

by Kit Bladegrave

  Lucy’s violet eyes stared at me with so many years of wisdom in their depths, I sensed there was a story somewhere in her past she had yet to share with any of us. “That is where you are wrong, King Forrest. Now then, I must go find Kate, and you have to track down your star.” She winked and then was gone, leaving me alone.

  For a long while, I just stood there, unsure of where to go. If I headed back to the others now, all they’d ask about was Mori. If I went to find Mori… what was I going to say? My head pounded as my aggravation mounted. We were in a time of war. There was no time for starting a relationship.

  “Hypocrite,” I muttered to myself since I’d said the exact opposite to Tristan not so long ago.

  I’d told him then to make Sabella truly his and marry her only a few weeks after they’d been together. Was this really any different? But Sabella’s vision weighed heavy on me. With Baladon loose, every one of us had a chance of being killed, but if she and I decided to be together, it was sealing her fate.

  I just decided I was going to sneak my way to the kitchens for a pitcher of ale when I felt like I was gut-kicked. I whipped around toward the main courtyard near the gates.

  “Mori.”

  Something was wrong. I took off at a run, rushing to get to the gates, but there was no one around. I searched the ground for any sign she’d been here when a shifter guard called out from the stables.

  “King Forrest! Can I help you?”

  “Mori, have you seen her?” I asked, my anxiety rising with my fear that she was gone.

  The shifter nodded and when I cursed he hung his head. “Damn it, I knew she was lying.”

  “What happened? Where is she?”

  “She swore she had a message to deliver to Silver Valley and… and she took a horse and left, sire. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to question her, after all, she is a goddess.”

  I nodded slowly, not blaming the shifter, but stared out the gates. Where would she have gone? She’d been upset, furious with herself and that shadow growing in her mind. And the voice, what would the voice tell her to do?

  My eyes widened in alarm, and I took off for the main gate.

  “Sire?” the shifter yelled after him. “King Forrest!”

  “Tell Tristan I will send word when I can,” I yelled as I continued to run. “I have a star to find.”

  As soon as I was through the gate and clear of the wall, I shifted, and my dragon roared into being, stretching my wings, I took to the sky. She hadn’t left too long ago and was on horseback; I’d catch up to her easily. I flew over the fields and stayed low enough I could see when I hit the woods, searching for a horse and the bright shining form of Mori. The sound of horse hooves pounding over the ground reached my ears, and I pumped my wings hard, holding myself in place as the downdraft shifted the tree branches… there, just yards ahead and moving at a fast pace was Mori.

  I flew up higher then swung myself around and crashed through the trees to land right in her path, blocking her way with my massive form. The horse reared back, and Mori went flying off the saddle, hitting the ground with a grunt.

  The horse took off, headed back toward the castle, and she scrambled to get to her feet, trying to catch it.

  “You bastard!” she shouted at me as I remained in dragon form while she stalked toward me. “What are you doing? Just leave me alone!”

  I lifted my lip at her, but she didn’t back down.

  “I have to do this! You don’t understand, and I’m not going to be stopped.”

  She tried to walk around me, but I slammed my tail down preventing her from getting anywhere. She yelled and tried to run around the other direction, but I stopped her with my wing this time and gently shoved her back, but she tripped over her feet and fell down again. This time, she didn’t get back up, but her eyes flared bright with starlight as I shifted back into my normal form.

  “You can’t just take off, not alone, not right now when Baladon is still out there—and who knows how many of his monsters.”

  She huffed at me, crossing her arms. “Says you.”

  Smoke flowed up around my face in aggravation. “What are you running from?”

  Her light flared brighter for a second before she shook her head, sending stars flying every which way. “I’m not.”

  “The hell you aren’t. I know when someone’s running and you’re doing it. Why?”

  “Why do you care so much?” she shot back. “Why did Kate and Sabella tell me your main reason for going with them to rescue the gods was to get me out?”

  I clenched my jaw and made a note to yell at Sabella and Kate after I dragged Mori back to the castle. “They’re mistaken. I went in to get the gods out, all of them, including you. Now can we please go back to the castle and talk about this?”

  “No, I was sent down here to find my path, and this is it.”

  “What is? Running back to your realm, alone, and do you even have a plan?”

  “I was going to come up with one as soon as I arrived there.”

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’d been spending too much time with Sabella and Kate, but she’d hardly been around them. Why was it every female in my life decided to run into danger first and come up with an actual viable plan second?

  I stalked toward her and held out my hand. “Come on.”

  “Unless you’re going to tell me that we’re going to my realm, you can get that hand out of my face before I burn it,” she warned.

  I didn’t remove my hand, calling her bluff when she didn’t do anything for a few minutes. “Mori, you can’t just stay out here. We’ll go back to the castle, and we’ll talk about this. We’ll come back with a full guard at least, but I’m not going to let you traipse around alone.”

  “Then come with me.”

  My hand fell as I searched her eyes for any hint as to what she was trying to do. When I saw the resolve immediately followed by a sliver of darkness within her, I stepped back with a snarl. “You’re going to try and kill him, alone?”

  She didn’t answer me, and I grunted as I paced away from her.

  “Unbelievable!”

  “At least I have a plan!” she shouted and finally got to her feet. “So, either come with me or get out of my way, dragon. I have a god to see and either he’s going down or I am, but I am not going to sit around and wait while this damned voice keeps talking to me inside my head! Telling me I’m going to turn on everyone here!” Her eyes flared with power as she tilted her head back and held her hands out to her sides.

  I watched as her skin glowed and the stars in her hair shimmered, but then it dimmed, and she rolled her shoulders, muttering under her breath. She shook out her hands and settled in again.

  “What are you doing?”

  “None of your damned business,” she snapped and kept shaking out her hands. “Gah! Why aren’t you working?”

  “Mori, seriously. Stop this before you hurt yourself.”

  She glared at me with those glowing eyes, but even there, the light was starting to grow dim. “You can leave now, really. It’s probably better if you do.”

  “You really think I’m just going to let you run off to get yourself killed?”

  “It’s what I deserve,” she said quietly, and my blood ran cold. She yelled in frustration again, and a burst of white light shot out of her before she collapsed to the ground.

  I reached for her, tapping her cheeks when she didn’t open her eyes right away.

  “What?” she grumbled harshly, but with much less conviction than before.

  “Can you stand?”

  “What’s the point?” she mumbled. “What’s the point of all of this? Nothing makes sense, nothing! And I hate it. I hate being confused, and I hate this voice inside my head. It’s going to drive me insane! I can’t do it, Thorne was wrong. I just… I can’t.”

  “You’re not making any sense,” I informed her as she stayed in my arms, leaning into me. A rush of warmth came over me, and I wanted her to stay here, where
I knew she was safe with me.

  She seemed to relax, too, resting against me more, but then she seemed to come to her senses and pushed at me, trying to get away.

  “What are you doing?”

  “No, whatever is happening is too much.”

  She stepped back from me, so there was a good amount of distance between us. She had to be feeling what I was and appeared just as out of sorts as I felt, too. Was this what it was like for Craig and Kate? Or Tristan and Sabella? Did they fight it as much as we were? It wasn’t that I wanted to. Mori pulled me to her without even having to do anything except just existing. But deep down, I feared for her being a part of the visions and knowing that might lead to her death. That, and on some other level, I told myself I didn’t deserve to be with her.

  I tried to get my feet to walk away, knowing she wasn’t about to come back with me to the castle. I could always try to knock her out and carry her back. My gut wouldn’t let me live with myself if I actually left her here to wander into her realm alone and get herself killed.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it, right now,” she snapped, pointing a finger at me.

  “I wasn’t thinking anything.”

  “Yes, you were, and you still are! What? You have a very calculating look in your eyes right now. What for?”

  I smirked. “I’m debating how heavy you are.”

  Her jaw dropped, and I smiled wider. “You arrogant, thick-headed brute!”

  “It’s so I can carry you back to Torolf,” I said as I took a step closer. “I’m sure you aren’t that heavy.”

  She fumed at me, but as I took another step, her glare faltered, and I swore I caught just a flicker of want in those star-filled eyes. “You stay away from me, Forrest.”

  “Why should I? I’m only keeping you safe.”

  “I never asked you to,” she argued weakly, trying to step away from me, but my stride was longer, and I was almost to her. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

  “None of us did and yet here we are. Fighting, together,” I said, emphasizing the last word.

  “Do you realize what’s inside of me right now? It’s a voice telling me that I’m going to kill you in the end,” she whispered, and my feet paused. “Even now it’s talking to me. Do you have any idea what that’s like? And you… I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.”

  “You don’t really even know me,” I replied, taking another step and reaching for her.

  But she drew back, nodding her head so hard her hair fell over her shoulders in a tangled mess. “Yes, I do. Somehow, I do, and you know me, and I won’t be the reason you die. I have to get rid of this darkness in me, and if the only way to do that is face down Baladon, alone, then that’s what I’m going to do. Please, just let me go.”

  “You won’t hurt me.”

  “You don’t know that,” she whispered and cringed. Her hands went to her head, and she cursed before her head flew back, and she glowed just as brightly as she had in the council chamber.

  I was frozen for a heartbeat before I rushed into action and went to her. The light pulsed in a steady wave, pushing me backward, but I had to get to her. Blinded by the light, I took one slow step at a time as her scream tore through the trees. But I matched her scream with a furious roar of my own, and the second my hand grabbed her arm, the light vanished, and she fell into my waiting arms.

  I drew her all the way against my chest, and we sank to the ground, me holding her tightly as she gasped for air. Her body trembled in my arms, and I expected her to pull away, but she rested instead, leaning into me for support. I thought when I first met Kate and held her in my arms it had felt right. I never thought how wrong I could be. Holding Mori gave me a sense of completeness I hadn’t even realized I needed and I hugged her closer on instinct.

  “Mori?”

  Her eyes were closed, and there was hardly any light to her skin at all now. Her dark hair trailed over my arms, and the stars winked out one by one in those dark locks.

  “Mori, wake up.” I gave her a gentle shake to rouse her as more stars disappeared. The darkness within her was destroying her from the inside out.

  And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  “Mori, snap out of it.”

  She jerked upward, flailing around for a second until her eyes landed on my face. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” she demanded and tried to get up, but was too weak and fell right back into my arms. “Damn it.”

  “What was that?” I asked softly as she shoved her hair furiously out of her face.

  “Being with Baladon too long left its mark. Do you see that now? I’m a threat, and I need to get away before I hurt someone.”

  “You truly believe going to your realm will help you get rid of this… this shadow in your mind?”

  “What other choice do I have?”

  I searched for any argument that would convince her she was wrong, but the stars in her eyes began to fade away, too until I was staring into a set of normal, dark brown eyes. She was losing herself every second we wasted here arguing, and it killed me, tore at my chest like a vicious beast trying to get free. I never thought I would feel like this in my lifetime and I only wanted it to stop.

  Moving without realizing I did it, I held Mori’s face gently. Whatever her path might be, I knew it was with me by her side.

  “I swear I know you.” She studied me so intensely as if somewhere the answer would come to her. Tell her what she needed to know.

  “Yes, I’ve had that feeling, too,” I replied, brow furrowing. “Impossible, right?”

  “I’m not sure I know anymore.” She made to stand, and I helped her up, my hands remaining lightly at her waist to steady her. Then she rose up on her toes and without even thinking, I lowered my mouth to hers. The kiss was just a brush of my lips against hers, but that one touch had my dragon roaring inside my head that this goddess, she was meant to be ours and I was a fool to keep denying the truth. She blinked quickly, and this time did pull away from me. My arms fell to my sides, almost numb, and I mentally yelled at myself to pull it together.

  “Well, that was ah… that was nice,” she murmured with a crooked grin that suited her perfectly.

  “Yes, yes, it was.” That’s what I was going to say right then? Really? Craig would be rolling on the ground with laughter if he’d heard this exchange.

  “I’m a bit new to all of this,” she mumbled. “These emotions, they’re all tangled up inside me, and I can’t even understand what to feel right now. I—uh, I’m not used to feeling this… this way.”

  “And how are you feeling?” I asked softly as I moved closer again, so we were barely an inch apart.

  She swallowed hard, but her gaze never wavered from mine. “Like the world’s tilting.”

  “Bad tilting?”

  “No, no, not bad, but confusing? Is that the right word? No, no that sounds terrible,” she said, laughing nervously.

  My face grew hot as I smiled along with her. For just that one moment, the darkness in her seemed to recede, and the stars began to glow once again in her hair, and a few appeared in the depths of her eyes. Curious, I bent low this time and waited for her to decide if she would accept what I offered a second time. She only took a moment before her lips found mine again and I drew her in close as her hands tugged on my shirt, pulling me to her. Without even opening my eyes, I saw the luminescence of her skin return as our embrace chased the shadow away.

  But the moment didn’t last long before the kiss broke, and her body sagged again.

  “Easy,” I whispered, holding her up. “The voice?”

  “It’s fighting back,” she replied with a nod. “I don’t know how long I have until I lose control again.”

  I glanced around the trees, the only light coming from Mori, but even it was fading once again as I held her in my arms. The tear was still quite a way from here, but taking her back to the castle wouldn’t do her any good as much as I hated to agree with this maddening plan. There was
no time to send for the others, either, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to put them at risk in case this crazed plan of ours failed. Plan of mine I guessed now, more than Mori’s.

  “We’re going to your realm,” I told her before I could change my mind.

  “We are? You’re letting me go?”

  “No, we are going,” I corrected. “if you think going there will help chase out the shadow within you, then I’m coming, too.”

  “Forrest,” she tried to argue, but I kissed her again, cutting off her argument.

  “End of discussion,” I muttered and looked around. “We need to get to that clearing.”

  “What for? And my horse ran off if you recall. It’s going to take forever to get there if we’re walking.” She walked along beside me, but clearly needed my support so she didn’t fall down again. Each time that voice attacked her, it weakened her greatly. We had to move quickly. “Forrest, did you hear me?”

  “Don’t need a horse when you have a dragon.” Once we were clear of the trees, I left her to stand on her own and hurried out into the center of it. I winked then shifted, my dragon roaring to life as it took form before her. I stretched my wings and shook out my massive head before my gaze focused on the dimly glowing star before me.

  Her lips curled in an impressed smile, and I lowered my shoulder, so she could climb up on my back.

  Once she was holding on firmly, I turned myself around, pumped my wings, and took off into the sky.

  7

  Mori

  The wind blew through my hair and stars streaked behind us as Forrest flew over the landscape. At first, I hunkered down, not wanting to lose my balance and fall off his back, not that I worried he would let me fall.

  But the longer we were in the air, the more I found myself relaxing and sitting upright. I held my arms out to the side and let my head fall back, shaking out my hair and living in the moment. This was pure freedom. Forrest pushed us higher into the sky and then dove low. The experience was exhilarating, and I never wanted it to end. But then he sank lower, and I felt the presence of the tear between this world and mine. The joy I felt just moments ago was sucked away as the realization hit me of what we were about to do. Granted it had been my idea when I set out from Torolf, but now that we were so close, and I felt the leftover presence from Baladon, the voice inside my head cackled in glee.