The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “Do you think that's me?” she asked.

  “I know that's you,” he replied, and she took a giant step back.

  “Who are you?” she asked. “What do you want with me?”

  “Katianna…” he started, and her eyes widened.

  “That's the name on the grave!” she cried. “Is this what you think? Is this what it's about?”

  “Look inside yourself,” he tried to stay calm. “Look inside and see what you remember. Don't you feel like you know me?”

  “I…,” she couldn't deny that. She looked from him to the grave, and back again. “I do, but I…this is creepy. How do I know you aren't trying to scam me?”

  “Why would I do that?” he asked. “What have I done that would give you that impression?”

  She was shaking, but to her credit, she didn't run. Instead, she turned toward the grave, her eyes reading it again.

  “She died young.”

  “Yes,” Spencer replied, “she did.”

  “Was she sick?”

  He took a deep breath.

  “Not that time,” he replied. “She was hurt.”

  Katianna said nothing for a long time, reaching out again to trace the top of the grave. She closed her eyes, searching her mind. She was looking for something–anything that would trigger this moment.

  “Was it an accident?” she asked softly.

  “I don't think so,” he replied. “They said that it was, but–”

  “It was murder,” she answered, crouching down. “Unsolved?”

  “Yes.” He didn't delight in bringing back these memories. “I know it was committed by those things, which were trying to take you away from me. This was the best way to hurt me. And I'm so sorry.”

  She went to look at him again, her lip trembling.

  “On my head?”

  “Your neck,” he said. “You broke your neck, falling down the stairs.”

  Her hands trembled, and she reached up to the back of her neck as if she could feel the pain.

  “Spencer,” she whispered. “This isn't right. This isn't–”

  “You don't have to believe me right away,” he replied. “You usually don't. Please, I don't want to hurt you. Take your time and think about it. If you search yourself, I'm sure that you will find that I speak the truth.”

  She stayed a moment more and then took another step back.

  “I'll see you later,” she said, turning and taking the path on the other side of the cemetery. He wanted desperately to follow her, but he didn't.

  Instead, he crouched down by the grave, touching it lightly.

  “Don't make it difficult this time, my love,” he whispered. “We have to get our answers, and soon.”

  Closing his eyes, he tried to remember as much about this lifetime as he could. If she had reincarnated in the same town, it was possible that the same tactics as before would work. He assumed that she would take a few days to settle to the idea and then ask more questions. That was how it always went, especially with the similarity to the body that had been here before. That girl had been learning to be brave and afraid of her future. She had no idea that her life was going to be cut so short, all because they wanted to threaten a dragon lord.

  He stood up, about to return to the hotel. He would stay as long as it took to convince her. It didn't matter whether it was days or weeks; his chest ached for her.

  He didn't expect to spin around and find her right behind him.

  “Katianna,” he blurted out in shock. She must have circled around, creeping up behind him while he was lost in thought.

  “How do I know this is real?” she asked, her chin raised high. “How do I know that this isn't just some trick?”

  This was not a question she had ever asked before. It startled him, and he searched for an answer that he had given before, that he knew had worked. She had a defiance in her eyes that he didn't recognize

  “What proof would you like?” he asked, softly. “Anything in my power, I can show you.”

  She paused.

  “I don't deny that I feel a connection to you like no one else. From the second we met, I felt like I knew you. And this past week has certainly been intense. But that could just be life. You are talking about reincarnation, about magic, about things that humans don't know.”

  “Yes,” he replied. “I am speaking of all those things. It is more than humans, though. The entire galaxy would be perplexed by you and your case. You are unique, Katianna.”

  “There is no one else like me?”

  “Not as far as I know,” he answered. “But I was hoping that in this lifetime, we could find that out together.”

  He held out his hand, his palm upturned. They had held hands before; it would be nothing new. Even in this lifetime, their hands had brushed as they walked down the street. He had squeezed her hands in thanks, and she had seemed unburdened by it.

  This time, she held her ground, which confused him. Katianna had never shied away from his touch before.

  “So, show me something I can believe,” she said, her palms clenched at her sides.

  “I don't know what I could…,” he started, and then he stopped. He could show her what he was. It would either work or have her running for the hills. Earth slowed their magic, but he probably had enough in him to convince her it never happened if she was too frightened. “There is one thing.”

  “What?” she pushed. He took a deep breath, looking around. The graveyard was empty, and the hills hid enough of the view from the street. It was getting cold and starting to rain outside; no one was likely to come now.

  “Step back,” he said, and she raised an eyebrow.

  “Why?”

  “Just take my word for it, my love,” he replied. “Step back.”

  She considered this for a moment, and then decided it was better to step back then move forward.

  In her pocket, she had her hand on her cell phone, just in case.

  Spencer took a deep breath, the magic swirling around his palms. It was faint at first, but then it changed to bright yellows and golds.

  He closed his eyes as he heard her gasp.

  Dragon transformation wasn't painful, but it was jarring. His dragon brain wasn't as clear as his human one. Impulse control was lessened, and his thought process was slowed. He heard her shift another step backward as the process was complete, her body tense.

  Even sight through dragon eyes was different, and she looked different in his yellow-speckled orbs. Everything was different except for her eyes: two different spots of clarity.

  Katianna looked upon him without fear. She was nervous; she was curious; and she was uncertain. But he didn't smell fear on her. That was different from every other time as well. This version was brave, and maybe it was exactly what they needed in order to figure out what was happening.

  He could not shake the feeling of time running out and of impending doom. Whatever Katianna thought, he hoped it was positive, or at least open to his heart.

  Chapter 3

  “Who was I?” she asked. It was late, but she didn't care. They had come to sit by the grave, his back resting against it, and her at his side. She was playing with grass; ignoring the blackness of the night as they talked. “Last time?”

  “Last time was not here,” he said. “You were my wife; we married when you were eighteen.”

  “Eighteen?” she said in shock. “That is not common, even for that generation.”

  “You're right, it's not,” he said. “But you were sick. You didn't expect to see nineteen, let alone the twenty-three you did see. So, we married and got five glorious years together by the sea.”

  “What was it?” she asked, her head cocked.

  “Brain cancer,” he answered. “At first, they could treat it…and again, and again. But eventually, it became too much.”

  “And the time before that? Here, that was an accident, or murder,” she answered. “And the first time?”

  “The first time was a bullet,” he r
eplied, softly. “Someone challenged me to a duel, and you…” he choked up at the memory because it had been so painful. Even though she was beside him now, he would never forget the moment that she had slipped away the first time.

  “I put myself in front of you,” she replied. “Did I try to stop it?”

  “Had you been a moment sooner, you would have,” he said. “But it was too little, too late.”

  “Was it in my head?” she asked, and he choked on the response.

  “Yes,” he replied. “You remember?”

  “It seems that everything is head or neck,” she pointed out, and he paused, a soft chuckle coming from his lips.

  “Huh,” he said. “I didn't even think about that”

  “Why would you when your girlfriend is dying in your arms?” she shrugged one shoulder, playing with the blades of grass. “Are there others like you?”

  “Yes,” he replied. “Other shifters as well–wolves, bears, lions. Dragons are the top, though, and we rule from a planet not too far from here.”

  “What do you mean, ‘we?’” she asked. “Are you a prince?”

  “No,” he said. “But I am closely related to the throne. There is no bad blood. The family that is on the throne now is wonderful, and we are close. I'm more of a…Duke, maybe, in English?”

  “I was a duchess, then?” she turned to him with a smile.

  “If you like,” he replied. “We've only been there in the first lifetime, so it's been a long time since we've had to think about titles.”

  “Oh,” she said, leaning further back against the grave. She shivered then, and he reached to put an arm around her. As if it were an extension of herself, she leaned in, placing her head on his shoulder. “Why haven't we been back?”

  “This is your home,” he said softly. “Umora is mine. We have to compromise.”

  She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

  “This is a lot,” she pointed out.

  “I know,” he brushed some hair from her face. “You usually don't ask so many questions so fast.”

  She giggled at that.

  “Blame it on the age of Google,” she replied. “Everyone wants to know everything at once.”

  “But are you all right?” he asked. “Do you doubt anything that I can help answer?”

  “It's sort of hard to deny the fact that you turned into a dragon right in front of me,” she pointed out. “After seeing that, everything else becomes believable. Besides, there are many human religions that believe in reincarnation. I can't be the only one.”

  “I have thought about that,” he replied. “But so far, you are the only one that I can find.”

  “Is there someone who would be more knowledgeable?” she asked. “Someone who might know? Because as much as I would like to be rare and special, I just can't believe that part.”

  “There is someone,” he replied. “On Umora.”

  “Right,” she said, looking to him. “So do we…we've kissed before, yes?”

  He smiled. “Yes,” he said. “But not in this lifetime.”

  “Maybe…” She looked deep into his eyes. “Maybe I will remember what it's like if you kiss me.”

  He was taken aback by this. She was not normally this forward either. He had to remind herself that he had gotten so used to the old version of her that he had forgotten how different she could be.

  “I could do that,” he replied, leaning in.

  She leaned forward, closing her eyes. He reached out, cupping her cheek, and laid a kiss on her soft lips.

  It felt like nothing he had ever felt before. It didn't feel familiar, which alarmed him.

  She felt like she had died and gone to heaven, melting into his arms.

  “Oh my,” she said, as she fell against his chest. He ran a hand through her hair.

  “Do you remember?” he asked, trying to calm his own fears. She was a new body that was all. It was sometimes unfamiliar, he knew that. But he ached so badly for the feeling of his love by her side and her lips on his.

  “I don't even know my own name,” she replied. “In any lifetime. Does it feel the same?”

  “Uh…,” he didn't want to lie to her. “You are new, my love. We will get to know each other again.”

  “Sure,” she smiled, kissing him on the neck. “We should go back to the hotel. My parents will start to wonder what happened to me.”

  “Of course.” He sat up quickly. “I don't want to get you in trouble.”

  “You won't get me in trouble,” she replied. “Besides, how do you think they might react when I go to a different planet?”

  That sentence stopped him in his tracks. “What?” he asked.

  “To…What did you call it? Your dragon planet?”

  “Umora?” he answered as they both got up. “You already have plans to go there?”

  “Well, didn't you say that is where the answers are?” she asked. “So, why wouldn't we go?”

  He was stunned by this. She wanted to move so fast and was so sure of herself. This modern era was certainly different than the last generation.

  “Unless I can't, for some reason?”

  “You can go,” he said as they both dusted dirt off themselves. “I was just surprised to hear you be so open about it. Normally, it takes a while.”

  “Again, the dragon transformation was a bit of a deciding factor,” she smiled at him. “We can come and go, can't we? I don't have to go with you and never comeback?”

  “Of course,” he said. “Sliding between worlds is easy if you have proper magic. Last time we were there, you weren't quite comfortable, however.”

  “Why wasn't I comfortable?” she questioned, confused.

  “You weren't…,” he searched for the right words, not wanting to offend her. “You weren't born for palace life. You were always determined, and always wanted to work hard.”

  “A peasant, you mean,” she quirked an eyebrow.

  He put a hand out. “I meant no offense, my love.”

  “There's none taken,” she assured him. “Perhaps one-hundred years ago, there might have been, but the world is changing. There's nothing wrong with working hard.”

  He smiled, offering his arm. She took it as they strolled out of the graveyard.

  “There is not,” he assured her. “And you and I have always worked hard to ensure that we are happy.”

  “It will take a while,” she tried to assure him, “to properly fall in love. But if it's meant to be, I have no doubt that I will. I believe in fate.”

  “As do I,” he said. “I am quite happy to court you.”

  “Court me?” She smirked. “That is old-fashioned, isn't it?”

  “Why, what do you say nowadays?” he asked, as they walked.

  “Hmm,” she though. “Date? Take out? Hit me up? Netflix and chill?”

  “Somehow,” he tried to maintain his composure, “none of that seems as elegant.”

  “I'll give you that,” she smirked. “How long can you stay in town?”

  “As long as you'd like,” he answered. “The entire purpose of this trip was to see you.”

  “But you must have other things to do with your life,” she said. “You can't just spend the whole time wandering around, waiting for me to figure it out?”

  He smiled. “I don't. And I have done many things over the years to take care of you and make sure we have a future. Sometimes it's on Earth, sometimes on Umora, and sometimes on a different planet all together. Regardless, you are always taken care of. You don't have to worry.”

  “I do have to worry if I can't get up for class tomorrow,” she said as they reached the hotel. “You'll forgive me for not wanting to ditch my whole life on the spot.”

  “Of course,” he said as they stepped into the library.

  “But can we go to my room to talk?” she asked. “It's up this way.”

  “No,” he was firm on this. “Katianna, we are not married yet. And until we are, I don't wish to compromise your reputation.”

>   “My reputation?” she was about to sputter out that he needn't worry about that. But the look in his eyes was so genuine and so pure that she couldn't bring herself to do it. “I see.”

  “So, if you wouldn't mind,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek, “I'll bid you goodnight here.”

  “That's…um…fine,” she blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I'll see you in the morning, then?”

  “I'll be counting the hours,” he replied.

  She took the left staircase up to her room where he imagined the family's quarters were.

  He watched her go, his heart beating a hundred miles a minute. She always did this to him, no matter how long they had been together. His palms were sweaty, and his heart was ablaze with love.

  This had been so much easier than the other times. She seemed to believe things, and her memories were flooding back with only a little prompting. If this was what the world was coming to, then he welcomed it with open arms.

  His phone pinged as he went up to his room, and he pulled it out, annoyed.

  Your services are required tomorrow, said the message from Nicholas. It was firm, and there was no explanation.

  Spencer paused his fingers over the keyboard. He didn't want to seem like he was questioning his princes, but he couldn't leave–not now.

  I am engaged until at least a fortnight, he wrote back. He figured a fortnight would be long enough to convince Katianna that she could take a break and come with him. Now that he had found her, he didn't ever want to be apart from her again.

  The message came back almost right away, and it was harsh.

  You will come when your princes demand, or you will be held in contempt. Spencer, you are a second bloodline lord, and we are summoning you.

  His heart was set aflutter, but this time, it was for an entirely different reason.

  Yes, my prince, he wrote back as he closed the door to his room. He knew that he didn't have a choice. While the dragon princes weren't merciless, they did not stand for people questioning their rule. They had been through so much in the last few years, and he didn't blame them for needing to be firm. He was a loyal servant, and he would come.

  But he was determined not to leave Katianna ever again either.