by Tara West
“Where is he?”
Lily nodded toward the cavern opening. “Down the hill with your mates.”
Serah scrambled to her knees and instantly regretted her fast movement when she was overcome by a wave of dizziness. “My mates are here?”
Lily’s cheeks flushed, and she looked away. “Yes.”
Something’s wrong, Thelix hissed.
“Lily, are you okay?” She fell back on her bottom and waited for the dizziness to subside. “You look unwell.”
“I will revive.” She looked at Serah with pity. “The dragon brothers cry for Draque.”
Her head stopped spinning, but her heart practically beat out of her chest. “What’s wrong with Draque?”
Lily’s bottom lip hung down. “He’s dying.”
Thelix cried out, rattling her brain with her loud wail.
The neighs of the horses faded into the background and her pounding heart slowed to a dull, painful thud as Serah’s vision tunneled on her sister. “W-what? No! Where is he?”
“Down below.”
“Take me to him,” she cried.
Lily shook her head. “We can’t get down.”
Serah found the energy to get to her feet, though she was too weak to battle and win against a feather. She trudged to the mouth of the cave, looking down at a trail leading to the cave that had been covered in bloody griffin bodies and a landslide of rocks. When her gaze was drawn to the bottom of the trail, the breath was stolen from her lungs.
Draque was lifeless on the ground, a pool of blood big enough to fill a swimming pool beneath him. Teju and Ladon leaned over him in dragon form, tears dripping down their snouts. Another man she assumed to be their brother Thaddeus knelt beside a purple-haired witch, who clutched her sides. The deep lines in her pert pixie features indicated she was injured, too.
King Tormung skulked behind them at the edge of the forest. “The mad king! What is he doing here?”
“It’s okay,” Lily said, “the thorn with the memory curse has been removed from his tail.”
Serah knew there was more to that, but at the moment it didn’t matter. She had to get to Draque. “Teju! Ladon!”
Louder! Thelix ordered.
Neither of them moved. Had they not heard her? Clutching the side of the cave wall, she struggled to find her voice.
Lily tugged on her arm. “I can heal him.”
“How?”
The girl toyed with the charm around her neck. “I have the power to heal.”
“The Phoenixfire flower?”
“Yes.”
Thelix gasped. Hurry. Get her down there!
A seed of hope took root in her chest. Could Draque be saved? What if he was already dead? He’d lost so much blood.
“That takes great magic.” She held down a hand. “Give me the flower, and I’ll do it.” Though she didn’t know how to activate the flower’s magic, she hoped it would work for her when she put it on. If not, Lily could tell her. She didn’t trust a child with the task of saving her mate’s life.
“You can’t.” The child arched back. “Only I can. I know how to heal him.” She gave Serah a look that was wise beyond her years. “Trust me.”
Trust her, Serah, Thelix cried. Just go, go, go!
Serah didn’t know why, but she felt compelled to trust Lily. “Okay, Lily. Please heal him, because I don’t think I can go on living without him.”
Lily placed her fingers in her mouth and let out a whistle that was shockingly loud for one so young.
Teju and Ladon’s heads snapped up, and Teju flew to the cave. Serah nervously twisted her fingers while waiting for him and prayed they weren’t too late.
Chapter Fifteen
SERAH JUMPED OFF TEJU’S back, helped Lily down, then raced to Draque, who abruptly shifted from dragon to man, lying naked in blood, his back shredded so badly most of his spine was exposed.
I can’t take this, Thelix cried, then her voice faded. She’d obviously gone into hiding, which was better for Serah. She was upset enough without the siren making things worse.
Heedless of the blood, she trudged through the muck and fell on her knees beside Draque. She cradled his head in her lap, frightened when she didn’t feel a pulse in his neck.
She looked at Teju through tear-soaked eyes. “What’s happening?”
Teju knelt beside them and closed Draque’s hollow eyes. He let out a strangled sob. “He’s dead.”
“No!” It was as if her entire world had imploded. “He can’t be dead!” Her chest hurt so much, she could hardly breathe.
Ladon knelt and took her in his arms. “When a shifter dies, his animal leaves him. His dragon has departed.”
“No!” She wailed. How could this happen? Draque was the strongest of her mates! How could he leave her when their eggs hadn’t hatched? How was she supposed to live without him?
Ladon held her tight, letting her sob against him while Teju wrapped his arms around her from behind. She wanted nothing more than to sink into the muddy pool of blood and join Draque in the afterlife.
“He hasn’t been dead long,” Lily said. “I can still bring him back.”
She grabbed the girl’s sleeve. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Lily glanced at the witch with purple hair. “But I must heal her first.”
“No!” Serah clutched Lily’s collar like a lifeline. No way was she letting go. “Heal Draque before it’s too late.”
Lily pulled away with surprising strength for one so young. “After I heal him, I won’t be able to heal the witch.” She plastered on a smile that looked forced.
“Why?”
“You will see,” Lily said flatly.
When Lily walked away, Serah felt as if her sister had taken her heart with her.
Sobbing, blood dripped from Serah’s fingers as she reached for Lily, who walked further and further away. Serah’s heart hurt so badly, she feared it would stop beating altogether and she understood how people died from broken hearts.
She grasped Draque’s cold hand, her tears falling onto his fingers as she waited for her sister to come back.
Though Lily was only with the witch a few seconds, it felt like an eternity. She knelt beside her and placed her hands on the witch’s sides. The witch straightened, then jumped to her feet. Bending over, she kissed the top of Lily’s head.
Lily had been surprisingly calm during the healing. She returned to Serah.
Serah was alarmed when she saw how gaunt Lily was. Had Lily been so thin, so frail?
Lily fell beside Draque with a splat and placed a hand on his broken spine. After several tense heartbeats, she pulled away.
His spine had miraculously become whole. He was still as a statue, though, and other than his healed spine, showed no signs of coming back to life.
Lily looked far worse than before, the bones in her face sticking out sharply.
Lily tugged on Ladon’s shirt. “Carry me to dry ground. Hurry!”
Ladon picked her up. She clung to his neck, looking forlornly at Serah as if she was a ghost.
When he set her on her feet under a tall pine, she took two steps back and burst into flames.
“What the hell?” Ladon jumped back.
“Lily!” Serah screamed and stood on shaky legs, immobilized by fear.
Teju waved wildly at Ladon. “Put her out!”
Ladon looked stunned. “How?”
Thaddeus raced past him with a cape, threw it on Lily, and pushed her to the ground. The flames were extinguished, but Lily was gone. In her place was a pile of ash.
Chest heaving, Serah went to Ladon, distressed. She didn’t understand and then after a moment, she did. Lily had poofed away, a pile of ash in her wake, like a phoenix. “I-I think Lily was the Phoenixfire flower.”
She picked up Lily’s charm, the glass marred with ash and burn marks, the rope necklace gone, having disintegrated. “It’s only a stupid necklace,” she mumbled and dropped it. With a wail, she fell to her knees, digging through
the ash for any sign of her sister. “How do we bring her back?” she asked Teju, praying that in all his wisdom he had an answer.
He rubbed his chin with fingers caked in mud and blood. “You don’t bring phoenixes back. They return in their own time.”
“Do you think she will?” And would it be as a little girl or as a baby?
“I don’t know,” Teju said. “Brayne might, though.”
“What the fuck?” Draque staggered to his feet and gazed at the bloody mess he stood in.
Draque was alive!
I’m back, Thelix said. Is Draque okay?
She ran to Draque, throwing herself in his arms.
He grunted and stepped back, then wrapped his arms around her. “So you’re not mad at me anymore?”
“Oh, Draque.” She peppered his face with kisses. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you. I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“That depends.” He chuckled, his hands moving to her ass.
Forgive him! Thelix squealed.
“Yep, that’s definitely our brother,” Teju said and hugged them both.
Ladon joined in, completing the circle. Serah felt like she was going to suffocate beneath the weight of her three men. She was also slightly horrified that they were all covered in blood and mud. But her discomfort wasn’t important. All that mattered was her family was whole again.
She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry when she realized one family member was missing. She had to find out what had happened to Lily, which meant she’d have to confront Brayne. Goddess save him if he lied to her.
SERAH STORMED INTO the cave, Teju and Ladon following her after Ladon had deposited them on the ledge. Thelix had gone quiet, giving her brain a semblance of peace. Still too disoriented to fly, Draque stayed with Thaddeus and the purple-haired witch he’d introduced as his mate, Violet.
Brayne was awake and afraid. Teju sliced open his gag with a talon and pulled the fae into a sitting position.
“Was my sister the Phoenixfire flower?” she demanded.
He eyed her for a long moment. “Did she burst into flame?”
She refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer. “Tell me!”
“Yes, she was.” He showed no shame or sorrow as he looked directly into her eyes. “Tomorrow you will find a baby in her ashes.”
Serah choked back a sob. She would not let her sperm donor see her cry. “Is the baby my sister?”
“Lily is not your sister.” His voice was devoid of emotion. “She’s a distant relative, a thousand years old.”
“What the fuck?”
“She was cursed by the witch Gae,” he said. “Her power to heal drains her lifeblood. She’s never matured into adulthood in a thousand years.”
Serah was sickened by his composure while he explained what, to her, had to have been a lifetime of hell. Teju and Ladon growled. They weren’t pleased with Brayne’s lack of empathy either.
Her heart ached when she remembered the look Lily gave her before she burst into flame. She’d known she was going to die, but she’d saved Draque anyway. What a sweet, selfless child. She deserved better than Brayne as a father.
She eyed him with contempt. “I don’t understand. I thought the fae didn’t get sick.”
“We don’t.”
But Lily had already been fragile before healing Violet and Draque, like a witch child who’d just recovered from fae fever. This meant Violet and Draque hadn’t been the first people the child had healed.
Her eyes narrowed on her sperm donor. “Then who was draining her?”
He had the decency to look ashamed, averting his gaze and hanging his head.
“Okay, ’fess up.” She balled up her fists, so badly wanting to break his nose and make him suffer as Lily had. “You don’t hide guilt well.”
He looked up at her through glossy eyes. No doubt he was forcing his tears. “She’s been nursing my broken heart.”
Anger and hatred like she’d never known swept through her. “You literally drained her lifeblood for such a selfish reason? You couldn’t have taken herbs or meditated?”
He flashed a slanted grin. “Lily was more effective.”
She was so angry, she saw red. “You selfish prick.”
“I’ve been called worse.” He had the nerve to laugh. “It’s no big deal. She’ll rejuvenate by morning.”
“No big deal?” she shrieked. She turned to Teju. “Zap him, please.”
Flashing a wolfish grin, he raised his wand. “With pleasure.”
“No, not again! The fae queen will not be happy when she learns of my treatment,” Brayne yelled right before Teju struck him with a bolt. He slumped and fell over, his head hitting the stone floor with a satisfying crack.
Tears of frustration spilled over her eyes as she turned to her mates. “Take me back down. I have to sleep by Lily’s ashes. I don’t want her rejuvenating without me there.”
Ladon retied Brayne’s gag and grabbed the basket of eggs and a few supplies. Teju wiped her tears and gave her a hug. Feeling his strength surge through her, she rested her head against him. Never before had she felt so betrayed, so used. Brayne’s indifference upset her even more than her grandfather’s treatment, mostly because it wasn’t only Serah who’d suffered by his cruel hand. An innocent girl had been denied the opportunity to live a full life, thanks to what was most likely several generations of fae draining her life force. Clinging tightly to Teju, she vowed that Lily would receive only compassion and love from her. She would raise the child as her own, make sure she survived into adulthood, and lived a long, full life.
VIOLET SPENT MOST OF the night collecting healing herbs while Thaddeus and his brothers reconnected. Even though she stayed close to the campfire, she felt Thaddeus’s eyes on her, making sure she was safe. He had not been pleased when she left their camp in search of King Tormung. After eating his fill of griffins, the king had skulked off, preferring to sleep alone. He would not be able to fly with them in the morning because of his injured wing, and she didn’t like the thought of leaving him behind.
The herbs weren’t as potent as those that grew in the caverns of Valhol, but they would do. After she ground them to dust with a stone, she poured the rancid bean soup out of the cauldron and brewed the herbs until they were reduced to a thick paste. The cauldron was heavy, and she was relieved when Thaddeus took it from her.
“You going to heal the king?”
“I’ll try, but first I’ll heal you all.”
After Violet applied the salve to Thaddeus and asked Serah to tend to her mates’ wounds, she and Thaddeus went in search of the king.
They found him in a shallow cave not too far from their campsite. This cave was at ground level, so she didn’t have to scale any cliffs. She was beyond exhausted. The sun was almost up, and she hadn’t slept much these past few days.
The dragon glared at them, and she wondered how much of his bad attitude was due to the thorn and how much was part of his natural disposition.
“Hello, King Tormung.” She forced a smile. “How do you feel?”
“Leave me be, witch,” he snarled, resting his head on his paws like a petulant puppy.
She nodded to the cauldron Thaddeus carried. “But I’ve made a poultice for your injuries.”
He sat up. “Why would you help me?”
“Because I’m an apothecary. It’s what I do.”
“Very well. Your shifter friends made a mess of my wings.”
“And you almost killed Draque,” she said wryly, “so I guess you’re even.” She left out the part about Lily having to start her life over because of him.
The king harrumphed but said nothing. After she climbed up his side, and Thaddeus handed her the cauldron, which had thankfully cooled, she let out a low whistle when she saw the numerous tears in his membranes. She worked quickly, not wishing to remain on his back a moment longer than she had to. The paste was sticky and would smell up her hands for hours, but when it dried, it would act
as stitches and help fuse the tears back together.
The king turned his long neck toward her, watching her as she worked. “I never thanked you for pulling the thorn out of my tail.”
“No need,” she said while rubbing the last of the sticky paste into his wing. “It was either that or let you kill us all.”
The king bowed his head. “I am ashamed of my behavior.”
She paused and shared a look with Thaddeus. He looked as shocked as she felt. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault you were under a spell.”
He let out a low growl. “I will kill Goldenwand.”
“Get in line.” She chuckled, not surprised to learn it was the evil mage who’d cursed the dragon king. “He has a long list of enemies.” Then she paused, wondering how Tormung would’ve let the evil mage come near without burning him on the spot. “Do you remember how he did it?”
“It wasn’t him.” He looked at her over his shoulder again, his heavy jowls turning a frown. “It was one of his followers. I will kill them, too.”
For some reason, Periwinkle’s smug face came to mind. “Was he tall and blond?”
The dragon’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
So it was him! “Prometheus Periwinkle, and you can’t kill him. He knows where Goldenwand’s lair is. Hopefully the authorities can make him talk.”
He arched a scaled brow. “Is he your prisoner?”
She realized she’d said too much. Thaddeus swore, crossing his arms.
She swallowed back a lump of fear when the red dragon let out a low growl. “He is, and like I said, you can’t kill him.”
“I am a king,” he bellowed, spittle flying from his jowls and spraying her. “I can do whatever I damn well please.”
Swearing, she wiped her face, then screamed when he jumped out of the cave and flew toward their campsite with her still on his back. The cauldron rolled off his back and hit the ground with a crack as he skimmed the treetops with his talons.
Thaddeus caught up to them, and she hoped the dragons wouldn’t get into another fight. Periwinkle definitely wasn’t worth it.
As they flew over the campfire, she could hear the others below hollering. The king landed on the ledge with a thud and stalked toward the two prisoners like a feline about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse.
