Layla stood tall, crossing her arms as she fumed. It was a dangerous plan, and gazing around at all the faces of her friends, Layla found she didn’t want any of them to do this. She didn’t want any of them hurt. She didn’t want to place any of them in danger, and if she was the one this High Priest wanted to meet, she would very well march in there by herself and go meet him.
But as if Luke could read her mind, he suddenly spoke. “You can’t go by yourself, Layla. Besides, the White Chalice want me, too. The others want to protect you as much as you want to protect them. No one’s going in alone. Deal with it.”
Drawing a deep breath, Layla felt her Dragon coil through her veins in a wash of protective fear and darkness. She felt a growl rise in her throat, inundated with the overtones of her beast. But reaching out, Dusk set a gentle hand to hers, pouring a soothing wave of power through her sinews. Breathing deeper, Layla was at last able to release her resistance to the plan.
Though not her blackest fears.
“Fine. We’ll do what we have to, to get Charlie, Celia, and Arron back safe.”
Luke’s quiet nod spoke for them all. With a brisker nod from Queen Justine, the plan was set, and as Justine and Huttr stepped aside with Adrian, Dusk, Rikyava, and Rhennic to give them the finer details of the Dragon invasion, Layla was left alone with Luke. As Luke moved to her, she saw agony in his eyes. But he held her gaze without flinching as they faced each other at last.
“So. You and Rikyava are a thing.” Layla tried to not make it sound pissed, but she still was.
“You have your love life, Layla, and I have mine.” Luke’s answer was terse as his emerald gaze went from pained to dark with a reflexive temper. “We don’t owe each other any explanations on that account anymore.”
Layla felt his words like a dagger in her heart, twisting as she stared at him, at a loss for what to say. “Do you hate me or something? Even after everything we shared the other night?”
Luke drew a deep breath, then let out a hard sigh as he set his hands to his hips. “I don’t hate you, Layla. And what we shared the other night… But this isn’t about you. You saw my magicyesterday – you saw what it can do. It’s dangerous.”
“And you don’t want me around that.” Layla suddenly realized what he was trying to do as she stared at him. “You don’t get to push me away, Luke, because you’re afraid of hurting me with your Dragon-power. We’re friends. That’s not something friends do.”
“It is when one friend knows they’re no good for the other.” The edge of his temper flashed in his eyes now, like some massive, simmering beast inside him.
“Do you mean you’re no good for me, or I’m no good for you?” Layla countered, feeling her own fury began to simmer in her veins. “Or is it that Rikyava’s expendable to yournullaxso you don’t mind being close with her?”
“Don’t be mean, Layla.” Luke’s eyes flashed now for real, sharp as he narrowed his eyes on her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Rikyava and I, but it’s not like you were filling me in on your love life with Adrian and Dusk and everyone else this fall. We’re just… we’re not…”
“We’re not friends anymore.” What Luke was trying to say suddenly felt like he’d slapped her in the face. “You don’t want to be friends with me anymore.”
“This isn’t about you, Layla!” Luke huffed at last, his temper finally blowing wide open as he raked a hand hard through his black hair. “What is it about my magic opening up that you don’t understand?! When was the last time you might have thought,gee, maybe Luke’s dealing with some serious shit right now and needs a good friend for support?Rikyava was there for me when I needed it. Hell, even Dusk was. But you weren’t. And here you are, making everything about you like always, trying to pretend to be all hurt when I can’t bend over backwards for you! Don’t, Layla. Just – fucking don’t. I can’t handle it today. Not with everything else going on right now.”
Layla blinked, and she couldn’t stop the hard wash of scorched orange scent that surged from her as her cheeks flushed from embarrassment – and rage.
“Fine.” She snarled at last, feeling her Dragon rise in her veins with a simmering fire that was a furious match to Luke’s. “You want to play hard, Luke? Fine. You’re right; I’m selfish. I think about myself before I think about others, and always have. Is that what you want to hear? You’re right and I’m wrong – your life is way more complex than mine and your magic is harder to bear. If Rikyava’s a good thing for you, then I’m happy for you both, but like hell am I going to sit here and let you lambaste me for my choices this past year! I did what I deemed best at the time. Did I forget my friends along the way? A little. A situation I’m hoping to God I can remedy if we ever get them back. You can stand there and be as righteous as you want, you can tell yourself you’re right and Layla’s fucked uplike always, but I don’t believe it. I have friends in the Twilight Realm who care for me just because ofwho I am– I don’t have to prove myself to earn their love. Fuck you. Go take your righteous attitude and blistering hate someplace else, because I’m done. After we get our friends back, I’m done. Fuck you… I am so, so done.”
As Luke stared at her like she’d just hit him with a freight train, his green eyes vibrant with a shine of hot tears, Layla turned away. Striding to the end of the throne hall, she gasped as she crossed her arms tight, gazing out the high gabled windows. But all there was to see was swirling snow, and as Layla stared into it, hearing the wind howl outside like tortured animals, she felt only chaos deep inside. As a black pit opened within her, swallowing her heart, swallowing every good feeling in life, she crossed her arms tighter, willing herself to not break. But it just went dark and darker, her Dragon giving a strangled roar as she tried to face it and failed. Layla’s Dragon was swallowed into that dark pit – everything was swallowed into it.
As Layla stared at the cruel snow and listened to the vile wind, nothing seemed to matter anymore.
But then warm arms wound around her, and Layla gasped. Adrian and Dusk had come to her, pulling her into their love. As she cuddled into Dusk and Adrian pressed close to her back, kissing her temple sweetly as Dusk kissed her lips, Layla broke. With a hard sob, a tear shed down her cheeks, then another as she buried her face into Dusk’s parka, nuzzling in to where she could breathe his clear river-water scent.
But even as they held her, Layla could feel a jangled energy spike inside Dusk. Her black self-hatred had affected him deeply, and as they held each other with Adrian standing strong at Layla’s back, she felt how close Dusk was to breaking also. Even with Adrian’s warm winds pouring down both their throats, opening their hearts back to a place of love, Dusk’s energy still felt like broken shards of crystal spiking all around Layla. As her black pit eased back, her Dragon roaring up in a wave of bourbon-orange scent, Layla felt Dusk shudder and exhale. Corralling her close, he kissed her temple as relief washed through him.
“I’m sorry!” Layla gasped at his chest. “I didn’t mean to trigger you!”
“I know.” Dusk growled, flooding a soothing vibration through Layla and himself both. “It’s not your fault, Layla. I’m just having trouble keeping it together these days myself…”
But even as Dusk spoke, someone stepped to their group. As Layla smelled lavender and heather in the air, she felt Rhennic reach out, gripping Dusk’s shoulder. Rhennic didn’t touch Layla as she was held by her Bound men, but he poured a deep flow of power through Dusk. It jolted Dusk like the boom of a thunderstorm, but as he shook off the after-effects he was suddenly standing taller, stronger, his magic smoothed and steady deep inside. Looking up, Layla saw Dusk and Rhennic glance at each other, an understanding passing between them. As Dusk let out a slow breath, Rhennic smiled, gripping his shoulder and shaking him before letting him go.
As Rhennic’s deep violet gaze found Layla, she saw the incredible steadiness of his character. She felt it, rumbling with a power like rolling thunder over summer fields. She felt her Bind with Adrian and Dusk become stable again because of Rhennic’s magic rippling through them, and on her tongue she could taste lavender and ozone, like a field after a summer rain. It was brisk and uplifting, and as Layla’s drakaina raised her head, deeply attentive, Layla shivered. It wasn’t from darkness now, or cold, but from feeling this illuminating dark-bright energy calming her like staring at thunderclouds limned by the golden rays of the setting sun.
She stared at Rhennic, feeling the steady power he could give their Bind.
And then he nodded, holding her gaze one last moment before turning to get this show on the road.
CHAPTER 21 – REVENANT
In Queen Justine’s royal chambers at Château de Chambord, Layla stood with Dusk, Adrian, Rhennic, Luke, and Rikyava near the massive stone fireplace. Similar to Rhennic’s quarters but more feminine, Justine’s rooms were the means through which the group would get into the Thin Ways and travel to Chartres. Layla still didn’t know what the Thin Ways were – Dusk had only told her they were a method of Crystal Dragon travel through the depths of the earth – but as Queen Justine waited with eager interest, her dark blue eyes alert, Layla realized whatever was going to happen next was a unique event for the Storm Queen.
