I’m an asshole,he thought, raking his claws through his hair. She didn’t even know that she’d been disrespected, and he’d changed course before he did any real damage, but it didn’t matter. He owed her more than just his life. He owed her an apology and an oath that couldn’t be broken by anything now. Not even death.
Bile churned in his stomach at the thought, but it wasn’t as bad as he assumed it would be. Taevas was resigned to it in the way one must be to all things out of their control.
The sun must rise. Death must come. A dragon Chooses. It can’t be undone.
Alashiya is mine,he thought grimly,and I’m going to give her everything she deserves. Even if it kills me.
And it could. It’d killed his parents.
Choosing was a gift, but it was also a terrible weakness — one he’d done everything in his power to avoid out of nothing but pure, boyish cowardice. And look where it’d gotten him: He’d still ended up Choosing, only at the worst possible time.
His impatience and worry doubled. Taevas could give hernothing now. He couldn’t embrace her. He couldn’t shower her in gifts during this most vital time. He couldn’t even do his duty by guarding her when she left the nest.
Pathetic.
He roamed the woods once more, his mind a chaotic swirl of memories he’d long since shoved into a tidy little corner. Taevas thought time had taken the venom from them, washed them clean of all that could hurt him, but it turned out to be yet another lie he’d told himself.
With Alashiya gone, all he could think of was his father. His patient, loving, soft-spokenisa,who’d been left alone to defend the nest. He’d tried for a very long time to let go of his anger at his mother. It wasn’t her fault, and the gods knew she’d suffered for her choices, but the fire of his grief had scarred him so deeply that he couldn’t ever forgive her completely, as unfair as that was.
She’d done the right thing. Thehonorablething. But her choice meant her mate died a hideous death and tore Taevas’s life apart at the seams.
He’d sworn to never Choose, and if by some misfortune he ever did, he’dneverallow his mate to pay for his mistakes. They would never be unguarded. They would never sacrifice for him. They would never, ever come to harm.
And there he was, nearing the obscured entrance to his mate’s territory, as helpless as his own mother must’ve been when Jaak gave the order to execute his father.
When he came to the overgrown gravel path that might’ve been a road once, he followed it until he found the farthest edge of Alashiya’s land. Taevas stood deep in the trees and observed the cracked pavement of the road that presumably connected all of Birchdale’s little farms like a withered artery.
Lee, where is all your funding going? It’s certainly not in infrastructure.He shook his head in disgust.
Standing there was a little surreal, and not just because the air shimmered strangely in front of him — a testament to just how strong Alashiya’s wards were. This was the closest he’d been to theoutside world in weeks. More weeks than he could reliably count, if one added in his captivity. The road seemed like a magical artifact from another life. If he touched it, if he followed it to hunt down his mate, it would instantly transport him away from the fairy tale world in which he’d taken refuge.
The narrow road was a pale, ashy gray and riddled with cracks. It probably hadn’t been repaved in fifty years, and it certainly didn’t have a branch of m-grid beneath it, which connected to all new cars to regulate speed. It was neglected nearly to the point of obsolescence, which seemed fitting.
Not even the road outside her home can be nice,he thought bitterly. Taevas forced himself to take a deep breath.
Promising himself that he’d make a call to Lee Seymour to personally complain when he returned home, if only for the principle of the thing, Taevas turned away from the road. He’d barely taken a few steps deeper into the trees when the roar of an engine froze him in place.
Whirling around, he watched as a dirt-speckled but clearly new SUV came around the bend. He expected it to keep going. There was no sign marking the entrance to Alashiya’s land, and the wards obscured even the overgrown entrance from view. There was absolutely no reason for anyone, particularlythatcar, to even slow down as it passed.
But he watched, stomach dropping, as it slowed. It came to a rolling stop on the shoulder just past the entrance, where it idled for several long seconds.
Taevas eased back into the shadows, his wings nearly vibrating with tension against his back. They hurt no matter what position he held them in, but he forced the discomfort out of his mind as he watched the passenger door pop open and Alashiya practically leap out. The vehicle had barely come to a complete stop before her old boots were on the ground.
What the fuck?
Her face was pale as she shut the door behind her. Tension hiked her shoulders up high. She looked like she wanted to run.
The engine cut off and another door opened, though it was on the wrong side for Taevas to see it. A deep voice drawled, “You’re supposed to wait for me, pretty thing.”
A searing sort of familiarity hit him. It was like a ghost had spoken directly in his ear, conjured from his oldest, darkest nightmares. His body locked in place. A cold sweat broke out across his body.
No, Jaak’s dead. I made sure of that.
Alashiya was already walking away from the car. Her head was held high, but her arms were stiff at her sides, like she was bracing for something. “No, thank you,” she bit out, polite but stiff. “I appreciate the ride, but I can handle it from here.”
The voice drew closer as the stranger rounded the bumper. “What kind of dragon would I be if I let you open your own doors? I was raised better than that.”
A large dragon came into view, walking straight out of Taevas’s nightmares.
