“Huh.”He is silent for a few seconds, and when he speaks into my mind again, I can almost hear a faint hint of suspicion in his voice.“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you would get jealous if you knew that something other than you can make me feel pleasure,”I reply immediately in a voice full of teasing.“And… case in point.”
He laughs into my mind. It immediately dispels those hints of suspicion.
I draw in a deep breath of relief. While finally gathering my wits completely again, I vow to myself to be stronger next time and never succumb to this embarrassing need for magic again. I can resist it. Goddess damn it, I need to resist it.
During the rest of the journey, I do my best to block out those lingering cravings that remain after I used my magic so many times. The pleasure I feel is even stronger while our union bond is open, so it takes me all the way to the shores of the sea until I have finally gotten myself completely under control.
The anticipation of seeing Draven’s home also gives me something else to think about, which helps distract me from that addictive need even more.
A massive smile spreads across my lips when we leave the land behind and fly out across the sea. The bright sky above makes the water glitter like jewels where it stretches out endlessly before us. The sight of it soothes my soul and fills me with both giddy excitement and intense yearning at the same time. I project that feeling into Draven’s mind.
“I know, right?”Draven replies, and I can hear the smile in his voice.“I feel the same.”
I gaze out at that endless horizon.“I can’t wait to see this entire world with you. When this is all over, you and I are going to fly right into this open horizon. We’re going to explore every corner of this world that both of us have been denied for so long. We’re going to wring every drop of joy and pleasure and adventure from it.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. You will get the freedom you deserve, Draven. I will make sure of it.”
“So will you, little rebel.”
I smile, projecting the feeling at him.
But deep inside, fear pulses inside my chest. I’ve always been so sure that we will be able to make it through this together. All of us. But after what happened to Orion, and then to Grey, I’m terrified that we will have to sacrifice more than we gain in order to win this war.
Because I don’t want to sacrifice anything.
I refuse to sacrifice anything.
Even if it means that I have to become the worst villain this realm has ever seen.
If I lose Draven, or any of my friends, I’m going to burn this whole fucking world to the ground.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Islands appear in the glittering water before us. I gasp. Gripping the spikes before me hard, I lean forward and gaze out over Draven’s neck. His wings beat the air, sending ripples across the sea below. Excitement flutters inside me as we close the distance to the first island.
“Welcome to the Western Isles,”Draven says into my mind, a warm smile in his voice.“My home.”
I smile into the pleasant winds.
Late afternoon sunlight shines down from the clear blue sky, bathing the islands in a warm glow and casting golden sparkles across the water. A mass of islands spreads out below us as we fly farther in. I watch them all, utterly fascinated.
Some islands are completely covered in fields and farmland with crops swaying in the breeze. Others hold lush forests. I stare, my mouth open, as we pass an island full of blooming grasslands where animals are grazing. A few of the smaller islands are made up entirely of rock with only a small strip of beach around the edge.
The farther in we get, the more buildings appear. Beautiful houses made of wood are located on the islands we pass. Some ofthem have only one or two houses on them while others, particularly the bigger ones, have what looks like entire villages clustered together.
And all around us, black dragons are taking to the air and flying towards the huge island in the middle, which must be the main island.
Next to us, Lyra lifts her huge dragon head and lets out a roar full of pure joy.
The other dragons return it.
And suddenly, I can feel the echo of Draven’s emotions through our mate bond again, which means that they must be incredibly strong. My heart clenches at which emotions I feel. Joy. Longing. But also fear.
For two hundred years, his people have believed that he willingly sold them out to the Icehearts. They had no idea that he has been enslaved with dragon steel this entire time. It wasn’t until right before we escaped Frostfell that Draven’s soldiers learned the truth. But the civilians who have been living out here on the islands all this time weren’t there to hear it.
