“Just because time goes on and you get used to living without someone doesn’t mean the pain of their absence goes away. There’s no timetable for grief. It will always be there. You just get used to living with it.”
“I… can’t decide if that’s comforting or not.” They let out a wet laugh.
“Sorry. I just… there are people I lost hundreds of years ago that I still cry over every once in a while. I still miss them.”
“Ugh. So I’m still gonna be like this in, like, a thousand years?”
“Probably.”
“Great. What a lovely thing to look forward to.”
I was happy to hear a little of their sass come out. It meant they’d be okay. It meant that I was, hopefully, comforting them.
I snorted and kissed their forehead again. “It does get easier with time. Some days are just harder than others. And… you have me to cry on anytime you need.”
“That’s… just… thanks.”
“Anytime, babydoll. I mean it.”
They nodded against me. “Do you remember when you and Dad thought I ran away a few weeks after Mom got arrested?”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That had happened before I’d even known we were viramores, and still, I’d been beyond terrified. I’d been so fucking scared, so fucking wrecked, when we couldn’t find them. “Y-yeah.”
They gave me a squeeze this time, obviously sensing that I was upset. “I’m still sorry I scared you.”
“It’s okay.”
“Not really. I should’ve just talked to you guys, but I was afraid you’d say no, or you wouldn’t let me go with you. And I just reallyneeded to…” They sighed and shook their head. “Anyway, I went back to my community—uh, I mean the cult.”
I jerked in surprise and terror, even though they were obviously alright. “You what? Why? Why would you want to go back to them? I thought you were happy here, even back then. I thought—”
“Shh.” They leaned back to meet my gaze, placing their fingers over my mouth. “I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t go back to join them again. I would never do that. I never even wanted to see that place again, but… but Coral had two younger siblings, and I was worried for them. Their dad was arrested along with my mom, and their mom was… well, she died shortly after Coral did. The whole family was there when they… when they tortured her. They saw everything, even her little siblings—they were three and four at the time.” Under their breath, they murmured, “I’ll never forget the sounds of them crying for their big sister.”
I closed my eyes, wishing with all my might that I could murder those disgusting, horrible bastards that’d hurt Oakley’s friend, that’d tortured Oakley and their friend’s siblings. I took a breath, trying to calm my anger before I accidentally set the bed on fire.
They cleared their throat. “Anyway, I wanted to bring Coral’s siblings back here with me. I wanted to save them before the grand master hurt them too.”
“I thought we had the grand master in a jail cell?”
“We do, but one of the others would’ve taken over after the failed mission. Some of them were even worse than Master Gremyar. Some weren’t as bad, but I don’t know who was next in line. That wasn’t something I was privy to.”
I hated that they kept referring to that monster asmaster. It sickened me, but I didn’t want to upset them, so for now, I kept my mouth shut.
“Can I ask you a question that might be upsetting?”
They gave me a small nod.
“Why did… I mean, the cult had multiple dragons in it, so why did… when you spoke about it, it sounded like they only ever took your blood and scales. Why?”
Their nostrils flared as they sucked in a breath. “They took some from the others, but they focused on me because I was the youngest dragon there, and I’m a royal. They wanted my blood so they could break my dad’s hold on the tower, but also because they said it was more potent than anyone else’s or something. I don’t even know if that’s true or if they just liked… hurting me. They also said young dragon blood and scales were better for their spells. I was the youngest by hundreds of years.”
A growl formed in my chest, but I did everything in my power to keep it down. Hearing the harrowing story, knowing what those disgusting bastards did to them and to their other kids, made my dragon want to roar, hunt down every last one of them, and eat them.
Oak leaned back and patted my chest. “It’s okay, big guy. I’m safe now.” They hugged me, tucking their head under my chin again. “You keep me safe.”
“Yes. Always.” The words were more growl than actual words, but I knew Oak could understand me. They were familiar enough with my dragon, and being a dragon themself made it easier. After a few seconds, I asked, “So what happened? Did you find Coral’s siblings?”
They shook their head. “No. The entire commu-cult was gone. They left with no sign of where they went. I wish… I wish I would’ve gone back sooner and tried to save them, but I was… Back when you guys first saved me, I was scared that if I went back there, they’d pull me in or capture me or whatever. I didn’t think… I didn’t think I was strong enough to escape them a second time, but if I had been, if I’d actually gone back when I should’ve, I could’ve saved them. I could’ve—”
