Running full speed, I sprinted out of the atrium and dove off the battlement, transforming in the air. Shadow wings were helpful, but I was faster in dragon form.
She disappeared into the clouds, her screams growing distant, the storm blocking her from my view.
Thunder boomed, precipitation filled the air, and the cry of the storm drowned out her cries for help. Water droplets splashed against me, the tempest gaining speed.
Rain pelted my scales in sharp, needling bursts. Wind ripped at my wings.
Nosediving, I angled my body, speeding through the sky. The clouds broke, revealing her flailing form tumbling about. Her screams howled within the growing thunder.
She’s getting too close to the ground.
I need to be faster.
Roaring, I moved quicker, reaching out to her with my talons and snatching her barely twenty feet from the ground. Banking right, I used the momentum to shoot over to the cliff side of the palace, veering out of the way of the trees and back up toward the sky.
If we had been at any other tower of the castle, I never would have reached her in time. I gripped her gently and angled myself over to a grassy area near the top of the cliffs.
I folded my wings as I hit the ground in a controlled skid, careful not to crush her on the landing.
She rolled out of my clawed hand. “That's it. I can't take this anymore! I am done with this kingdom!”
Tears sprung from her eyes. She stood, wiping the dirt off her already tattered dress.
Still in dragon form, I watched her pace back and forth, the aftereffects of a near-death experience working its way through her thoughts.
That’s two near-death experiences today. Even for Deirdre, that’s excessive.
Since her arrival, my little thorn had fought to keep her head. At every turn, she proved to be more than some mere form of entertainment. Her tenacity was impressive and almost admirable. With every obstacle she overcame, her right to rule became clearer.
“Everything here hates me! This place, your court,you!” She pointed an accusatory finger toward me, the wind whipping her wild hair about her.
Immediately, I shifted back into fae form, thankful my magical wristbands kept my clothes intact. “I don't hate you.”
Her chest heaved, her pale cheeks rosy-red both from adrenaline and the wind. She shook her head. “I don't believe you. I don't understand why I'm here.”
“Because of—”
“No!” she yelled, interrupting me. “You don't believe in it.Idid. My entire life, I believed that me, the girl with the ugly mark on her face, would one day save the world and yet that can't be further from the truth.”
Thunder boomed in the sky, making her jump. Heavy rain followed, drenching us and creating a barrier I suddenly wished wasn’t there.
I thought back to what the vampyre said. The Lich King wouldn’t want her if she wasn’t important. “You’re special.”
With a careful step, I moved toward her, raising my voice to speak over the storm, making sure she heard every word. “I know it’s been difficult, and I didn't go about things the right way.”
I took another step. “I'm sorry.”
Her eyes widened and I paused, shocked that those words left my lips, but I was sorry.
“That's the first time you've said that to me.” A hand to her chest. The rain flattened her hair, removing the luscious waves I’d come to find quite lovely.
I scratched the back of my head, not sure what I should say, but the human king was right. If we wanted to protect our people, Deirdre and I had to trust each other first.
“What if we start over?” I blurted out, sounding foolish.
Thunder and lightning clashed in the sky above us and I wanted to get her out of this rain, but Deirdre didn’t seem to mind the storm at all. She stood there, staring at me.
“Why?”
