He stood. So did I. Without uttering a word, we found each other and clasped hands, ourfingers weaving. His grip was firm, grounding. A lifeline in a storm. I clung as if I could anchor myself to him rather than fate.
My heart pounded harder as the girls encircled us.
“You each drink half,” Adelaide explained, beaming. She passed me the vial with reverence. “We’re staying to make sure nothing untoward happens, so don’t even think of kicking us out.”
I stared at the vial before uncorking it with a shaking thumb. An acrid scent rose from it, and that twist in my gut kicked up. Nerves again? Or more?
Taron’s gaze met mine. Not a flicker of hesitation, only steady strength and something I dared not name aloud. Not yet. Not when it might be the last time I ever saw him looking back at me with affection. Longing and hope tangled together and pressed hard against my chest.
I drew in a breath so deep it scraped my lungs.Should I? Shouldn’t I?Was I stepping straight into my father’s plan or shattering it?
Did it even matter? The false bond must be broken. If we didn’t do this, we’d never know if our feelings for each other were genuine or manipulated.
Exhale.I drank. The taste was sharper than poison and bitter as ash, clawing its way down my throat. I shuddered and handed Taron the vial. Without pause, he emptied it and met my gaze again.
We waited. One heartbeat. Two. Ten.
The tonic scorched a hole in my stomach, but nothing else happened.
No shift.
No spark.
Only rising dread that maybe it hadn’t worked.
“Did the recipe say how long it takes to kick in?” I asked Emma, my voice low, wary.
A stricken look crossed her face. “I assumed immediately. But maybe?—”
A sudden scream barreled from me, and there was no stopping it as a slicing, rending hurt cleaved straight through my soul. Blood gushed from my eye sockets, ears and nose. The fire in my veins? Snuffed in an instant. My body went cold,wrong, like every cell froze. My knees buckled, the floor rushing up to meet me.
At the same time, Taron was suddenly yanked off his feet, his limbs stretched by invisible strings. His body arched, head thrown to the side, spine bowed unnaturally. And then—heexploded.
Smokewings burst from his back. The blast wasn’t aimed, just instinct, power venting with nowhere to go, sending my sisters hurtling into the walls with bone-shaking force. Stone cracked, and dust billowed. Dragonglass oozed from his skin, hardening into jagged scarlet scales. Claws pushed through his nail beds. His irises blazed with colorful flame. His mouth split open in a snarl, revealing rows of dagger-sharp teeth.
He landed before me, not broken or dazed butcrouched. Ready for battle, every muscle tense, his breath heavy and ragged. Smoke coiled from his nostrils. The ground cracked beneath his feet. And I… I couldn’t feel my dragon.
My breath hitched. My limbs trembled. I reached inward, seeking calm the way I always had, but this time, I found desperation. Nein, nein, nein. Where was the spark that had always been mine? A spark that had come before thought, even breath.
My dragon had never required a harsh summoning before. She was my constant companion. A living flame heating my blood. A promise as constant as the sky.
I reached inward oncemore, certain I’d find her.
But the fire was just…gone. The connection severed. My dragon remained still. There was no ember. No answering coil of power. Only quiet. A silence that pressed heavy against my heart.
Whatever the tonic had done, it had ripped something vital fromme—and awakened a monster inhim.
Dread punched my every cell all at once. It was true. The undeniable proof stood breathing smoke before me.
Only one explanation made sense. I’d given my beast to him. The very core of my being.
Realization burrowed deep. I did this to him. Me. I’d pushed for this.
So had he, ja, but facts didn’t dilute consequences. Looking at Taron now, the agony of it all ripped me to shreds. I’d destroyed yet another Locke, just in a different way. I’d gambled and lost, but this time, the price was the professor’s humanity.
Horror bubbled up, choking me. I’d been so certain of our success, I’d missed Cedric and Lorik’s ultimate plan. I hadn’t outsmarted or outmaneuvered my enemies. I’d turned myself into a weapon they used to bring down the man I loved. And myself.
“Nein,” I whispered. “Nein, nein, nein.”
