Her finger followed Brom’s scribbled words.Cyn dies.Ruby must Breathe his power.But enough to defeat???
The words clutched her throat.“No.”She looked at Cyn, whose face had gone pale.“No.”
“The Dragon Prince died in Mon’s story,” he said in a low, careful voice.
“But that’s because he hated you.He made it up.”
“His stories were based on Brom’s vision, Ruby.We can’t ignore what’s right in front of us.”He tapped the picture.“This is why you need me.You will need my power to succeed.”
She grabbed his arm, her fingers twisting the material of his sleeve.“Kade said visions were an approximation of what could happen.”
“Maybe so, but everything Brom saw has come true so far.”
“Cyn, you can’t die.Not now that I…” Loved him?Isn’t that what giving him her heart meant?“Not now,” she finished.
His mouth turned to a wry grin.“Would have been easier if you still hated me.”She could see his mind working as his embers became jagged sparks.
“Well, it’s too late for that now, Cyntag Valeron.What I’ve given you, you can’t give back.”
“Your forgiveness?”
“My heart.”
He reached out, his palm on her cheek.His mouth opened, but he seemed to struggle with the words.She suspected he changed them when he said, “Remember what I said about Breathing Dragon.Just in case,” he added, when she was going to protest.“You’ll see the Dragon’s essence hovering above the physical body.It’ll look like heat waves over sunbaked pavement.The stronger and older a Dragon is, the more power.I’m old,andI’ve killed a lot of Dragons, so if you Breathe me, you’re going to get overloaded.This is where you really have to put logic over emotion.”
“Can’t I heal you?Like you healed me?”
He shook his head.“You’re not strong enough yet.If I’m killed or mortally injured, you have to Breathe me, Ruby.Because if Magda does it, you’ll never win.Promise me.”
She nodded, tears making her eyes tingle.She remembered feeling Garnet’s pain at being so alone and lost.
“Afterward, you should be able to tap into my Obsidian qualities.But if you let your emotions drive you, you’ll be killed.It’s as simple as that.And if we both die, so do a lot of other people.”
“But you’re not going to die.”
“I’ll do my best.”He rubbed his thumb against the side of her mouth.“Before you came into my life again, I didn’t care about living or dying.But now I have a lot to live for.So believe me when I say that I’ll fight like hell to stay alive, and to keep you safe.”
She kissed him fiercely, her hands gripping his face.“Don’t you dare die, Cyn.Don’t you dare.”
“No matter what happens, know that you brought me to life again.”He rubbed away tears she didn’t know she had shed.
She pressed her hand to his chest.“I want you to know something, too.You have a good heart, despite everything you’ve done.When I looked past my anger, I saw everything you really are.Not just a cold, badass Dragon warrior, but a man with integrity and a sense of right.”
He curled his fingers around her hand.“Would it make any difference to tell you not to have those feelings about me?”
“No.You don’t know the half of what I feel for you.”
His fingers pressed against her mouth.“Don’t tell me.It’ll mess with my head, makemefight under a red haze of emotion.Let’s find Purcell and finish this.”
23
Cyn called Fernandez.“Are you at home?”He didn’t apologize for calling at one in the morning.
Ruby leaned close to his shoulder, listening in.
Fernandez’s voice was low, hard to hear.“Yes.I’m with Celia.She’s sleeping.”
“I’m in your driveway now.Does she know what’s going on?”
