To give other people that same escape.
To help them forget the sadness of death, the reality of pain and stress, the anxious weight of living.
Art always helped people survive the roughest times in life.
It saved them.
And right now, I needed to be saved from my grief.
Kaoru came back a few minutes later with the book in his hands. "Here you go."
"Thank you."
He smiled and went back to leaning against the counter.
I ran my fingers over the cover and thought about where I’d left off.
The heroine, Sol had been lying between her two dragon shifter mates. There’d been talk of her going through,the ripeningwhich seemed like it would be a horny phase for female dragon shifters.
I hope so. I’m here for all the filthy sex.
Hiroko’s words entered my mind.
"Remember. Don't let his presence knock you off your throne. A dragon's fire is only as strong as the woman who dares to breathe through the smoke."
I swallowed, closed my eyes, and let the grief wash over me. Let myself feel this overwhelming sadness for a moment instead of pushing it away.
How did she die? Should I even ask about all the dreaded details? Fuck. . .
"Many women in my world have told their stories. I'm not sure what mine would offer now. Perhaps, I should leave this dream alone."
All I knew for sure was that I was going to honor her. She’d wanted me to write a book about her life and that would be my first priority after this war ended.
It just made me sad that we wouldn’t be together. I’d imagined us celebrating at her book launch and watching her during the book tour doing tons of interviews.
She would have flipped the world around with all of her bold statements to women.
Damn it.
This time, I took a large gulp of the wine, opened the book, and found the passage where Sol was lying between Korin and Pyrran, learning about the ripening, swallowing the moon, and becoming a goddess.
I settled deeper into my chair. Took another sip of wine. Let the kitchen sounds fade into the background—the chopping, the sizzling, the quiet murmur of Chef Bunzo giving out more instructions.
And I let myself escape into dragons and immortal, fated love.
Into a world where the heroine was powerful, protected, and wanted.
Chapter forty-three
A Flight into Forgiveness
Pyrran
Pyrran lay in the darkness and watched Sol sleep.
She was curled against Korin. One of Korin's arms was draped possessively over her waist, holding her close even in sleep. Their breathing had synced.
Pyrran frowned.
