My voice is so tight that I don’t trust it any longer.
Erik is like a statue a few steps behind me, but the moment I reach him, he snaps into action, pushing open the door and allowing me through.
The corridor is deserted. It’s a small surprise to me that the Queen was true to her word.
“Fuck,” I whisper when the door closes behind me. “Fuck.”
I need to move. I need action. If I could, I would run miles to release this awful energy within me, a fury without a target. My legs are moving and Erik pushes ahead of me like a shield against any fae who might get in our way. Hopefully none.
Mere seconds later, the door behind us opens once more.
I spin, my whole body tense.
Thaden hurries toward us, his muscular frame making the corridor seem small, especially with Erik on one side of me and him on the other.
“Wait, Asha.” He speaks quickly, but his voice is low. “Tamra’s hurting. She’s vulnerable and Queen Karasi hasn’t stopped whispering in her ear since we arrived.”
I wish I could attribute all of my sister’s hatred to manipulation, but I can’t. She had ten years to dream and hope of a day when we could be a family. I was the one who brought her dreams crashing down.
I was the one who chose to bring the past with me.
“I’ll take your family to my old village inMyrkur Fjall, where they can stay clear of the fight between fae and humans.” Thaden’s voice deepens, resembling a dragon’s growl. “I’ll do this because you asked me to. I won’t deny what your family needs.”
His hand closes around my arm, his dragon scales pressing into my skin, a hard grip that reminds me how immensely strong he is.
Behind me, Erik bristles, but his tension fades at Thaden’s next words.
“I need Milena dead more than anyone else,” Thaden says. “I need her to pay for what she did to me.” His focus flies to Erik. “You killed the Blacksmith who tried to control your fate. There is no peace for me until I do the same.”
Erik gives a single nod.
Thaden turns back to me, but now there’s a tone of desperation in his voice. “Once your family is safe inMyrkur Fjall, please don’t deny me the option of finding you so I can fight beside you.”
I’m hesitant, but only for his own safety. Ultimately, he could be my greatest weapon in the fight ahead.
“I need this, Asha,” he says when I don’t immediately respond. “I can’t stay out of this fight.”
His fury is palpable, and I feel it in my bones. The energy thrumming within him is as strong as a magnet. A constant pull. The same storm of power that writhes within me.
But it reminds me that he has more of a choice than he may realize.
I press my other hand—my right hand—to his chest. “I won’t keep you from this fight. But you do have another option.” I take a deep breath. “If Milena changed you using the same device that Malak used on the Vandawolf, then there’s a chance I can remove it. You could have a life like you did before.”
Of course, I’m not sure of the extent that his dragon traits will stay with him, the same way the wolf’s strengths have remained with Erik.
Thaden’s expression softens and so does his grip on my arm. “I saw you remove that device from the Vandawolf. I wondered if that’s why his appearance has changed.” Thaden’s focus remains on me. “But if you do that—assuming it doesn’t kill me—then these scales could also disappear, and with them, my greatest defense against Milena’s magic.”
“True. But you could walk away from all this.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “There’s no walking away, Asha. Not until Milena is dead. It simply gives me more reason to make sure you stay alive in the meantime. When this fight is over, maybe I’ll be ready to take that chance.”
“Okay,” I whisper. “Come find us. But you should know, we’ll do everything we can to conceal our tracks.”
He gives me a confident smile. “That won’t stop me.” Then he continues. “You should head due west along the mountain range. The human army has an outpost about five days’ walk from here on one of the highest peaks. That’s where the dragons nest. I’m only guessing, but there’s a good chance Milena will be where the dragons are.”
“It’s a starting point at least,” I say.
He releases me and takes a step back. “I’ll run night and day in the direction of danger if that’s what it takes to reach you before the fight.”
