Merrick, Sparrow, Laurent and Keerian snapped their attention to the glass. Lenna stood on shaky legs, still reeling from Keerian’s offer.
The massive black dragon flew up from the floor, landing in front of the dais and the group. Adara was trapped in his talons, the manacles around her wrists pulsing with dull light. Sparrow shouted out a particularly foul curse word, storming towards Adara, before Laurent snagged her by the upper arm, reeling her back to hold her against his body as Sparrow struggled to tear into Adara, her teeth bared and green magic coiling around her hands. Adara locked eyes with Sparrow, her frown curling into a full sneer as Merrick rushed to the doors of the throne room, calling in four guards that proceeded to drag Adara to her cell.
But it was the sight of the bloodied, dark haired Queen, slumped over Resso’s neck, that heldLenna’s attention.
Esmeray gave the group a lopsided grin, her eyes half closed and her wings limp at her sides. Keerian soared up to where his mate sat, gathering her gently in his arms, careful not to jostle her torn and broken wings. Laurent called for a healer, and a thin fae female with short copper hair came rushing in from the hall, giving the great dragon a wide berth as Keerian lay Esmeray against the stone pew. Keerian held onto his love the entire time the healer worked. Slowly, Esmeray’s wings reformed to their original shape, the rips in the thin membranes repairing before Lenna’s eyes. The cuts and scrapes had gone from open and bleeding to the small, pinkish marring of new skin.
The healer worked in silence, not stopping until Esmeray held up her tattooed hand. “Thank you,” she said, her voice stronger and her face beginning to show signs of life again. Color flushed back into her cheeks, and her eyes became clearer, more focused.
The healer nodded, her short hair swaying in the faint candlelight. “No flying for a few days, my Queen,” the healer stated with a pointed look. “I don’t want to come back, reset your wings again, and reprimand you.” Esmeray rolled her eyes, giving the healer a wicked grin. “I’ll see what I can do. Again, thank you, Collette.”
Collette stood, bowing slightly to Keerian and Esmeray before waning out of the throne room in a burst of yellow light.
Resso nudged Esmeray with his snout. Lenna watched as Esmeray placed her small hand against the giant nose of the dragon. Silent words were exchanged before Resso chuffed, his tail flicking–not unlike a house cat–and he ambled over to the rippling floor, disappearing to the caverns below.
Esmeray swayed slightly as she stood, apprehensively locking eyes with the Golden Gargoyle who looked at her as if she was the force his whole world orbited. A beat of silence followed.
Esmeray’s eyes began filling with tears, and she let out a shaky sob, taking a stumbling step to her mate. Keerian let out a hoarse, strangled growl, closing the distance between them in two long strides. He grabbed the nape of Esmeray’s neck, twirling her around to crush his lips against hers. Merrick whooped and clapped, the sentiment mirrored by Sparrow’s cheer and Laurent’s amused expression. Lenna felt her cheeks heat as Esmeray seemed to melt into her mate’s arms, her nails, back to their original, less deadly shape, digging into Keerian’s already torn and bloody shirt. Their mouths clashed, deepening the kiss, their wings wrapping around each other, shielding them from view.
After a long moment, they broke apart, Keerian holding onto Esmeray’s hands as they stared deep into each other’s eyes. There was so much love, so much understanding, passing between them. Lenna was sure they were communicating silently down the rings–a million things they needed to catch each other up on from the horrible year they were forced to spend apart.
Esmeray rested her head against Keerian’s chest, their horns glinting in the candlelight. The dark black of Esmeray’s seemed to absorb and refract the shining light from Keerian’s golden pair. Lenna looked away to give them some semblance of privacy, and she could’ve sworn she saw Sparrow drop Laurent’s hand. But it was so quick, out of the corner of her eye, that Lenna thought she may have been seeing things.
Laurent cleared his throat, directing his question to the room. “So…what do we do now?” he asked, tucking his hands into the pockets of his ruined robe, his long fingers sticking out the bottom from a rip through the material. He moaned dramatically, pulling the material up to inspect the damage.
Esmeray laughed, the sound light, as she squeezed Keerian’s hand. “Well, as the Queen Absolute, I'll figure it out, but first, let's go back to Florra.”
Chapter sixty
Esmeray
Sparrowflatoutrefusedto let me wane. I was still a bit breathless from the kiss Keerian and I shared, and still aching in my bones and soul from the fight, so I relented with only a tiny bit of bickering.
As we prepared to head back to Florra, Laurent asked if I wanted to see Adara before we left. The question clanged through me, but I shook my head and he dropped the subject.
Now wasn’t the time. Mentally, physically, and emotionally, I needed to sort out my thoughts. After I spoke with Hale and could confirm I wasn’t corrupted by using the spell book’s magic, then…
Then I would begin interrogating my twin on the details of her year-long reign.
“Let her sulk in a dirty, freezing cell for a few days. It’ll make her more than ready to answer my questions.” As I talked, I could feelit–the book’s unnatural power thrumming tantalizingly in my pocket of space. It wanted to be let out. I could feel the pressure of that otherworldly presence bearing down behind my magic, and I hoped Hale could provide some insight on why the damned thing seemed so…sentient.
“We can’t stay in Florra long,” Keerian murmured to me as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “You have two Kingdoms to rulenow. Or at least one, and to put a new Regent in the other.” He surveyed me again, head to toe–his eyes landing on the little cuts still healing across my cheek. “Are you feeling alright?”
No. I thought to myself, though I gave him a big smile, telling myself I’d open up to him once we were alone. “I’m fine, my love,” I said aloud.
No, I think I’m the sole being favored by the Goddess of Death, and I don’t know where to begin unpacking that.
“I just need a good night’s sleep, and we can figure out the politics tomorrow.”
I didn’t want to take the throne of even one Kingdom, and now I have an entire continent to rule. Gods.
Keerian nodded, but the look he gave me let me know he was not convinced on the state of my well-being. I could never lie to him. He always saw right through me, anyway.
“I’ll tell you later,”I promised my mate through our personal connection on our rings.“But,do you think Laurent and Merrick are acting weird or is it just me?”I shot a glance over to them, half to change the topic of conversation, and half because the two males were acting awkward as fuck around each other.
“Definitely weird,”he agreed.“Sparrow too. But did you know Merrickdiedand Sparrow used her magic to bring him back to life? Maybe that’s why it’s weird between them.”
“Wait, Merrick, youdied?” I whirled around, grabbing the grey winged gargoyle by the shoulder. “Why do you look so…alive? And why did no one tell me?”
