They moved, and I shut my eyes, taking a quick breath.
This was for the good of the kingdom. Aspen would be just fine.
About to trail after them, a hand grabbed my arm, stopping me.
“Ichi?”
She pulled off a necklace I’d never seen her wear before and held it up. On a gold chain dangled a dragon, its delicate blue glass cut into hundreds of facets. It reminded me of the ones she created with her water.
“The dragon in our beliefs is symbolized as fierce, strong, and wise,” she explained, rubbing the detailed pendant.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, wondering why, of all times, she was showing it to me.
“I was given this on my precipice of change. I want you to have it.”
“I couldn’t possibly?—”
But Ichi gave me no choice. She placed it around my neck.
“It’s the moments and choices a dragon makes that create the symbol they become. Do you know who you are?”
I met her one good eye, the strength and certainty I’d felt before filling me again.
“Yes.”
Chapter
Forty
Ronen
The castle staff fused themselves to the wall while I charged toward the healers’ wing, the vibrations of my steps barely softened by the blood-red carpet. Halfway there, I stopped. Breathed. Clenched my jaw.
Would Sam really betray us?
The question clawed deep, ripping open an artery and bleeding out every good thing he had ever done.
Why help us? Why keep us alive if he had these bigger plans?
I scoffed.Our blood.
What better fucking guise for a blood-witch? Pretend to be a healer and puncture our veins for the sole purpose of creating infections and Heaven only knew what else. The hellion’s already created an improved variant. And mine?
What would the one and only Dark Seraphim and shadow-wielder’s blood create?
Sam had filled so many vials. He practically had the needle shoved into the hellion’s arm before she was ready.
The thought made me sick. Almost as sick as knowing we had ablood-witch in our dungeons that I had indulged. She had reminded me of myself when Etan kept me prisoner. I thought I was helping her. Instead, I’d housed our enemy, made her comfortable, and given her gifts to keep her sane.
I slammed my hand against the glass window. It rattled and strained beneath the force of the blow. My hands fisted, tempted to try again and watch it break.
For fuck’s sake.
I connected with Rune, in need of…her.
And there she was. My gorgeous hellion—asserting her dominance over Matt.
Pride swelled in my chest at the masterpiece of it. But it paled in comparison to what she’d said in the dungeons. She had set aside her need to stand alone and let me in.
