Page 9 of Court of Embers (Dragonesse #2)

Chapter

Five

I woke with my head pillowed on Rhylan’s chest, memories of a dream that wasn’t mine drifting through my head like smoke.

I hadn’t known that we would share dreams through the bond. I wondered if he had seen mine, the wispy remnants of the ocean of ink fading into nothing as I woke.

I’d slept like the dead. We’d settled Mykah into her new quarters, stuffed her full to bursting at dinner, and I’d sent a message to Jenra, Kirana’s tailor, explaining the situation and that we needed her help as soon as possible.

By the end of the week, I intended to have a happy, well-fed young draga on my hands, and if Undying Light decided to challenge us for her keeping, I’d make it damn clear that they had treated her hardly better than livestock and had no right to her.

Nobody would be able to look at Mykah and honestly claim she’d been better off in their care.

I snuggled deeper under Rhylan’s arm, running my fingertips over the silky skin of his chest. The sensation of his mind rising from the depths of sleep…it was like my head had been filled with mist, fragments of dreams and nightmares, and clarified as he woke.

Good morning, beautiful . Eyes still closed, he rolled over to grab me. Gods, I’ve waited so long for this. To wake up next to you, and not have to tie you down to keep you from running off.

I wouldn’t run for long . I nipped his throat with my teeth.

Wyvernshit. You ran like your ass was on fire and your hair was catching.

He had a point. Not that I would admit to that.

You just did.

I’d tell you to stay out of my head, but I like having you in here . His cock pushed against my belly, hard and insistent, and I let my fingers trail downwards, curling to grip—

“Awaken, children!” Myst trilled. My eyes popped open to see a cloud of pearly smoke creeping under the door, my Ascendant’s tiny form prancing into existence. “We’re meeting for breakfast in half an hour.”

Rhylan groaned, curling around me and burying his face in my hair.

“Myst, I love you, but can’t it wait?” I asked desperately. “Don’t you want descendants? That requires a certain amount of practice, wouldn’t you think?”

It was my last resort to get her out of here, and it failed spectacularly.

Myst sniffed disdainfully. “First of all, I’ve already told you that your window is two weeks from now, not today. Secondly, it hardly takes practice. And thirdly, Kirana has finally agreed to leave her room, so if you’d like to see her, your chance is now.”

Rhylan and I sat up at the same time, simultaneously frustrated and hopeful.

Myst gave us a dragon smile, all sharp white teeth under gleaming eyes. “It took a great deal of convincing on my part, so I’d appreciate you being there on time , or else I’ll have to drag her back out and neither of us will enjoy that. Library, in twenty-nine minutes. Be there.”

She vanished again, leaping gracefully through the door like it wasn’t there, and only then did we climb out of bed, naked to the skin.

She’s got to stop bursting in on us like that. Rhylan sounded grumpy as hell, and I didn’t blame him.

But Myst, for all her comments about Erebos being too attached to his descendants, was the same.

Not all Ascendants cared to stick their noses into their progeny’s lives; some were content to remain in the Dreamlands, sleeping away their mortal lives, and others tended to their hoards, acknowledging their descendants only when a dragonblood came to them for advice.

My best guess was that Myst would back off if Rhylan and I ever did have children. I was her last scion, after all; if she lost me, she would need to find a new, worthy Bloodless, and begin a ten-millennia-old bloodline all over again.

It was simply that I didn’t want her hovering while we decided to get to that point.

I sighed as I scrubbed my teeth. Ascendants always thought they knew best for their young. At least Erebos gave us privacy.

Gods, Sera, don’t curse us . Rhylan gave me a wild-eyed look. We’ll have them standing outside the bed curtains, asking if we’re done yet.

I snorted, spitting my tooth cleaner in the sink before I burst out laughing. “It’d be so old-fashioned.” Not even the royal Houses did that anymore, though it was in fashion a hundred years ago to make sure a new pair consummated the bond.

“Yes, but I picture them doing it all too clearly.” Rhylan ran his hands through his hair, making it stand out wildly.

I considered that for a moment. “True. Damn. Well, worst case…if they don’t leave us alone, we’ll just run away to Varyamar. Problem solved.”

Rhylan slipped me into his arms, breathing deeply as he nuzzled his nose into my hair. “We might have to, at this rate. Anything for actual privacy.”

I reached up and ran my fingers over his shoulders. “Stop distracting me, sir. Kirana is out of her room and I’d like to take advantage of this while we can.”

Rhylan squeezed me tighter, and let me go so I could brush my hair. “Right. And we’re not letting her hide away again.”

We strode into the library, sharing both eagerness and trepidation through the bond, and I half expected to see Kirana standing there in front of the map table with her dark curls piled on her head, bangle gleaming, with a stack of letters in one hand from her extensive network of informants and friends.

But the map was unattended; the tables were empty. In the back corner, where I’d once curled up reading a book on Naga, there was a dark, hunched shape in a chair.

My breath caught, my horror complete at the hideous shape of her form—

No, Sera, that’s not her skin. Calm.

As we drew closer, my horror shifted to confusion, then understanding.

It was Kirana waiting for us, her scent fresh in the library, but…she was draped head to toe in heavy black veils. Not a single centimeter of her being was actually visible under the draped folds.

The odd shape shifted, as though it were looking at us. “Rhylan. Sera.” That was unmistakably Kirana’s voice, as normal as ever.

“Kir,” Rhylan said, striding forward and reaching for her, but a white clawed forearm batted his hand away.

Myst stepped out of thin air and twined about Kirana, her posture unmistakably defensive.

“Please don’t try to touch me, Rhylan,” Kirana said softly from under the veils. “I’m not quite ready for that.”

“Are you still hurting?” I asked, wondering if she was still aching from regrowing entirely new flesh.

“No.” Kirana’s veils rippled and shifted. “None of it hurts. I feel…better than ever, if I’m being truthful. But this body is different.”

I nodded, sinking into the seat across from her, while Rhylan remained frozen in place, one hand extended towards his sister.

She’s not rejecting you, Rhylan. She’s just…resigning herself to her new life. Even leaving her room was a massive step for her. Let her have this space for now.

Slowly, he lowered his hand, and sat beside me.

“Would you like some tea?” I asked. Nilsa had left a full tea service on the table between us, along with platters loaded with pastries, thinly-sliced meat, and delicate slices of fruit.

I set about filling my plate, as hungry as ever, but when I poured a second cup of tea, Kirana’s veils moved like she’d shaken her head beneath them.

“Tea, food…none of it sounds appetizing. You know what I am now, Sera.”

Guilt struck me, an arrow through the heart.

“Will you only consume dragon blood from here, then?”

There was a ripple of her shoulders shrugging.

“Possibly. I suppose I’m a bit of an experiment now, aren’t I?

Sometimes I think raw meat sounds good, but how could I eat that in polite company?

” There was a long silence as she seemed to observe my plate, the mound of her head tilted.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sit and eat with friends again. ”

The emptiness in her voice was chilling.

“Don’t say that.” I lowered my cup, stomach churning. “Anyone who loves you isn’t going to push you away.”

Kirana made a gesture, her hand flicking away my words, and I shut my mouth.

It wasn’t the time to push her. I was just happy she’d emerged of her own accord, and willingly sat down near us. That gnawing worm of guilt wouldn’t leave, but I could ignore it for now, taking tiny steps to bring her back to us.

“Well, never mind that.” I took a breath. “A lot has happened, and we need your advice and planning.”

Rhyland and I told her of the Judgment, the mate bond finally forming, Cyran’s death, and Asura’s comatose state. Kirana listened steadily, nodding at times, as Myst stretched out on the back of her chair, draping her tiny iridescent head on Kirana’s shoulder.

And then we got to the part I didn’t want to speak of, not wanting to hurt Kirana, but there was really no choice.

“I know this will be difficult. But on the day you were returned to us, I spoke to Yura. Something once happened between us, something my mind seemed to push away until recently…” I glanced at Rhylan, and felt him nudge me in my mind.

“Yura is an apostate. She’s a flesh-eater, and now it’s on us to prove it to everyone else. ”

Kirana let out a snort. “That I can believe.”

I raised a brow before I could stop myself. “What makes it so easy for you?”

She settled back in her chair, leaning into the comfort of Myst’s warmth. “Because of what happened to me.”

“Are you willing to talk about it?” Rhylan asked, and Kirana nodded, though her breathing was soft and shallow.

“Yes. I have to. I never made it to the Wildlands, Rhy. A red dragon ambushed me over Fulmen Eyrie territory, and…” She paused, and I heard the dry click of her throat as she swallowed.

“Kalros,” I murmured. “How is that possible, after what you did to him?”

Rhylan shook his head grimly. “Hell if I know. I melted most of his face away.”