Page 33 of Exquisite Monster (Dragons of Viria #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

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KATALENA

T he water sparkled in the morning sun, fading into brightness on the horizon.

Even more than the view at Skalisméra, the sea seemed to go into infinity.

Somewhere beyond the horizon there were other masses of land and other peoples.

But the distance was so far that trade was nearly impossible and communication less than likely.

Did they have dragons too? Had the sheyten fallen there and changed everything? Or was it only Viria?

I felt small standing next to a dragon. Or in comparison to the mountains. But the sea? It made me feel like nothing more than a grain of sand.

And there was something beautiful about it. Something peaceful. When everything around us felt so intense, like every decision changed the course of the future, it was comforting to remember how small I really was. Just one woman.

All three of my mates felt excited and content. If that wasn’t a sign we were close to our destination, I wasn’t sure what was. I was grateful too. My body was beginning to cramp from riding so long.

We’ll happily help you work out any aches and pains , Zovai said with a laugh.

I smiled and kept my words to myself, more than aware of how many could hear us. But I was sure they would. Soon. I… wasn’t ready. I wanted them so much, but more than anything, I just wanted them to hold me until it felt like we couldn’t be torn apart again.

I will hold you as long as you’ll let me . Endre responded to the unspoken thought. Stars, I wished I could speak back to them.

We began to descend lower. My stomach tumbled with the movement.

Do you see the island? Sirrus asked. Straight ahead .

I looked, and I found it. Beyond the forested coastline, there was a small island. There were woods on it too, and I spotted a tower of pale stone in the center. We were still too far away for anything else.

Instead of speaking, I asked the question through our bond. Or the impression of a question. How accurately could they feel my thoughts? Was that where we were going?

Yes , he said. Our home . The buildings are more expansive than they appear right now .

The last thing I cared about was whether the buildings were expansive. As long as there was a space where the four of us could be together, it was all I wanted.

I felt the same longing reflected back at me, along with amusement. It was welcome to feel something lighter.

There are plenty of spaces for us, Princess. Including some very hot springs in the caves beneath the island.

We swooped lower out of nowhere, all the dragons following. Sudden fear gripped my chest. “There’s no chance they’re waiting for us, right?” I asked. “The Elders or anyone who works for them?”

Unlikely, Endre said. But you will remain in the air with Sirrus while we verify it. Idroal will be able to help. And we will reinforce the blockades we have in place.

“ Varí ,” I called. “You’ll want to see this.”

We were close enough now that he could keep up if he wanted. He poked his head out of the bag with such energy and curiosity that I laughed. His scales matched the turquoise color of the sea spread out in front of us.

Chirping, he climbed to my shoulder and shook out his wings, purring and rubbing against my face.

“Does this remind you of where you’re from?”

I shivered as we passed through a thin cloud, the water in it clinging to my skin. But now I could see the island’s details. Sirrus was right. The tower was there, but there was a sprawling home behind it. A courtyard similar to the one in Doro Eche and further outbuildings.

The island was larger than it appeared. Pale sand lined the edges, and large trees grew densely away from the main structures.

Endre, Zovai, and the rest of them descended to the ground as Sirrus banked to circle above. We saw the island from every angle. It was beautiful.

“What is the tower for?”

Us .

I smiled immediately. Dragons and their need to be up high.

More than hearing it, I felt Sirrus’s laughter. I suppose we do like being elevated. But we will be the only dragons in the tower. No one else can even enter the tower but us . And now, you .

“Why an island?”

The island was once the home of Endre’s savan. Because of that, the Elders, and Cieso in particular, have an aversion to it. The three of us wanted a place that could be ours. If it’s not to your liking, we’ll find something else after this is all over.

I laughed. “I’m sure I will love it. I just thought you might prefer the mountains.”

They are close enough to visit. But all three of us prefer how much open sky there is here .

That was true. Looking east, nothing blocked the sky until it disappeared.

Zovai’s voice sounded distant but clear . We are alone .

My stomach flipped again as Sirrus dropped, heading straight for the tower. Just like in Skalisméra, there were open spaces for the dragons to enter and exit. He shifted and caught me on the platform before fear could even take hold, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to it.

“Welcome to the island of Syrsi,” he whispered. “ Varí ?”

The little dragon chirped.

A deep, guttural sound came from my mate. The dragons’ native tongue, more thought than word. Varí shook out his wings once more and nudged me under my chin before leaping off my shoulder and flying out the window.

“Where is he going?”

“I asked him to go explore or spend time with the others so we could have some privacy with our mate. He was happy to oblige.”

Nerves flipped in my stomach. There was so much to say and so much to feel, and I still wasn’t used to it all. I very much needed to bathe and rest and?—

Sirrus set me on my feet and turned me toward him. “Lena.” He tilted my face up to his. “It is all right. We are all all right.”

“No, we’re not,” I murmured.

All he did was pull me in and embrace me.

Wrapping me up in the rumble of his purr.

I leaned my head on his chest and looked around.

The room wasn’t unlike the others I’d seen.

But this one felt more like them. Deeper colors and things on shelves that looked personal.

I hadn’t noticed how bare their other residences seemed until now.

There was a shelf filled with books and scrolls, art on the walls, and a large bed on the other side of the space.

“Do you all share a room here?”

“We haven’t,” he admitted. “But we will now. And no, there is no problem. While we didn’t share, neither did we have assigned rooms. Endre did not want it to belong solely to him even though it was his mother’s, and we all like change and newness enough that we never bothered with permanent spaces.

Basically,” he said. “There are beds all over the place that we can and will use. With you.”

I smiled, but I was still hesitant. I wanted them, but I still couldn’t breathe past the tightness in my chest. When you’d lived with so much fear for so long, it was hard to let it go. We were safe. But I didn’t feel safe.

“The hot springs are wonderful, but I think the baths up here will be just fine for now,” he said.

“Yes. ”

Sirrus slid his hands down my spine. “Will you let me help you? I promise I’m not going to pin you to the bed.”

He wore no clothes because of the shift, and I’d barely noticed because it felt natural. “Yes, please. How long will we have to wait for the bath?”

“No time at all.”

The bath was one level down, and it already swirled with heat. “It stays like this?”

“With magic. Hot and clean.” Sirrus lifted my necklace over my head and set it on a small table. Then he helped me out of my clothes, piece by piece. Slowly. Reverently.

Until he was helping me into the water. I shuddered in the glorious heat. “Where are they?”

Endre and Zovai felt calm in my chest, but they weren’t here, and I needed them here.

“They’re showing the others where they can stay and the best places to keep watch. They’ll be here soon.”

He settled me against him, and I laid my head where I could hear his heart. “The first night I could feel you again. You felt…” Like he’d been sick and hurting. Exhausted and drained. “What did he do to you?”

Sirrus lifted a hand and cradled my head against his chest. “We will tell you, I promise. And we need to hear your story. But I think all of us need to be a little less raw.”

“They didn’t tell you?”

“Only what happened after your rescue. The rest is yours to tell.”

He was right. They needed to know everything that happened underground. But raw was the right word for what this felt like. We could wait a while longer. “All right.”

“I just have to know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Were you hurt?” His voice was low. “We all imagined the worst, but wondering if you were in pain and we weren’t there?—”

“No.” I lifted my face and kissed the corner of his mouth. “I was not hurt. Not in that way. Just here.” I pressed a hand to my chest.

Endre and Zovai entered the bathing chamber, already stripping out of their clothes. This felt like a scrap of the brief normalcy we’d had. So fucking brief.

Zovai caught me and pulled me through the water to him. “I hope you know we’re not letting you out of our sight for the next few days.”

“Or ever,” Endre said.

I didn’t need to say anything, because they could feel how much I wanted that. Just time .

“I’m glad we bonded,” I said. “If I hadn’t known you were alive, I wouldn’t have made it.”

“Us either.”

Slowly, as we relaxed into the comfortable silence, I began to feel their guard fall. Began to feel the leftover pain and exhaustion from what they’d gone through. They were so relieved and so tired .

“I know it’s the middle of the day,” I whispered. “But let’s go to sleep.”

The fact that they said nothing but helped me out of the water and dry off was a testament to how much they needed it.

We went back up to the bedroom on the top floor, and I didn’t bother to dress before I climbed on top of the soft blankets there.

They smelled fresh, like they’d been cleaned and were simply waiting here for us.

“Where’s Varí ?”

“He’s with Mesene and Belleo. They were exploring things when I left,” Zovai said. He stretched beside me, sinking into the pillows with a groan.

Endre took my other side and tucked my back to his chest, breathing deep. A brief, all-consuming terror rolled through me. All four of us asleep made us vulnerable. Even with our friends on this island, I found it hard to trust.

“We are safe here, right?”

“The only dragons who could get through the protections here are the Elders themselves,” Sirrus whispered. “And trust me, they’re not going to come here. If we’re lucky, they don’t even know we’ve escaped.”

“We haven’t been lucky so far.”

A small, cool breeze whispered up my body and across my lips. “Sleep, Princess. For now, we are safe. I promise.”