Page 38 of Exquisite Monster (Dragons of Viria #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

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KATALENA

T here was no workshop on the island. Not the way there had been at Skalisméra, or even the makeshift one Gleym had. But it mattered little. I had taken so much when I left I didn’t need to replenish my stores yet, but I wanted something else. Something I hadn’t made.

Something to help me sleep.

Nightmares had woken me every night since the caves. Dreams of darkness and terror. A deep sense of loss and helplessness. The feeling of being utterly alone .

It helped that I wasn’t alone when I woke.

But I couldn’t shake the feelings that clung to me long after the nightmares had ended.

The fear that accompanied that deep anger.

Things that couldn’t and wouldn’t dissipate until we were truly safe and there wasn’t a cloud of doom over the entire continent.

“Your thoughts run in circles.”

Zovai’s voice made me jump. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen with Varí on his shoulder. The latter was a shade of red that matched my mate. Like he wanted to be a miniature version.

“Not exactly uncommon for me.”

Varí launched from his shoulder and came to mine, rubbing against my cheek. He wore a brand new pouch for his coin, created with the remnants of some long-abandoned clothing. Belleo had made it. “Hi there.”

Of everyone here, my little dragon friend had found the most joy. He went anywhere and everywhere, curling up in the sun and playing hide and seek with anyone who would indulge him. And of course, he found bowls to sleep in.

“Would you like a distraction?” Zovai asked.

I glanced outside at the fading sun. Almost set, but not yet dark enough to actually go to bed, and I was too restless to partake in that kind of distraction.

My mate chuckled. “It delights me that fucking is where your mind goes first, love, but I have another distraction in mind.” He held up a small slip of parchment.

“What’s that?”

He came closer and leaned in, inhaling the mixture I was brewing. “When Idroal left, I asked them to make a stop on their way to Doro Eche.”

I added three drops of river lily to the mixture and stirred it smooth. The liquid was pale, silvery, and hopefully wouldn’t let the nightmares break through. It was a much milder version of the potion that would render someone unconscious until they were woken. “Where?”

Zovai caught my chin with his fingers, pulling my face to his gently, like he knew I was avoiding looking up and letting everything in.

“ Sythal Itur. It is a city not far from here. Well, more like a town. Even among dragons, they’re known for keeping to themselves and away from any… entanglements.”

I frowned. “Why ask Idroal to go there?”

“To see if it was safe to take you there.”

My breath stilled in my chest. I wasn’t sure whether that made me afraid or hopeful. “And what did they say?”

“They sent a flier. Smaller dragons not unlike Varí . They’re a little larger.

There aren’t enough dragons with a skill like Idroal’s for all communication, and the smaller ones enjoy it.

One arrived from Doro Eche, and Idroal said it is safe.

The dragons there are barely aware of what’s happening in the capital, let alone the conflict with the humans. ”

Idroal wouldn’t say something was safe if it wasn’t. Not after everything they’d done to rescue me and my mates. And still, my heart stuttered with nerves.

Zovai tugged me closer with an arm around my waist. “I don’t mean to take you there and flaunt you. But I thought you might like to see some of our life without questioning everyone who sees you.”

“They won’t know who I am?”

“They might know you’re a human if they get close enough, but not who you are.”

I looked back at the mixture and pulled it away from the small candle that was heating it. “It’s still a risk.”

Zovai watched me as I poured the mixture into some empty bottles I brought with me. Only then did he pull me away fully. He tangled a hand in my hair and made me look at him. “Yes,” he whispered. “It is a risk.”

“Then—”

“There will always be risk, Lena. And I will not resign myself to a small life with you, no matter what the rest of the world has to say about it. We don’t know what will come, no. But we must live in spite of it.”

“I don’t want to think that this might not end.”

“Neither do I, but we cannot do anything until Idroal returns and we know what the Elders know. And your mind is running itself ragged. Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” My answer was instant. Yes, I trusted him .

“Then come with me. Let me show you that our world isn’t all bad.”

My chest pulsed with an ache. I didn’t think the world of dragons was bad. I never had. But through the bond we shared, I felt all his regret that I had only seen the worst of it. Had been exposed to all of it with nothing but fear and no joy.

“All right,” I whispered. “Let me put better clothes on.”

I still wore the oversized clothes I’d found in their chambers while Belleo cleaned the ones from Gleym.

I told her she didn’t have to, but she waved a hand and claimed that controlling water made it easy.

They were currently spread in a puddle of sunlight on one of our balconies, drying, though I supposed that had been this morning.

Given the sun was almost gone now, I hoped they were dry.

Varí stayed on my shoulder as I climbed the tower, purring in my ear. “Are you coming with us too?” I asked.

The sound he made could only be described as a grumble. He glided to the bed and dove under the edge of a blanket, spinning, so all I could see were his eyes peeking out. A laugh slipped out of me. “I’ll take that as a no.”

A small puff of smoke rose as he closed his eyes.

The clothes were dry, and it didn’t take long to get them on. Nerves clung to my lungs, but Zovai was right about more than one thing. I couldn’t stay afraid of going anywhere for the rest of our lives. With who I was and who they were, we would always have enemies. Always.

“Here.” Zovai came from the stairs, holding out a cloak with a deep hood. “Just because we’re accepting the risk doesn’t mean I’m not being careful. This will help.”

Another cloak was draped over his arm. Along with what remained of his clothing. I took it from him. “No need for you to carry this when you have me on your back.”

My mate paused and smiled. The small joy lit up my chest like a candle in the dark. That I would offer. That he had someone who could offer. “Thank you.”

“Are you ready?”

“When you are,” he said. Only minutes later, I was on his back, the wind flowing through my unbound hair as the sun blazed its last bit of glory over the sea.

“I’d like to watch the sunset from the sky sometime.”

Or the sunrise. Both are beautiful .

“Either.”

It wasn’t long before I saw where we were going. Dragons flew around the buildings of the small, glowing city. I saw those in their human forms walking around too. Zovai flooded our bond with confidence and comfort before I even had the chance to feel nervous .

Ready, Princess?

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But we’ll find out.”

My stomach swooped as Zovai swooped toward the ground, and I prayed that my nerves were for nothing.