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forty-three

Dove

W ith the wind blowing gales at the speed Saff has accelerated to, I am in no place to question Gideon about what he knows until Saff stops above a recognisable set of tree-covered, curved peaks, ominous grey clouds circling beyond.

She hovers in place just at the height line of the mountaintop. My breath catches at what I will find over the ridge, and my muscles lock up. Everything I once knew and loved is a part of the kingdom over the ridge. The sum of my life. A person from another lifetime. A scared girl who could not imagine a world outside of the temple. Now, I am riding on the back of a dragon with a dyre wolf warden—a very bare wolf shifter, at that.

As much as I don’t want to admit it, the beast behind me is invigorating to my senses, even to the point that I sense and taste his heady aroma on my tongue like his essence is pouring from his exposed skin through to my own when he gives me small, innocuous touches.

Shifting my scrutiny of the brown, calloused fingers gripping mine on the reins, I refocus on the lush foliage beneath us. On the heavy beat of Saff’s wings as she keeps us hovering above the forest. Everything has changed, yet nothing at all. I am still that girl from Haven, but I am also the brave woman who fights for what she feels is right in her soul. My story is yet unwritten, and with the strength of the godly creation underneath me, I am starting to see the value in wanting more of tomorrow.

We peg ourselves into holes without thinking of who we want to be or what we stand for, barely giving ourselves a chance to explore out of fear. Fear of what?

I will never forget the atrocities I have had to face within Haven, but I will also remember the people who made it worth it—the ones who helped make me. They live within my soul, and will live long after my body blends through the soil and roots beneath.

Within my beast’s firm grasp, I release Saff’s reins and place my hands over my slightly throbbing heart. Never forgotten. I say the words in my head, where she will hear them. The one person I fought for rotation after rotation until there was nothing left of her to struggle for. This life belongs to her as much as it belongs to me, and I owe her some excitement before we meet again.

“Where?” Saff’s voice is faint as she puffs through my reverie.

“Saff?” I worry.

“Where, human?” The call is urgent.

“Gideon, we need to know where to land now!” I rush out, hoping he understands my importance.

Without questioning, he answers. “Directly across the ocean. Beyond the horizon lies an island made of ash and bones. He keeps the egg there.”

No relaying required, Saff boosts one more time and is off, heading towards the deep sea.

Through the punishing wind, I grasp onto Gideon’s sturdy forearms and spin my head. “He?” I question.

Gideon strains. “Orion.”

He doesn’t provide any more information, and as our hair thrashes around us, I can’t find it within myself to continue to question him. I guess I shall find out.

This wolf, my beast, has only ever wanted to protect me. I can only hope that wherever he is taking us, we will be safe to complete our mission. That this is not a trap.

And if Saff does find her egg, she will finally be able to release some of that fire she has been building within her belly. I’m sure a fire-breathing dragon can beat whatever we are headed towards. I sink into the hardness bracketing me.

Below, the growing choppiness of the water starts to fill me with unease. The sea tumbles and ricochets like it does not know if it is coming or going.

Soon, the coast is out of view, and a black mass grazes the skyline like every nightmare come to life. However, something about this place calls me to it, and I shiver at the knowing chill, letting the warmth behind me soak it up.

Saff slows, and another wave of exhaustion runs through her body. If there were a safe landing place, I would suggest she stop to rest, but our closest choice now is a rocky abyss of darkness. The closer we get, the more I notice that not one living thing seems to reside upon the island, as if the land itself is doomed.

Flying towards a black sand outcropping along the side of the island, Saff almost goes into a full plummet before somewhat pulling up and crashing against the sooty floor. Gideon has me tight within his grasp as our bodies jolt to a stop, a plume of ash surrounding us.

“SAFF!” I slide down the side of my intimate and run to her face. “What can I do?” I dig my hands into the unbreakable scales and push as her eyes close. “SAFF, wake up.”

Her eyelids droop completely. “No, Saff, please stay awake.”

Two powerful hands pull me back and crush me against a broad chest. “She’s just resting.”

“What?” My mind is moving too quickly to comprehend what is happening, the headache forming behind my eyes and the lump in my throat signs of my frustration.

“Her heart still beats,” the gruff voice comes from the wolf hugging me. Pushing back at him, he growls reluctantly, letting go.

Spinning around, I turn to face my naked warden and try for my most commanding voice. “She needs her egg. Where is it?” My words end up escalating into a shout. I push at the scar on my chest.

He nods his head to the side and turns. I follow his naked backside with my eyes, rage simmering underneath the surface, flames licking at my soul, Argus bucking. All I want to do is take all my pent-up rage out on this wolf for bringing Saff and me to this place of soot.

“Follow me.” Gideon uses a much better commanding voice than mine from his position up on an incline. Starting down the other side, he aims for the centre of the small island of doom, where an ominous tower awaits.

I want to scream some more at the wolf and the predicament we now find ourselves in, but Saff and her egg are a constant reminder of why we are here. Following the wolf should give me answers. I know, I’m being unreasonable, but having my anger directed towards Gideon, oddly enough, seems like the safest bet right now. He has not let me down yet. He’s had plenty of chances to kill me, and still, I walk free.

Touching the still dragon, I whisper my return and follow him.

I find Gideon in his wolf form once I crest the small rise. He sits before a stony path inlaid with onyx steps, leading us to the stone tower. Whiffs of sulphur hit my nose as I walk closer towards the gloomy grey stronghold.

As I observe the base of the tower, I find no entrance, and look towards Gideon in his furry state. “What’s the plan? There’s no door?”

He saunters over to the hard pillar and brings his paw to his lips, tearing a hole through his coarse skin.

“Gideon, what are you…” He looks at me, and I take a step back, his once amber eyes now dark as the surrounding tundra, a plain warning. Can I really trust this beast?

He’s a beast. Not my beast. Here, I’ve been romanticising our time together. When surely, he has just been using his physique and many cycles of power against me. Stupid Dove. Get a grip. No one truly wants you unless they need something in return. And this beast will want something in return for Saff’s egg. I know it.

The boulders inlaid into the building begin to shimmer, leaving an arch-shaped door before me. Nothing hinders my way into the space, though a static seems to float where the large stones used to be. Everything in me signals not to follow. To turn back. Find another way.

The dimness of the space entirely engulfs the black and grey beast as he steps inside without giving me a second thought, expecting I will follow.

Pushing aside all the alarms ringing in my head, I propel myself forward with the knowledge that Saff will have her egg back soon, and I will get my justice.

As I move through the door frame, tingles shoot through me, which leads my curiosity to perk its head. I want to investigate this strange place. You remember that old tale, Dove. Curiosity killed the cat. In this case, it is going to be curiosity killed the bird.

I promised Saff. If this is what I need to do, I will walk through the darkness. Pain is already a badge I wear on my soul. What awaits me on the other side of this door cannot compare to what I’ve already experienced in this life.

I make my way fully past the electrifying threshold, a cool breeze brushing over my skin. “Gideon?” My voice travels above me, and I look up, seeing light peeking through the turret.

The invisible door solidifies behind me, making a soft but erring whooshing sound. I jump, all my hackles raising at the creepiness within this space. My belly swirls at the growing dread permeating the air.

With the closing of the door, small sconces alight, travelling up a spiral staircase.

As my eyes adjust to the change, I notice starry eyes examining me from wolf features within the recesses of the steeple above. At least he didn’t completely leave me alone in the darkness. It wouldn’t surprise me if I was locked in this tower until my crossing. The beast doesn’t give much away, but his authoritative presence is somewhat reassuring. He never seems to question his ability—one of the perks of being alive for millennia.

He begins to ascend. Nails scrape along hard steps.

Continuing to fight the urge within me to flee, I press on, following Gideon up the thin staircase swirling around the inner walls.

The air grows thicker the further we rise within the tower, almost as if a cloying smoke is filling the tower, but nothing is visible to my human eyes. With the tightness in my throat, I want to say something to Gideon, but I can’t even see him anymore.

After what seems like a full rotation, I amble through an opening within the stone above, presenting myself into a circular room the width of the tower. Gideon is no longer in his wolf form. My eyes draw to the broad outline of his body, leaning over the mantle of a roaring fireplace, flickers of flame alighting the shadows around us, once again giving me an eyeful of his perfectly taut backside.

Damn it, Dove, stop staring, I chastise myself, and peruse the rest of the room.

As my eyes take in the environment surrounding me, it looks almost cosy in its obvious despair. Dark leather chairs sit before the blue and red flickering fireplace. Bookshelves are cut into onyx crystal, lining the walls. Large, lead-framed windows stretch from floor to ceiling along the other side of the wall, leading to an unnerving outlook. This is no Haven . And to one side of the room is a luxurious-looking wrought iron bed covered in dark furs. Besides the choking feeling, I can almost see myself relaxing here. The shadows of darkness are almost soothing to my overwhelmed mind.

Out of one of the shadows, I sense a ripple, an itching of my wits as a form moves around me.

My blood rushes from my head, leaving me dizzy at what I am seeing now before me.

Backing myself against a bookshelf, I take a steadying breath.

“Hello, pet, I’ve been waiting for you,” says a rich voice. A voice I have heard only in my dreams. Until now.