Page 15 of The Uncrowned King (The Bastard Duology #2)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cairnkeep was in his sights. Derek was surprised that no Kings had come out to divert him. Perhaps they planned to stand against him as one—as they had with his mate. He relished the thought of such a meeting. He would show them what retribution looked like.

He flew into a rainstorm, the droplets pelting his scales and spraying out in a stunning pattern as he flapped his wings. The storm was small, and he passed through it quickly, his speed dying him afterward. Then, the wind changed.

Derek caught a scent that shot through him and went straight to his brain. Something buzzed there, fiery and incessant. Menacing.

Hellhound.

Was it the one who had destroyed his eggs? He hoped it was because they had to pay for their cruel act. His lips curved into a smile when he realized the hellhound was at Cairnkeep. When he finished with the Kings, he would hunt down every hellhound on Zora and eradicate them once and for all.

The sight of flames shooting into the air drew his attention. He spotted the hellhound engulfed in flames as if beckoning him. They knew he was coming. Derek glanced around to make sure the Kings weren’t silently surrounding him, but he was alone. They must have believed they were indestructible. He intended to show them differently.

He didn’t have memories of seeing his dead mate or the crushed eggs, but he didn’t need to. He felt it. It was an empty part of him that had been savagely ripped away and discarded. He was a shell of what he had once been. Not only were his memories gone. So was his heart. Now, a rage so ravenous he would never be able to stop it filled him.

The Kings had done this to him.

And to themselves.

The image of the hellhound became crisper as he flew toward the cliff. He saw the ends of long hair whipping in the wind as sparks flew. It was a female, standing naked at the edge of the cliff, flames licking her skin.

But that fire wouldn’t save her from him.

He inhaled, feeling the blaze expand within him. She threw her arms outward and lifted her face. Something about that pose made him falter for a heartbeat. He shoved it aside and opened his mouth, dragon fire exploding and heading straight toward her.

Tears rolled down Kora’s face when Derek came into view. The sight of his silver-tipped black scales was thrilling. And spine-chilling. He wasn’t coming to save her this time.

He was coming to kill.

It was etched in every facet of his fearsome face and how his lips peeled back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. His was the visage her parents and villagers had seen the day they died. It was a face meant to terrorize.

And she was so very afraid.

Not for herself but for Derek—for what he might become if they couldn’t keep him away from Miena.

She didn’t take her eyes off him. The Kings were there. Rhi was somewhere nearby. Everyone stood on the knife’s edge of anticipation.

“Come on, Derek!” Kora shouted as she watched his chest expand.

When he opened his mouth, his red eyes were locked on her. She held her breath, waiting for the heat of dragon fire to engulf her. Time stopped. Everything slowed to a crawl. It was just her and Derek, the man who had stolen her heart without her knowing it. The dragon who had become not just a friend but also her champion and lover.

Within a millisecond, Kora saw their possible future play out—the highs, the lows, and the love. A deep, unshakable devotion. One where they shared conversations with a look. The kind where they were joined from this life into the next.

And then it vanished, sound deafening her as a dragon with garnet scales struck Derek on the right side, shifting the blast of fire away from her. Kora dropped her arms when she heard Derek’s roar of fury. More dragons came as he spun quickly and flicked his tail, lashing out at a teal dragon with a curved talon. Blood sprayed in an arc through the air.

“Kora! Now!” Rhi shouted.

Kora doused her flames, even as Derek inhaled again and headed toward her. The Teal, along with a Gold flew at Derek. He dove to counter and came flying straight up so fast and close to Kora that she fell backward from the wind gust.

“Come on,” Rhi implored as she appeared beside her.

Kora scrambled to her feet, her gaze locked on Derek.

“Kora!”

She had done her part. She’d made sure Derek came to the right spot. It was time to leave and let the others finish the plan. But the sight of him left her in awe. After fearing that she might never see him again, here he was. Almost close enough to touch. She sighed and turned to the Fae.

A roar reverberated around her, making her cover her ears. The ground shook beneath her feet. She looked for Rhi, but the Fae was gone. It was then that Kora felt hot breath stir her hair from behind. She turned and found Derek standing there. The disdain in his eyes made her breath catch.

The other dragons were coming at him, tearing at his scales with their talons and tails, but he had found his target. And he wasn’t leaving. The Kings wouldn’t get closer to him for fear of hurting her. She should’ve gotten away when Rhi came for her. She had lingered too long and altered the plan.

She tilted her head back as Derek loomed over her. It was now up to her to get him into position. So, she did the only thing she could think of.

“Derek, stop!”

The sound of the hellhound’s voice barely penetrated. Derek had intended to take out the Kings first, but he couldn’t. Something within him wouldn’t let go of the urge to kill the female. He didn’t know why the Kings weren’t damaging him more. What was it about the hellhound that made them all but withdraw? Why did they care about her so much?

Unless they didn’t have the power they wanted everyone to believe they did. Miena was right. He could take them.

And he would. But first, the hellhound had to die.

He kept imagining her entering his cave and destroying the eggs. Had she been smiling? Had she enjoyed it? What had he ever done to deserve such actions? The hellhound would surely have come after him if he had done something. Those who targeted the innocent deserved a painful death.

“DEREK!”

He opened his mouth and roared to cut her off. He didn’t want to hear anything she had to say. She covered her head with her arms and crouched, curling into a ball. Seeing her in terror thrilled him beyond reason. He wanted more of that. Much more. He wanted her to know what his unborn children had felt. What his mate had endured.

An enraged growl rumbled through him. She fell back on her hands and stared up at him. Something about this—about her—was familiar. Maybe he had known the hellhound before. Perhaps he had hurt her. Not that it mattered. She had sealed her fate. Her mistake had been going after his family instead of him.

The female scrambled back to the cliff’s edge, looked up at him, and said something.

Then, she jumped.

Derek leaped after her. She wouldn’t get away so easily. A blur of orange cut beneath him. Derek roared in outrage when the dragon grabbed the hellhound before soaring away. Derek twisted and flapped his wings to catch up.

Then, everything went black.

Kora looked between Merrill’s talons to see the Kings blanketing Derek in magic. He went limp, his talons still reaching out for her before he faded out of sight as they carried him away. She curled into Merrill’s hand and wept for the Derek he had been before.

Part of her had still believed that all he needed was to see her. That no amount of magic could make him forget their love. It had been na?ve and foolish. Things couldn’t be resolved so easily.

There was also another reality she had to come to terms with—and quickly. Derek might never be the man she knew. It was possible Miena had wiped away everything that made Derek who he was. Which meant he might never feel more than animosity toward her.

Everyone worried about what might happen to Derek if she died. No one had considered what might become of her if she lost him. Would the pain be any less? Would her suffering be diminished? What about the ache of never feeling his arms or lips again?

She would have to carry on, enduring the devastating loss for years. Dragons who lost their mates died. It seemed to her they got off easy. They didn’t have to live with the emptiness or the yearning for something that would never be again.

When she felt Merrill landing, Kora hastily wiped her face. He opened his palm, and she stepped out. Rhi stood waiting, the border and canyon behind her. The Fae said nothing about her nakedness as Rhi touched her hand, taking them to Kora’s chamber.

“It will be a while before Derek wakes,” Rhi said softly. “You should rest and regroup before you face him again.”

Kora was hollow. And broken. “I don’t think it will do any good.”

“Each time you said his name, he jerked. He’s remembering.” Rhi motioned to the already filled bath, steam curling up from the water. “Ease your muscles. Eat.” She pointed at a table laden with food. “Then come into the hall.”

Kora didn’t have the energy to do more than nod. The door closed behind Rhi. Kora’s gaze lingered on the tub. It did look inviting. She walked to it and found pink rose petals floating atop the water. A wooden tray lay across the tub, holding soap, a clear goblet filled with some kind of fizzy beverage, and a plate of tiny sandwiches and pastries.

She stepped into the water and slowly lowered herself. The moment her body was submerged, she sighed. Maybe this was what she needed. She closed her eyes and saw Derek’s incensed gaze. Kora kept her eyes open after that.

If she was to speak to Derek, she needed to get her head in a better place. Right now, all she wanted to do was cry. So, she did. Better to get it out now than to weep in front of him. She wouldn’t show him that vulnerability. She needed to be strong, confident.

She didn’t know how long she cried before the tears dried. Her stomach rumbled. She reached for the snacks, and the moment the food hit her mouth, she realized she was famished. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten.

Kora finished the sandwiches and reached for the goblet. The bubbles popping on her tongue took some getting used to, but she was enjoying the drink by the time she was on her third pastry.

With the snacks and drink gone and more food waiting, Kora washed. She emerged from the bath feeling renewed. The pink drying cloth was soft and plush against her skin, and she was loath to set it aside. There might come a time she went to Derek in nothing but the cloth, but not yet. The next time she faced him, she had to be mentally and emotionally ready.

Because the war to return the man she loved had begun.