Dragon Soul (Dragon Falls, #3)(89)

Gabriel and Osiris had hold of Bael, whose hands were quickly tied behind his back. “So he can’t cast any more spells,” Osiris said to no one in particular.

Bael spat invectives and was roughly shoved down onto a chair for his troubles.

“It’s not bad,” Gabriel said, examining Rowan. Gabriel had switched back into human form, but Rowan was still a red dragon.

And he suddenly must have realized that, because when he looked down at his chest to assess the wound, his eyes widened and his arms flailed wildly. “What the hell? WHAT THE EVER-LIVING HELL?”

“It’s okay, pumpkin. You’re just a dragon, that’s all,” I said, feeling like an idiot, but doing my best to calm him down.

His eyes were huge with emotion, his nostrils flaring, little puffs of smoke and fire coming with every breath. “How do I make it stop? I don’t want to be like this!”

“Breathe, Rowan, breathe,” I said, stroking the non-hurty side of his chest. He was dangerously close to a panic attack, and I was clueless as to how to calm him down.

“Like everything else, it’s a matter of control,” Gabriel said. “Take charge of your fire—you’re scorching the deck—and harness it to focus your mind. Once you have achieved that control, you will be able to shift at will.”

“Breathe,” I repeated, stroking the long, curved dragon neck. I kept my eyes firmly on his, because that provided a connection that we both needed—him to keep from freaking out, and me to keep from realizing that the man I loved had a form that was frighteningly different from what I was used to. “Just keep breathing deep breaths, and make your fire do what you want.”

Slowly, second by painful second, his eyes calmed and his breathing slowed. The fire he was puffing disappeared, and his body began to shimmer and wobble in and out of focus. It took a couple of tries, but at last he was back to human form.

There was a smattering of polite applause, which I ignored, as I leaned my forehead against his. “You did it! You conquered your dragon self. I’m so proud of you, I could ride you like a rented mule.”

He laughed and pulled me to him for a very quick, very fiery kiss.

“Sorry,” he said into my mouth before releasing me. “I guess I don’t have as much control over my fire as you thought.”

“Well done, champion,” Osiris said, then gestured toward Maat again. “Now that the dragon shape crisis is over, I believe you have a few more people to process.”

“Hello,” Maat said, greeting us. “Would you like to start things off?”

I realized with a start she was looking at me. “Um… all right.” I tucked my bow into the quiver on my back, and couldn’t help but muse that my life hadn’t been as blameless as I’d hoped.

Maat stopped in front of me, pulling the feather from her riot of curls.

“I should warn you that there are a few things I’ve done that perhaps don’t look too good on my record,” I said nervously. “But I had good reasons to do them—”

She smiled and held out the feather. “Palm up, please.”

I glanced at Rowan. He nodded, giving me a little smile that warmed me to the tips of my toes. If nothing else, I knew that my love for him was honest and true. I held out my hand.

She dropped the feather onto it. I waited, braced for something profound to happen.

Nothing did. It just sat there, being a feather. “You may move on as you like,” she told me, picking up the feather.

“I can?” I blinked a couple of times. “I passed?”

“You passed.” She nodded to May, who handed her sword to Gabriel, and came forward with her hand outstretched. “You may move on as you like,” Maat repeated. May gave her a tight smile, murmured her thanks, and retrieved her sword.

In quick succession, Maat went through Gabriel, Ken (who was sulking in the background), and Constantine, who insisted on having a try even though he hadn’t been on the cruise.

“I just want to see if I’d pass muster if the First Dragon insists on repeatedly summoning us here,” he told Bee as Maat laid the feather on his hand, and told him that he would pass the challenge.

Bee gave him a tolerant, but fond, look in return.

I swear the First Dragon gave a little snort of amusement, but when I looked at him, his expression was as placid—and otherworldly—as ever.

At last the only three people to remain were Rowan, Bael, and Mrs. P. Maat approached Rowan, and I felt the dragons hold their collective breaths.

It was time for the Dragon Breaker to have his soul judged.





Nineteen




“Hand,” Maat said, holding her feather.

Rowan hesitated a second, then, with an unreadable look at me, held out his hand for her.

She placed the feather on it. It seemed to ruffle in the wind, bouncing ever so slightly on his hand.

My stomach dropped with fear. Dear goddess, what would I do if he couldn’t leave Duat?

Stay with him, of course, my inner voice answered. As if there were a choice.

My panic quelled a bit at that. Although I would prefer not to live in the Underworld, so long as I had Rowan in my life, then we’d make it work.

Maat tipped her head to the side as she watched the feather. She picked it up off his hand, examined it, and then put it back on his palm.