A Destiny of Dragons (Tales From Verania #2)(169)

“I was talking to you,” Gary said as he walked out the door.

“You bitch!”

“Love you, kitten!” And the door closed behind them.

I was doomed.

“So,” I said nervously. “What are the chances we can just forget all about this and—”

Ryan kissed me, gripping the sides of my face tightly. His teeth clacked against mine, and he swallowed my gasp down. His tongue was warm and slick, and I groaned, forgetting about the pain for at least a moment.

We were both panting as he broke the kiss, pressing his forehead against mine. My hands were on his waist. He still cupped my face, brushing his thumbs over my cheeks, arms folded between us.

“You can’t do that to me,” he said, sounding angry and broken. “You just can’t.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“I don’t care. Sam. Promise me. You can’t do that. You can’t die.”

I gave him a trembling smile. “I can’t promise that. None of us can. You know that, Ryan.”

His eyes were wide and a little manic. “Promise me.”

I meant to say You don’t have to worry about that. I meant to say I love you so, so much. I meant to say We’re gonna do this together. I meant to say so many things.

But I was young and foolish. I’d just met Myrin face-to-face and I’d survived. I’d tamed the desert dragon. So much was up in the air, but I knew I could do this. I could end this. I could beat back the dark.

I said, “I promise. Ryan, I promise. Nothing’s going to happen. To either of us. Any of us.”

He kissed me again, desperately so.

All of you will not survive until the end. There will be loss, Sam. And it will burn like nothing has ever burned before.

Fuck the star dragon. Fuck the gods.

I wouldn’t let anything take him away from me.

And just when I was about to lead him back to the bed, to take what he was offering to me so freely, I remembered what it was I’d forgotten.

Indeed I do. And I think a lesson in humility is in order. Even now, the Darks march toward Meridian City where the people sleep unaware of the fate that awaits them. At my word, the city will be razed. It is truly a sinful place, so I doubt it would be missed too much. And they will have my word, Sam. As an example to you.

“No,” I breathed against Ryan’s lips.

I felt Ryan frown. “What?”

I pushed him away. “We have to get to Meridian City. We have to—”

In the corner, where our packs lay on the ground, something rattled sharply.

Ryan took a step back. “Is that the—”

“Summoning crystal,” I said, brushing past him. “It’s gotta be Morgan.” I groaned as I crouched, my back screaming at me, the lightning-struck scars on my chest on fire. I dug through my pack until my hand closed around the crystal. I pulled it out and saw the little burst of light shoot off deep inside it.

There was that little tug in my head, that old familiar pull, and the crystal lit up in my hand.

“Morgan?”

“Sam,” he said. “Thank the gods. Where are you?”

“We’re in Mashallaha still. The dragon is ours. He’s—”

“Sam.”

“No,” I said. “No. No.”

But I knew. I already knew.

He said, “You must listen to me.”

He said, “For we don’t have much time.”

He said, “The Darks are heading toward Meridian City.”

He said, “The defenses will hold, but we don’t have much time.”

He said, “Randall is coming for me.”

He said, “We’ll do everything that we can.”

He said, “Sam. It’s begun.”

“I understand,” I said, swallowing thickly. “We can—”

“No,” Morgan said firmly. “I want you to go north.”

“What?”

“Listen to me. There’s nothing you can do. You can’t make it on foot. Your magic cannot transport you there.”

“But Randall can take you? I’m getting real sick of your godsdamned rules, Morgan. I can help—”

“Don’t you think that’s what he wants?” Morgan demanded. “Don’t you think you’ll play right into his hands?”

“He was already here. Myrin was already here.”

Silence. Then, in a whisper, “What?”

“He came for me. I held him off.”

“You what? How in the name of the gods—”

“And he almost died doing it,” Ryan growled down at the crystal. He stared at me defiantly, as if daring me to speak against him. “Myrin almost killed him.”

“North, Sam,” Morgan said. “Don’t make me tell you again. You have a job to do.”

“Morgan—”

“Sam.”

“What about the King? The Prince? My parents?”

“They’ll be safe here. The Castle Guard is on it. There is no stronger hold than Castle Lockes. We’ll—”

“Blast it, Morgan, are you still blathering on to that thing? We have to go.”

“It’s Sam,” Morgan said to Randall. “Myrin’s already found him. They escaped.”