I scream and Cole wraps his arm around my waist to keep me from rushing towards the dying dragon.
He smiles briefly, holding the dagger until his body disintegrates into a pale blue dust and is carried away on the wind, the blade dropping to the ground with a thud.
It shimmers briefly and projects a final image of Ventus dying, a new memory for its collection, before returning to normal.
Cole lets me go and I rush to the edge, looking over as if I might see the dragon reappear like this was a cruel and elaborate prank. But he doesn’t. He’s gone. Another dragon has died.
That's three since I arrived in this world.
A world that hasn't seen a dragon die for as long as the Night brothers have been alive.
What have I brought with me to cause this destruction, I wonder, as Cole pulls me into an embrace and the tears I've been holding back flow freely.
The Swim
The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?—
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, Love’s Philosophy
The butler interrupts us, his face grim as he studies the scene. "You both should leave. The dragons will know of his death and come to investigate. It would be better for all if you were not found here."
"How will you explain what happened?" I ask.
"I will not have to," he says, and holds up a Memory Catcher. "My master left a message for his siblings, but it is private."
I look to Cole, who nods, and I realize we will have to dematerialize to get out of here quickly. The dagger is still laying on the floor where the dragon dropped it, and with a flick of my wrist I use air magic to fly it to my waiting hand, then tuck it into my waistband. Cole is the only one who sees, and he raises an eyebrow with a grin like he's proud of me. Then he pulls me against his chest.
"Ready, mon coeur?"
"No," I say.
"Just relax," he whispers, as his hands rest on my hips. "Use your darkness."
I swallow and nod, then reluctantly tug on the powers deep within me, the dark depth I'm most scared of tapping into, and I let it flow into me, and then through me.
"Very good," Cole says. "Now stretch your darkness into me and feel what I do. You can do this without me, you just have to align yourself to the frequency of this spell, in a manner of speaking. And then picture where you want to go with as much detail as you can."
Per his instruction, I stretch the tendrils of darkness flowing out of me and attach to him, our magic merging, pulsing as one. The feeling is nearly erotic and brings to mind our love making, when our bodies were so connected they felt as one.
I can feel from the shift in his pants that he's thinking the same thing, and that only makes my own arousal more powerful.
He pulls me even tighter toward him until my breasts are pressed against his rock hard chest. My breath hitches as our bodies connect. And then we are traveling, our physical selves unraveling within the nothingness that consumes us.
But this time, I do not feel the panic and pain as before. Instead, I feel as if my spirit is set free, and I am everything, and nothing.
After an indefinite amount of time, that could have been mere seconds or centuries, we arrive within the portal and are pushed through into the Otherworld, bodies intact, souls contained within our dense meat forms.
For a moment I feel encumbered by the weight of my flesh, and I briefly mourn the feeling I had when we traveled through nothing.
Cole is still holding tight to me, his lips inches from mine. "You catch on fast," he whispers, his dark eyes luminous and intoxicating.
Still caught up in the swirl of emotions, I can't stop myself from pulling his head down and pressing my lips to his. I've dreamed of tasting his mouth again, of feeling his tongue flick over my lips, of reveling in the delight and desire that he brings.
He moans against my mouth, his chest rumbling with untapped longing, and I press my hips against him. He hardens against my stomach and I slide my hand down his chest until I'm caressing him.
He nibbles at my lip, then traces kisses down my neck to my collar bone, his teeth grazing me, nipping at my skin. My other hand is wrapped around his back, nails digging into him. I want more than I can have right now, and the thought sobers me. I gently pull away, my lips swollen with his kisses, my body empty without him.
"I should go," I say, reluctantly. "This is too soon."
He caresses my head and nods. "Je comprends. But I am not giving up on us. I hope you do not either."
Tears sting my eyes as he steps back and disappears into smoke.
I look around at the forest, alive with the sounds of the wild, as I wipe my eyes and straighten my back.
Someday I might get him back, but today is not that day, and I need to go home. The others are probably losing their damn minds right now.
I contemplate the easiest way to go back to the castle. I could fly, but that will take a decent amount of time.
Or I could try my new shadow powers. That would get me home in an instant, but it also low key terrifies me.
I opt for being terrified. Because if I can master this, it's a useful trick to have in my tool box.
I close my eyes and pull out my darkness while reminding myself what his magic felt like when he did this. Then I imagine the gardens just outside the castle, where I first found Moon.
It seems to be the safest place to aim for, and the one which will likely be the most discreet as well, since no one has seen me do this and it might freak them out a bit if I appear before them randomly.
Just as before, I disintegrate into nothing, into shadow and darkness, and then arrive just where I intended. Well, mostly where I intended. Since I was thinking of Moon and how I found him, I actually find myself stuck in the damn bush that he was stuck in when I rescued him. And it hurts like a bitch.
I slowly tear myself out of the dangerous barbed bushes and I'm covered in scratches that are starting to bleed.
That's how Liam finds me.
"What happened?" he asks, running over to me, his eyes filled with worry. "Who attacked you?"
He takes my arms and studies the injuries as I point to the offending bush. "We had a bit of a misunderstanding," I explain.
"I'm sure there's a story in that somewhere, but come in and let's get you cleaned up. Everyone is worried sick about you. Where did you go?"
"I'll explain once we're all together."
Liam slips an arm around me and we walk into the castle, then he leaves to round everyone up and find some ointment for my cuts. Moon greets me in the hall and rubs up against my legs purring aggressively. I pick him up and nuzzle his soft black fur to my face. "I've missed you," I whisper, and I swear he purrs even louder. I set him down and he follows me as I head to the library.
The great hearth is stoked with a blazing fire and Alina and the baby dragon, Zara—who's presently in her human form—are both in the crib together. They are playing with colorful blocks of wood. Alina lights them on fire and Zara giggles and spits water onto them to put the fire out. Then they both laugh and do it all over again.