Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
At the same time, Taron was suddenly yanked off his feet, his limbs stretched by invisible strings. His body arched, head thrown to the side, spine bowed unnaturally. And then—he exploded.
Smokewings burst from his back. The blast wasn’t aimed, just instinct, power venting with nowhere to go, sending my sisters hurtling into the walls with bone-shaking force. Stone cracked, and dust billowed. Dragonglass oozed from his skin, hardening into jagged scarlet scales. Claws pushed through his nail beds. His irises blazed with colorful flame. His mouth split open in a snarl, revealing rows of dagger-sharp teeth.
He landed before me, not broken or dazed but crouched. Ready for battle, every muscle tense, his breath heavy and ragged. Smoke coiled from his nostrils. The ground cracked beneath his feet. And I… I couldn’t feel my dragon.
My breath hitched. My limbs trembled. I reached inward, seeking calm the way I always had, but this time, I found desperation. Nein, nein, nein. Where was the spark that had always been mine? A spark that had come before thought, even breath.
My dragon had never required a harsh summoning before. She was my constant companion. A living flame heating my blood. A promise as constant as the sky.
I reached inward once more, certain I’d find her.
But the fire was just… gone. The connection severed. My dragon remained still. There was no ember. No answering coil of power. Only quiet. A silence that pressed heavy against my heart.
Whatever the tonic had done, it had ripped something vital from me—and awakened a monster in him.
Dread punched my every cell all at once. It was true. The undeniable proof stood breathing smoke before me.
Only one explanation made sense. I’d given my beast to him. The very core of my being.
Realization burrowed deep. I did this to him. Me. I’d pushed for this.
So had he, ja, but facts didn’t dilute consequences. Looking at Taron now, the agony of it all ripped me to shreds. I’d destroyed yet another Locke, just in a different way. I’d gambled and lost, but this time, the price was the professor’s humanity.
Horror bubbled up, choking me. I’d been so certain of our success, I’d missed Cedric and Lorik’s ultimate plan. I hadn’t outsmarted or outmaneuvered my enemies. I’d turned myself into a weapon they used to bring down the man I loved. And myself.
“Nein,” I whispered. “Nein, nein, nein.”
My sisters recovered and rushed toward us, but the now powerful and feral Taron saw only danger, not allies. He launched into attack mode, a flash of smoke and scale. One after the other, my sisters fell around me. Not dead. Injured. And increasingly ticked off.
I didn’t know if he lashed out to protect me, or to destroy anything that dared come near him. Maybe both. “Stop,” I cried, voice ragged. “Please!” Somehow, I found the strength to hurl myself into the chaos, throwing my body in front of Adelaide just as she rose, fists clenched, ready to launch an attack of her own.
Too late.
Taron’s new claws sliced across my midsection. The pain was blinding and all-consuming, but this time, it wasn’t soul-deep or symbolic. This was real. Raw. Human.
This body I lived in now could break. No fire waited at the ready. No supernatural healing or wings to catch me when I fell.
Another scream tore from my throat as I hit the ground again, warmth blooming through my shirt. Blood gurgled up my windpipe, choking me. My vision blurred. And then—
He stopped.
Taron loomed over me, his chest heaving. When my gaze met his, confusion flickered. Then horror. Bit by bit, shame overtook him, snuffing out his fire. His smokewings disintegrated into ash. His scales began to rain over the ground.
He dropped to his knees beside me, reaching out with trembling hands. A broken sound rumbled from his chest. A sound, not quite a roar, not quite a sob, but something in between, shattered and soul-sick.
My sisters didn’t hesitate. They seized him from behind and wrestled him to the floor. Adelaide retrieved the Chains of O from my safe because, of course, she knew the code.
“They’re gone,” she bellowed.
Nein! Dark spots were weaving through my mind, stealing my thoughts. The girls fought to secure Taron’s wrists.
Frieda, ever the healer, dropped to her knees beside me and got to work.
Time fractured as I slipped in and out of consciousness, Taron’s guttural roars dragged me back each time I floated too far. As a warrior queen, I’d known pain, but this was different. Always before, I’d had hope.
This might be my end.
Still, I fought. Eventually, blackness won.
A dream plagued me. My father, laughing, proclaiming, “The Yrnblade Dagger doesn’t create bonds, daughter. It never did. It amplifies what already exists. What is fated. Aligned. Inevitable.”
I shook my head. That couldn’t be right. Except, my feelings for Taron remained. They hadn’t gone away with my dragon. Which meant they were real. They’d always been real. Heartbreakingly so. Not forged by the Yrnblade but revealed by it.