Page 68 of Blood of Dragons

I jerked upright and gasped.

The world of greenery was back, lush and colorful, and the birds chirped from their branches.

I gasped again and reached for my heart, my fingers ready to wrap around the hilt of the dagger…but it was gone.

The wound was gone.

And I felt…different.

Instead of feeling weak from the blood loss and sick from the injury, I felt strong, stronger than I’d ever been. There was a fire in my veins, a burn in my fingertips. Information seemed to pass through my mind quicker than before. I looked the same, but no longer felt the same.

Khazmuda’s face appeared before me. He didn’t wear expressions the way a human did, but it was clear that he was livid.I’m sorry for what you’ve lost. You say I can’t understand, but I’ve felt your pain everymoment since we’ve become companions, so I do know your despair. I’ve carried it in addition to my own. But there’s no amount of suffering that justifies this cowardly exit. You’re too broken to fulfill your duty to your people and your family, I understand that. But there is no excuse for this. I respect your anguish. I respect your grief—and I will give you all the time you need. But I do not respect this. Vivian wouldn’t want this, nor would any of your family members.He pulled away and looked into the trees, his energy still angry.

My hand continued to feel my chest. “What—what happened?”

I fused with you.

My hand dropped as I looked at him.

It was the only way I could save you.

“I didn’t ask you to do that?—”

I said, it was the only way I could save you.He looked at me again.And you’re worth saving, Talon.

It was months before we left our cave in the mountains and ventured elsewhere. My body had become ravaged by the strict diet of meat and whatever fruit and vegetables we could find in the wild. I was ready for a change of scenery, and Khazmuda was ready to pursue his ambitions.

We found a village in a warmer climate. I wasn’t sure how close it was to the Southern Isles, but it had to be in the same hemisphere because of the heat and humidity. It was verydifferent from where we had been. Instead of pine trees and redwoods, there were cypress and olive trees. Instead of rocky mountains, there were hills and valleys. They had a harbor with galleons and sailboats. A decent-size village, but not big enough to be a major city. No such place had been under my father’s rule, so I assumed it was far enough away from my homeland.

We approached at dark and landed in the distance, in an open valley that seemed nowhere near the closest dwelling.

The heat was a welcome respite from the cold, but it gave me a pang of sadness. I was homesick, not just for the place, but for the people…the people who had been dead for four months. I hated to imagine how much the kingdom had changed, what Barron had done to the castle, how he treated the people, how he probably raised the taxes and made the poor even poorer.

Are you sure about this?Khazmuda was hard to see in the darkness, his scales perfectly blending into the night. It was probably the reason he had been able to escape that night. Scales of any other color would have made him an easy target.

“Yes.”

His powerful gaze punctured my face.I need to trust you, Talon.

“I’m a man of my word, Khazmuda.” Khazmuda wanted to search for other dragons because he still intended to free his kin from the Southern Isles someday. Whereas I was still drifting through life, too broken to care about anything, even revenge. When I wasn’t a brother or a son or a husband…I didn’t know who I was anymore. Maybe I would never know. But Khazmuda was afraid to leave me, because of what I’d done to myself. I vowed I wouldn’t make the attempt again—and I meant it.

I know you don’t care for me, Talon. But I’ve grown to care for you deeply.

His affection passed over me like a breeze because I didn’t try to catch it. I couldn’t accept love. I didn’t deserve it. It took all my strength to say it, to force out the words from my broken soul. “I do care for you.”

He watched me.

“Deeply.”

He moved his snout toward me and gave me a gentle rub.

My hand moved to his scales and I felt the smoothness, but I still barely touched him.

We’ll be able to speak the way we do now, no matter the distance, because of the connection we share. If you call for my aid, I will come as quickly as I can.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

What do you intend to do?