Page 76 of Cursed

“About what?” Rourke quickly slips on his pants and grabs his sweater.

“You. They say they need a dragon.”

“Me?” He blinks but then hurries to shove on his shoes. I’ll give him credit. He looks eager to help, and he doesn’t even know why he’s doing it.

Shit. What if heisn’ta complete asshole?

Branden is dressed and ready before Rourke is done, and I peek into the room where Myra rests, undisturbed by our presence. It isn’t a good sign. I just hope my aunt can assist her better than I can.

I tromp out of the cottage, and the other two follow me to the clearing. None of us sit on my boulder benches. We’re too amped up to settle.

A few dozen faeries wait for us. Some in trees, some on the boulders. They all look solemn, and it’s more than a bit disconcerting when they are usually so fluttery and have a lighthearted, childlike energy. But this feels like troops about to go to war. The sense of finality and of the thought some of us might not make it out alive, hovers in the air instead of their delicate wings.

Goddess help me.

Rourke, to his credit again, gives Tavi a little bow in greeting and asks, “How may I be of service?”

Tavi’s eyes widen at his deferential behavior, but she doesn’t miss a beat. “We wish to assist you in rescuing the Sparkle Mage. And we need your dragon to do it.”

Rourke falls to his knees. “Thank you! Anything you need—even if it’s my life.”

“Well, it wasn’t our plan to have you die. You don’t want to live and be with her?” Tavi looks shocked by his enthusiasm.

“Yes, of course I do,” he says and stands. “I just meant, if it comes to that.”

“Good. We hope youallare safe in the end.” Tavi smiles sadly. She looks to Branden and must read his magical reserves. “You appear ready to get your healer friend now.”

Branden rips his gaze from Rourke. He still seems surprised by his dragon shifter’s new humble and self-sacrificing attitude. Maybe he’s never heard Rourke offer his assistance or his life so freely. I know I continue to be amazed by the dragon’s turn in attitude.

But maybe it isn’t a turn at all. Perhaps Rourke had always desired to have Shayla since he met her, and that’s why he had been a raging jerk this whole time. He was going against everything that his body and soul wanted and needed. Maybe he truly wanted to protect her from his family—his father—and didn’t know how to do it without being a dick.

We all settle on the stone benches as Tavi explains the faeries’ plan…

* * *

The three of us travel through a portal, arriving in the woods outside the academy to retrieve my aunt. Thankfully, she is ready and waiting at the communicated meetup location. This faerie network is turning out to be a blessing. I hope our luck with them holds as we attempt to break into the asylum and rescue the rest of our coven—our family.

“Arden!” My aunt crashes into me and gives me a fierce hug. “I heard there was an attack at the hospital… that you were there. I didn’t know if you escaped.”

I squeeze her to my chest and sigh, also embracing the familial bond we have. It eases a small fraction of the pain I feel in my heart with Shayla missing. “I was lucky in some ways and not in others. They took Hollis and Landis—” My voice cracks as I add, “And Shayla.”

“Goddess!” She grips me tighter and then turns to Branden and Rourke. “You are bonded to her now,” she says rather than asking. She must be seeing their auras—their cords to our beloved.

Branden nods curtly, his wall firmly in place with someone he doesn’t really know.

“Well, I’m not bonded,” Rourke breathes out, sounding as dejected as a kicked puppy.

My aunt reaches out and takes his hand. “Oh, sweet dragon, I see the cord. You may not have the mating bite to show the world, yet I see her link, her acceptance of you—youarebonded.”

Rourke bites his lip. Then, when he gathers himself, he says, “Thank you. I just hope I can get her back and do things right.”

“You will,” she says. “I have to believe that all of this will work out.”

“Let’s go,” Branden urges. “Every minute could mean we are closer to losing them permanently.”

Grimacing with the thought, I tack on, “And I don’t like leaving Myra for too long, even if she’s probably in the safest place in the realms right now.”

* * *

---