Page 47 of Dragon Blood

And now, because of all of this, she was forced to go to the Nexus.

As much as the otherworld had mystified Astred, it also gave her the heebie jeebies. A girl—and her dragon—were creatures of the earth, not the astral. She lived the adventure-filled life of the seas, preferring to keep her soul firmly planted earth side—or seaside— where she was much less likely to wander off after shiny light beings or be trapped by the murky ones. Or so Astred had imagined.

Stomach tight, Astred became hyper aware of Kai next to her as her anxiety escalated, needing something—someone else to focus on.

It was time.

She was about to journey into mystical territory that terrified her, driven by the vision that led her from her mother’s side.

Maybe it wasn’t a vision, with a capital ‘v’. Maybe it was just a psychosis, and she’d hallucinated a way out. An excuse to run away from the turmoil of the island before the council matrons jammed her mother’s crown down onto her head.

She wasn’t ready for that. She wasn’t ready forthis.

Chest tight, her lungs struggled for air, like when she stayed underwater too long. Straining, begging for freedom.

Her hand shot out to grasp Kai’s on the seat between them. With a glance of concern, his fingers immediately closed over hers.

Warm. Secure. Calm.

Kai.

Eyes closed, she drew a deep, steadying breath. Astred was accustomed to barrelling headlong through things to avoid thinking about fear.

She couldn’t do that here.

Not with the three days wait. Like the Wardens had done it on purpose—to build up her fear of the unknown. Just like the Aeleftherian Matrons liked to do.

Assholes.

Another breath, easing the tension across her chest and releasing the impatience that had bound it up in the first place.

They drove through town along the river road, leading them out to the tiny clump of land that supported the sacred tree.

Odson turned the Shelby onto the winding Moon Road that descended with a sharp curve to the right. He parked at the end of the narrow peninsula, overlooking the small inlet.

Exiting the car, Heidi led them between the trunks that arced out into a grove of mature individual trees. Not a single type, as would be expected of a space such as this.

Oak, Golden Spruce, Scots Pine, Maple, and several more that Astred couldn’t name, rose to ring a flat clearing sprinkled with sweet grass and meadow flowers, whose scents filled her nose and lungs, chasing away the tension. Butterflies, tiny birds, moths, and other insects fluttered around the clearing, carrying on as though there was nothing sacred about the grove at all.

Or perhaps that’s exactly what made the grove sacred.

The peace and nourishment it offered, both to the tiniest of bodies and largest of souls.

Glancing at Kai to her right, her gaze dropped to their linked fingers, realizing that she’d grasped his hand again on exiting the car.

Clinging to him.

He lifted their joined hands, placing a soft kiss on the back of her fingers, holding her gaze.

I’m here.

The message was clear and the last of her tension fluttered away with the most delicate of moths vacating the clearing, looking for a safe place to rest.

The look in his eyes brought a smile to her lips for the first time in what seemed forever.

Turning her attention back to the meadow, she allowed another moment to admire the beauty of it before continuing on.

She wasn’t here for the grove. She was here for the Nexus.

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