Page 34 of Alan

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Alan

The world looked different from above the cave the coven called home.

I hadn’t flown so far from our mountain in longer than I could remember, choosing instead to stay close to the clan and explore the loch, the woods which lined the west side of the mountains, and only part of the woods to the south. The woods which the coven had enchanted so long ago.

My dragon’s wings flapped harder, my tawny scales glistening in the sun once I rose above the thin, low-lying clouds and into the light. I did not care much for the beauty around me, however, not for the mist around the emerald peak which marked my home, cutting through the clouds, nor for the striking field of white which surrounded me. As though the rest of the world had been wiped clean.

I soared higher, then cut down through the mist and into the woods, barely skimming the treetops. Harder, faster, harder, faster. I pushed myself to my limit and beyond, hoping to exhaust my body and quiet my dragon’s voice.

It was better than waiting for her to wake up, feeling useless and hopeless.

Everything was sharper, clearer through my dragon’s eyes. I could make out the smallest squirrel, the swiftest finch. It brought to mind the early times, when we had once hunted for our sustenance. Long before the superstore was so much as a wild idea.

Those were simpler times. It was just us, the clan, cut off from the rest of the world. We could exist with a greater sense of security then.

There were days when I wished we might return to those times. When isolation seemed a safer course of action. Preferable to leaving ourselves open to outside threats.

And yet one of the largest threats had come from within our clan, years earlier. Before I had taken Gavin’s place.

He had never told me, though I’d asked time and again, who’d fathered Demeter’s child. If he had, would I have revealed their identity to the coven?

It was as though she heard me thinking about her parents. I spied Keira leaving the cave, tipping her head back once she was outside as though to fill her lungs with fresh air and enjoy the sensation of the breeze against her skin.

I landed not far from where she stood, catching her attention as my wings stirred up the leaves. She waited with her back turned, modesty compelling her to give me privacy while I pulled on the clothing I’d left near the cave mouth.

“How is she?” I asked, lacing my boots before joining her. As always, she held her head erect, her proud stance perhaps a hint at who she was underneath her skin.

One of us. How had we not felt it from the start?

“The same,” she announced with a resigned sigh. “Sleeping. I guess it’s for the best right now, like Selene said.”

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to retain my patience,” I muttered.

“Honestly, I agree with Selene.” When I turned to her with brows raised in silent question, she was quick to explain. “I’m not sure how much more I could have taken of her hating me. I need a minute to get a hold of myself without her shooting daggers with her eyes or trying to avoid me.”

“She was merely hurt because she did not understand,” I reminded her. My rather clunky way of trying to comfort her.

“I know. And I know it’ll take a while for her to understand—if she ever does.” Her chin quivered, or perhaps it was a trick of the light for she brought herself under control in a moment’s time. “I love her. I really do. She’s my sister, even if we’re not related by…”

By blood. That was what she wanted to say.

No, they were not related. Far from it. I shared more in common with Keira than Emelie did.

“She will remember that,” I promised. “Once the shock has worn off, she will.”

“You don’t know her.”

“I feel as though I do.”

She smiled, perhaps a bit wryly. “You called her yours. Do you remember? She is mine. You were just about frantic when you brought her back from out here. I mean, by rights, I should’ve been the one demanding somebody help her. But you did.”

“Aye. I suppose I did. It’s all a bit of a blur now—the heat of the moment, and all.”

She smirked, but was kind enough not to press the matter.

Instead, she drew a hitching breath as she looked out into the woods. “Emelie’s not the only one who had to face a lot of hard facts today.”

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