Page 42 of To Match A Dragon's Fire

I needed to go home.

I don’t know where home is.

Tears blurred my eyes as I swung my legs off the side of the bed. The pain was everywhere. It burned deep in my veins.

“Lie down, Ember. I’ll take care of you.” Another promise. Another lie.

“I’m fine,” I bit out.

The wordfineechoed in my head.

“You’re half-drained and delusional,” he said.

I must’ve been losing it because I could’ve sworn he’d walked across the room, but he moved faster than my eyes could follow until he was kneeling by my side. “The venom is working its way through you.”

“Venom?” I swallowed hard, hoping I’d misheard him and that this was a fever dream. Because it sounded a lot like he’d poisoned me.

“Rest now. Everything will be okay.”

I wanted to believe him. My eyes were so heavy and the pain hurt so bad. It’d be easy to give in. To stop struggling. But I didn’t know him.

No matter how pretty his voice or the little promises he made, he was a stranger.

“I need to get out of here.” I pushed off the bed again.

“Stubborn woman,” he muttered, easing me back down. It was a gentle pressure, but it felt too strong to resist. I didn’t put up enough of a fight.

My vision swam as my head touched the soft pillow. Blood red and black shadow-like colors gathered around him on either side, stretching like wings from his back.

His face was twisted with worry, but there was a hardness in his jaw and strength in his hands that let me know I’d be okay.

“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, too tired to be mortified of the truth I said aloud.

“Sleep now. Everything will be better when you wake.” Kieran smiled again as he touched my forehead.

Blissful, cool darkness carried me away.

∞

I awoke somewhere new.

It was Harper’s little voice that pulled me from my weird dreams.

I’d been riding horses again, but it wasn’t Addie. It was some all-black horse with glowing red eyes and we were running through an open field and…

I forgot what it was about as the world came into focus.

“Can I have some pudding too?” Harper asked.

Willow hushed her. “That’s not for you.”

“It’s all right,” an old woman’s voice said. “There’s plenty in the kitchen.”

“If you’re sure…”

“She’s sure,” Harper said.

“No problem at all.”

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