Page 21 of To Spark a Dragon's Love
I’d do better next time. Get stronger somehow.
I only needed a minute to recover and then I’d—
The crash of the ledge hit the rolling molten fire below. My wings shot out, trying to save me, but I hit the cave wall too hard.
My dragon’s weakened roar echoed through the cavern and I was suddenly falling too fast, tumbling as my wings fought against gravity.
Sulfur filled my nose as fiery bubbles popped, burning the edges of my feathered wings.
I was going to die.
This is it.
Willow needs—
I roared as something sharp grabbed my shoulder, yanking me upright. The pain was welcome and consuming as the fire at my back receded.
I hissed a breath of relief as I looked up to see my brother’s wings beating above.
Too far above…
“There’s no exit up there!”I yelled at the fool through our telepathic link as he kept going to the top of the cavern.
“You mean, there wasn’t an exit.”Lucan’s boyish laughter made me want to throttle him.“Might need to close your eyes, guardian.”
Before I could scream at him to stop, his thick skull burst through the side of the mountain. Rock and debris pummeled my aching body, but the cool night air was a sweet caress on my burning scales.
Earth was at peace for at least a little while. She’d let the world sleep tonight. The cities below were darkened except for the occasional military patrol. Humans were tucked in their beds, none the wiser to the pain still scorched into my lungs and the weakness crippling my limbs.
I was so damn tired. Years past what should’ve been my retirement date, though I’d started losing strength well before then, like any other guardian would. I’d held on longer than I should’ve. But I had no other option.
And I couldn’t find enough energy to fight against my little brother—to retain a shred of dignity as he carried me through the night sky.
Lucan knew it too. I felt what he wanted to say and was grateful for his silence on the matter.
That wouldn’t last forever.
We neared Kieran’s territory when I sensed him getting ready to be another pain in my ass.“I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a beer.”
∞
A soul-deep exhaustion left me weak as I sat hunched over, resting my arms on my thighs with my feet dangling off the roof. I hurt everywhere. It was painful to breathe, to think, to touch my own skin.
Even my dragon was tired.
He had nothing to say as he licked his own wounds. The shadows of my being were sparse and pulsing in the darkness of the late night as they tried to reform into something less broken.
My only comfort was that Earth slept peacefully tonight. I’d done my job as guardian one more time.
Whatever dignity I had, I’d left behind in the dormant volcano. I said nothing as Lucan draped a blanket over my shoulder and Kieran pressed a cold beer into my hand.
I averted my eyes as Kieran’s worried gaze swept over me.
My cousin hissed a breath through his teeth. “What’s on your ribs?”
“Bruises.” I wrapped the blanket around me tighter and took a deep pull of the beer. It was some specialty brew, the kind Kieran always liked. The cold scratched my throat. It’d be a few days before I could swallow comfortably again.
The beer would help.
