Page 39 of To Spark a Dragon's Love
I didn’t know my heart could still beat, let alone bleed out as it did now. Willow’s scream sliced through me and brought the world to a standstill. The sound would haunt me for the rest of my days. I welcomed the nightmare. Deserved it.
All your fault. Weak. Coward.
I shouldn’t have held the ceremony here. It should’ve been in my territory where we’d all be safe. But I couldn’t bear to rip Willow from her home. Being mated to me was sacrifice enough. I’d thought we could do this quickly and I’d slip away before any real damage was done.
You fool.
“He must’ve sneaked in when I was stocking the kitchen.” Miss Grace had half shifted in the front yard and her tail beat against the ground, threatening to crush anyone who got underfoot. “I was only in the greenhouse for a minute before I brought back fruits for the hatchling’s breakfast.”
The sound of a female roar shook the caves in the distance. It seemed Dahlia was aware of the situation. I had half a mind to sic the dragon female elders on the MacAlisters.
Snake-like vermin.
I could still taste Jeremy MacAlister’s putrid scent on the air. Cain had been nothing more than a distraction while his younger brother snooped around Kieran’s territory. And he’d done the one thing that wouldn’t ignite the hellfire from breaking dragon law.
He'd taken an unclaimed human.
Willow’s screams continued to shred my soul as she tore the cabin apart. “We have to call the police!”
“Even if there were police nearby, they can’t help us.” Ember and Riley were in the cabin with Willow, trying to soothe her.
You should be in there.
I’ve done enough damage,I reminded my beast as I looked to the sky. We were wasting time.
“They’re not going to help either.” Kieran came marching out of his home with disgust written all over his face. He’d asked for a few minutes to address the clans and gathered supernatural leaders.
I’d already told him it was useless, so I didn’t waste precious seconds reminding him again.
“Technically, territory law doesn’t apply here,” Kieran said as he approached. “No one claimed her.”
I knew that already. It was still a knife to the gut.
Lucan sat in the porch rocking chair behind me, shrouded in shadows as his anger pulsed in the night air. “That’s bullshit. We’ve all claimed the hatchling. She’s an O’Sullivan by acceptance and scent markings.”
I thought of our brief encounter earlier. The way that brave little girl grabbed my hand. Her eyes so big and trusting and innocent like her mother’s.
I’d failed her.
Smoke billowed from my nostrils as I walked to the center of the yard to allow room for my wings to expand, gatheringshadows to me as I went. “She’s my mate’s daughter, but I didn’t publicly claim her as mine. The blame lies with me.”
You treated the hatchling as an afterthought.My beast thrashed within, pushing at the seams of my human skin to be set free.You should’ve stated your intentions like a noble dragon.
“It’s all of our faults,” Kieran said out loud, almost as if he was trying to convince himself of the lie. “He won’t hurt her. There will be demands we can bargain with. She’s too valuable. He’ll know that from her scent markings.”
“I’m not waiting around to test that theory.” Lucan pushed himself from the chair. “This is my fault. He’s seeking revenge for the death of Shawn. I won’t let the child take the fall for me.”
I didn’t bother to point out that it’d been me that brought the MacAlisters to his doorstep. If I’d just been strong enough after the absorption, I’d have handled them on my own. But I was too weakened then.
I wasn’t weakened now.
My wings unfurled and magic shimmered around me. “If we hurry, we can still follow their smoke trails.” We needed to move. Fast.
“And if she gets hurt in the process?” Kieran was always the voice of reason. But that was only his human side. His dragon’s bloodlust was a vision as the red-tinged shadows pulsed around him, begging to be set free.
Kill them. Destroy their bloodline.My own dragon was inciting the frenzy.
And then Earth began to shake under our feet.
