Page 25 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“Yeah, and unless the idiot on our phones is playing a worldwide hoax with some pretty great CGI stuff or whatever they use in movies, we’re now sharing Colina and the world with fae and dragons.”
He drew his brows together. “We’re going to be okay, Ted. You trust me, right?”
Chapter
Six
ELIAS
“I kneel before you,Elder Guardians, as your servant and ward. I willingly went against your laws and broke what you fixed thousands of years ago. Do with me as you will. I am at your mercy.”
My prayer was met with a bitter gust of wind that cut into my flesh. They could tear me apart if they wanted to. It was their right.
Was it wrong that a part of me hoped they would?
The fierce winds whipped my long hair out of its bun and across my face. Ice scraped my cheeks and lower lip, and I felt the sting when it cut through my flesh. Although I was born and thrived in the cold, this frigidity was beyond what even I was accustomed to.
I clenched my hands beside me, keeping my eyes closed and my body still.
If the Elders wanted to kill me this way, not only could I do nothing about it, but I’d allow it.Welcome it.It was what I deserved. What a part of my broken heart craved.
The biting cold died with a sudden blast of heat. My brain whirled as I waited for the dragon fire to incinerate me. The flames engulfed me, licking at my skin as the pressure from the Guardian’s breath pushed me back.
I wouldn’t survive this.
“I have only one request.”Even in my mind, my voice was gritty. “Allow George to live out his sentence in the human realm to watch over the female.”
It was the only way I could ensure he didn’t die over my decision. The only way I could keep my promise to protect her.
“Still you worry about the female,”the Elder, whose voice I didn’t recognize, said.
“Always. As her mate, it is my duty to care for her.”
“She rejected you, did she not?”
That familiar ache in my chest grew. “She did, but we are still soul bound.”
And I would always be hers, regardless of whether she knew who I was.
“You are soul bound,”the voice reminded me. “She feels nothing for you.”
I held still, not allowing myself to flinch at his words. But it was true. I was the only one who suffered with her rejection of me. And with my uncle erasing her memory, she wouldn’t have to carry any guilt over that human’s death. No, that was another burden for me to bear on the many ways I’d failed her.
“Stand.”This time, my Guardian, Nalari, spoke.
I opened my eyes to the heavily wooded forest, where my parents stood just outside the Elders’ cave. My father held himself straight, body tense, while my mother clung to his hand as they awaited my verdict. My uncle stood beside them, with my friendsflanking behind.
Nalari exhaled a long huff of hot breath, which blew across my burnt face. My skin was tender, and my limbs felt like they were still under the blaze of the Elder’s fire. It took more effort than usual to stand, pain searing my limbs when my knees groaned in protest.
The large green dragon tilted her head to the side. Black-and-yellow scales lined her enormous face. She lowered her head to push yellow horns against my sore stomach while her tail swished back and forth in agitation. Spikes rose from her long tail, making her lethal to her enemies. But it was her golden eyes I focused my attention on and silently pleaded with.
“I should burn you where I stand,”she said.
Behind her stood a larger dragon with the red mark of an Elder. I bowed my head at him in respect.
“You should,”I agreed with her, trying not to shift under the discomfort of my clothes rubbing on my blistering skin.
She huffed, her deep chest rising and falling with the gesture. “Stay still, be respectful, and heal yourself later.”
