Page 23 of The Magic of Eternity
Sloane laughed and ran his hand through his shaggy hair. “I have no idea. But we’re going to find out. Ready for a swim, kitten?”
‘Forgive me, my queen, but there are enemy spies approaching and you must come now before you’re spotted. Just swim for the bottom of the lake and you will get to where you’re going,’Vaeryn urged, his tone firm.
“Let’s go.” Urgently, Sloane and I walked hand in hand into the water, and I was pleasantly surprised to feel that it was warm. Maybe it was a heated spring and that was why the water was so clear? With the crown clutched in one hand, I sucked in a deep breath and dove down into the heated depths. I had no idea what we were swimming for or toward, aside from the bottom. Everything was clear as day as I glanced around the underwater world.
Sloane kept pace beside me easily, and I sensed the athletic bastard was actually holding back.How far do we have to swim down? This is a fairly deep lake.I used to be able to swim down to twelve feet at the Emerald Lakes community pool, but that was years ago. And this was much deeper than twelve feet.
The bottom of the lake appeared to be nothing but large rocks and water plants. A school of fish swam past us, and I realized that they weren’t fish at all—they were seahorses. Kind of. What the hell were those? They had seahorse tails but everything from the hips up was human-like. Similar to mermaids, but on a much smaller scale. Several of them circled Sloane and I, their big eyes curious.
‘They are seasprites. They aren’t dangerous. Keep swimming, just a bit further,’Vaeryn instructed.
My lungs were starting to burn with the need for air. I was close to panicking when the lake floor shimmered, revealing gorgeous crystals and enough treasure to buy a country. Sloane’s hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me down, deeper through the water. My vision was darkening from the lack of air, making me wonder if this was really how I was going to die. Suddenly, my head broke through the surface of the lake unexpectedly, and I sucked in oxygen like it was the best thing I’d ever experienced.
Sloane coughed. “How?”
We were in the middle of the lake, but the water we were treading was now pale pink and we were upright again. Overhead, dragons soared through the sky against a clear blue backdrop. I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of my mouth.
“Did we just swim to the bottom of a lake only to surface in another one? A pink one?! Where’s Vaeryn?”
“I’m here, my queen.”
Glancing over my shoulder, my mouth fell open at the sight of a man, not a dragon, standing on a rocky ledge at the edge of the lake. A group of about ten other people moved up behind him, each of them carrying different things—towels, water, dry clothes. Sloane tugged my hand and we started swimming for the shore. He easily lifted himself out of the water, before reaching down for me.
I mean, he was strong, but surely there was no way he was going to lift all two hundred plus pounds of me out of a lake like I was nothing more than a— “Oof!” My feet hit solid ground as water ran down my body, and I looked at Sloane like he was Thor or some shit. The veins in his arms were defined as he ran his hands over my body, checking to ensure I wasn’t harmed.
When he was satisfied, he looked at my face, which still showed my shock at being pulled from the lake like a silly salmon. Pushing my hair out of my face, he bent in close to my ear. “The fact that you’re surprised right now just tells me I haven’t tossed you around the bedroom nearly enough. Once these girls are born, I’ll be sure to remedy that.” His tongue traced the shell of my ear, and a squeak came out of me, which had him chuckling silently. Pulling back, he tossed me a cocky ass wink and then took my hand, leading me to Vaeryn.
Vaeryn smiled when we reached him. I was about to open my mouth and make sure it was really him, because how was he a man now? But he beat me to it.
“I, Vaeryn, welcome you to the Realm of Dragons. You are safe here, my queen. We have waited a long time for your arrival.” He lowered to one knee and bowed to me, followed seconds later by the rest of the people who were gathered around.
Sloane’s grip tightened on my hand as we looked out among these people and this strange place we’d found ourselves in. When he nudged me with his arm, I realized I was probably supposed to say something. Anything.
I cleared my throat. “Thank you, Vaeryn, for welcoming us.”
Vaeryn lifted his head and grinned, his forearms braced on his leg. He was much younger looking than I’d anticipated—I’d been expecting Gandalf vibes if I was honest. Vaeryn was ruggedly handsome, his long golden hair braided close to his scalp along the sides of his skull. The darkness of his eyes popped against the light shade of his hair, and as he pushed himself up, I had to tilt my head back to look at his face. He was bigger than Cam, which was a shock since my storm mage was the biggest man I’d ever seen.
“Come, Your Highness. We have much to discuss and little time to do so.”
Sloane and I shared a fleeting glance, and we stepped forward, following Vaeryn. As we walked, we were handed towels to dry ourselves and waterskins filled with cool water. I was so thirsty, I couldn’t stop myself from drinking it down like an animal with no manners. The crown was still in my hand and I felt a sense of peace, standing here in this world, with these dragons. I was safe, though I wouldn’t be able to enjoy that until I had all of my mates at my side.
With renewed determination, I squared my shoulders, put the crown on my head, and strode after Vaeryn with purpose.
It was time to get my mates back, and I was willing to do whatever was necessary to make that happen.
The pain fueled my desire for vengeance. The stolen touches and filthy words that were supposed to have been coming from a lover gave life to the monster deep within me. Everything was building, rising, reaching for an escape from the prison of my physical body with every passing moment I had to spend tied down and held in this room.
Hours left alone in the dark would be enough to cause any man to lose his fucking mind, but to do something so psychologically damaging to a man who never had his full mind in the first place? Fucking stupid.
I knew I’d heard Saige’s voice yesterday. Was it yesterday? I was losing track of everything in here. My ankle had been shattered again, and I was pretty sure I’d seen bone when I finally got the nerve to glance down at it. I assumed they’d healed it again, but maybe I just didn’t feel the pain anymore. It didn’t matter; I didn’t exist there anymore. I lived somewhere deep within the walls of my mind, asking myself the questions I’d always been too afraid to really get answers to.
Did I like killing people? Did I resent my ability as much as I claimed to, or was I pretending because that’s what everyone else told me it’s how they’d feel if they had my affinity? All of the people I killed had been ‘bad.’ At least, that’s what Radical had always told us. I was nothing more than a fucking hitman. I’d always seen the reports when Johnny—no, Bram—briefed us on our assignments, but really, what information did I have for sure that all of those people deserved the things I’d done?
I laughed. I laughed so fucking loud that the sound echoed around the cell. I laughed so hard I cried. And why? Because I’d never asked. I’d never asked for proof if it wasn’t provided. I just trusted in the job, our purpose. Protecting the magical community from rogues and evil supernaturals who would harm humans and magical people alike—that was what we did.
And yet, something lurked in the depths of my soul. This black vortex, which felt like it needed me to kill. It was there now, churning and twisting, hungry for death, and I was more than ready to fucking feed it.
It consumed me, this forced self-discovery. I couldn’t think about the guys; it would break me. I needed to stay focused. To know what I was capable of. I suspected that the guard who tortured me was also the same guard who shapeshifted into Sloane. There were little tells. Like the way he would rub his index and middle finger against his thumb when he was thinking. Sloane never did that, but this Sloane did.
