Page 31 of The Magic of Eternity
Vaeryn’s eyes glinted in the candlelight, which was throwing flickering shadows throughout the kitchen. I couldn’t imagine all of the emotion that the old dragon must be feeling. It was still tripping me out that he was ancient but looked to be no more than forty. The dragons had been cursed for centuries, and Vaeryn was already an adult male when that had happened.
“Did you get the name of any of these dragons?” Vaeryn asked, hopeful.
Sloane grinned, his eyes dancing with mischief. “I did. Emrys quickly became my strongest ally within that pen.”
Vaeryn gasped loudly. “Did you sayEmrys?” His face drained of all color and his eyes were the widest I’d seen them yet.
“I did,” Sloane confirmed, stuffing a bite of bread into his mouth.
“By the moon,” Vaeryn exclaimed. “Emrys is my brother! I have not seen him in hundreds of years. Goddess... This is a miracle. How was he? Please, tell me everything.”
My own eyes began to fill with tears watching Vaeryn’s hand shake as he reached for his chalice once more. What were the odds that Sloane would’ve been held in captivity with Vaeryn’s brother? As much as I liked to think that all of this was bullshit—that the stars didn’t get to make decisions for us—it was looking more and more as though fate was woven like an intricate tapestry. Each one of us being a thread, pulled and pushed and connected to create a picture.
But as for what that picture would look like? We didn’t get a say; we were merely along for the ride. Passengers in our own lives as we hurtled toward the ending the stars had already mapped for us. On one hand, I supposed that it should have been comforting. If you accepted that it was fate and that you had no control over where your life was heading, it would be easier to roll with the punches and not second-guess your decisions.
I continued to eat and drink as Vaeryn and Sloane discussed the dragon friends that he had made. Vaeryn’s energy was rising with each passing moment, as though every small bit of information that Sloane passed on to him sparked new life within his soul.
I was so happy for him. At least one of his family members was alive and could possibly be rescued. I could only hope that the same was true for the rest of my mates.
We finished eating,and I left Vaeryn and Sloane at the table to continue their discussions. Sloane was full of questions, and Vaeryn was just as curious. I excused myself to the sitting room, which was just off from the kitchen. Sunken down into the floor, it was accessible by three steps that were carved into the stone. There was no furniture; instead, it was all beautiful blankets and pillows, with rich colors and beautiful fabrics of all textures. I had never been more comfortable in my life. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been having all six of my mates with me, and maybe a good book.
With my belly now full, I was starting to feel exhausted after the events of the day. And yet, I couldn’t seem to close my eyes, because there was this unsettled nagging feeling within my heart. I couldn’t place why I felt so on edge. Yes, the rest of my mates were being held at the castle, and I hadn’t seen them since the day we’d gotten there a month ago. But this was something more.
I was worried that it was some sort of internal alarm, warning me that one—or more—of my mates was in danger. Even so, I was not used to carrying around so much extra weight. Growing two babies was a lot of work and my lower back was really starting to protest. I regretted not asking Balor about an estimated due date. It had to be soon, right? Surely I couldn’t get much bigger without popping.
I snagged the largest pillow that I could find and made myself comfortable. It was a good thing I’d always been a side sleeper because if I lay on my back now, I knew I wouldn’t be able to breathe. And obviously, there was no way I could lie on my stomach.
I still couldn’t believe that the dragons had their own world. It was smart. It was brilliant. And it was a secret, one that Asrael had no idea about, which made me smile. I’d never forget the look on his face when I got the best of him and escaped.
‘Sweetheart.’
My lungs seized. Gods, I surely must have been hallucinating because I could’ve sworn that I’d just heard Fischer’s voice.
‘Sweetheart? Are you there? Please tell me that you can hear me. Talk to me, anything.’
‘Guppy?’I whispered the words in my head. My heart was racing. I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of my pulse hammering in my ears. Even my hands were shaking. As I waited, I held my breath, desperately hoping that this wasn’t a hallucination and that I was actually hearing the voice of my mate.
‘Thank the gods... Saige. Where are you? Are you okay?’Fischer’s words were rapid-fire.
‘I’m with Sloane. We’re okay. Are you okay? Who are you with? Are the others with you? Are you safe?’My eyes fell shut as I begged, with every inch of my soul, to please let them be okay. I’d offer myself up to any deity. Please.
Fischer paused for so long that I thought I was going to lose my mind in the silence. Maybe I already had.‘Cam and Kai are with me. The three of us are okay. Napoleon is here too.’
I realized that I was frowning. There was something off in the way my sweet Guppy was speaking to me. And I knew, in an instant, that something terrible had happened to him. Tears began running down my face without him even saying anything more. He sounded distant, his voice flat and emotionless. He spoke the words, but there wasn’t anything behind them. No feeling. Nothing. It wasn’t like him to not ask about Sloane. Something was wrong.
‘Guppy,’I said.‘What’s wrong? I miss you so much. I love you.’I knew he could tell I was crying, even though we were speaking telepathically.
‘Don’t cry, sweetheart. Please, don’t cry. I miss you too. Everything will be okay. But Saige, things are happening here. Things that we can’t control. We need you and Sloane to come here as soon as possible. We can arrange somewhere to meet.’
Sloane had wandered over now, clearly having heard my cries. He stared down at me with his brow furrowed. “What is it, baby? Why are you sad?” He crouched down and brushed my hair out of my face, using his thumbs to wipe away my tears.
“Fischer is talking to me,” I told him, and his mouth fell open.
“Right now?” His eyes widened in disbelief, like he couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, right now. He says he’s with Cam and Kai, and that there are things happening at the castle that we need to go back for right away.”
Sloane narrowed his eyes. “What if this is a trap?” he asked.
