Page 38 of The Magic of Eternity
‘Fischer?’I called out.‘Are you there?’
A second later, his smooth voice came through.‘I’m here, sweetheart. Where are you? What’s happening?’
‘Don’t worry. We’re just descending into the town now. The forest is on the outskirts. We have a little over fifty dragons in our party. Our plan is that they will break off into five teams and work through the land, scouting for the captive dragons and releasing them from their prisons.’
‘That’s great, sweetheart. We are in the servants’ wing. There is an exit that leads directly to the courtyard. We have eyes on it at all times, but there’s been no movement yet. Balor has proved to be an incredible ally, and we have approximately one hundred loyalists here with us who will fight. I have no doubt there are more, and once the fighting breaks out, they will come to our aid.’
‘That’s a relief,’I told him.‘So what is the plan exactly?’
He paused.‘We’re going to infiltrate the crowd and be scattered throughout, hiding in plain sight. Asrael will likely put on a big production to fuel his narcissistic traits. If we can time this right, ideally the freed dragons and Vaeryn’s army will arrive to create a distraction, and that’s when we’ll strike.’
I couldn’t believe this was happening.‘Guppy, did you imagine when you first met me that this was where you would be led, that you would actually die and be reborn only to find yourself here in another realm, surrounded by enemies?’I could almost picture his eyes burning into mine. I wished on every star in the sky that I would be able to feel the heat of his gaze again.
‘No, I didn’t see this coming. I didn’t see you coming. You freed me, Saige. You loved me, even when I didn’t love myself. So whatever I’ve gone through, whateverwehave gone through to get to this point today, I would gladly do it one hundred times over. Especially if it means an eternity with you.’Tears gathered in my eyes. His words spoke like a prayer, a promise. There was nothing but truth between us.
‘I love you, Guppy,’I whispered,‘and I miss you so much.’Sloane hit the ground much softer than one would think a huge dragon would be capable of, and I wiped the tears from my cheeks.‘We’re on the ground now. I’ll check back in as soon as I have more information. I’ll see you soon, my love.’
‘Stay safe, sweetheart. I love you.’
The connection severed, and I carefully extracted myself from Sloane’s claws. As the other dragons landed, they all began shifting into their human forms. Each dragon had carried a large pack on their back filled with supplies, and they immediately began putting on battle armor and different sorts of chain mail, and gathering weapons.
Warm breath hit my neck, and my eyes fluttered. “How are you, Red?” Sloane murmured, pressing his warm lips against my throat.
“I’m ready for this day to be over.” I turned my head to the side, finding his mouth. He kissed me deeply, with purpose and feeling. Feelings that not so long ago, he hadn’t even thought himself capable of. His tongue swirled against mine, coaxing me and soothing me as he silently declared his love. His large palm cupped my cheek and the other palm rested against the swell of my pregnant belly. I melted against him. I needed this connection.
“I found something for you. I need to give it to you before we leave.” He lifted a brow, and my curiosity was piqued.
“Lead the way, dragon man.” I smiled as we walked through the group of dragons who were hastily getting dressed and arming themselves. I filled Sloane in on my discussion with Fischer, and he nodded approvingly at the progress they’d made. Fish had sounded better this time, more like himself, but I was still concerned. Wrapping my hand around Sloane’s arm, I stopped him.
“Did you think Fischer sounded strange earlier?” I bit the inside of my cheek, giving my anxiety an outlet.
Sloane’s mouth turned down as a grimace flashed over his handsome face. So I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed then. “Red, I think we all sound strange right now. Since we got here, we’ve each been on our own sort of journey, right?” His blue eyes pierced me, forcing my head to nod. “None of us are getting out of this unscathed. Each one of us has gone through a transformation. Mine started the minute you flashed me those big green eyes as I stood outside of The Pig by the moving van. It’s been heaven and hell, baby.”
He was right. Everything he said made perfect sense, and I gave him a small smile, trying to draw his strength into myself. “You’ve thought about this a lot from the sounds of it,” I mumbled, my fingers playing with the hem of my shirt.
“I had a lot of time to think. When I was in that enclosure with Emrys and the others, they helped me in a way that I hadn’t realized I needed. By talking.” He let out a humorless laugh. “The very thing I’ve always despised. I spent weeks talking with those males, getting everything out of my system, and it helped. I can look at your face now without seeing the memories of what I saw in that lab. I’ve learned how to accept that I am worthy of love and capable of giving it. So, yeah, I’ve thought about it a lot, and I can’t wait for this day to end so you can make that pretty portal and we can get the fuck out of here.”
I shook my head sadly. “You know it won’t be that simple. We won’t be able to just leave. The realm is in a civil war and even if Asrael is defeated today, Bram is the true king. Do you think he will just walk away from his people? These dragons, they believe I am their queen. How are we supposed to just leave?” My chest was growing tighter as the weight of the situation really slammed down on my shoulders. I filled my lungs deeply and exhaled a shaky breath.
“You can open a portal and come and go as you please. These babies could come at any moment, and I want you somewhere safe. Don’t you want to deliver them in our realm? The people here will understand.” Sloane leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. “Today, when we are victorious, I will be taking you back to Emerald Lakes so you can rest. You have six mates, baby. Let us handle the politics.”
Let them handle the politics? My mind either rewarded me or tortured me with a vision of me lying in my bedroom at home, two little bundles tucked against me as we slept. “Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll let you all take care of me.”
One dark brow quirked up. “Oh, you’ll let us, hmm? How will you manage?” I slapped him playfully on the chest; it was the least he deserved for that mocking tone. “Come with me, I want to show you this.” He took my hand, leading me over to where Vaeryn was strapping a belt full of weapons to his hips.
“Ahh, Sloane.” Vaeryn greeted my mate, then straightened to his full height as I stepped around Sloane to reveal myself. “Your Highness, how was your journey? I trust you are well?”
“I am, thank you,” I replied. “I spoke with Fischer. You met him on the mountain. Do you remember?” Vaeryn nodded, and I fought a blush as I remembered what had happened on that mountain between the three of us before Vaeryn had arrived. “My mates have gathered allies within the walls of the castle and they are ready. Our mission is to free the dragons, creating a distraction. That’s when we’ll attack.”
Vaeryn’s face glowed as a wide smile broke across his mouth. “I cannot wait!” A loud, full-bellied laugh boomed from him, and I found myself chuckling, his happiness contagious. “I have waited centuries for this. I can almost smell the blood from here.” We laughed, but I knew he was deadly serious. These dragons had waited a very long time for their revenge. Now it was here and nothing was going to hold them back.
“Do you have it, Vaeryn?” Sloane asked, wringing his hands together.
Our dragon friend glanced at my mate, a look of confusion abruptly morphing into glee. “Oh, yes, yes, of course I do. One moment.” Vaeryn turned around and walked over to his large pack on the ground, retrieving a package that was wrapped in plain brown paper. He beamed as he walked back over to us, his chest puffed out with pride. “Here we are.” He handed the package to Sloane and my mate dipped his head in thanks.
“Give us five minutes, Vaeryn.” The dragon leader nodded, and Sloane pulled me by my hand, leading me a little further into the forest, just far enough to have some semblance of privacy.
“What are we doing?” I asked, my head craning as I looked back to see if we were missing anything in the camp.
