Page 47 of Thorulf
Chapter Eighteen
THERE WERE NO moreconflicting sensations than the euphoric bliss of losing himself in Jade and seeing the purple dragon pass the exit to their chamber. Because this place was his and Jade’s. Always had been, and it horrified him that he had forgotten that. More so, that he’d ever lain with another female after, never mind that it was possibly the enemy.
“What is it?” Jade murmured before her dreamy expression cleared, and her gaze shot to the doorway. “She was just here, wasn’t she?” She was off him in a flash and striding that way, be damned clothing. “I’ll kill her here and now.”
He barely had a moment to admire her stunning backside before he caught up and stopped her. “Wait.” Though he hated to do it, he chanted them back into clothing, took her shoulders, and made sure she looked at him. “It’s just a memory, Jade. She was transparent, so she’s not really here.” He tilted her chin, so she looked at him when she tried to glare after the enemy. “Nevertheless, you need to rein in your anger before we follow.” He shook his head. “She’s a goddess, so there’s no way to know what kind of power she has even in a memory. What Idoknow is it’s a bad idea to let your anger get the better of you because there’s weakness in it.”
“Is there?” Jade ground out. “Because I feel pretty focused and strong right now.” Her dragon eyes flared. “And mad as hell at what she must have done to us.” Her gaze flashed with emotion. With genuine hurt as she gestured at the bed. “Somehow, she took all that from us. She took what we shared and...”
When she trailed off, too emotional to continue, he understood. The purple dragon had undoubtedly taken everything from them. Not just a lifetime of memories but those that would have followed. The time they might have grown even closer and mated. Instead, she turned them on each other. Forced them down a path where they took other lovers when he knew for certain neither would have. Since then, they had been chasing the sensation. Trying to find in another’s arms what they had already found in each other’s.
“She took nothing from us we cannot rediscover.” He cupped the side of Jade’s neck, trying to calm her inner beast. Trying to push a levelness into her that he barely felt himself. “But the only way to do that is to not let our emotions rule us. Track her as she tracked us. Ruin her as she tried to ruin us.” He glanced in the direction the purple dragon had gone, then back at Jade. “To do that, we must understand her tricks. What led us to this moment. Can you do that? Can you set your hatred aside as I will mine?”
He knew she wanted to ask him how he could do that. Wanted to point out that perhaps it was easier for him because he was closer to the purple dragon than he realized. She didn’t, though. Rather, she breathed deeply for a moment before her dragon eyes retreated, and she nodded. Without a doubt, his inner beast had calmed hers, and he couldn’t be more grateful as he took her hand and they pursued the memory.
As it happened, the purple dragon had headed for the main exit, the memory surprising Maya and Dagr when it manifested around them.
“The purple dragon’s the same size she was in my nightmare at the beginning,” Jade said. “We’re all the same sizes.” She frowned when the enemy spied on their dragons before melting out of the darkness and greeting them. “And this isnothow things went.”
Both young Thorulf and Jade seemed startled to see a dragon their age appear out of nowhere.
“Hi there,” the enemy said in a chipper voice, her dragon eyes bright and peppy. Downright friendly as she looked back and forth between them. “I’m Mórrígan. Who are you?”
“She gave you her name,” Maya exclaimed, joining them. “Unreal.”
“At least now we have proof it was the enemy at work all along.” Thorulf gave Jade a reassuring look. “That should help us both with our anger.”
Jade didn’t reply, but he hadn’t really expected her to. She was still conflicted, especially by what they witnessed. By how the memory they watched was somehow the nightmare she’d had, however different the circumstances.
While Jade’s little dragon was quite friendly to the newcomer, his younger self was clearly wary.
“Who are you?” Thorulf pulled Jade back before she pranced over to Mórrígan. “How did you get here?”
“I’m from a neighboring tribe and lost my way.” Mórrígan smiled back at Jade. “You seem very friendly. What’s your name?”
Before Jade could answer, Thorulf nudged her behind him. “Our names don’t matter.” He narrowed his eyes at Mórrígan. “And I don’t know of any dragons that look like you.”
