Page 82 of A Celtic Vow
“Yes,”Ulrik replied.“And if you become involved in any way, you risk one of your lives being taken instead. Given what has happened and the great life Constance took, ‘twill be your dragon.”
His human half had no time to contemplate that. To wonder what Ulrik meant by a great life. Rather, he raced downward, thankful when Ulrik didn’t stop him this time.
But then his dragon knew what he did.
Knew there wasn’t anything he would not do for his mate.
Sadly, he didn’t get to Constance fast enough, and Siobhán drove her blade into her dragon’s heart.
“Nay,”Aodh roared in fury. He crashed down on all fours over Siobhán and unleashed everything he had on her. Unleashed dragon fire with such rage and heartache that Siobhán wailed in pain and withered beneath his wrath.
But not before he felt part of himself wither along with her, too.
Before it felt like his body was being torn apart by her magic once more.
“Oh, no, Aodh,”Constance whimpered into his mind.“What are you doing? Why did you come when you knew what would happen?”
He tried to respond but couldn’t when excruciating pain ripped through him. When he felt the same pain tearing through Constance. Moments later, the world seemed to explode in fire, then die down to embers. To simmering ash that tore his soul in two almost as harshly as it had his body. Tore everything in half until he roared in agony. Roared in such incredible anguish until his body couldn’t take anymore, and all went dark.
All faded away.
Faded until he heard Constance’s soft voice from what seemed a great distance.
“Aodh.” Her cool hand touched his face. Her warm tears rolled down his cheeks. “Wake up,mo thine. Come back to me.”
He cracked his eyes open only to see King’s Heart over him for a split second. A blink later, nothing but ash rained down. His throat felt strange. Bone dry.
“Here.” Constance brought a skin of cool water to his mouth. “Drink. You’re as dehydrated as I was.”
So he drank, still trying to understand what had happened. How he was here when moments before, everything had been ripping apart? When it felt like his soul had been torn from his body? When it felt like he’d lost her?
Yet now his head rested in her lap.
“You’re alive.” He cupped her cheek. “I thought I lost ye. I thought—”
Constance put a finger to his lips and shook her head. “Shh, it’s all right. I’m okay.” She brushed her lips across his. “And you’re okay.”
He knew by the way her eyes shimmered with tears he wasn’t any more okay than she was.
“What is it?” He bolted upright, alarmed. “What happened? Did we defeat Siobhán? Is everyone all right?” He blinked and tried to make sense of his surroundings. “Where are we?”
Cian crouched in front of him and clasped his shoulder in reassurance. “Ye’re at King’s Roar just beyond mine and Madison’s castle.” He gestured at those around them. “And we’re all here with ye, brother. Everyone who matters most.”
He blinked and took in the cave overlooking the Atlantic. Constance’s sisters and his brothers were there, sitting in a circle around a fire, waiting, it seemed, for him to wake. Ulrik and Tréan were there as well. His second-in-command, Eircc, was present, too, along with Declán’s and Liam’s second-in-commands. Bea was there, and Liam’s mentor, Dúghlas. Cian and Madison’s Fae flickered about, and Luna sat next to Riona. Zeke was beside Constance.
“Why are we here?” Needing to feel Constance’s warmth and vitality, he pulled her close until she was tucked by his side. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do we yet,” Declán said, crouching in front of him when Cian moved. “Not entirely.” He shook his head and clasped Aodh’s shoulder. “All we know is we defeated Siobhán, and she is no more.” His features softened. “That there have been...changes since then.”
A feeling of dread he couldn’t explain overcame him. Everyone he cared about most was here. Constance was alive. So why such a feeling of unease?
“Because there was a death of sorts, brother.” Liam replaced Declán and grasped both of Aodh’s shoulders as Ulrik sat beside him, a supportive wall he didn’t quite understand. Liam blinked back emotion. “A death Ulrik warned ye about happened, but ye didn’t care any more than we would have to save our lasses. To save Ireland.”
Aodh shook his head, still not understanding, despite the strange emptiness in him. How odd he continued to feel.
“They’re gone, husband,” Constance said softly, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, trying to offer the same comfort as his brothers and Ulrik. Her steady gaze met his, and a tear fell. “I intended to give up both my lives, my human and dragon, to defeat Siobhán, but you stepped in.” Another tear slipped free. “When you did, our dragons forfeited their lives so our human halves could live.”
“Nay.” He shook his head in denial. “Surely not.” Yet he felt the truth of it in her words. Felt it like a punch to the gut. Such incredible pain and sadness it was indescribable. A sense of loss he’d no idea he could feel over a creature he thought he had despised. Yet, still, the greater loss he felt was for her dragon. For a beastie he had loved since she first shifted as a wee thing and urged him to do the same. “She...ye, cannot be gone.”
