Page 91 of Saving the Last Heir
—Jackson
Iplaced the note on my pillow where she wouldn’t miss it when she woke up, then gently brushed my knuckles over her cheek. She stirred and rolled over, but she didn’t wake. My heart ached to leave her, but duty called.
Leaving the room, I eased the door shut, then headed straight downstairs. The receptionist glanced up in surprise when I approached.
“Oh!” he said, eyes widening. “Is something wrong, sir?”
Glancing at my watch, I finally noticed the time. Almost four in the morning. He probably didn’t see many guests this early.
“No problem. I have an early flight. My friend will be staying in the room until checkout, though. Can you put in a room service order for her?”
He scrambled to find a pen and paper. “Absolutely, sir,” he said, sliding over a laminated copy of the room service menu. “Let me know what you’d like to order and the room number.”
I scanned the menu quickly, a constant clock ticking in the back of my mind, urging me to get home fast.
After giving the room number, I said, “An order of coffee and orange juice. The spinach and feta omelet, a side of bacon, and the brioche toast. That should work.”
The clerk finished scribbling the order and gave me a smile. “I’ll put this order in as soon as the cooks come in at five. When would you like it delivered?”
“Seven should work. I don’t want her to be woken up too early.”
“Understood,” he said, jotting down the time. “Is there anything else?—”
I was already out the door before he could finish. I waited until I was in a dark alley well away from any windows before shifting and rising high into the sky, angling toward home. Flying back, I did all I could to push aside my worry and fear, but that was impossible. My dragon whined at the thought of another of our kind vanishing. I prayed that Carson was wrong, but deep down, I knew he never would have called if it was anything else.
When I’d found Tormynd during one of my searches in Europe, he’d been terrified and depressed, barely able to communicate with me through broken English, and I couldn’t make out anything he said to me in his Scandinavian tongue. Still, I’d managed to convince him to fly back across the ocean with me and take up residence at our home. He’d picked up our language fast enough and had become a good friend. I didn’t want to lose him like all the others.
In a fit of rage, I raised my head and belched out a huge, shimmering stream of fire into the sky. Heedless of anyone on the ground or in the air who might see it, I followed it with a shriek of fury. My anger was all the worse because of how impotent I felt. Instead of searching for a cure or a fix to The Vanishing, I was stuck trying to figure out how to get out from under Anitoli’s thumb.
I spent the rest of the flight home in a state of constant worry and anxiety. Would I be too late? Would he already be gone? What if my mom found out before I could tell her? How would she react? How would the others react?
Fuck, I hated this.
When my home finally came into view, I felt no relief. Usually, when I saw the estate, I was at least happy to be home. Now,all I could think of was the depressing sadness that would soon permeate the place.
Tiana stood in the front yard, obviously waiting for me. Spotting me, she waved, and I circled to land.
“Take me to him,” I said as I shifted back to my human form.
“He’s in his room. Come on.”
The house was dead silent as we entered and headed up the stairs. All the remaining members of the winged dragon species lay asleep in their beds. The few of us who were awake now knew that our numbers would be even smaller in a matter of hours. I dreaded the reaction, but there was nothing for it.
“Are you going to tell your girls?” I asked.
Tiana sighed as we reached the third floor. “Yes. I don’t think he’ll last much longer. I doubt he’ll still be here when the sun’s fully up.”
I nodded to myself, still thinking of how I’d tell my mother. She was already grieving and emotionally drained. This news might send her over the edge. Although, she’d always been a strong woman with a powerful will. Perhaps I wasn’t giving her enough credit. She might take it better than I was. I’d find out soon.
We came to the guest quarters that had been Tormynd’s rooms since he came to live with us. Even through the door, I could hear the guttural coughs. Tiana knocked softly on the door.
“Come in,” Carson said.
Stepping into the room behind Tiana, I was struck by the scene. Carson sat beside the bed, holding Tormynd’s hand. The otherman looked awful. His face was pale and sallow, and dark circles ringed his eyes.
“How long has he been like this?” I demanded.
“It didn’t get bad until yesterday afternoon,’ Tiana explained. “At first, it seemed like nothing more than a cold. He went downhill faster than we thought…” She shook her head, at a loss for words.
