Page 223 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Graeson shook his head. "They’ll show themselves when they’re ready."
Kallie nodded.
Once things had settled after the war, Graeson had started searching for others like him, following any whispers and rumor he heard. So far, he hadn’t found any other demi-gods. Kallie had once asked if there was a chance that Barinthian had lied to him, but Graeson didn’t believe that was the case.
Maybe he was right. Maybe they would reveal themselves when they were ready.
"Is the council prepared for your absence?" Graeson asked, changing the subject.
Kallie would have been lying if she had said she hated attending the council meetings. Some of them might have been longer than she desired or more tedious, but she enjoyed being a part of the conversations. When the war ended, Kallie was unsure what she wanted to do. Without Kage, she didn’t know if she had a place in Ardentol. It was hard at first to decide what she wanted her life to look like. For so long, Kage controlled her desires and wishes. But the moment she stepped into the castle to gather her things, she couldn’t leave.
The civilians were scared and on the verge of civil unrest when Graeson and Kallie had arrived. The council was in complete disarray, with too many lords unsurprisingly trying to take charge. Domitius had trained them to compete to gain his attention, money, and support. It was only natural for them to do the same for who would lead in his absence.
Kallie hadn’t even realized what she was doing when she stormed through the castle and demanded a meeting. From there, the shape of the council shifted. New members wereadded, and old members, who supported Domitius’ war, were voted out. The first year was hard, excruciatingly so. But Kallie and Ardentol persevered. Now it was shaping into a kingdom she was proud to call hers. Kallie was not Kage by any means, but she didn’t want to be. When the council and the people of Ardentol looked at her, they didn’t cower in fear or bow their heads to avert her gaze. They listened, they waited, they smiled.
She loved this kingdom. It was part of her. But all the same, Kallie was looking forward to getting away with Graeson for a little.
For her entire life, she had struggled with the idea of having a home. She had lived in Ardentol most of her life, but it wasn’t hers then. When she had learned she was Pontian, she was even more confused. She felt as if she was split in two. It was one of the many reasons she struggled to decide where to go after the war. A part of her wanted to be in Pontia, to spend time with the family that was taken from her. The other part of her longed for the comfort of the Ardentolian mountains.
She looked at Graeson as they walked through the marble halls, their steady steps soft claps against the floors. Her gift stirred within her, reaching out to him.
Over the past few years, Kallie finally realized the true meaning of home.
She shrugged. "I believe they can survive on their own for a little while."
Graeson paused and peered down at her with a rueful smile. "Think we have time for a pit stop?"
Kallie smacked him playfully in the chest with the back of her hand. "Dani will kill us if we’re late."
Graeson scoffed as he reached behind him and pushed a door open. "I’d like to see her try to take me down."
"Gray."
Even in Graeson’s dragon form, Dani was still a woman to be feared when provoked.
Yet as Graeson’s eyes darkened as he stepped backward into the shadows of the room with his hand outstretched, Kallie could do nothing else but grab his hand.
The moment her hand landed in his, he yanked her toward him. Their chests slammed against each other. With a flick, he shut the door, locking it behind them.
"I promise it’ll be quick, Your Majesty," he said, his voice tickling the side of her neck as he brushed his jaw across it. He hadn’t shaved yet, and his scruff scratched Kallie’s neck, sending a chill running down her spine. She arched into him.
"I suppose we can spare a few minutes," she said, her eyes fluttering shut as Graeson pressed soft kisses along the column of her neck, down to her collarbone. "You’ll just have to ride harder."
Graeson laughed, and the vibration of it sent goosebumps scattering across her skin. "You’ll be the one riding, My Queen."
Kallie inhaled,and the salt of the sea tickled her nose. Beneath them, the Red Sea glittered the brightest shade of blue she had ever seen.
Her body ached, but she’d rather suffer the post-flight soreness than endure a boat’s nauseating rocking motion.
Graeson glanced back at her. At the sparkle of wickedness shining in his molten silver eyes, Kallie’s heart fluttered with excitement. Anticipating Graeson’s next move, she adjusted her grip on the saddle’s pommel, silently thanking Medenia for the early gift. With no other warning, Graeson banked left. Then hedove, and the leather belt dug into Kallie’s stomach as she rose from the seat.
The sea’s roar grew louder as they plunged toward the water. Right before they hit the waves, Graeson evened out, flying parallel to the water’s surface. The waves crashed against his belly. He dipped his wing into the water, slicing a wave in two and causing water to spray up.
A wide smile split across Kallie’s face as droplets dampened her cheeks. Laughing, she shook her head. She would get him back later.
Graeson leveled out once more, flying over the water’s surface. Up ahead, waves crashed against the familiar cliffs. Kallie’s heart pounded as they approached them, her body instinctively bracing for impact despite the number of times they had made this trip. She glanced over her shoulder. Enormous waves chased after them as if Pontanius himself was welcoming them back and ushering them forward.
With her fingers flexing over the pommel, Kallie took a deep breath. When she exhaled, Graeson flew harder.
