Page 22 of Kiss of Death
“Except the god of the underworld…ironically.”
The mention of Callum knocked the wind out of me. I thought of him every moment of every day, wondering when I would see him again, if I would see him again.
Hawk must have caught the look on my face because he said, “Still haven’t heard from him?”
“No.”
Hawk didn’t try to make me feel better, either because he didn’t want to feed me empty words or because Viper had almost reached us. But my brother grabbed my arm and gave it a squeeze. “Be careful, alright? And make sure you return with that platinum.”
I nodded. “Trust me, I’ll do my best.”
Hawk turned to Viper and gave him a polite nod. “Make sure she comes back in one piece.”
“I will.”
“And if she doesn’t, I’ll find you.” Hawk made his threat nonchalantly then walked off.
Viper watched him go before he turned to look at me, but he wore no hint of offense. He looked completely inscrutable, like anything that came from my brother’s mouth was insubstantial.
“He’s just protective because my dad is…not here right now.”
Viper stared at me before he gave a slight nod. “I’m not easily offended.” He examined Zehemoth beside me, clearly marveling at the sight of the dragon up close. The strap of his pack was over his shoulder, and he grabbed it and showed it to Zehemoth. “May I?”
Zehemoth brought his head down low, examined the vampire general with orange eyes. When his breath left his nostrils, it made Viper’s hair shift, but no other part of him flinched. Then Zehemoth gave a nod.
Viper climbed up the straps of the saddle before he secured his pack in place. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Viper climbed the rest of the way and sat in the rear of the saddle, giving me the front seat. It was as if he’d done it before.
I climbed up after him and took the seat in front of him.
He tucked his legs into the straps.
“Have you ridden before?”
“Yes.”
“You have dragons where you’re from?” I asked as I looked over my shoulder.
“No. But my brother has them in his lands.”
“Whoa. What are they like?”
“The same,” he said noncommittally.
“How do you communicate with them?”
“I don’t. Neither does my brother. Only certain humans have that ability.” His arms were long enough to move around me, so he reached forward and grabbed the horn with a single hand. His other slid across the armor that protected my core. “Let’s make haste. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
Zehemoth walked to the edge of the courtyard, tilting down over the cliff to the sea.
It was still a terrifying sight, no matter how many times I rode a dragon. My stomach always lurched left and right, and then I felt a bout of vertigo. But when Zehemoth angled forward and spread his wings, and we soared…it was magic.
We left in the morning and flew northwest, crossing the Great Sea and the Northern Kingdoms and Riviana Star. Flying was so much faster than sailing, but it still took a full day to reach any of my allies. But this journey sounded much longer than any of those.
At dusk, we flew across the sea, going farther than I ever had on the back of a dragon. No clouds dotted the sky, so the stars started to brighten as the sun disappeared over the horizon. There was no extra wind, just the movement of air as it slapped against our faces. The sea beneath us was so calm it acted as a mirror for the sky overhead. If I were to sail in a galleon, the bow of the ship would move effortlessly through the water.
