Page 4 of Kiss of Death
She rolled up the bandage and tossed it in the trash receptacle. “Lily, you didn’t have to watch that.”
I stood at his bedside, armed and ready for a battle that hadn’t arrived yet. It would still be an entire twelve hours before they crossed into our territory, but I felt strange not being armed to the teeth. I was supposed to lead people, and it was hard to respect the orders of a queen in common clothes. “The Barbarians have left the Empire Colonies. They’ll be here at the darkest part of the night.”
My mother stilled where she stood at my father’s bedside, and a rush of fear moved into her gaze that she couldn’t hide. Her chin dropped down to look at my father, like she wished she could talk to him.
I wished I could talk to him too.
After a heavy bout of silence, she looked at me again, deeper resolve in her gaze. “I’ll stay here and protect your father. If anyone gets through that door, I’ll cut them down.”
I gave a nod. “I’ll make sure they don’t reach the castle.” Not to protect my family home, but the family that lived inside. “And I’ll make sure there are guards at the castle to prevent their entry. Without being able to fly, it’ll be quite a feat for them to make it here.”
“I hope so,” she said. “Have you called for aid?”
“I just sent missives to the Northern Kingdoms, Riviana Star, and the Brigandine Empire.”
“Alright,” she said. “We have allies and dragons and Rothschild blood. We’ll prevail.”
But they had vampires. Vampires that even challenged me when I had the strength of a god in my limbs. “Yes, we will.”
“Lead our people to victory, Lily. Just as your father always believed you would.”
I gave my orders to the men, the fleet prepared to defend the cliffs so their boats couldn’t reach our docks. Then I stood at the edge of the courtyard and slowly watched the day descend into night.
Every torch on the castle grounds was lit, as well as those in the village below. The ocean breeze started to abate with the sun’s descent. I couldn’t feel it in my hair, not when the strands were slicked back in the tightest braid I’d ever worn to keep it from my face.
A thud sounded behind me, vibration in the stone that could only be caused by the weight of a mighty dragon.Zunieth.
I turned from the sea and approached Khazmuda, an enormous black dragon who felt like a father even though he was an entirely different species. I looked up into his face and watched him slowly lower his snout to look at me. “It’s almost time. You don’t have armor.”
I declined their offer to outfit me. I’m bigger than the others and, therefore, require more steel. I’m also not afraid of their golden spikes.
“You should be, Khazmuda. Please take it seriously. Arrogance is for graveyards, not battlefields.”
They come in the dark so they can shoot us from the sky. But we can see as clearly in the night as the day. They’re the arrogant ones.
“We’ll have the armored dragons confront them on the sea, while the others will burn the vampires who come from the south.”
That’s a good plan,Zunieth. Your father would want me to protect you, so I will guard you with my talons, fire, and scales.
“I appreciate that, Khazmuda. But we need to focus on winning the battle, not protecting each other. If we fail and they make it to the castle, they’ll stab a dagger into my father’s heart and take his life. We can’t let that happen.”
If the kingdom falls, that doesn’t mean you and your family have to fall too. We can flee. That’s what Talon would want.
I shook my head. “I’m not leaving, Khazmuda. The only way I’m leaving this kingdom is in death. There is no surrender.”
You sound just like your father.
I felt a rush of pride run through me. “I’ve been told that before.”
Then you must fuse with Zehemoth. You’ll need the strength of a dragon if you want to prevail.
Callum still hadn’t appeared after four days, and with the battle just hours away, I feared he wouldn’t come when I needed him most. So I needed all the strength I could acquire. “I agree.”I would have the strength of both a god and a dragon—and perhaps that would be enough to compensate for what I’d lost.
I will hide the dragons that sustain your father in the wildlands. That way, they can conserve their energy. Sometimes battles last hours, days, or weeks. We need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
“Yes.”
He dipped his head and rubbed his soft scales against me, the closest thing to a hug a dragon could offer.Be safe,Zunieth.
