Page 25 of Kell

Alana pointed at the seats. “I am feeling less nauseous today, so I hope she is feeling stronger. Nobody can contact her yet. We are just discussing my next acquisition.”

Natalie flicked her hand toward Cole. “He has kept me up to speed. Dragon party line and all that. What were you discussing when we walked in?”

Alana pointed at Legion. “He is processing what Adara did. She tricked him into breaking their connection.”

Legion shook his head. “She knew this. That is why she goaded me into severing the link. She knew I would never willingly endanger her.”

“I imagine that is true. You know the temple is crucial to the druids’ emergence. You would never put your own existence above the druids, and she couldn’t tell you Mara was alive. It was too dangerous for both of you.”

Natalie glanced between Alana and Legion. “How did Adara get you to break your connection?”

Legion turned to Mara when his wife laid her hand on his arm. “She told me that she betrayed me and that she was my mate.”

Alana shook her head. “That was a lie. She was never the real Adara. She just uses her form as an avatar. The temple understands we interact better with a human version of her power.”

Legion nodded. “I know that now. The temple never used an avatar prior to the druid bomb. That is why I didn’t recognize her for who she was.”

“Mara’s previous incarnation died when she sent her magic into the world, but the temple held your mate bond so she could siphon you. She needed you, Legion. More than you realized, and she hoped that your... talks helped give you hope for a future. You were the only being alive that could sustain her during those centuries.”

Legion took Mara’s hand and kissed it. “I wish I could do more for her. She has given us everything she promised. We must find a way to sustain her, or we will lose everything.”

Kell frowned. “It sounds like this artifact will help, but I have never heard of the dragon’s claw. What is its significance?”

Legion sat down at the table as Mara began to rub his shoulders. “No dragon has laid hands on it in over five thousand years. Magnus was new to leadership when he decided it was too dangerous. Several mages were after it and it was causing dissension even then. It was the match that sparked the war between the dragons and the mages.”

Cole glanced between Legion and Kell. “I have not heard of this artifact either. If Magnus hid this artifact three thousand years before your birth, how did you learn of it?”

Legion tapped his head. “The dragons have their own version of secular knowledge, but it is only bestowed on the leader of the clan. It has had little use until now. Once Alana said she was going after a dragon artifact, every one we have ever created was listed for me. The dragon’s claw is the only thing powerful enough to restore the temple. At least temporarily.”

“It’s that powerful? Is it dangerous to the dragons?” Kell asked.

Legion sighed. “No, not to us, but it could have cataclysmic repercussions if the mage or human population were to learn of its existence.”

Alana leaned forward in her chair. “What does this dragon claw do?”

Legion’s eyes flickered with gold fire. “It grants immortality.”

“What? Why would you create such a thing? You are already immortal,” Alana said.

Mara shook her head. “For us. The druids were not immortal. The dragons were dying with their mates. They created the claw for us.”

Alana blinked. “How did you create it? Where does that kind of magic come from?”

Legion looked down. “Sacrifice. Twins are rare in the dragon clan, but two silvers were born to a couple in the infancy of man. One twin mated and as his druid aged, he began to say his goodbyes to his twin. The other silver had not found a mate and couldn’t bear an eternity without his brother. He sacrificed his life to create the claw and grant his twin’s mate immortality. They had no idea it would work for all dragon mates until the next bonding ceremony. The dragon’s name was Cian. There was a time when my people celebrated the day of his sacrifice as a holiday with gifts for our mates. The leader came to recognize the threat the claw posed on those who were not mated to a dragon, and it was hidden away, and the holiday lost to time.”

Mara put her hand to her face. “That’s terrible. He gave his life for his twin. For us. He should be remembered for it.”

Legion put his hand over his wife’s. “I agree, but the old leader didn’t know how to destroy the claw. It is impervious to magic. It is tied to the druids and, as long as there is a spark of druid magic, it will be sustained.”

Alana whistled. “Does Allorin know about this artifact?”

Legion frowned. “I don’t think so. He would have searched the caves if he knew.”

Alana took another bite of her bagel. She let the cheesy goodness swirl on her tongue before she swallowed. “He doesn’t yet, but he will if I go after it. Adara warned me to stay away from the caves in Scotland unless absolutely necessary. She must have known what the claw could do.”

Legion nodded. “She is tied to it as well. It was created by dragon magic, but it was enacted on the druids. Cian could not have done that without the temple’s approval.”

Kell touched Alana’s back. “Can the mage track you?’

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