Page 83 of When Ashes Fall

My gaze drifted to the castle; Briar was in there, angry and hurting. I should find her and apologize, but I didn’t know how to do that… not anymore.

And I was afraid that if I got too close right now, I’d take her again. I couldn’t do that.

She’d tried to hide her bruises beneath her clothes, but I’d seen the ones on her neck. Her hair covered them last night; it didn’t this morning.

A shadow fell across the land as the shadow dragon soared overhead. It swept over the castle before turning and banking back toward me. Closing its wings, dirt puffed up around it as it settled on the ground only twenty feet away.

Magnazius shied away from the creature as it prowled a little closer. He was used to the dragon, but he still didn’t like it. Undoing his tie, I released Magnazius and left him free to enjoy some grass before returning to his stall.

When I stretched my hand out to the dragon, it snorted and pressed its snout to my palm before lifting its head. Pure black eyes held mine as it snorted again. I didn’t have to speak with it to know it needed something from me.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Knox

Climbing onto the dragon’s back, I recalled Briar’s words about the curse being the reason the dragon existed. I hoped that breaking the curse wouldn’t make it dissipate.

I grasped its two black horns and flattened myself against its head as the dragon unfurled its wings and pushed off the ground. Wind battered me as the dragon flew across the castle and out over the open farmland.

That brown land was nowhere near as fertile as it was before the curse, but the sprites had kept some of it lush enough to keep the remaining livestock alive. I was sure Briar’s potions were helping with that now too.

I closed my eyes against musings of Briar as I breathed deeply, relishing the chill air against my skin. It helped scrub away some of the confusion and doubts plaguing me since Briar entered Wildwood… and especially since last night.

Up here, I was free of it all and one with a beast that was just like me in so many ways. I didn’t know if the dragon had come to the castle because it sensed my turbulent emotions or if something was wrong in the kingdom. Still, I was glad for this reprieve from everything except it, the frigid wind, and freedom.

Together, we moved in perfect harmony as my body responded to every subtle shift of the dragon’s. I knew he was going to turn before he did and smiled as he dove low before soaring high and spinning through the air.

He hadn’t come because there was danger. He’d come for me.

The dragon plunged through the clouds, past mountains with snow still on their peaks, and into a valley. Laid out beneath us like a vibrant blue ribbon, a river cut its way through the towering mountains. Clouds obscured the mountain peaks, but I knew their craggy formations well; I’d spent a lot of time soaring over this land with this dragon.

Somehow, though I was nowhere near Wildwood when the curse occurred, this dragon and I had become entwined with each other. Not only was it in tune with my emotions, but I sensed its joy as its wings tilted and it banked to the right. Its bottom wing skimmed the surface of the water, flinging droplets through the air before it rolled again.

It needed to be free right now, flying over the earth, and so did I as it dipped and spun. I could do this too, if I fully unleashed the beast, but that creature was an ally I planned to keep hidden for as long as possible. And I preferred being with the shadow dragon; it was where we both belonged.

The dragon soared for at least an hour before descending toward the earth. It settled on the shores of a lake we’d visited often. The crystalline blue water allowed me to see all the way to the bottom of the lake.

A colorful assortment of rocks lined much of the bottom, but some areas were a sandy basin. The water, trickling down from the mountains, was cold even in the summer. The warmer spring days had melted much of the lake’s ice, but chunks of it still floated on the water, creating tiny islands wherever they roamed.

Striding toward the water, I didn’t hesitate before I splashed into it and dove beneath the surface. The chill gripping my muscles tried to seize them and drag me under, but I kicked through it as I refused to let it best me.

My fingers grazed pale blue rocks as I propelled myself to the bottom. My lungs burned, and I kept my lips shut while the urge to breathe grew with every passing second.

I remained beneath the water, gazing into the blue abyss as colorful fish swam past. Some came so close, they skimmed against me before darting away.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I planted my feet against the rocks and shoved myself to the surface. I broke free and gasped for breath before throwing my head back and bellowing.

I didn’t know who I was angrier at: Briar for her constant defiance, the casters for everything they’d done, or myself for allowing them to twist me in such a way that I’d enjoyed the pain I unleashed on my mate.

And I wanted more of it… for her and me.

Briar hadn’t betrayed me, which meant she was as pure-hearted and kind as she’d always been. She’d shown that with her tenderness toward Wildwood; she’d brought my kingdom back to life even more so than the sprites and asked nothing in return except for some freedom… something she had a right to.

If I kept her as mine, I’d stain her soul, and while I shouldn’t crave that, I did. Even now, with the icy water biting into my muscles and freezing my fingers and toes, my cock stirred at the memory of fucking her harder than I ever had before.

I could have killed her if I lost control… no, I would have stopped myself from that. At least I was certain of that. No matter how much I wanted to unleash some of my suffering on Briar, I’d never kill her.

But I could do something far worse. I could snap and take her against her will. I wasn’t so sure I could stop that; not if the beast broke free, and maybe not even if the man remained in control. When it came to her, I had no certainty about myself anymore.