Page 21 of Shadows of Fire
“The humans never possessed knowledge of useither, and we never believed our families would be torn apart theway they are.”
“This may be our only hope,” Brokk said.
“I’ll talk with Circe and Talon,” his fathersaid.
“If they agree, we’re still left with thebiggest problem of all,” Brokk said.
“How do we get past the dragons to kill theLord?” Cole asked.
They all stared at each other, but no one hadan answer.
“Keep an eye out for Varo and Orin,” hisfather said. “Don’t put yourselves at risk, but if there’ssomething you can do….”
“We’ll save them if we can,” Cole vowed, andBrokk nodded.
Cole knew that was easier said than done asthe Lord’s men were relentlessly hunting his brothers, but he woulddo what he could to save them.
CHAPTER 14
Lexi strolled toward the large weeping willow nearthe lake. She inhaled the sweet scent of spring and the waterlilies floating on the water. The gentle breeze caused the smallgreen leaves to dance as she approached the thick canopy theycreated.
The branches spilling into the water sentsmall ripples across the serene surface when the wind stirred them.She couldn’t see it yet, but beneath the boughs of the tree andagainst its trunk, she’d erected a small marker for her father.
His body would never reside here, but hismemories lingered like ghosts over a graveyard. She heard hislaughter as he chased her beneath the drooping branches and throughthe curtain of tiny leaves.
Her laughter mingled with his when he liftedher from the ground and spun her around. Her feet flew through theair, and for a moment, she was flying and the world was thiswondrous place. She never once doubted his love for her.
Over the years, they spent many hours beneaththis tree playing, imagining they were in a fantasy world battlingpirates or soaring through the air on the Lord’s dragons.Sometimes, she would sit on his lap while he read to her for hours,or they would feed the ducks while birds flitted through thebranches and the wind whispered through the leaves.
It had been years since they last sat beneaththe tree together. The war took him away long before it claimed hislife, but she came here often to sit beneath the boughs and talk tohim. Only now, he wasn’t talking back anymore.
She refused to look at the smoke rising fromthe burned-out city while she walked; she’d seen enough of it.Arriving at the tree, she pulled back some of the branches andducked beneath the leaves.
When she released the branches, they swishedas they settled into place behind her. Hidden beneath the tree,some of the weight lifted from her shoulders and they sagged.
She’d spent most of the day trying not tothink about what the future held after their return from theGloaming last night. She hoped it wasn’t true, but she suspected itwouldn’t be long before Malakai turned up here.
She didn’t know how much time she had, butshe had to prepare. However, she had no idea what to do. No matterwhat happened, she wouldnotjoin her life to his, but herrefusal was not something he would take well.
What would he do to her? To the manor? ToSahira?
She shuddered at the possibilities beforeshoving them aside. Those were concerns for a later time. Now, itwas just her, this secret place, and the small plaque for herfather.
The willow’s branches encased her, but theyprovided enough room for her to walk over to the marker withoutbending. Kneeling before it, she wiped away the leaves that hadfallen onto it and sat back on her heels to read it.
Delano Harper.
Beloved father, brother, and friend.
She’d wanted to put so much more onto it, butno stone could ever be big enough to display the depth of her loveor the endless magnitude of her grief.
“I miss you, Daddy,” she whispered.
A low groan accompanied her words. Lexi frozeas the hair on her nape rose and prickles raced across her skin.She held her breath as she waited for something more, but the onlysound was the breeze rustling the leaves.
She glanced around the shadowed interior butdidn’t see anyone else. Rising, she edged to the left of the treetrunk. Her hand went to the hunting knife strapped to the belt onher waist.
Because she was half human, she couldn’ttransport away from a threat like other vampires. She didn’t burnor catch fire in the sun, though, so she supposed it was a goodtrade-off. However, it didn’t feel like one right now.
