Page 57 of Shadows of Light
And every ounce of her missed him. It had been a month. One endless,horriblemonth without him by her side. She’d never felt so alone, broken, and lost.
She hooked her arm through her dad’s and rested her head on his shoulder. She inhaled his familiar scent of the outdoors and mint; it was such a comforting aroma and it soothed a part of her ragged soul.
“You’re doing a good job,” he said as he patted her hand. “You’re a great leader, Andi. It will take some time, but we’ll get through this.”
She smiled at his much-loved nickname for her. “I hope so.”
He squeezed her hand as they arrived at her room. Two lycans stood outside the door, prepared to stand guard for the night. A feeling of suffocation descended over Lexi as she stared at the closed door.
She missed the freedom anonymity afforded her. With a sigh, she kissed her dad’s cheek, opened the door, and disappeared inside.
Closing the door, she leaned against it and studied the moonlight spilling through the windows across from her. Feeling as if she were going to crawl out of her skin, she crossed to the window, rested her hands on the sill, and leaned out to inhale the crisp, fresh air.
She should start closing the shutters at night, but she loved the fresh air and couldn’t shut Cole out. He could probably get past the shutters, but she wasn’t taking the chance he couldn’t.
A dragon dipped its wing toward her. In the moonlight, its orange scales shone like the sun as it swooped beneath the window.
Without hesitating, Lexi scrambled across the sill, onto the dragon’s back, and up to its powerful neck. Her heart hammered and excitement pulsed through her body as its wings flapped and it pushed away from the building.
Lexi grasped two of the spikes on the back of its head as she flattened herself against its back. The wind ruffled her hair and tore at her clothes as the dragon soared across the land.
Below, the small, hut-like homes of many who resided in Dragonia looked like miniatures. Their domed, thatched roofs reminded Lexi of mushrooms, but these were much cuter than the fungus.
They flew over the mountain peaks and valleys. Dragonia was a fertile place full of lush, green grass, grain fields, and mountains touching the sky.
Houses and villages were nestled amid the fields and on the mountains. The torchlights flickering on the dirt roads below illuminated the darkness.
Lexi searched for some sign of Cole as they soared further over the land. If he was in Dragonia, he was most likely in the mountains or caves, but the realm was so vast, he could be anywhere.
At one point, they soared over the dwarves, gathered around a large bonfire as they laughed and waved their battle-axes in the air while dancing and laughing. Their happiness made Lexi smile before the dragon moved on.
She didn’t know how long they flew across the land, but she saw no sign of Cole, and when she started to yawn, the dragon turned back toward the palace.
Exhausted but unwilling to crawl into her bed and let the nightmares take over, Lexi leaned forward to tell the dragon, “Take me to a different window.”
The dragon lowered her to one of the first-floor windows, and Lexi scrambled off to climb inside. Once her feet were back on the ground, she rubbed the dragon’s snout and kissed it.
In response, it nuzzled her before pushing away from the window and returning to the sky. The dragons followed her every move as she traversed the palace.
CHAPTERFORTY-SIX
At the endof the tunnel, Cole spotted a grouping of warlocks, vampires, dark fae, lycans, and other assorted immortals gathered. They must have bonded over their intent to kill Lexi; it wasn’t often so many different immortals were seen together and getting along well.
They’d defeated the Lord because so many immortals had worked with them. And these assholes were gathering an army.
His fingers popped, and his joints cracked as the lycan tried to exert its dominance, but the shadows were in control here. It was almost time for them to play.
He was almost to the group, who remained unaware of his presence, when a gate crashed down in front of him. At first, Cole was too astounded to react before another gate slammed down behind him.
The shadows rose as he realized these assholes had tried to trap him. He roared as he charged the gate protecting his enemies from him.
When he crashed into it, sparks erupted around him, and a jolt of something quaked his body and stuttered his heart. His body spasmed before the magic flung him back.
He hit the ground and bounced across it before coming to a stop. His fingers involuntarily curled inward as the incantation they’d weaved over the gates continued to affect him.
“Easy, Cole,” Becca coaxed from behind him. “We mean you no harm. We’re trying to keep you alive and in power.”
Regaining control of his body, Cole’s head swiveled toward her. The second he saw her in the bar, he should have killed her, but she hadn’t given him a reason to. He couldn’t slaughter her without proof that she was running to the Lord.
