Page 28 of Claim the Light
Isaac’s other hand flies out toward her heart, a quick movement that slows at the last moment as he gently presses his palm to her upper chest.
She gasps at the contact, but again, doesn’t push him away. “What are you doing?”
His response is vehement as he continues to arrest her gaze. “Do not sacrifice this heart because you believe it’s too broken to be worthy of saving.”
She inhales a quick breath, her chest rising rapidly. Her eyes suddenly fill with tears. “My heart… I don’t…”
She presses her lips together, visibly swallowing as she squeezes her eyes shut. Slowly, she inhales and then exhales, relaxing and swaying into the hand Isaac presses to her chest.
I wait for her response, understanding her inner struggle. She and I never saw eye to eye in the past. In fact, we actively antagonized and hurt each other. But in recent weeks, I’ve caught glimpses of the inner feelings she kept hidden. The pain she felt at her original clan’s betrayals, the loyalty she has for Callan, and the fact that, if it comes to it, she’ll fight to the death for everyone here. Including me.
Her voice is small as she says, “I’ll come with you, Isaac.”
For a moment, they stay like that while she slowly opens her eyes and bites her lip, and he responds by giving her a small nod.
Nobody seems to want to break the moment, but Lana turns to our surroundings, her eyes narrowed. Both she and Callan appear suddenly focused on the same point at a distance along the riverbank.
“We can’t stay here any longer,” Lana says. “I sense malicious intent coming from that direction. Multiple sources. I can’t be sure if it’s Scorn dragons because dragon shifters are still undetectable in my senses, but we can’t take any chances.”
Isaac rises to his feet. “We shouldn’t use the main entrance into the veil. There’s a second access point this way. It’s in an exposed location, which isn’t ideal, but we’ll be able to see anyone coming after us. It also requires more precision to access it so nobody should be able to follow us in.”
Lana exchanges a quick, quiet glance with Callan. “We’ll run interference.”
“If it’s Tyler, don’t get any ash on you,” I say urgently.
“Don’t worry,” Lana replies. “Until we know more about his power, our purpose will be to distract and evade. We won’t engage him unnecessarily and even if we have to fight, we’ll use our weapons so we don’t come into physical contact with him.”
She reaches back to tap her glaive, which rests in the harness around her chest. It’s a polearm made entirely of dragon’s gold, shorter than a spear and with a blade on each end. The larger blade is sharp enough to cut a dragon’s head from their shoulders while the smaller one is shaped like a dagger.
Beside her, Callan also indicates the bands of gold resting around his arms. He can use them as weapons if needed.
“Okay,” I say, breathing more easily.
“I’m determined to find out everything we can about Tyler’s new power.” Lana gives an uncharacteristic shiver as she scans our surroundings again. “I sense the darkness…”
“Close?” I ask, alarmed in case it means Tyler’s closing in on us.
“It’s everywhere.” Her forehead creases. “And nowhere.”
She shakes herself, her focus returning to us. “Callan and I will go hunting now.” She pins Micah with her fierce gaze. “Micah, I expect you to train Sophia to the level that she can hunt with me.”
If anyone other than Lana can teach me the skills I’ll need, it’s Micah. The Grudge were long considered the most brutal of all the clans. There was a time when Micah’s father, Solomon Grudge, was intent on capturing and killing Lana. I wasn’t there the night he trapped her, but those who were told me he very nearly succeeded in ending her.
I’m filled with determination, not fear, as I turn to Micah. “Will you?”
He makes me a vehement promise. “I will.”
* * *
We hurry after Isaac along the city streets, keeping to the shadows where we can.
Even though we no longer have to fear that dragon shadows will appear and betray our supernatural status, we’re bedraggled and wet and it’s difficult not to attract attention. I’m not exactly sure of the time, but judging by the height of the moon, it must be a little past midnight. The city is alive with nightlife, humans exiting restaurants and night clubs, and we’re soon caught in the stream of pedestrians. Luckily, the more people there are, the less they pay attention to us, since they’re busy maneuvering past and around each other.
I envy them and the lives they get to live while I’m headed into hiding.
I can only hope that when I learn to fully control my power, I’ll be able to whisk water away from my body, and away from my shivering friends, with a mere thought.
But for now, I feel like a water magnet.
