Page 112 of Claim the Light
“My name is Nathaniel,” he says. “But what matters more than my identity is the power I gave you.”
I wasn’t expecting him to get right to the point, but it’s a fucking relief.
“I need to know why,” I say, lifting my hands as if they were weapons. “If your purpose is to keep dragons in balance with their environment, why would you ever give such a chaotic power to anyone, let alone me?”
The corners of his mouth twitch upward. “Not chaotic in the right hands.”
My brow furrows at his response, but he inclines his head in a conciliatory gesture. “You asked an important question and the answer is critical: Because there can no longer be only one dragon’s light.”
Warily, I study him. “I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”
He exhales quietly before he folds his hands in front of himself. “I gave my heart as my last living act before the moment of my death, and I did it for purely selfish reasons.”
I’m surprised by his admission and I say so.
Nathaniel gives me a rueful smile. “I was mortal. But the woman I love is eternal. By offering my heart to the dragons, my soul could continue on, and I could be with her for the eternity that she is destined to live.”
His jaw clenches, and now I sense a deep rage, the kind that has burned for far too long. “When I was taken from the dragons, I was taken from her, too. Irreparable damage was done. To the dragons, to me, and to her. She lost me and, in the moment before I disappeared behind the veil, I felt her heart break. I needed to get back to her, but I couldn’t.”
My own heart is in my throat. I wish more than anything that Lana was hearing all of this. She had the chance to only briefly describe to me the fiery hell that the dragon’s light was creating within the veil, the pure wrath that was close to burning through the veil’s walls.
The man’s voice is now a harsh snarl. “Never again will I allow my heart to be withheld from those who need it. That is why I have given you the same power that I control, Sophia Dragon.”
I’m sure I’m no longer breathing. I’m certain my heart has stopped.
Somehow, Nathaniel has moved closer to me and now he stands only a step away. “That is why you are alsothe dragon’s light.”
I drag air into my chest, but he is relentless, although his voice quiets now. “Over time, you will pass your abilities to other dragons, and they will pass their light to other dragons, until the day when the light exists in every dragon’s heart.”
He steps back. “Then, I can be at peace.”
Tears are falling down my cheeks. “I understand.”
Even though the enormity of what he’s saying is going to take me days, weeks, even months to process.
“How can I make sure I don’t hurt anyone?” I ask. “This power is wild and my impulses could lead to destruction.”
His expression softens. “It will be hard at first. You will need to seclude yourself completely until you can control your basic impulses. After that, you must follow the path of old magic. It will lead you to those who can help you more fully control and use your power.”
I glance at Micah, remembering the way he spoke of his mother’s family and how he wanted to connect with them. Now it seems that fate is guiding me in that direction.
Even so, I have doubts. “But what if—”
“The power you control is pure light magic, but it was created in the time of old magic and in accordance with the old laws,” Nathaniel says. “You must find other beings of old magic, surround yourself with them, and learn their ways. Your power can’t hurt them, and they can teach you how to control it. Then you can return to the dragons you love. Stronger. Calmer. At peace.”
My heart swells. I want to believe him.
I want to believe that peace is finally within my reach.
I dare to ask him, “Why do you remind me of Callan Steele?”
He grins at me. “His mother was human, yes?”
I nod.
Nathaniel’s chuckle is so contagious that I find myself smiling back at him.
“Well,” he says, “my sister had many children, and they had many children, and so on through the ages. All the way to Callan’s mother.”
