Mestifito’s giant body shook from his head to his tail. His eyes rolled back, and he dropped to the ground.
“No!” Sophia fell next to his head, cradling his snout in her arms. “What’s wrong? Don’t promise me forever only to leave me.” Tears poured from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks.
Mestifito convulsed for a few moments until his body began to change. Sophia gasped and scrabbled backward across the pebbled ground. Rocks bit into her palms, drawing blood. She cowered against the cave wall, her heart pounding.
His body contorted and shrank. His scaled armor turned to dark skin, so black Sophia couldn’t find him in the dark cave.
“Mestifito?” She called out into the darkness. There was no sound. Not the tiniest echo. Nothing.
Until…
A crunching sound. Feet on the ground. Tentative at first. Then faster. Running.
Sophia pressed her back into the dirt. She didn’t remember how she’d gotten into the cave, nor did she know how to get out. Fear gripped her heart, squeezing.
“Sophia?” It was a gentle voice.
She didn’t respond.
It came nearer.
“Now that you’ve finally given me your promise, you will be allowed to remember. You will know.”
A ball of light burst through the dark. Sophia threw her arm over her eyes. “Mestifito?” It was his voice, but different. Somehow softer, gentler.
Less beast.
More man.
“Drop your arm. See your future.”
Trembling, she did as she was told. A man stood in front of her. Tall with jet black hair and amber eyes the color of fire. It was the man in her memory. “Mestifito?” she asked again. She reached out a hand to him.
By the faint light of the bauble in his hand, she could see more clearly as he came closer. His skin, as dark as hers was pale. She followed the light up his arm to his chest. His throat. His face. A strong jaw, blinding white teeth, full lips, and those beautiful amber eyes.
It was him. The dragon was a man.
“I will help you remember all of your previous visits.”
She stood, her hand in his. “Did I turn you down those times?”
He shook his head. “No. Today was the first day I asked.” He leaned down, pressing his lips against hers, hungry. Her fingers rested on his shoulders, exploring the finely chiseled muscles. Her heart leapt. Her body ached.
She broke away. “Women younger than I have been wed and bedded.”
He traced a finger across her jaw. “I wasn’t waiting for physical maturity. I was waiting for you to be prepared. What lies ahead for you is a life of lies and pain. You will know it all, Sophia. When you return to Hutton’s Bridge—”
“Return?” Sophia stepped away from him. “No. I won’t return. I want to stay with you.”
“We have all of eternity together, my Sophia. There are things that must be done before you can stay with me forever. You will have a family. You will grow old. You will die. And only then can we be together forever.” Mestifito pulled her back into his embrace.
Sophia buried her head in his chest, taking in his scent. The honey and cinnamon still lingered. There was so much she didn’t understand, but she trusted him. And, more importantly, she loved her people. Yes, she would go home. She would help them to escape.
There was life beyond the fog. She knew it, and she would do what it took to free her people.
Only then could she return to Mestifito and be with him forever.
Chapter One
Death hung over Tressa her like a shroud, clouding every movement, every thought, every breath. She lay in bed, exhausted. She'd promised Jarrett she would rest. After recent events, she couldn't argue. Regret, loss, and fear overwhelmed her at times, hampering her recovery.
Since arriving back at Ashoom after the battle at Malum, Tressa hadn't felt herself. A chill surrounded her, yet there was a fire in her stomach forcing her to retch up everything she ate. Tressa wanted to ask Elinor, the girl appeared to be a very competent healer, if it had anything to do with the miscarriage she'd suffered not long ago. But Tressa hadn't found the right time to tell Bastian about the baby and it wasn't fair for anyone else to know before him.
Late at night when she woke up in tears, her arms wrapped around her belly, it was Jarrett who held her and dried her cheeks. He knew her deepest secrets and kept them without so much as a knowing glance.
Her illness also gave her a good reason to avoid Bastian. He'd visited her room, yes, but they hadn't spoken about their relationship, or lack thereof. She didn't even know what to say, how to explain the change in her feelings. It wasn’t as if there was one moment when she didn’t love him the way she knew she should have.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Tressa tried to sit up, but her head hurt and her stomach churned. "Come in," she said, her voice weak.