Vampire Girl 2: Midnight Star(19)

I walk back to my bed and study the tiny dragon sleeping there. It's a marvel that my mother's ring had been a dragon egg all along. Did she know? Did my father?

Tendrils of resentment unfurl in me. They did nothing to prepare me for my fate. They left me to deal with this completely alone.

They must have had their reasons. Someday I hope I will have a chance to ask my mother all the questions building up in me. Until then, I must try to rest. I blow out the blue candles and snuggle onto my bed with Yami. A moment later, something licks my chin.

"Yami?"

He keeps licking.

I turn away, trying to sleep. He starts to lick my hair.

Ah! The problems of being a Fae Princess, Wild One…







The next morning, Asher guides me outside, through a forest of silver trees and mist. A chill sweeps the air, and morning dew covers the shrubbery, glistening with an ethereal glow.

The Prince of Pride is silent as we walk, a rare occurrence, and I am too lost in thought to initiate conversation. Yami is with me, of course, perched on my shoulder, sniffing at the air in delight. I sense I won't ever be without him again. I can feel a tether to the tiny dragon. A spiritual chord that connects us forever. I'm not sure he and I could survive being apart.

"What does he eat?" I ask Asher, breaking the silence.

He frowns. "Who? Varis?"

"No, not the Druid. Yami. What does my dragon eat? I need to make sure he is cared for properly."

"Don't you just… know what to do?"

I roll my eyes. "Sorry, the library was out of 'How to take care of your new baby dragon.' And the movie wasn't helpful."

Asher smirks for the first time all morning, and I smile back, half-disbelieving how different my life is now. A month ago, I was a waitress at the Roxy, and now I'm the official Prince of Hell cheerer-upper.

Yami licks my cheek, unconcerned with our conversation. I don't know how big he'll get, or what I will do with him when we go to my world. I have so many questions.

Asher looks more closely, presumably trying to see the dragon that still does not wish to be seen by anyone but me. "Varis will tell you all you need to know."

"You know the Druid. Or at least, he seems to know you. Are you two close?" I ask.

Asher's face hardens, and he looks away, picking up speed. "We were friends long ago, but no longer." There's a finality to his words that make it clear he's not interested in talking further.

As the sun climbs in the sky, we arrive at a trail leading up a mountain. I can see I'll need to be in excellent shape to keep up with all this hiking and mountain climbing I've been thrust into. It's a good thing I had all that training with Fen and Kayla. I'm stronger than I've ever been.

Many minutes and breaks later, we arrive at the peak, snow crunching beneath our feet. A silver tree with a trunk so large you could fit a small house into it stands before us. There is an opening carved into the trunk, and Asher leads me through, into a large chamber edged by tangled silver roots. Sunlight streams in from holes in the top, casting everything in shades of gold. A pool of clear water rests in the center. A flat black rock juts out from the water. The Druid, covered in white furs and silks, floats inches above the stone in a lotus position. His eyes are closed, his breath steady.

Asher gives me a small bow, then leaves before Varis notices him.

I shift nervously from foot to foot, wondering what I'm supposed to do. Should I say something? Introduce myself? Cough to get his attention? At the thought of coughing, I suddenly need to actually cough, but I don't want to disturb what seems to be some very serious meditating going on, with levitation and everything. What if he falls from the noise? What if he bruises his tailbone on that black rock? All because of me? Could I be punished for causing damage to a god's ass?

I'm spared from further consideration on the subject when Yami leaps off my shoulder, flutters his wings and screeches so loudly I'm certain the entire Air Village can hear him. He stares at something above. A silver owl. Sharp blue eyes.

The bird glides down toward us, digging into the earth with sharp talons, spreading its large wings, appearing larger than it is. Yami leaps away, shrieking, eyes wide with fear. The spikes on his back stretch upright, and then he does something new. He erupts in blue flame.

"Silence!"

The Druid's deep voice fills the cavern, and both the owl and Yami freeze. The screeching stops, the flames die down. Yami seems himself again, and he jumps up and lands on my shoulder, digging claws into my flesh, eyes fixed on the bird.

I don't know whether to apologize or yell. So I just stand there, silently, waiting to see which direction this goes.

Varis lowers down onto the rock.

And he jumps.

No…

It is more a glide, as if he were lighter than air, and he lands in front of me, his feet barely making a sound. His white furs billow behind him. His tattoos, which I thought black, but now see are a deep blue, glitter in the light. A gust of wind drifts around us, though there should be no wind in this cavernous tree.