Aswe toppled down into the pit that was the original chaos of all things,IfeltToriclinging to me with all her strength.Ireveled in it, that last feeling of herIwould ever have.Forcenturies,Ihad longed for my dragon form and cursed the fae bodyIhad been trapped in.Now,Iwished for nothing more than to wrap her in my arms, holding her tight to my chest with our lips pressed together so that we might enter death together.
Isuddenly felt very light and looked back.Hadmy wings miraculously caught the air?Isaw them stretch behind me now, great and black.Theywere far larger than mine had ever been.That’swhenIfelt the claws clamp around my neck and tail.Witha great tug, we were pulled out of our fatal dive.Icouldn’t twist to see, butIfeltTorilurch at the sight of what held us.Itried to rear back and fight, but it squeezed around my throat, and in a place of unending darkness,Isaw nothing but black.
Iawoke to a celestial constellation.Morestars thanIhad ever seen coated the sky, somehow closer and brighter.Nebulasof purple and pinks swirled between them, moving slower than time itself.Ipushed myself up on four legs and found myself partially submerged in a pool of water that was perfectly still like a mirror, reflecting the sky above.
Asmall groan came from beside me, andIsawToripush herself up.Shemet my gaze, and scrambled over to me, her arms wrapping around my snout.
“Whereare we?”
“Theedge of everything,” a deep voice rang behind us.Wespun around, andIbeheld them.Theywere enormous, even compared to me.Theywere the mother and father of all dragons, the first gods.LifeandDeath.Shewas perfectly white, like fresh fallen snow, and he was darker than the void itself.Hereyes shone a deep blue, and his an infernal red.Thoseeyes bore into us.
“Youhave caused quite a situation, little beast.”IrealizedDeathwas talking toTori.
“Idon’t know what you mean?”Sheshrugged her shoulders.Gods, she was bold.
Deathsneered, “Youknow well whatImean.Youhave broken the earth’s curse and released magic back into the world.Thiswill have consequences you cannot imagine.”
“Well,Iam theWorldBreaker.”
Mylaugh cut through that infinite place.
“Thatyou are.”Lifesmiled like a mother looking down on a mischievous child.
“Andyou, last dragon.”Deathturned his sneering face to me. “Youhave once again attempted to steal what belongs to me.”
Itwas my turn to be bold. “Toriis my mate, mine and mine alone.Youwill not have her whileIlive.”
“Yes, but you do not.Youare in my realm now, and you would both do well to remember—”
Lifepressed her snout toDeath’s, and he stilled.Sheran the scales of her neck along him, and he calmed.
Lifeturned her sapphire eyes back to me. "Afae mated to a dragon.Sucha thingIcould have never predicted.”
“Ah, but she is not just a fae, is she, my mate?”Deathresponded.
“No,Iam not.Iam something new.Me, my brother,Abraxas, this entire world is new, and it deserves a chance.”Toriglared at them like she had at me when we had first met.
“YouthinkIshould return you?”Deathasked.
“Iknow you should.”
Helaughed, the rumble of something that could break apart the very cosmos.
“Youcannot go backward, only forward.Thisis the way of all things, littlebeast.”
“Theriver can cut deeper, but it can also run dry.Theforest may burn, but it allows new life to grow.Noteverything is so linear in our world,”Toricountered.
“Itis in death.”
“Icannot believe that.”Deathbared his teeth at her, andIwrapped my tail around her, encircling her with my body.
“EvenIcannot change what is done.Youare dead, little beast and your mate is not far behind.Iwould not linger before the price is too high for either of you to pay.”
“Iwill not allow that.”Ipulled my lips back, revealing all my fangs.
Deathonly laughed. “Thengo through the final gate together.Icare not.”
Atthis,Lifesnorted, a flurry of blue flames ghosting over her mate.
