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NATALIE
Ifelt sick and off-balance, but the feeling didn’t belong to me. It was Rumir’s.
Still, at least I could still feel him. It meant he was alive. But it was also maddening because I knew he wasn’t okay. I closed my eyes and rubbed my chest. Even though I could feel him through our bond, it was faint, and not something I could track.
I felt the piece of his soul tied to mine, but it was unstable.
When our connection would fade almost entirely, I'd feel a moment of terror that he might be dead, and could finally breathe again when it returned like a weak heartbeat.
It was driving me crazy.
I stared at the brightening sky as morning approached, ending a long night. But the sunrise didn't bring warmth. I’d tried everything I could think of to get through to Rumir, using Tedara’s powers and my own, but with no luck. As an Enchanted, I was able to mind-link with anyone over long distances, but even that had failed when I tried it three times an hour ago.
“Hold on,” I said through my connection to Rumir, though he probably couldn’t hear me. "I'm coming to find you. Just hold on."
Lucian was sitting beside me, and I squeezed his hand tightly. The previously quiet Dragon Territory was now alive with the hustle and bustle of riled-up dragons demanding to know what was happening. Not that we had many answers. Thankfully, Yelena and Armen had sent dragons to search for Cedric and Rumir.
The Goddess was doing the same, but nobody was having much luck. Cedric's portals couldn't be tracked, so we were right where we'd started—hunting down a man who could disappear without a trace.
I turned to Lucian, and he pushed my hair back from my face. He didn’t offer words of comfort, but he didn't need to. His presence was enough. As strong as ever, I could feel our bond, and it made me ache for Rumir even more. I wanted to feel whole again, but I'd never feel complete without both of them.
Rumir and I weren’t parted by death and realms, not like Ruby and Xavier were. Still, I felt like I was on the verge of losing my mind.
"Ruby?" I muttered to Lucian as he caressed the back of my hand.
“She, Rehema, and Axel are still in the Kruard territory. They’re safe,” Lucian replied.
I exhaled with relief. They were safe…at least, for now. Even the Kruard territory, as well hidden as it was, couldn't hide from this virus forever.
"I can't lose him," I whispered after some time, and Lucian nodded.
“You won’t,” he replied.
I leaned over to rest my head on his shoulder. “I trained for so long," I whispered. "I trained to break my sire bond to Cedric, and I was face to face with him and couldn't do it. He took Rumir because I couldn’t follow through.”
"No," Lucian replied. "You fought as well as you could, and so did the Goddess. She couldn’t save Rumir either. But that’s on Cedric. Neither of you should beat yourself up for trying." He let out a deep breath. “Rumir is alive, Natalie, and we’ll find him. But it's like we've known from the start—nothing ever goes as planned. You fought back, and that's what counts. And we'll keep fighting.” He pinched my chin. “Trust me.”
I closed my eyes and held Lucian’s words close to my heart. I’d indeed fought as hard as I could. I hadn’t been able to totally break my sire bond to Cedric, but I’d done some damage—enough to take a step against him. That was something, wasn't it?
Cedric had made a huge mistake when he’d taken Rumir.
I sensed Yelena before she entered the room, and I turned to meet her gaze. Her green eyes would haunt me until I could look into Rumir’s.
"Do you need anything, either of you?" she asked, once again the sweet woman I'd initially met.
“No, thank you," Lucian replied, and I shook my head. He stood up, however, and kissed my forehead. "I should go check on the Goddess. I won't be long. Will you be okay?”
I nodded, and he kissed me quickly before leaving.
Yelena stepped to the side and allowed him to leave, then hung her head for a moment before looking my way. I'd almost turned my powers against her when I’d thought she was on Cedric's side. Too consumed by my anger, I hadn’t sensed the hatred she had for her father.
"I'm sorry I almost attacked you earlier," I said.
She smiled. “Don’t be,” she said, walking further into the room and sitting down. “If Armen had been taken or hurt, I'd lose it, too. But you and Rumir are mated—I can't imagine how you’re feeling."
She looked down at her lap, tracing the lines on her palm, and smiled sadly. "For centuries, I kept my love for Armen a secret until I couldn't any longer. Seeing him every day, trapped in a cage at my father’s orders… It was torture.” She looked up at me. “I broke into his cell and tried to convince him to leave, but he threw me out and just…sat down.”
I frowned. “Why?”
