AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Had to take this one on the chin. And in the gut.
He kissed me on the shoulder.
“Are you open to maybe itwasa grimoire?” I asked.
“Yes. If you are open to the possibility it wasn’t.”
“I was expecting to suddenlyknowthings. But the only things I think I know are about the Queen. And only vaguely. Like it’s something someone told me about.” Ihadbought a shitty piece of real estate, and now someone was living rent free in my head.
He moved back and pulled me upright. “Get dressed.”
I did as he asked and stopped to give myself a long look in the mirror. Lilac eyes. Violet-tinged hair.
You didn’t leave anything on the mat.
I’d doneeverythingI could do, up to and including something I perhaps should not have done. And even if forging the K’Dol grimoirehadbeen the right thing to do, I’d done it in the completely wrong way. So I deserved my lumps.
Keon came to me as I followed Auryn into the living room. My big stone drake smoothed my cheeks with his palms. “We love you.Ilove you. I don’t know about Akoni.”
“Of course I love her.” Akoni shoved Keon out of the way. “Helena, I love you and choose to stay with you. You did something stupid, and I’m allowed to be angry about it. I’mstillmad about it. I’m also mad athimfor letting you do it!”
“Fair,” I said softly.
Akoni gave Keon a furious look. “Do I love her…do I love her.”
Keon growled.
Auryn parted them. “It’s done. It’s all done. We need to be a family for what comes next.”
On our large screen, Keon and Akoni had been watching the news, probably keeping watch for more Maren-related content. “I really believed we could stop it. And now human civilization is doomed.”
Akoni said, “Helena, human civilization is no more doomed than it already was when you met Auryn.”
Keon gave Akoni awhat the fuck look.
Still the most honest dragon I knew.
Tears burned in the corners of my eyes and my cheeks stung like I’d sucked on lemons. I reached up and kissed him gently, and nearly burst into full blown tears when he returned it. I grabbed handfuls of his proto-feather hair. “Never change, wish-serpent.”
“Given I am a dragon, little dark dove, there is little chance of that happening.”
“What is with the pet name?” Keon asked as Auryn herded us down the exterior steps rather than through the main roost.
“Why, do you want one?” Akoni inquired.
“Maybe I do.”
“Well, she islittle.” Akoni started to explain.
“I am notlittle.”
“In dragon form you are little.”
“Hmph.” My flying noodle form was little by dragon standards, while my other two forms were larger but still smaller than their average counterparts. “I preferpetite, thank you.”
“And she has black opal scales,” Akoni added, ticking items off on his fingers, “and doves are an ancient symbol of hope, peace, and happiness for humans that survived the cataclysm, and persisted until this very moment.”
Normally I was up to date on my ancient and prehistoric civilization details, but I also wasn’t my sister. “I thought doves as a symbol came in with the Christian church.”
