Black Crown by Kelly St. Clare & Raye Wagner

Author:Kelly St. Clare & Raye Wagner [Clare, Kelly St. & Wagner, Raye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

22

Our scouting party was enroute, and good things were coming. I wasn’t sure if the feelings were mine or Tyrrik’s or both, but the prospect of uniting the three kingdoms and Phaetyn against Draedyn was a monumental step in the end of his rule. I was certain that if—no, when—Azule joined us, we would have enough strength to end his tyranny.

Have you been to Azule before? The sparkling water appeared turquoise today, and I wanted to soar closer to the liquid gem. Or maybe I was getting some serious treasure withdrawals after Gemond.

No. Irdelron didn’t allow much vacation time. His flippant tone and words indicated he was kidding, but memories surfaced through our bond as Tyrrik struggled to block the horrific visions of torture and cruelty from me. His next words were somber. He ruled with fear.

I was all too familiar with what that meant. Fear stole freedom. And yet looking back, I could see that Irdelron had only ruled with fear. That had made him predictable. Draedyn ruled with fear first, according to his words. If fear was first, what else was he capable of?

The choices he made aren’t a reflection on you, I said.

No. But mine are, Tyrrik said. The image of him yelling at me in a dark alley flitted through his mind, and his regret leaked through our bond.

I was only receiving a fraction of what he felt, but there was nothing familiar about the memory.

I don’t remember that, I told him. If you’re going to feel guilty about something, at least reflect on a time when you actually did something wrong.

The memory expanded, and I recognized the first time I’d seen Tyrrik in the courtyard inside Zone Seven when he yelled at me to get out of Verald.

You were trying to save me. How funny. I’d never been upset because he’d yelled at me that night. I had lots of my own regrets and painful memories, but seeing his had only made me want to comfort him.

I’m sorry. I’m not sure if I’ve ever told you. His voice throbbed with sincerity. I’ve owed you an apology for a long time.

I caught a memory of Dyter saying something about love and apologies, only it was Tyrrik’s memory, so Dyter and I sat side-by-side while Tyrrik watched from behind us. I had my own version of this one.

I remember that night. I remembered looking up at our twin moons, hoping they weren’t going to crap on me anymore. Dyter’s advice also opened my eyes to how Tyrrik treated me. And even though you hadn’t said words, your actions showed your sincerity. I’ve forgiven you, Tyrrik. All of it was worth it because I got you.

Tyrrik hummed, a warm purr that made my insides curl, and I thought of other things I could do to make him purr.

Maybe we could take a few minutes, I thought at him, glancing at a copse of trees on the mountainside.

Funny, Ryn. Let’s get safely to Azule and drop off the humans first.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.