The Damning Stone (Tales From Verania Book 5) by TJ Klune

Author:TJ Klune [Klune, TJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BOATK Books
Published: 2022-04-25T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

The Beating Heart of Sam of Dragons

BY THE END OF the first week and a half, I was ready to die. If villains came to our home and demanded we surrender, I would have done so immediately, knowing I’d have peace and quiet in the dungeons for the rest of my days. If an assassin had stolen into the castle under the cover of night and found me defenseless in my bed, I would have bared my throat, begging for the knife. If the gods themselves had descended from the heavens, judging us and finding us wanting, I’d welcome the end of the world with open arms.

Unfortunately for me, none of these things happened.

No, it was far, far worse.

“Tell me you’ve figured out how to fix this,” I begged as Morgan and Randall watched me with amusement. Part of it had to do with the way my voice broke, but I thought a bigger part of their humor had to do with the fact that I had peaches in my hair, a gift from Sam who’d thrown them at my head. This, of course, had caused the others to devolve into a food fight, Dylan included, who’d managed to spear four dinner rolls on Gary’s horn, much to the unicorn’s delight. I’d left them all under the watchful eyes of Joshua and Rosemary. It wasn’t until I’d gotten to the labs that I realized I was sticky, and I wasn’t in the best mood. “Tell me you’ve found a way to reverse this.”

“We haven’t,” Morgan said. “At least not yet. You might need to prepare yourself that it won’t return to normal until you’ve completed the ritual.”

I sagged against the table in the middle of the room. Everything hurt. My muscles. My bones. My head, everything. I’d always thought myself fit, carrying on a strict regimen of exercise in order to keep myself in top shape. But a week with the kids had proven that I had no idea about anything, and I was paying the price for my hubris. I needed to sleep for days. The problem with that? Sam had decided that he needed to stay in my bed every night, which meant Ryan had to come too. Not to be outdone, Tiggy, Kevin and Gary had all agreed that where Sam and Ryan went, they were sure to follow. Kevin had taken to sleeping while hanging from the ceiling, announcing that he was now a bat, and that everyone needed to respect his decision. I’d asked after Joshua and Rosemary, wanting their help. They’d sent a note in response that read: YOU’VE GOT THIS! xx.

Suffice to say, the number of people on my shit list was growing daily.

“You look like you’re handling this with your usual grace and aplomb,” Randall said, and I knew he was mocking me, the ancient asshole.

I glared at him. “You think this is a joke?”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course not. It’s quite serious. But if I can’t laugh at you, who can I laugh at?”

Because that made things better.

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