A small, familiar face caught my attention. “No!” I cried, falling to my knees beside her. “No … Rose! I can’t … fuck!”
I was devastated, wanting to sob, but was too numb to cry any more. She was laid out all perfect, pretty and petite, the first dragon marked, who had suffered more than any of us, the channel for the king’s power, whose blood ran through all the marked. She deserved so much more than this, to finally have a chance at freedom…
“What happened?” I asked, unable to see any injuries. Her skin was still that perfect mix of color, dark and smooth, but without any of the warmth she had held in life.
Grace answered me. The witch had remained blank faced since Cardia was killed, but continued to use her healing for as long as she had the strength.
“I heard that when the marked were sending their energy up into Larkspur, she went crazy, screaming, blood pouring from her eyes and nose and mouth. Some of the healers tried to help her but she just collapsed.”
Larky had been so desperate to win … he had channeled too much energy through her, destroying her … before I could stop him. What the fuck? Life shouldn’t be this unfair.
Even though I knew she was dead, and there was no one left there to hear me, I picked up her hand and leaned closer. “I’m so sorry I failed you, Rose. You deserved to have a shot at a free life, and now I can only hope you find your place amongst the gods, and that the afterlife is peaceful.” I silently added prayers and blessings for her safe journey home.
I had no doubt that I looked like shit as I stumbled to my feet. This had been the longest asshole of a day, and even though we’d won the battle, we had lost so much.
Braxton wrapped himself tightly around me, as if somehow, with his physical strength alone, he could keep me safe from the pain. No one could do that, but our mate bond certainly made it easier to deal with. I managed to keep my shit together for most of our blessings. There were many of us wandering through the masses of dead, so many who had lost friends and family. Not to mention all of the supes around the world who were yet to know that their loved ones were not coming home.
I lost it again when I reached Jonathon; he was with Torag, kneeling silently at his friend’s side. At first I thought he was simply praying, but as we moved closer I could see the tears trailing down his cheeks, and that was what completely broke me.
Jonathon was a strong alpha, a leader. He felt his emotions, owned them like most shifters, but he was always so contained. Today, though, his grief was so great that it was pouring out of him and crashing into all of us. I couldn’t stop myself from crossing to him and crouching down to hug him from behind, resting my head on his back and offering whatever comfort I could.
More of our pack members followed. Braxton. Mischa. Lienda. Dozens of others. Some who had been marked and some who weren’t. We all crowded in and mourned with our alpha. The keening howls would have been heard all the way to the closest human city if it wasn’t for the protections back up around Stratford. Eventually, we had to release the pain. We had to rejoice in the time we had shared with our loved ones. We had to move forward.
The burning ceremony was both incredibly moving and releasing. Supes believed in an afterlife – well, most of the races did. It was comforting to know that those who had sacrificed so much, who had died today, would find their place with the gods. We would meet them again one day. Death was inevitable for us all, and we couldn’t stop living just because some were taken from us too soon.
Jonathon and Louis were contacting communities around the globe, letting them know the threat had been eliminated, and that all of those who had been marked were free of the king’s control. Their dragon symbol was gone, along with the increased benefits from the spirit of the dragon.
I was the only one still bearing a mark, and I would wear it with pride. It was the evidence of my dragon mating, the only connection remaining to me of the golden one, Josephina. My dragon.
It had been a long day and I was pretty much dead on my feet, but we all found time to eat together in the great hall. Yeah, who was I kidding? I’d always find time and energy for food. You know … except if I were actually dead.
Maximus wasn’t here, and his empty seat was a massive kick in the guts, reminding all of us that there was a break in our pack.
“You have to tell him, Misch.” I lowered my voice so only she could hear. “He needs something positive to hold on to.”
She was silent, pushing her food around on her plate. “Don’t you think maybe it would be an added stress he doesn’t need right now? Something else to deal with when he is already consumed just dealing with his loss?”
I sighed, my battered heart clenching. “You’re probably right, but I think we give him a few weeks, at most, to try and work through some of the pain and anger. Then there will be no choice but to let him know.”
“Agreed,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to spring it on him after the baby is born.”
Yeah, I totally wouldn’t recommend that. Maximus was likely to completely lose his shit if he found out that way. Vampires were very protective of their young. Most of the supe races were, except for some of the demi-fey. Pretty sure mermaids ate their young. Ugly bitches.
I devoured everything on my plate, which was harder than usual because Braxton kept shoving more food onto it. Eventually I reached out and captured his hand, the one holding another plate of chocolate cake.
My eyes locked on the dripping ganache and cream center. “Okay, after this piece of cake, I’m definitely too full to move. You’re already going to have to carry me from here.”