Foretelling, page 16
“CASS!” Katerina hissed.
“What?” Dylan was confused. “But I’m not even tired.”
They stared at him for a split second, then Katerina punched the fae in the arm.
“I can’t believe you just said that! I can’t believe he TOLD you about that!”
“And why wouldn’t he?” Cassiel replied loftily. “I don’t know if you heard him earlier, but the two of us are best friends.”
“I’m being serious—”
“Get over it, Damaris. He told me. And if you must know, I think it’s utterly ridiculous.”
“Shocker.”
Cassiel turned to look at her head-on, folding his arms squarely across his chest.
“Dylan has slept with well over half the women in the five kingdoms. Do you really think you can erase all that by insisting that he not sleep with you?”
The man in question was making a sandcastle, singing under his breath.
“If you must know, it was his idea to wait.” Katerina remembered their conversation in the Kreo bathhouse. He’d been so nervous to ask, staring deep into her eyes. “Not mine.”
“Either way, it’s pathetic.”
“You’re pathetic,” she shot back viciously. Great—Dylan’s renewed sense of childhood was rubbing off. “Can you just do something about this, please?”
“And what am I supposed to do?” Cassiel exclaimed, clearly as exasperated as she was. “You give him a fairy tonic, you’ll have to suffer the consequences.”
A fairy tonic—of course!
Katerina kept her composure, trying very hard not to act like she was making the connection for the first time. “Why would you assume I gave it to him, and that he didn’t just take it?”
“Because I’ve realized you’re the source of most all of the trouble in my life.”
She bit her lip, wondering vaguely if this was true. “Okay, so it’s a fairy tonic. Can you just fix it, please?”
“I can’t fix a fairy tonic.”
By now Dylan was playing with his hair, murmuring things none of the rest of them could understand, giving it a sudden tug.
The fae ignored him, squaring off with Katerina instead. “You have to let them run their course—”
Another tug, much sharper this time. Cassiel turned with a sarcastic glare.
“Ow!”
“Why so long?” Dylan asked innocently.
The fae opened his mouth, then softened again, watching as his best friend transformed into a four-year-old child before his very eyes. He certainly treated him as such.
“I’m trying to win a bet.” Dylan burst out laughing as he turned back to Katerina. “In the meantime, the best we can do is contain—”
“Can I have it?”
The fae looked down in surprise as Katerina bit her lip to keep from laughing. In hindsight, she should have woken everyone. They were going to be furious to have missed this.
“No,” Cassiel said patiently, unwinding Dylan’s fingers from his hair. “You can’t have it.”
The two friends continued talking, debating how best to mitigate damages. Neither of them even noticed Dylan whip the knife from his belt. Not until he cut off a lock of the fae’s silky hair.
Katerina’s hands clapped over her mouth as Cassiel fell silent with a gasp.
“You...” he stared at the ranger incredulously. “I can’t believe you just...”
Dylan held it up smugly, like a trophy. “Mine.”
There was a beat.
“Oh, I’m going to kill him—”
“Hey, hey— it’s all right!” Katerina caught his arm quickly, throwing her body between them as Dylan smirked just out of reach. “It’s in the back, Cass. You can’t even tell.”
He gave her a look that made her legitimately fear for her life, and she gestured piteously to the ranger—who seemed determined to tie the long white strands into his own hair.
“He’s not himself—”
“All right, enough,” Cassiel said abruptly, taking Dylan by the arm. “Why don’t you tell me what magical jellyfish gave you these new powers, so I can find one and eat it, too?”
...interesting strategy.
Dylan stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. “I didn’t eat a jellyfish!”
“Then what did you eat?”
He pointed to the ground behind them, and they turned to see the tiny wooden chest. It had gone completely unnoticed, half-buried in the sand. “Juice.”
The friends exchanged a look of triumph.
“I love juice.” Cassiel draped an arm around Dylan with a smile. “Show me.”
Chapter 13
No matter how many bizarre situations colored their past, Katerina could honestly say tonight was one of the strangest nights of her life.
After Dylan admitted the juice he’d stolen was green, Cassiel decided that the exact tonic couldn’t matter less and gave him a drop of a sleeping draught instead. He was out exactly two seconds later, dropping in the sand where he stood.
“Are you serious?” Katerina had demanded as a waved rolled over him. The fae was already walking back to camp. “You’re just going to leave him there? He’ll drown!”
Cassiel paused, sighed, then doubled back and threw the ranger over his shoulder, muttering under his breath all the while. “Cannot believe he cut off my hair...”
The others hadn’t moved a muscle by the time the trio got back. They remained completely oblivious until morning, when Kailas noted the ranger had lost his shoes. He also wouldn’t wake.
The explanation that followed sparked off several group tangents that neither Katerina nor Cassiel were particularly comfortable with. But in the hour that followed, waiting for Dylan to open his eyes, she finally had some time by herself to think.
Hands in her pockets, she strolled quietly along the shore. Staring out occasionally at the water, squinting in the bright morning sunlight as the wind blew back her hair.
The green juice...
Cassiel had either been too preoccupied to check, or he simply didn’t care. But Katerina had instantly leaned forward to see the tiny handwriting scribbled underneath.
A tonic to make one forget.
Rather strange to have included it with the others. They were all something more practical. A tonic to heal, or to sleep, or even to satiate the pains of hunger. But to forget?
What does he want to forget?
As soon as she thought the words, she felt foolish. Considering the last few years of his life, what didn’t the ranger want to forget? The man had been exiled, tortured, imprisoned, and alone. He had survived the slaughter of his entire family, driven by guilt to the point of ending his own life.
Yes, there were many things he’d want to forget.
But all those things helped to shape him. All those things brought him to me.
“Katerina.”
She glanced up to see Serafina gesturing from farther down the beach. Like her brother, she often avoided nicknames in favor of formal speech. The second the two locked eyes, she cocked her head towards the campfire. The ranger was stirring.
“He’s starting to wake.”
The queen flashed her a smile, then quickly made her way to his side. He was indeed coming out of it, but slowly. Very slowly. And with a great deal of confusion as to why.
“Seven hells...” He propped himself up delicately, lifting a shaky hand to his head. “What the heck happened last night? Where is...where is everyone?”
Katerina flashed a secret smile, remembering the boy who’d recently admitted a crush.
“I like you.”
If she was hoping the words would jar his memory, she was mistaken. But they did make him stop what he was doing, glancing down at her in surprise.
“...I like you, too?”
He phrased it as a question and she couldn’t help but laugh—running her fingers through his sandy, tangled hair. “You had a bit of fun last night. Do you remember?”
A strange look flashed across his face, but he shook his head.
“Really?” she asked suspiciously, tilting her head. “Nothing?”
Another strange look, this one was followed by a blush.
“I think... maybe I got into the fairy potions.”
Bingo!
“Oh, you got into them, did you?” she asked sarcastically. “Like a rogue raccoon? Not a sentient being, who made the decision to do it all on his own?”
He paused, trying to select the less turbulent path. “Yes, like a raccoon.”
She gave his hand a sharp squeeze, doing her best not to smile. “Honey—”
“Well, look who finally decided to wake up!”
She pulled back with a patient sigh as Cassiel and the rest of the gang joined them, crashing down by the crackling remains of the fire. Everyone seemed in especially good spirits, but the fae in particular was smiling a good deal brighter than the rest.
“We missed you this morning,” he said cheerfully, settling beside the ranger in the sand.
“Yeah, uh...” Dylan raked back his hair, trying to look normal. “Just slept in, I guess—”
“Especially me,” Cassiel interrupted pointedly. “I missed you most of all.”
Katerina rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help a grin as he wrapped an arm around Dylan’s shoulders, willfully ignoring the look of confusion that followed.
“Dylan...” he began softly, pausing a second too long, “you’re my best friend. My very best friend. Above any others. You know that, right?”
Dylan shifted nervously, feeling the weight of the arm. “Sure.”
Cassiel brought them closer together, gazing deep into his eyes. “...I love you.”
There was a moment of silence. Followed immediately by another.
Then the ranger pulled himself away.
“Okay, what the heck is this?”
The beach exploded with peals of laughter as the friends broke at the same time. It echoed off the sandy dunes, growing louder with every pass as the fae helped him up with a grin.
“I’d forgotten how fun you are when you’re high. It’s bloody adorable.”
By now, even Katerina had to join in. If for no other reason than the look on Dylan’s face.
“...can we please just forget it?”
Interesting choice of words.
“Forget it?” Cassiel stared at him in dismay. “How can I forget such undying devotion? I’ve already composed you a sonnet in return. Don’t you want to hear—”
“Plenty of time for all this later,” Kailas interrupted, casting an anxious look at the sky. “But right now, we should probably get going.”
The others quieted immediately, casting him a sympathetic look. It was a testament to what was coming next that none of them said a word. They simply gathered their things, casting each other secret glances as he split away from the group and walked farther down the beach.
Katerina stared at Dylan another moment before heading after her brother.
One could wait. The other couldn’t.
“Hey, you okay?”
It wasn’t often she saw a vulnerable side to him, but she was certainly seeing it now. His face was pale, his hands were trembling, and a light sheen of sweat had broken over his skin.
“Yeah, fine.”
She started to lift a comforting hand, then dropped it back to her side. “...this was the idea of us both.”
He nodded quickly. “Yeah, I know.”
She paused, staring up at his profile. “I wouldn’t have suggested it unless—”
“I can do it, Katy.”
Her lips pursed to hide a smile. “Yeah, I know you can.”
She’d known it from the second the idea crossed her mind. She hadn’t doubted it for a single second ever since. He just needed a little convincing himself.
“It’s just...I’ve only ever done it twice.” He flashed her a quick look before returning his gaze to the horizon. “There haven’t been a lot of opportunities to practice.”
She nodded slowly, understanding a great deal more than he thought.
In the last few months she was the one who’d been crowned Queen of the High Kingdom but, if it was possible, her standoffish brother was under even more scrutiny than she was herself. Every move he made was monitored, every rare public statement was debated to no end. As a result he’d retreated with more and more frequency to his chambers, often staying there for days on end.
Opportunities to shift had been scarce.
“What if I can’t do it?” He said the words so quietly, there was a chance he was speaking to himself. “What if it gives out halfway through, and I—”
“—then I will take over,” Katerina interrupted firmly. “Which is exactly what you’ll do if the same thing happens to me.” This time, she didn’t chicken out. She lifted a hand to his shoulder, looking him right in the eyes. “We have each other’s back on this, Kailas. You and me.”
He hesitated another moment, then returned her gaze. “You and me.”
With a little smile, she whipped a brightly colored tonic out of her pocket. They stared at it for a moment before she lifted it up to the morning sun.
“Cheers.”
KATERINA HAD NEVER seen her brother as a dragon. Given their checkered past, that was probably for the best. But looking at him now, she couldn’t help but marvel. He was beautiful.
He was magnificent.
Far from her bright ruby scales, Kailas was a shimmering charcoal hue. Like some hidden treasure you’d uncover at the bottom of a mine. He was taller than she was, just as he was in real life, with a massive set of wings that rippled the surface of the ocean as he glided overhead.
Cassiel had said a dragon could never make it to Taviel. Said that the city was too far into the ocean, isolated and secure. But he hadn’t counted on two dragons.
“I like it better when it’s you,” Dylan whispered, leaning over to speak into her ear, “but this is pretty great.”
Katerina giggled, tightening her grip as she leaned into the wind.
For the last six hours, they’d been flying straight out across the water—skimming gracefully over the shimmering waves. They’d intended on switching out much sooner than this. Kailas had already flown twice as long as was planned, but a single look at his face and it was clear there was no stopping him. The man had been human long enough. It was time to stretch those wings.
Let loose, brother. You deserve it.
The transformation had been a rather frightening affair. The first time Kailas shifted had been the result of a wizard’s torture. Stretched past the limits of pain and convinced the love of his life was dead, his body had simply ripped itself to pieces. It ripped the dungeon along with it. He had only attempted it once more after that—a secret midnight outing with Serafina. She’d tried to talk him through it, reciting whatever bits she remembered from Dylan’s transformations, but a wolf and a dragon were hardly the same thing. He’d managed to do it, then couldn’t get back. For the next day and a half he’d hidden in the woods, until his girlfriend finally got his sister to help.
The beach had been the same way.
Unsure what exactly triggered the change Kailas tried any of a number of mental tactics until, with no warning, the prince vanished and a dragon sprang up in his place. He let out a gasp of surprise, not remembering there’d be fire, and several lives were almost lost as a result.
Things were much more peaceful now. Once he was airborne, nothing could touch him.
“You slowing down?” With a wicked grin, Katerina abandoned her perch on his shoulder blades and started sliding down his neck. “Getting sloppy, Kailas. I’m sure I could do better.”
He twisted his head with a brotherly look that somehow translated even into dragon.
Really? Watch this!
Without a shred of warning he spiraled out of the clouds, diving faster and faster before pulling up just an inch above the water. There was a deafening cheer from his friends, along with a choice profanity, as they peered breathlessly over the sides, clinging on for dear life.
“Do it again!” Dylan shouted, thoroughly beside himself. “Faster!”
He might as well have been back on the fairy tonic.
The man was built for speed. Windswept hair and a beaming grin. If he couldn’t get somewhere as a wolf, he was perfectly happy travelling by dragon instead.
Not everyone was as pleased.
“I keep swearing it’s not going to happen again,” Cassiel muttered, looking like he might be sick. “I keep swearing it’s the last time...then I find myself riding a dragon.”
The others snickered wickedly, but Kailas graciously evened out his wings—flying straight and smooth as an arrow as they made their way across the shining sea.
The sun had crossed the noon threshold, and was starting to slip lower in the sky. Katerina glanced at the endless horizon before stretching up to reach Kailas’ ear.
“Seriously—would you like to switch? The day’s already half gone.”
He shook his head, eyes on the skyline, but it was impossible not to feel him tense. The others glanced up curiously, unable to hear over the rushing wind as she held back a secret smile.
“You’re not nervous about shifting back, are you?”
There was a pause, then he shook his head again.
“It’s going to be just like that day in the woods,” she soothed, in what she took to be her best sisterly voice. She should have guessed that’s what was happening. The man was probably hoping to fly all the way to Taviel by himself. “There’s absolutely nothing to be afraid—”
He growled softly, shooting her a sideways glare.
“My mistake.” She held up her hands sarcastically. “You’re not afraid. Nothing scares you.”
He nodded curtly, then glanced back again. This time, it was impossible to hide the fear shining in his eyes. It rippled through him like a wave, bowing his head with a fiery sigh.
“Hey—we got this, right? You and me.”
A moment of hesitation, then he met her eyes a third time.
You and me.
She pushed to her feet with a grin, patting him once behind the ear. “Trust me...this is going to work.”
As the ocean streaked beneath her, she scrambled down the dragon’s neck and returned to her friends. They’d watched the entire exchange with great anticipation, flinching collectively at the cloud of fire, and were now tensed to spring, watching her every move.
“What?” Dylan was confused. “But I’m not even tired.”
They stared at him for a split second, then Katerina punched the fae in the arm.
“I can’t believe you just said that! I can’t believe he TOLD you about that!”
“And why wouldn’t he?” Cassiel replied loftily. “I don’t know if you heard him earlier, but the two of us are best friends.”
“I’m being serious—”
“Get over it, Damaris. He told me. And if you must know, I think it’s utterly ridiculous.”
“Shocker.”
Cassiel turned to look at her head-on, folding his arms squarely across his chest.
“Dylan has slept with well over half the women in the five kingdoms. Do you really think you can erase all that by insisting that he not sleep with you?”
The man in question was making a sandcastle, singing under his breath.
“If you must know, it was his idea to wait.” Katerina remembered their conversation in the Kreo bathhouse. He’d been so nervous to ask, staring deep into her eyes. “Not mine.”
“Either way, it’s pathetic.”
“You’re pathetic,” she shot back viciously. Great—Dylan’s renewed sense of childhood was rubbing off. “Can you just do something about this, please?”
“And what am I supposed to do?” Cassiel exclaimed, clearly as exasperated as she was. “You give him a fairy tonic, you’ll have to suffer the consequences.”
A fairy tonic—of course!
Katerina kept her composure, trying very hard not to act like she was making the connection for the first time. “Why would you assume I gave it to him, and that he didn’t just take it?”
“Because I’ve realized you’re the source of most all of the trouble in my life.”
She bit her lip, wondering vaguely if this was true. “Okay, so it’s a fairy tonic. Can you just fix it, please?”
“I can’t fix a fairy tonic.”
By now Dylan was playing with his hair, murmuring things none of the rest of them could understand, giving it a sudden tug.
The fae ignored him, squaring off with Katerina instead. “You have to let them run their course—”
Another tug, much sharper this time. Cassiel turned with a sarcastic glare.
“Ow!”
“Why so long?” Dylan asked innocently.
The fae opened his mouth, then softened again, watching as his best friend transformed into a four-year-old child before his very eyes. He certainly treated him as such.
“I’m trying to win a bet.” Dylan burst out laughing as he turned back to Katerina. “In the meantime, the best we can do is contain—”
“Can I have it?”
The fae looked down in surprise as Katerina bit her lip to keep from laughing. In hindsight, she should have woken everyone. They were going to be furious to have missed this.
“No,” Cassiel said patiently, unwinding Dylan’s fingers from his hair. “You can’t have it.”
The two friends continued talking, debating how best to mitigate damages. Neither of them even noticed Dylan whip the knife from his belt. Not until he cut off a lock of the fae’s silky hair.
Katerina’s hands clapped over her mouth as Cassiel fell silent with a gasp.
“You...” he stared at the ranger incredulously. “I can’t believe you just...”
Dylan held it up smugly, like a trophy. “Mine.”
There was a beat.
“Oh, I’m going to kill him—”
“Hey, hey— it’s all right!” Katerina caught his arm quickly, throwing her body between them as Dylan smirked just out of reach. “It’s in the back, Cass. You can’t even tell.”
He gave her a look that made her legitimately fear for her life, and she gestured piteously to the ranger—who seemed determined to tie the long white strands into his own hair.
“He’s not himself—”
“All right, enough,” Cassiel said abruptly, taking Dylan by the arm. “Why don’t you tell me what magical jellyfish gave you these new powers, so I can find one and eat it, too?”
...interesting strategy.
Dylan stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. “I didn’t eat a jellyfish!”
“Then what did you eat?”
He pointed to the ground behind them, and they turned to see the tiny wooden chest. It had gone completely unnoticed, half-buried in the sand. “Juice.”
The friends exchanged a look of triumph.
“I love juice.” Cassiel draped an arm around Dylan with a smile. “Show me.”
Chapter 13
No matter how many bizarre situations colored their past, Katerina could honestly say tonight was one of the strangest nights of her life.
After Dylan admitted the juice he’d stolen was green, Cassiel decided that the exact tonic couldn’t matter less and gave him a drop of a sleeping draught instead. He was out exactly two seconds later, dropping in the sand where he stood.
“Are you serious?” Katerina had demanded as a waved rolled over him. The fae was already walking back to camp. “You’re just going to leave him there? He’ll drown!”
Cassiel paused, sighed, then doubled back and threw the ranger over his shoulder, muttering under his breath all the while. “Cannot believe he cut off my hair...”
The others hadn’t moved a muscle by the time the trio got back. They remained completely oblivious until morning, when Kailas noted the ranger had lost his shoes. He also wouldn’t wake.
The explanation that followed sparked off several group tangents that neither Katerina nor Cassiel were particularly comfortable with. But in the hour that followed, waiting for Dylan to open his eyes, she finally had some time by herself to think.
Hands in her pockets, she strolled quietly along the shore. Staring out occasionally at the water, squinting in the bright morning sunlight as the wind blew back her hair.
The green juice...
Cassiel had either been too preoccupied to check, or he simply didn’t care. But Katerina had instantly leaned forward to see the tiny handwriting scribbled underneath.
A tonic to make one forget.
Rather strange to have included it with the others. They were all something more practical. A tonic to heal, or to sleep, or even to satiate the pains of hunger. But to forget?
What does he want to forget?
As soon as she thought the words, she felt foolish. Considering the last few years of his life, what didn’t the ranger want to forget? The man had been exiled, tortured, imprisoned, and alone. He had survived the slaughter of his entire family, driven by guilt to the point of ending his own life.
Yes, there were many things he’d want to forget.
But all those things helped to shape him. All those things brought him to me.
“Katerina.”
She glanced up to see Serafina gesturing from farther down the beach. Like her brother, she often avoided nicknames in favor of formal speech. The second the two locked eyes, she cocked her head towards the campfire. The ranger was stirring.
“He’s starting to wake.”
The queen flashed her a smile, then quickly made her way to his side. He was indeed coming out of it, but slowly. Very slowly. And with a great deal of confusion as to why.
“Seven hells...” He propped himself up delicately, lifting a shaky hand to his head. “What the heck happened last night? Where is...where is everyone?”
Katerina flashed a secret smile, remembering the boy who’d recently admitted a crush.
“I like you.”
If she was hoping the words would jar his memory, she was mistaken. But they did make him stop what he was doing, glancing down at her in surprise.
“...I like you, too?”
He phrased it as a question and she couldn’t help but laugh—running her fingers through his sandy, tangled hair. “You had a bit of fun last night. Do you remember?”
A strange look flashed across his face, but he shook his head.
“Really?” she asked suspiciously, tilting her head. “Nothing?”
Another strange look, this one was followed by a blush.
“I think... maybe I got into the fairy potions.”
Bingo!
“Oh, you got into them, did you?” she asked sarcastically. “Like a rogue raccoon? Not a sentient being, who made the decision to do it all on his own?”
He paused, trying to select the less turbulent path. “Yes, like a raccoon.”
She gave his hand a sharp squeeze, doing her best not to smile. “Honey—”
“Well, look who finally decided to wake up!”
She pulled back with a patient sigh as Cassiel and the rest of the gang joined them, crashing down by the crackling remains of the fire. Everyone seemed in especially good spirits, but the fae in particular was smiling a good deal brighter than the rest.
“We missed you this morning,” he said cheerfully, settling beside the ranger in the sand.
“Yeah, uh...” Dylan raked back his hair, trying to look normal. “Just slept in, I guess—”
“Especially me,” Cassiel interrupted pointedly. “I missed you most of all.”
Katerina rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help a grin as he wrapped an arm around Dylan’s shoulders, willfully ignoring the look of confusion that followed.
“Dylan...” he began softly, pausing a second too long, “you’re my best friend. My very best friend. Above any others. You know that, right?”
Dylan shifted nervously, feeling the weight of the arm. “Sure.”
Cassiel brought them closer together, gazing deep into his eyes. “...I love you.”
There was a moment of silence. Followed immediately by another.
Then the ranger pulled himself away.
“Okay, what the heck is this?”
The beach exploded with peals of laughter as the friends broke at the same time. It echoed off the sandy dunes, growing louder with every pass as the fae helped him up with a grin.
“I’d forgotten how fun you are when you’re high. It’s bloody adorable.”
By now, even Katerina had to join in. If for no other reason than the look on Dylan’s face.
“...can we please just forget it?”
Interesting choice of words.
“Forget it?” Cassiel stared at him in dismay. “How can I forget such undying devotion? I’ve already composed you a sonnet in return. Don’t you want to hear—”
“Plenty of time for all this later,” Kailas interrupted, casting an anxious look at the sky. “But right now, we should probably get going.”
The others quieted immediately, casting him a sympathetic look. It was a testament to what was coming next that none of them said a word. They simply gathered their things, casting each other secret glances as he split away from the group and walked farther down the beach.
Katerina stared at Dylan another moment before heading after her brother.
One could wait. The other couldn’t.
“Hey, you okay?”
It wasn’t often she saw a vulnerable side to him, but she was certainly seeing it now. His face was pale, his hands were trembling, and a light sheen of sweat had broken over his skin.
“Yeah, fine.”
She started to lift a comforting hand, then dropped it back to her side. “...this was the idea of us both.”
He nodded quickly. “Yeah, I know.”
She paused, staring up at his profile. “I wouldn’t have suggested it unless—”
“I can do it, Katy.”
Her lips pursed to hide a smile. “Yeah, I know you can.”
She’d known it from the second the idea crossed her mind. She hadn’t doubted it for a single second ever since. He just needed a little convincing himself.
“It’s just...I’ve only ever done it twice.” He flashed her a quick look before returning his gaze to the horizon. “There haven’t been a lot of opportunities to practice.”
She nodded slowly, understanding a great deal more than he thought.
In the last few months she was the one who’d been crowned Queen of the High Kingdom but, if it was possible, her standoffish brother was under even more scrutiny than she was herself. Every move he made was monitored, every rare public statement was debated to no end. As a result he’d retreated with more and more frequency to his chambers, often staying there for days on end.
Opportunities to shift had been scarce.
“What if I can’t do it?” He said the words so quietly, there was a chance he was speaking to himself. “What if it gives out halfway through, and I—”
“—then I will take over,” Katerina interrupted firmly. “Which is exactly what you’ll do if the same thing happens to me.” This time, she didn’t chicken out. She lifted a hand to his shoulder, looking him right in the eyes. “We have each other’s back on this, Kailas. You and me.”
He hesitated another moment, then returned her gaze. “You and me.”
With a little smile, she whipped a brightly colored tonic out of her pocket. They stared at it for a moment before she lifted it up to the morning sun.
“Cheers.”
KATERINA HAD NEVER seen her brother as a dragon. Given their checkered past, that was probably for the best. But looking at him now, she couldn’t help but marvel. He was beautiful.
He was magnificent.
Far from her bright ruby scales, Kailas was a shimmering charcoal hue. Like some hidden treasure you’d uncover at the bottom of a mine. He was taller than she was, just as he was in real life, with a massive set of wings that rippled the surface of the ocean as he glided overhead.
Cassiel had said a dragon could never make it to Taviel. Said that the city was too far into the ocean, isolated and secure. But he hadn’t counted on two dragons.
“I like it better when it’s you,” Dylan whispered, leaning over to speak into her ear, “but this is pretty great.”
Katerina giggled, tightening her grip as she leaned into the wind.
For the last six hours, they’d been flying straight out across the water—skimming gracefully over the shimmering waves. They’d intended on switching out much sooner than this. Kailas had already flown twice as long as was planned, but a single look at his face and it was clear there was no stopping him. The man had been human long enough. It was time to stretch those wings.
Let loose, brother. You deserve it.
The transformation had been a rather frightening affair. The first time Kailas shifted had been the result of a wizard’s torture. Stretched past the limits of pain and convinced the love of his life was dead, his body had simply ripped itself to pieces. It ripped the dungeon along with it. He had only attempted it once more after that—a secret midnight outing with Serafina. She’d tried to talk him through it, reciting whatever bits she remembered from Dylan’s transformations, but a wolf and a dragon were hardly the same thing. He’d managed to do it, then couldn’t get back. For the next day and a half he’d hidden in the woods, until his girlfriend finally got his sister to help.
The beach had been the same way.
Unsure what exactly triggered the change Kailas tried any of a number of mental tactics until, with no warning, the prince vanished and a dragon sprang up in his place. He let out a gasp of surprise, not remembering there’d be fire, and several lives were almost lost as a result.
Things were much more peaceful now. Once he was airborne, nothing could touch him.
“You slowing down?” With a wicked grin, Katerina abandoned her perch on his shoulder blades and started sliding down his neck. “Getting sloppy, Kailas. I’m sure I could do better.”
He twisted his head with a brotherly look that somehow translated even into dragon.
Really? Watch this!
Without a shred of warning he spiraled out of the clouds, diving faster and faster before pulling up just an inch above the water. There was a deafening cheer from his friends, along with a choice profanity, as they peered breathlessly over the sides, clinging on for dear life.
“Do it again!” Dylan shouted, thoroughly beside himself. “Faster!”
He might as well have been back on the fairy tonic.
The man was built for speed. Windswept hair and a beaming grin. If he couldn’t get somewhere as a wolf, he was perfectly happy travelling by dragon instead.
Not everyone was as pleased.
“I keep swearing it’s not going to happen again,” Cassiel muttered, looking like he might be sick. “I keep swearing it’s the last time...then I find myself riding a dragon.”
The others snickered wickedly, but Kailas graciously evened out his wings—flying straight and smooth as an arrow as they made their way across the shining sea.
The sun had crossed the noon threshold, and was starting to slip lower in the sky. Katerina glanced at the endless horizon before stretching up to reach Kailas’ ear.
“Seriously—would you like to switch? The day’s already half gone.”
He shook his head, eyes on the skyline, but it was impossible not to feel him tense. The others glanced up curiously, unable to hear over the rushing wind as she held back a secret smile.
“You’re not nervous about shifting back, are you?”
There was a pause, then he shook his head again.
“It’s going to be just like that day in the woods,” she soothed, in what she took to be her best sisterly voice. She should have guessed that’s what was happening. The man was probably hoping to fly all the way to Taviel by himself. “There’s absolutely nothing to be afraid—”
He growled softly, shooting her a sideways glare.
“My mistake.” She held up her hands sarcastically. “You’re not afraid. Nothing scares you.”
He nodded curtly, then glanced back again. This time, it was impossible to hide the fear shining in his eyes. It rippled through him like a wave, bowing his head with a fiery sigh.
“Hey—we got this, right? You and me.”
A moment of hesitation, then he met her eyes a third time.
You and me.
She pushed to her feet with a grin, patting him once behind the ear. “Trust me...this is going to work.”
As the ocean streaked beneath her, she scrambled down the dragon’s neck and returned to her friends. They’d watched the entire exchange with great anticipation, flinching collectively at the cloud of fire, and were now tensed to spring, watching her every move.
