The Dragon Queen (Death #4)

27. Talon

Chapter 27

Talon

I spent the week with Calista in the tree house. After that initial conversation at the dining table, we said very little to each other. Our bodies became reacquainted and the fire unleashed. With every passing day, it felt more normal, the pain of my conversation with Vivian fading further and further.

I did my best to embrace happiness—and so far, it had worked.

It was the first time in the last twenty years that I had no agenda. The battle had been fought and won, and therefore, I had no purpose. Anger and seething revenge no longer fueled my movements.

Since I’d been so occupied with Calista for the week, I returned to Khazmuda in the clearing where I last saw him, knowing he was desperate for my attention but too kind to say it. Knowing I was happy with Calista made him happy.

When I approached the clearing, he opened his eyes and lifted his chin to look at me. He had no expressions to show his emotion, but the joy he felt at the sight of me absorbed into my flesh.

He lowered his snout when I came close and nuzzled me with the smooth part of his scales, the closest thing to a hug he could offer.

I rubbed my palm over his scales. “I missed you.”

I missed you more, Talon Rothschild.

I stepped away and felt the smirk enter my lips. “Don’t you think it’s time we drop the last name?”

Not when you’re King Talon Rothschild, King of the Southern Isles.

My smile disappeared. “I’m not King of the Southern Isles…”

It’s not a democracy, Talon. It’s your birthright. It’s time to return and lead your people to prosperity.

“I haven’t thought about any of that.”

Then it’s time you start.

I took a seat on the log near the cold campfire, wearing the trousers and shirt supplied to me. I didn’t want to wear my old clothes, not when the threat of battle was long gone. “I don’t know what I want, Khazmuda.”

Have you spoken to Calista about it?

“We haven’t spoken much of anything…”

Yes…I’ve noticed.

“I’m not sure what she wants.”

Then it’s time to ask her.

“What do you want, Khazmuda? How do you want to spend your life?”

I want to return to the Southern Isles and be with my kin—but only if you come with me.

“Why did you leave the Southern Isles in the first place?”

Because Calista was the only one who knew my grief, and I didn’t want to leave her. I tried to fuse with her so I could protect her the way you’d want me to, and that was when I realized a fuse wasn’t possible because I was still connected to you.

I gave a nod in understanding. “Even if we’re across the ocean from each other, we’re still connected. There’s no reason you can’t be with your kin and I remain here?—”

I meant what I said, Talon. I never want to be apart from you. You may not have scales or breathe fire, but you’re my kin more than they are.

His words touched me, but I struggled to express that. “I’ll talk to her.”

We lay together in bed, the sheets at our waists because we were both warm from the lovemaking. She was cradled into my chest, not the least bit bothered by the violent scars that looked like death. Crickets sounded outside the window. Frogs croaked from the river that flowed through the forest. Riviana Star wasn’t home, but it had earned a special place in my heart.

“Baby?”

“Hmm?” She returned to her pillow so she could look at me. Must have been the seriousness of my tone that made her realize a conversation was on the approach.

“Do you know where you’d like to live?” I chose an open-ended question so I would know what she really wanted. Perhaps it was Scorpion Valley. Or perhaps it was the Lands of Thalian.

“I assumed we would live in the Southern Isles.”

“Why?”

She visibly grew uncomfortable by the conversation, turning away before she scooted back against the headboard so she could sit up. Her knees came toward to her chest under the sheets, and she brought them close to her body.

I couldn’t feel her emotions the way I could feel Khazmuda’s, but I knew without a doubt that she was uneasy—though I had no idea why. “Baby, what is it?”

She remained quiet as she looked at the opposite wall, her pale face suddenly bloodless. “There’s something I need to tell you…”

My entire body tightened at her words. I jumped to the worst possible conclusions, that she’d slept with Luxe when she’d thought I was dead or hooked up with someone else. That didn’t seem like something she would do, but I didn’t know what else would make her mood drop like this. “I’m listening.”

“I know how much you want children, and before we return to the Southern Isles and make a life together…you should know there’s a chance I can’t have them.” Her eyes remained on the wall, and she took a deep breath that almost felt like gasp, as if she’d been keeping this in forever.

The disappointment hit me hard, like a blow right against my chest, but I didn’t give it a reaction. Because whether she could give me children or not, she was the woman I loved and would love until my last breath. “Why do you think that?”

“Because…I stopped taking my medicine after I left the Arid Sands. I’d forgotten about it because life had become so chaotic and hectic. And in the months we’ve been together…and all the sex we’ve had…I’ve never missed a period.”

I closed my eyes because I felt like shit. “Baby…”

“I know how much you want an heir?—”

“I don’t want an heir. I want to grow a family with the woman I love, to raise my boy to be a man and my daughter to fight like a man. I want dinners and adventures and laughter and love. I’m not a dickhead like Barron who only cares about his line and the legacy he leaves behind. I want a family for no other reason than because I want one.”

Her lips started to tremble like she was on the verge of tears.

“Baby, it’s not you.”

“What if it is?—”

“When Bahamut cursed me, he stopped my ability to father children. Because my body and soul were his, he didn’t want my line to continue among mortals. So, it’s not you, Calista. I wish I’d said something sooner so you wouldn’t have carried this fear all this time.”

All the weight she’d been carrying suddenly disappeared with my words. She let out a breath, and with the air that left her lungs, all the despair did too. The tremble left her lips, and her shoulders dropped in relaxation. “That does make me feel better.”

My arm circled her shoulders, and I brought her into me, her head moving to my shoulder, her hair across my chest. My lips found her temple and pressed a kiss there, feeling her relax even more in my embrace.

We lay like that for a long time, both at peace.

“I know you escaped Bahamut, but does that mean you’re no longer cursed?”

“I assume so.”

“But why would he release you?”

“If he doesn’t release the curse, then I still have command of the dead. And I’m sure he wouldn’t want that. As much as he’d like to continue to torture me in some way, he can’t have it both ways. He’d have to choose—and I’m sure that’s what he chose.”

She continued to let my body support her, her fingers locking with mine, little red marks on her skin from all the places I’d kissed her too hard.

I did my best not to look at the scars on my chest, but it also caught my peripheral, the black color distinct against my fair skin. It was like a fire had burned inside me, broken through my ribs, and reached the surface. I should just be grateful to be alive and have my soul, but it still pained me to carry it, to know someone had permanently marked me without my consent. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Her mind seemed to have drifted off, relaxed now that the stress had faded. “And what was it?”

“Where would you like to live?”

“I already said I assumed we would live in the Southern Isles?—”

“And that didn’t answer my question,” I said. “What do you want?”

She turned her head to look up at me. “I want to be with you, wherever that may be. What do you want, Talon? You have a kingdom across the sea that’s been in your blood for dozens of generations. I assumed you’d want to rule it.”

I looked away. “I’ve never given it much thought.” Because ruling it had never been an option.

“Then you should do that now.”

“It’s hard to imagine leading people I feel so disconnected from.”

“You’ve been living elsewhere for decades. It’s reasonable to feel disconnected.”

“And it’s hard to imagine it without my family there. They’ll always haunt me—whether they’re at peace or not.”

“I think having you reclaim the throne that’s in your blood would fill them with pride and happiness. The legacy can continue when your son comes of age, and it can pass on to the next generation…and the next.”

“That’s something I’ve never understood. Why the line of succession can only pass through sons and not daughters.” If Calista and I had a daughter together, I knew she would be a deadly combination of the two of us, a woman with more spine than most men combined. “If my eldest child were a daughter, the crown would belong to her.”

Her eyes softened with her lips. “It sounds like that’s what you want—to be king.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It’s okay to want it, Talon. Why do you deny yourself?”

I looked away. “I don’t need to remind you that the kingdom fell because I failed to protect it.”

“You warned your father of the treason. You told him your suspicions and he dismissed you. He was the king of the Southern Isles, not you. He was the one who failed your family and your people. You take on a responsibility that doesn’t belong to you.” She turned and propped herself up on her elbow to look at me head on. “A mistake you never would have made.”

The belief in her stare was so potent it made me look away.

“You would be the best king there ever was, Talon. Look at all you’ve accomplished.”

I continued to avoid her stare.

Her eyes were locked on the side of my face, heat burning into my flesh.

“If that’s what we decide, that means you’ll rarely see these lands. You’ll be apart from your uncle, the only family you have left. Scorpion Valley is in your veins as much as the Southern Isles is in my mine. Doesn’t seem right that you would sacrifice all that so I can be king of a land you don’t call home.”

Her eyes had that depth that pulled me in, a path that led straight to her heart. “You are home—both of you.”

I didn’t deserve Vivian’s love. And I certainly didn’t deserve Calista’s. Had no idea how I’d gotten so lucky to love two exceptional women—and they both loved me back.

“The dragons have made the Southern Isles their home, so that’s where Khazmuda belongs. His commitment to you is stronger than to them, but he deserves to have both. While I’ll miss my uncle and this forest will always hold a special place in my heart, it’s not where I’m supposed to be. My place is with both of you.”

“Are you certain?” I asked quietly.

“Absolutely certain,” she said. “My time in the Southern Isles was brief and fraught with war, but it was beautiful. Imagine how beautiful it will be when it’s restored to its full glory. When the olive trees bloom and the vineyards produce the richest wine. When the red geraniums grow in the planters on the balconies of the windows and the salt of the sea cleanses our lungs while we sleep at night. I’ve never swum in warm water like I did in that waterfall. Imagine how the sea must feel against the skin on a warm day. There are worse places to call home.”

Her words brought back memories, but this time, visiting the past didn’t hurt. Silas, Rosella, and I used to spend the day at the beach and swim in the warm waters until sunset. Rosella eventually stopped coming because she didn’t want to get her hair wet, but Silas and I continued even when we were men, even when I was married with other obligations. “Alright.”

“So that means you’ll be king?” She asked the question with a smile, like she already knew my answer.

Her smile was infectious, the way she thought so highly of me when I thought so poorly. “I suppose.”

Her beautiful smile widened even further, a twinkle in her eyes that reminded me of my mother, the way she looked at me like I was her whole world and more. “King Rothschild of the Southern Isles. Does that mean I need to start bowing to you?” Playfulness burned in her eyes as she teased me.

My hand gripped her ass and pulled her on top of me, hard at the thought of her being my queen, wearing a crown upon her beautiful head so everyone would know that she belonged to me. “You will bow to me every night.”

The four of us sat together at the grand table in the royal chambers. Queen Eldinar took the head of the table as the monarch of these lands, and her husband sat upon her right. I took the other spot next to her, Calista beside me.

“We’ve decided to reside in the Southern Isles,” I said. “All three of us.” Khazmuda had always wanted a family of his own, and perhaps we could raise our hatchlings together. “I’ve caught up on my rest, so we’ll be leaving shortly. I’ve never properly thanked you for your alliance, so I hope you accept my gratitude now.”

Queen Eldinar watched me with slight affection. “Then I should thank you for your alliance as well, Death King. Or should I call you King Rothschild, Ruler of the Southern Isles?” The affection in her gaze increased. “I’m glad that you’ve decided to take the crown. It’s been waiting for you these last decades.”

“Thank you, Queen Eldinar.”

“Make no mistake, we’re both sad about your departure. I know Ezra and I have grown fond of his niece, as much as we’ve grown fond of you. And Khazmuda, of course. But all good things come to an end, because all things come to an end eventually.”

“I will miss you both,” Calista said. “This forest became my home when I needed it most. I will always remember her music.”

Ezra dropped his eyes to the table, like this conversation was more challenging than the battles he’d fought. “Will you wed?” When he lifted his gaze, it was on me, suddenly becoming a father figure to a grown woman.

“When I’m crowned king, I will make her my queen,” I said. “Queen Calista Rothschild of the Southern Isles. With a dragon in my heart, a crown upon my head, and an army at my disposal, I will protect her as long as I live.”

After all this time and the way his wife’s opinion of me had changed, I assumed he would come to accept me, to pardon me for what I’d done to his brother and his homeland, but those roots seemed to run too deep to be cut.

A long stretch of silence passed. We all looked at each other like this was the final time we would ever speak.

“You’re always welcome in my lands,” I said. “Should you choose to visit, we would love to have you.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Queen Eldinar said politely. “Perhaps one day…”

Queen Eldinar and I walked through the forest together, the light coming through the trees almost gone because the sun was setting with swiftness. The fireflies were already out, but the illumination in their bellies was too faint to notice.

“I’m sad to lose such a good friend.” She walked barefoot down the earthen path, her gown dragging behind her but remaining unstained.

“We will still be friends—just at a greater distance.”

She smiled. “You will remain fused with Khazmuda.”

“It’s what he wishes.”

“Then what of Calista?”

“How do you mean?”

“You’ll remain in the full bloom of spring forevermore, while time pulls at her heart every day. Surely you’ve must have considered this.” She looked at me as she walked.

In truth, I hadn’t. “Much has come to pass these last few days.”

She looked ahead again.

“After what she’s done for the dragons, I’m sure any of them would offer to fuse with her. Inferno adores her. He would be the first volunteer.”

“You’re right.”

“Has Macabre returned to the Lands of Thalian?”

“He has—along with a few others.”

“Have you considered the same solution for Ezra?”

She stopped at the question, her eyes guarded in provocation.

“Macabre adores you. I’m sure he would grant you this wish.”

“I would never ask a dragon to grant such a tremendous boon.”

“I think it’s a fair request, considering they’re free for the first time in many years—because of you. Because of us. He knows you won’t abuse the connection that binds them together. He knows you do it simply to live with your beloved as long as you can.”

She looked away, as if ashamed she was considering the suggestion.

“He’s already ten or more years older than you.”

“His age does not bother me.”

“Now. But in another decade, it will. And then in another decade, he’ll begin his slow decline into old age—and you’ll watch him die.”

Her blue eyes soured in pain.

“How cruel is it for him to live his life knowing his presence will pass in the blink of an eye for you. That you will not mother his children when his mortality is so brief. That he will be replaced by a suitor who is worthy of your maternal investment. This solution fixes all of it.”

She looked away like the conversation suffocated her.

“You deserve to be happy, Your Majesty. And for more than a few decades.”

She continued to look away, breathing hard as the emotion gripped her tighter.

“Macabre will grant you this wish. All you have to do is ask.”