Chapter 24

24

Lilis sat alone in her human form in the middle of her lair, eyes roving over her precious gems again and again, unable to decide where to look, which jewel to seek out for comfort.

What am I missing?

She felt more off balance now than when she’d arrived.

I just need someone to talk to. The right treasure will soothe me.

She made her decision.

Reaching out a shaking hand, she sifted through her mounds of treasure, seeking an emerald like no other. Luqa’s scent enveloped her, potent like wine and sweet like honey.

“Why did you keep coming back? Why did you let me fail you so many times? You could have lived a full life and died peacefully.” She sniffed. “I miss you.”

Lilis held her breath, waiting for the peace, the cooling calm, to steal over her.

Nothing.

“I love him, you know.”

Admitting her feelings for Simon aloud warmed Lilis. And with the warmth, the tension she’d been carrying for years—for centuries —melted off her body. She pictured the curve of Simon’s lips with his bright smile, the light of his burned beechwood eyes when they shone with care and want for her and her alone.

“Even before I knew he was you, I knew I wanted him.” She continued talking, letting the reassuring glow spread through her muscles. “He pushes me so much harder than you ever did. In any life you led. He challenges me. I think he might be more stubborn than I am, if you can believe it.”

She lifted her face to eye her latest piece, a ruby with value beyond measure. And her reality clicked into place with a firm and definitive snap .

The peace she’d found whenever she’d come to her lair had always been bittersweet, had always come with a cost. She’d sacrificed her heart to find comfort among the ghosts of the dead, the memories of her friends. The cold calm that had washed away her hurt had taken everything else with it, leaving her with nothing but a frosty chill.

But she was a dragon at heart, and she craved the heat. With Simon, Lilis had discovered that peace could come without abandoning her emotions, without turning her into an empty, angry shell.

Well, maybe a little angry. Old habits die hard.

She set her emerald aside and brought down the ruby. In the low light of her lair, it shimmered with its own brilliance, setting it apart from the rest of her treasures.

“I’m scared,” she told it. “As beautiful as you are, I don’t think you belong here.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t know what would happen if I claim a human. What if I hurt you in the process? What if I lose you?”

Let go, Lilis. You’re safe with me .

“It’s time.” Time to join the world of the living. To make friends among the humans. “If Longwei can do it, how hard can it be?”

She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I won’t be back for a while. I don’t know what the future has in store for me and Simon. But I’m going to find out.”