Chapter Thirty-Five

Safina

I curled up besideGabriel in his narrow cot after receiving reassurances from Se?or Cortez that on the morrow we would move to a larger bedroom upstairs. Luckily, the spinning in my head had abated since my mother had climbed into our cart and run her healing hands over me. I felt as if my world was still rocking, albeit much more gently than before. If I never set a toe in the sea again, it would be too soon.

Gabriel had fallen asleep on the long ride home, and even though his brothers jostled him while depositing him in bed, he showed no signs of waking. Gabriel smelled of seawater, and my dress and hair were still damp, but I didn't protest. I was too tired to think about a bath and a change of clothes.

The room felt even smaller with so many people crowding it. Though I was relieved to be reunited with our family, I was anxious for a private word with my mother.

Much to my relief, Gabriel's family said their goodbyes and shuffled out the door, and my father was nowhere in sight.

With her eyes downcast, Mother followed Se?or Cortez toward the exit.

I jerked upright. "Mother, where are you going?"

She turned to me, clutching the worn drape that separated Gabriel's room from the kitchen. "To Mrs. Jenkens's home. She needs my help."

I wasn't ready to part with my mother yet, especially when there was still so much unspoken between us.

"Mother, wait. Why was our bond broken? Why can I no longer transform? Gabriel said you had his grandfather do a severance of souls. Was it to punish me?" My voice cracked, and I hung my head. I wanted to add for those horrible things I said to you, but I couldn't summon the courage to recall my ill-fated words aloud.

Mother crossed the room and tenderly stroked my cheek. "I meant only to sever the bond with your father, never with you. Believe me when I tell you this, daughter. I will not rest until our bond is restored. You were born a dragon princess, and a dragon princess you shall be."

I looked up into my mother's amber eyes, relieved to see only tenderness there. "But how?"

"You do not worry," Mother softly cooed. "Josef and I will find a way. I promise."

I prayed my mother would indeed find a way to restore my immortality. I didn't wish to live a short, mortal life with Gabriel. I couldn't imagine loving him for anything less than an eternity. Then my thoughts darkened as I recalled the horrific storm that was approaching our shores. Such a calamity could kill us all.

"But the hurricane...."

The dragon queen sat beside me, clasping my hands tight. "Josef says it isn't coming until the morrow, after we break our fast." Her shoulders slumped, and she sounded deflated, exhausted. "Tonight I must help Mrs. Jenkens gather her belongings. I will return on the morrow and stay here until the storm passes."

My heart hammered when I remembered the monstrous clouds and relentless winds and waves. "How do we know this house will be safe?"

Mother flashed a thin smile, though it didn't mask the fatigue in her weary eyes. "Josef is an earth speaker. We will have nothing to fear in his house. He will keep the weather at bay."

I squeezed the dragon queen's hands, fighting the urge to throw my arms around her and sob against her bosom. I hadn't realized until that very moment how much I'd missed my mother. How had I ever thought I could have run away, never to see her again? "Are you sure?"

Mother brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear. Instinctively, I leaned into her.

"Very sure," Mother said soothingly. "Please don't fret, darling child. Josef's power over the elements is strong."

I couldn't help but think of my sleeping mate. His powers had not been strong enough to carry us to shore. If it hadn't been for the dragon queen, we would surely have drowned. I hoped my mother was right about Se?or Cortez.

"It takes time for speakers to develop their skills," Mother said as if she'd heard the doubts that plagued me. "I have heard tale of the speakers of old parting the seas and moving mountains." She dropped my hands and hung her head. "I was a fool to have him sever the bond. He warned me it was dangerous magic, and I'm sorry I didn't listen."

I didn't like seeing the dragon queen berate herself, as if her spirit had been beaten. This was no way for a dragon royal to behave.

As tired as I was, I threw my arms around my mother, sobbing against her chest. "It's not your fault, Mother. I'm so sorry for the things I said to you."

The dragon queen pushed me back, gripping my shoulders. "I refused to listen to your needs. Your words needed to be said, especially after I so foolishly struck you." Her voice broke, but she didn't look away. "I cared nothing for your own heart, only mine. I see now how much you and Gabriel love each other. I was selfish to stand in your way."

I searched my mother's features, sensing a profound sadness and an aching loneliness. Though I was relieved the dragon queen had finally given Gabriel and me her blessing, I didn't like the feeling that my newfound joy had caused my mother's sorrow. "But I don't hate you, and I'm sorry I left you."

"Hush, darling." Mother ran her hands down my arms. "You are a woman now, and your mate will hear you."

I clutched a thin blanket to my chest. "I'm not sorry I'm mated to Gabriel. I just wish I could have stayed with you, too."

Mother shook her head, a short burst of laughter escaping her throat. "You can't have it both ways. Either you are at my bosom or in his arms."

I didn't understand why I couldn't have both Gabriel and my mother. Was that the way of dragonkind? To turn their backs on their families once they found mates? Perhaps that was the real reason Mother couldn't be with my sire—not because he was a danger, but because she had to choose between her mother's memory or her mate's love. "Mother...."

"Aye, child?"

I wondered why my mother said nothing about my father. I nodded toward the doorway, assuming he was waiting somewhere outside the bedroom. "Why is my father here, and why is he not trying to kill us?"

Wasn't that one of the reasons we were always fleeing from him? Why we could never stay in one town overly long? Because my sire was a dragon hunter who had the potential to kill us?

Mother heaved a resonant sigh. "Look into his heart and tell me his intentions." She turned to me with a raised brow. "You two are entwined, are you not?"

I didn't know why, but my mother almost sounded resentful, as if my father and I had somehow conspired to stay bonded to one another. "I didn't see any malice in his heart, only longing. Is that how you found us? He showed you?"

"Aye."

This didn't sound at all like the monster we'd run from in the old world. "Then he saved our lives."

She shrugged. "I suppose."

I swallowed a lump of sorrow. All this time we'd hidden from a man who didn't mean us harm. Was the only reason we'd run because the dragon queen needed to nurse her broken heart? And how long, if ever, before she would be able to let go of the past? "May we forgive him now?"

The dragon queen stiffened as she slowly stood. "I cannot forgive him for killing my mother, but you may do as you like, daughter. You have already proven you are of a different mind." Mother's tone turned harsh, almost shrill, as if the words left a bitter taste in her mouth.

I suspected my mother didn't want me to communicate with my sire, but I so longed to speak to him, to find out if he was sorry for having killed my grandmother and if he loved my mother. Why had he come to Galveston? Was he trying to reconcile with his mate? I had many questions for my father.

"The hour is late," Mother said as she smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of her skirt. "'Tis time I left. We all need rest. Goodnight." She leaned over me, planting a quick kiss on my forehead.

I wasn't about to let my mother go so easily. I grasped the dragon queen in a tight hug, wishing I could hold my mother for eternity. "Goodnight, Mother." I kissed her cheek.

After the dragon queen left in haste, I felt cold and empty inside. Strange how in the course of a few days, my relationship with my mother had changed so drastically. My throat constricted at the thought that my mother and I might never fully repair the rift between us, especially if the dragon queen was unable to heal our broken bond.

* * *

Fiona

I WAS ALARMED TO FINDDuncan sitting on the front porch, whispering to Josef. Why was he still there? The hour was late. Did he not have a place to stay? Now that he'd helped me find Safina, did he think that gave him the right to intrude on my life? I had not broken the bond only to have to endure spending time with him.

True, I was indebted to him for saving Safina, but that didn't mean I trusted him. Moreover, I didn't trust myself. Duncan's handsome features hadn't waned with time. If anything, his full lips and pale eyes were even more alluring. Though we'd only made love that one night so many years ago, my vivid dreams had kept the memory of our lovemaking fresh in my mind. Loathe though I was to admit, I longed for another night in his arms. If only he hadn't been a dragonslayer. If only he hadn't murdered my mother.

I strode up to the men, determined more than ever to make a clean break with Duncan before I lost my heart once again to an undeserving mortal.

Josef was sitting in a rocking chair, breathing out a puff of smoke through a pungent pipe. He looked more relaxed than I'd seen him in a long while.

My gaze tunneled on the old speaker, as I purposely avoided eye contact with Duncan. "Josef, you need to restore my bond with my child."

He set down the pipe, his old eyes crinkling as he folded his hands in his lap. "Por Dios mio. I can't."

Fear gripped my chest. "What do you mean, you can't?" Anger infused my skull. He had known the consequences of his magic, yet he'd doomed my daughter to mortality, anyway. "Have you no spell to reverse the severance?"

His brows hitched, a knowing look in his eyes. "Only you and Duncan can do that."

"Do what?" I snapped, and then heat infused my skin when the realization hit me. "You can't mean that Duncan and I must make—" I paused, too mortified to finish. This had to have been a trick. Was that why Josef and Duncan had been speaking in hushed whispers? Had they been conspiring against me?

My iron-eyed glare shot to Duncan. He shifted in his chair and avoided my gaze.

Heavy lines framed Josef's features as he gripped the sides of his chair. "I'm sorry, Mi Reina."

Duncan slowly stood and squared his shoulders. "Fiona, I have spent the past five centuries trying to atone for my sins, trying to prove how much I love you." His pale eyes glistened as he placed a trembling hand over his heart. "If you could just look into my heart and see how sorry I am."

I shook my head, my eyes welling with tears. "I can't. That heart belongs to the man who killed my mother."

Josef pushed himself to a standing position, though his back was bent like he carried an invisible burden on his shoulders. "You will kill your daughter if you don't restore the bond."

I wiped tears off my face, angry with myself for showing Duncan weakness. "There has to be another way."

"I'm sorry. There is no other way." Josef waved a bony hand at Duncan. "You either forgive this man and join with him, or you sentence your child to her death."

"I cannot live with myself either way." I raced down the stairs and across the street, needing to put distance between my broken heart and the man I still loved.

* * *

Safina

I WOKE TO THE SOUNDSof Gabriel's little birds chirping. One of his brothers crept into the room and fed the birds before slipping back out. I listened intently to the voices that carried from outside, but every word sounded muffled, and I couldn't tell if my father was among the men. How I longed for my dragon senses once again.

Gabriel stirred beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist and looking up at me from beneath a mop of messy hair. "That man is your father, the dragonslayer?"

I pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Aye, he is."

Gabriel stretched his arms in our cramped space before sinking back against a pillow. "It didn't seem like he wants you dead."

"He doesn't." I wondered if my mother had been lying all this time, or if she truly didn't trust him.

"Good thing." He coursed a hand down his face before nodding toward his feet. "I doubt I could fight him. My legs are two wet noodles."

I frowned. "What are noodles?"

"It's a type of food, Safi."

I didn't know if I was amused or annoyed by his slanted smile, but none of that mattered, for just the mention of food and my stomach growled in angry protest.

I placed a hand over my hollow, aching belly, realizing I hadn't eaten in three days. "I'm hungry."

Gabriel draped an arm across his brow and groaned. "I can't think of eating until the room stops swaying."

I heaved myself from the bed, wrapping a woven blanket around my shoulders. "I need to find food before my gut eats itself."

I was relieved to find warm tortillas, fried eggs, shredded cheese, and rice on the hearth. I didn't know if the repast was meant for me, but I intended to eat it. I piled food on my tortilla, so high I could hardly close it, then sat down and proceeded to stuff it into my mouth. I barely savored the rich flavors, only stopping to guzzle three glasses of juice.

I was surprised to find myself full, and somewhat nauseous, after just one burrito. I leaned back in my chair and belched into a fist, repulsed by the taste of Mexican spices mixed with sea water. Outside, I could hear my mother's angry voice and wondered what she was saying. It was odd not having the advantage of dragon-touched hearing.

I slowly stood, nearly stumbling over the chair as I pushed it back. The room didn't rock as much, though it appeared tilted, and I had to hold onto the walls as I walked.

I was shocked and unnerved to find my estranged sire outside, sitting in a chair beside Se?or Cortez. My mother had already gone. I nervously toyed with my fingers, looking away from my father's intense, pale gaze. I leaned against the doorframe for support as the room tilted back and forth. A gust of wind blew my hair out of my eyes, reminding me that a tempest was approaching. "Se?or Cortez, the hurricane draws near."

He stopped chewing on the end of his tobacco pipe, looking thoughtfully up at me. "I know, ni?a. The elements have already foretold of the storm."

My heartrate quickened. "Have you warned anyone else?"

Se?or Cortez shrugged. "I have warned all my friends and neighbors and the weatherman, Mr. Cline. Only Mrs. Jenkens and her granddaughter believe me. The rest think I'm loco."

I thought of all the people I'd met since I'd arrived in Galveston, and my soul ached for them. What of Abby's friends? Especially the kind Charlotte Carter and her husband, who were expecting their first child? "Will they perish?"

Se?or Cortez's chest concaved. "Hopefully, they will find their way here before it's too late. Many will lose their lives tomorrow, and others will be injured. You've had a tiring journey. You should be resting, ni?a. I doubt you will sleep through the storm."

"I just wanted a word with my father." I cringed, deliberately avoiding eye contact with the dragonslayer. Saying the word "father" aloud sounded foreign and embarrassingly awkward. I didn't know the man, so he hardly felt like a father to me. Besides, what if he didn't wish to be called my father?

"Of course." Se?or Cortez set down his pipe and heaved himself out of the rocking chair. "I will go check on Gabriel."

After the old speaker left, I felt even more awkward being alone with my estranged sire, and suddenly I was at a loss for words. The wind was picking up outside, blowing my hair across my face and plastering my gown to my legs. I hugged the blanket tightly to my shoulders, suddenly feeling modest and wishing I had a robe to tie around me.

"Safina, you look ready to fall over." My father jumped from his chair and quickly closed the distance between us, latching onto my elbow and guiding me to Se?or Cortez's rocking chair. "Won't you sit?"

I followed numbly, my feet moving as if I was walking on a cloud. It was so odd this man showed concern as if he cared for me. Unable to meet his gaze, I toyed with the frayed end of my blanket. "I-I just wanted to thank you for finding us."

"No need to thank me, lass." He knelt beside me, tenderly cupping my chin and forcing me to look into pale eyes that mirrored my own. "A father doesn't need to be thanked for saving his child."

I couldn't help the nervous laughter that erupted from my throat. My mother had said nearly the same thing to Gabriel, and yet I hardly knew this man. All I knew about him was that he had been the dragonslayer who'd murdered my grandmother and then broken my mother's heart.

He released me, quirking a brow. "What's so funny?"

"You're my father, and I don't even know your name."

He slowly stood, his mouth tilting in a sideways grin as the breeze ruffled his thick hair. "Duncan. Duncan MacQuoid."

My hand flew to my throat as I recalled the surname I'd given Charlotte Carter when pressed for my full name. "MacQuoid? I told the people of Galveston my surname was MacQuoid, but I don't ever remember Mother mentioning your name."

His eyes dazzled as his smile widened. "Perhaps it was somewhere in your subconscious. Our hearts are tethered, after all."

I slowly nodded. "I think I remember when I was a child, sensing you whenever you drew near."

He pulled a chair in front of me, looking intently into my eyes as he lowered himself onto the seat. "I reached out to you, lass. I wanted you to know I loved you. I still do."

He loves me?

My limbs shook, and I was grateful for the chair supporting me, for my legs would surely have buckled had I been standing. All this time I'd been hiding from a man who didn't mean me harm but who loved me? All these years I'd been denied my father's love and he mine? I wanted to be angry with my mother for keeping us apart, but I reminded myself this man had been a dragonslayer.

"And do you love my mother?" I asked.

He laid a hand across his chest. "With all my heart."

I swallowed the knot in my throat and tried to still my shaking hands by grabbing the sides of the chair. "And you are sorry for killing my grandmother?"

His features hardened. "A decision I've regretted every day for five hundred years."

I dug my nails into the wood. "I've spent most of that time trapped in a cocoon beneath the ocean, listening to my mother cry over you." I paused, trying to push back the rising tide of sorrow. "When we surfaced, I made a vow I would avenge her broken heart."

His steady stare didn't waver. "You have every right to carry out that vow."

I vehemently shook my head, fighting to speak through a tight throat. "Too many tears have already been shed, and I'm ready to bury our past. You know she still loves you?"

He seemed to age ten years before my very eyes. "I wish it were only a matter of love."

I thought of my love for Gabriel and how my world had transformed in just a few short days. I'd gone from alone and frightened to loved and comforted with Gabriel's tender touch or soft smile. "Love is very powerful. It can heal almost anything."

He frowned. "Would you stay with Gabriel if he killed your mother?"

I didn't know how to answer him, for I could never imagine Gabriel harming another living being, let alone my mother. "Gabriel would never kill anyone. He has a gentle soul."

His mouth hitched up in a sideways grin. He was handsome, with an infectious smile and naturally rugged good looks. I could see why my mother had fallen in love with him.

"Then you are a very fortunate young woman, and I wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

I decided right then I was going to like my sire, maybe even love him, despite his past sins. I tried to smile back, but a yawn came out instead. The burrito had sunk to my stomach like a sack of stones, and a thick fog shrouded my mind. I wanted to close my eyes when the room started swaying again, but I feared I'd fall asleep outside. "Thank you. I'm so tired, I can barely keep my eyes open."

He stood, holding a hand down to me. "Go to sleep, lass."

I let him pull me up, surprised by his strength when he lifted me as if I weighed no more than a feather. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

He held my hand tight. "I want nothing more than to see you again, Safina."

"Goodnight, Father." Then I took a chance and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing his hand.

I had no idea what had compelled me to kiss him. When I pulled away, I felt his heart being shredded to pieces. I looked up into his eyes, reaching for him. When our fingers entwined, I sensed the chasm in his soul, so deep I had no idea how he'd had the sanity to withstand such profound sorrow and loneliness. And for five hundred years? True, Mother and I had suffered for just as long, but we'd suffered together. My father had had no one.

"Father, I'm so sorry. You are alone no longer." I buried my face in his chest.

He rocked me in his arms, saying not a word. But in the void of his silence, I understood the yearning in his soul. He sniffled softly, and I knew he was holding back tears. I wondered why he didn't just let the tears fall. Why he felt the need to be so strong. But the longer he held me, the more I was in awe of his strength, and I realized without a doubt I loved my father.