Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

" You came back."

The surprise in Kora's voice contradicted her carefully controlled expression. Derek softly closed the door, unable to tear his gaze from her. He had spent the past few hours arguing with himself about what to do. He knew what Villette expected of him, and he comprehended the vow he had given her. But another truth struck him. He wasn't giving up Kora . He intended to keep her by his side. As for the rest? Well , he'd figure it out as he went.

" I said I would," he replied.

Kora glanced at the comb in her hand before gently setting it in its box. " I know, but…we're both aware of what others think of people like me."

" And you believed I would use that information against you?"

" I wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

Was that really how she saw him? Nay . This wasn't about him. This was about others and how magical beings were banished or killed. That , combined with her family being slain, would cause anyone to expect the worst.

Kora pressed her lips together. " I shouldn't have told you."

" But you did. Why ?"

" I wish I knew. I've never told anyone."

" No one?"

She met his gaze. " No one. Ever ."

Derek walked to stand before her. He had been confused about what to do, but no longer. " No one has ever entrusted me with such valuable information before. Your secret is safe with me." And he meant it.

" It's knowledge some would pay handsomely to obtain."

" Coin means nothing to me."

She walked to the table. Her body was tense, her lips compressed.

He followed her with his eyes. And then it struck him. " You don't believe me." When she didn't reply, he asked, " Which part? About the coin or your secret?"

" I don't know. Both ?"

There was a way to prove himself about the coin. All he had to do was show her he had magic. But that would raise questions about what he was, and he would lose her if she knew he was a dragon. He knew that to the very depths of his soul. He didn't consider why he couldn't let her go. That was for another day.

" What do you know about…my kind?" she asked.

Derek chose his words carefully. " A few things."

" Like ?"

" That you're hard to kill."

She swiveled her head to look at him, the walls around her fortified and solid. " And ?"

" You erupt into flames."

" Both are true. Did you also know that we're able to smell evil? That , when we do, we're bound to find and kill it to keep the balance of the universe?"

Derek frowned and shook his head. Villette had conveniently left out that part. She knew everything about her enemies, so she had known and not shared.

" Once , there was a woman who could tell if an infant had magic merely by touching them. She traveled from village to village, giving insight to parents about the babies they had taken in. No one ever knew where she would travel next or how long she would stay. No one even knew her name, but she was known by all. Always traveling alone. Some claimed the magic of others called to her, that she could sense it. I'm not sure what brought her to the village. There are so many things we don't know. Why can't women become pregnant? Is it us? Or does the fault lie with the men? Why do infants just appear in random places? Where do they come from? Who is bringing them? Are they taken from families and given to others on Zora ? So many questions. But she had an answer."

" If the babies had magic."

Kora sank into the chair and rested an arm on the table. " I had been found in a field two days prior. The elders of the village gave me to a young couple who'd just married. It is said the woman walked into the village and straight to their door. I was lying in a cradle. When she touched me, I erupted into flames, burning the blanket and cradle. I can't imagine what the couple must have thought. Magic is one thing. Flames are another. The woman told the elders I belonged with my kind, and they gladly handed me over. She brought me to a hidden community where everyone had magic, but most were hellhounds. My brother told me the story often. He was five years old when our parents took me in. He remembered that day vividly." She smiled, but it was fleeting.

" For the first eight years, my life was idyllic. I was showered with love. My parents were wonderful, and I adored my brother. I had friends and extended family. No one sneered because I had magic. No one feared me. I didn't have to hide who or what I was. I had no idea how good things were until it was all taken away."

Derek didn't move or make a sound. He wanted to hear this as badly as he wanted to beg her not to tell him more because he knew the story wouldn't end well.

She swallowed, her gaze going distant. " My father was part of a small group of hellhounds that caught the scent of evil. They followed it, doing what we do. They succeeded in ending the malevolence, but a dragon was nearby and caught their scent. They separated, each going in a different direction, knowing the beast could only follow one. They believed they had fooled it, but in reality, the dragon had tricked them. It followed the scent that led it straight to our town."

Derek fisted his hands, his lungs seizing. He shook his head, refusing to believe what he was hearing. It couldn't be the same village. It just couldn't.

" Mum had Kayden take me to safety with some of the others as she hurried to help Dad and anyone else she could. It was the last time I saw my parents. Kayden tried to leave me, but I wouldn't let go of him. My cousin, Zak , kept us both there. The battle was over quickly. When we emerged, there was nothing left of our community. Nothing but fire and smoke. And piles of ash that had once been people. I knew to be afraid of dragons because they were the enemy, but I learned a valuable lesson that day. I learned to fear and hate."

Bile rose in Derek's throat. Because he had been the one who killed her parents and so many others that day. All in the name of protecting Villette so she could free the dragons. Even if he had known then that hellhounds sought evil to end it, he would have carried out his mission. His kin deserved freedom.

He squeezed his eyes shut. It was bad enough that Kora considered him her enemy. If she learned what he had done… He couldn't even finish the thought.

Derek was startled as he realized how long ago that attack had been. His eyes flew open to look at Kora . If his calculations were right, that meant she was over five hundred years old.

She drew in a deep breath, unaware of his thoughts, and slowly released it. " For days, Kayden , Zak , and I thought we were all that was left. Uncle Rylan eventually found us. There were a few other survivors, and it was decided it would be better if we went our separate ways in case the dragon returned. I swung between bouts of grief, rage, and hate. Every night, I woke screaming from nightmares, reliving the sounds of the dragon."

Derek turned his head away. He could try to tell her his reasonings for what he did, but it wouldn't matter. He had destroyed her life. He had done it many times over, and no one had made him feel regretful. Until now.

" The days were long and taxing," she continued. " We were constantly on the move and kept away from others unless we had no choice. If we needed supplies from a village, Uncle Rylan went. I don't know if it was because I was a girl or because I was so young, but they hid a lot from me. They would wait until they thought I was asleep before they talked. And it was always in whispers. I only heard bits about the plan. I got a name— Villette . And I had a place— Stonemore . Maybe if I had known everything, I would've listened to their warning to stay put."

Derek made his way to the table and took the chair opposite Kora . He had no words, at least not any she would want to hear. So , he sat and continued to listen.

" I was restless," she said as she tucked her dark hair behind her ear. " It's a bad excuse, but it's the truth. I was so tired of moving around and being kept out of things. I wanted to be involved, but they wouldn't let me. The more they tried to shelter me, the angrier I got. I should have paid more attention to where we were. I should have listened when they tried to caution me. I had so much rage at what'd happened to my parents that all I wanted to do was hurt someone. I know now that's why they kept me out of it. I needed to get past my grief and learn to control my emotions. They told me that repeatedly. I believed I was ready to join the fight."

Derek flattened his palm on the table instead of reaching across it to cover her hand with his. He wanted to touch her, but he didn't deserve that privilege. Not now. Not ever again.

Her gaze lifted to his. " I was too young to realize that I directed my anger at them because I didn't have anywhere else to aim it. It wasn't as if I could go after the dragon. I went for a walk to clear my head. I never even saw the dragon. But it saw me."

Derek searched his mind to see if he had a memory of this. He hoped it wasn't him. He was already responsible for too much when it came to Kora .

" It rose from sleeping on the top of the mountain. I froze in terror. All the times I imagined fighting against one of the beasts vanished as I turned and ran. Kayden , Rylan , and Zak intercepted it when it came after me. Kayden told me to hide, and that's what I did. I saved myself and watched as the three remaining members of my family were killed instead of standing with them as I had demanded they allow for months." Kora paused and drew in a shaky breath. " Surprisingly , the dragon didn't look for me. I didn't leave that spot for days. I stared at their smoking remains and went through everything I should have done. Then I ran far and fast. I've been running and hiding ever since. Their ghosts follow me, a reminder that there was unfinished business." She shrugged. " I'm the last of our kind. It's time I finish what my family began."

" If you're the last, shouldn't you have a duty to stay alive?"

" I used that excuse for a while. It doesn't hold water anymore. I have to do this."

He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he held back. He might have been the one to attack her village, but he hadn't been the one to kill her brother, cousin, and uncle. That wouldn't mean much to her, though, so he kept it to himself.

" The moment my secret is out, a dragon will come, and it will kill anyone near me," she said.

" You expect to be discovered?"

" I'm trying to warn you."

" Warning heard."

She turned her head and blew out a frustrated breath. " Get away from me. Far away."

He couldn't. He had already tried. Twice . " I'm not going anywhere."

" I can't be responsible for another death."

" Then don't be."

She laughed, the sound hollow as she looked at him.

They held gazes for a long moment before it dawned on him why she had shared her story. " You think I've already told someone about you."

" You were gone a long time."

" I had things to sort through."

She quirked a brow. " Like ?"

" Like ensuring no one suspects you in the incident last night."

" Right . Tell me, how did you get me past the soldiers back here?"

He had hoped she wouldn't think about that. It was a good thing then that he had already come up with a good lie. " I said you were drunk and spilled wine on yourself."

" Quick thinking."

She didn't believe him. He saw it in the set of her jaw and the suspicion in her eyes. He hadn't cared about anything but the dragons his entire life. He had never apologized for the lives he had to take that brought him a step closer to freeing his brethren. He did what was necessary at every turn to further his cause. He took women to his bed to ease his lust, but they were nothing but a means to an end. A few hours of pleasure that never quite satisfied him.

Then , one day, a dark-haired beauty unexpectedly came into his life. He had been sad to see her die, but that was when he'd thought her merely mortal. From the instant he discovered her gone from the slab until now, he hadn't been able to get Kora out of his blood.

It wasn't just about lust, though that had a lot to do with it. She captivated and enthralled him. Her strength riveted him. Her smiles beguiled him. The way their bodies came together was thrilling and extraordinary.

He shouldn't trouble himself about children being sacrificed. People did horrible things everywhere. But he cared now because he had seen how it affected her. It made him take a closer look at himself.

Perhaps that was why he said words that could come back to haunt him. " I'm not your enemy, Kora . I want to help."

" Why ?"

" I don't know."

She smirked. " That might be the truest thing you've said."

Derek understood her hesitation. He leaned forward. " Do I smell evil?"

" I don't know."

He blinked, taken aback. " What ?"

" A lot changed for me the day my brother died. I repressed many things in an effort to pretend I wasn't a hellhound."

" Then how do you know you're going after the right person?"

" Because she's the one who sent the dragons after my people. She's the one allowing the children to be sacrificed. And she's the one running this city."

Derek had been afraid that would be her answer. " The Divine rules the city."

" The Divine is nothing more than a woman named Villette . She is much more than she lets on, however. She's powerful. Extremely so. And only a hellhound can kill her."

Every argument he had against Villette vanished. No one in the city knew Villette was the Divine . Everyone believed it was a man. It was a ruse she had begun years earlier to allow her to move about the city freely while still maintaining an iron control.

How could he help Kora when he had given a vow to Villette ? If either found out about the other, things could go from bad to worse in a second.

" If Villette is as formidable as you say, should you go after her alone? No one would fault you if you went away and forgot about her."

" No one else can do this. It has to be me. Besides , I would never be able to look at another child without thinking of the ones dying here. She has magic, yet she allows anyone with it to be slaughtered. And she's not just allowing it. She's condoning it. Tell me that isn't evil."

He couldn't.