Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Villette barely made it to her room before her legs gave out. She hit the floor so hard it jarred her body, creating more waves of pain. It snatched her breath and forced her limbs to go rigid. She couldn't stop herself as she fell to the side, slamming a blistered shoulder into the stone floor. She screamed—the only release she had.

Beings of such power didn't fall unconscious. There was no peaceful oblivion while the body healed. There was only constant torment. The persistent and unending pain as her body fought to heal the damage from the mixture of magic she had been doused with.

There had been little recovery in the days since she'd faced off with Katla , the dragons, and their mates. If she hadn't managed to get away, she would have died that day. But Villette had survived, and she had to heal. Too many things were at play for her to let them fall to the wayside simply because she wasn't at full strength.

She couldn't keep distributing her magic as she had been if she intended to heal. She needed all of it for herself. But if she stopped, it would leave Stonemore defenseless. And give her many enemies time to reach her.

But what choice did she have? She couldn't fight them off as she was. She couldn't even stand against Merrill and Derek at the moment. She had let her anger get the best of her and shown them weakness.

She could use that to her advantage, however. They wouldn't expect her to take the day or so she needed to fully regenerate. So , when she faced them again, they would still think her weakened.

Villette smiled through the pain. She couldn't wait to see the shock on their faces right before she scrubbed Derek's mind for the last time. Between him and Merrill , Con and the other Dragon Kings didn't stand a chance.

Everything she had set in motion millions of years ago was about to come to fruition. Her patience and planning had been worth every setback, every loss. Once the dragons were back under the Star People's control, her family could be whole again.

With a few minor adjustments. Miena and Lotti would have to die, but no one would miss them.

Villette looked at the bed. She tried to teleport herself from the floor to the mattress, but pain overwhelmed her power. She rolled to her hands and knees and crawled. Each movement was agonizing, but she didn't give up. No matter how many times her arms gave out, no matter how often she was overcome by anguish and screamed to release it, she kept getting up.

By the time she reached the bed, she was drenched in sweat and shaking from the exertion. She pulled herself to her feet, using the bed for assistance. Then , with slow, measured movements, she sat on the mattress and lay back.

Villette began to call her magic to her, piece by piece. She kept Merrill and Derek locked away and didn't touch the door leading to Miena , but everything else stopped.

As her power returned, she was able to breathe easier, and her body started to heal.