SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) (28 page)

“
Yes, imagine facing that. Dragonkin do
not have to grow old to fully shift.
”

Nauseating
. Not the idea Cloud can do it but the
sight of Fury with one arm completely shifted into a large scale covered talon
proves how very dangerous the dragonkin could be.

“
You doubt Lord Fury, Master Soar?
”
Fury asks. The talon shifts again,
returning to the form of a human hand but the dragonkin lord speaks in
challenge.

“
No,
Lord Fury,
”
Soar says and sets Cloud
’
s feathers aside.
“
I don
’
t doubt you at all. If anyone
has the capacity to shift my world, it
’
s her.
”

With a tilt of his head toward the stone
wall that hides his mate, Soar says exactly whom he does not doubt.

 
“
Lady
Tempest?
”
A female speaks.

Cloud stretches on the warm stone beneath
her with no recollection of drawing her wings in or undressing. Her heavy and
tired muscles bear more than the understanding she and Soar haven
’
t conceived. The dangerously hot air
should burn as she breathes but it doesn
’
t.

The voice echoes the name she heard over
and over before she woke through the crack of thunder and the rush of wind. She
remembers Soar
’
s arms around her then she was
swallowed by the lightning hole in the sky.

“
Lady
Tempest?
”

A hand touches Cloud
’
s shoulder and she sits with a start,
drawing her knees up to cover herself in a gesture of human modesty.

“
Oh
my gosh,
”
she gasps. The older female
has leathery gold wings and wears a long sleeveless tunic. Her bare legs and feet
are tinted with the same dirt that dusts the stone floor. Only slightly
alarming are the gold scales that run in a band past her ears and down her neck
before disappearing into her clothing.

Cloud swallows and her mouth goes dry at
the sight of the female
’
s eyes. They glow like gold
fire and not just her eyeballs. If she turned her head the luminous disks would
appear to float above her heat reddened cheeks.

“
My name is Cloud,
”
she manages before she
blurts out.
“
What are you?
”

“
I am dragonkin like you, Lady Tempest,
”
the female takes a seat by Cloud
’
s legs. Up close, the glowing disks
become translucent then disappear revealing the violent gold flecks that ripple
and weave over her irises.

“
I do not have much time with you, Lady
Tempest. The room is cooling and they expect the door to open and for you to
emerge.
”

“
Who?
”
Cloud stammers.

How many more of them are out there?

“
Your male waits with your sire. You are
in Skyfall, the dragonkin city.
”

“
My sire is dead,
”
she says but the female waves her silent.

“
Your babies are fine, Lady Tempest.
”

Cloud
’
s jaw drops as her hands slip between her
thighs and over her stomach.

“
Dragonkin are not plagued with the
inability to shift when they have conceived. Our females go into season at the
worst possible time. Your season was triggered by your injuries.

“
You
don
’
t trust me and you shouldn
’
t nor anyone else out there. Keep your
mouth shut and continue to be overwhelmed. Don
’
t let them find out you
’
re pregnant, not even your male.
”

“
But
—”

“
No.

“
Your sire will take you before the
gryphon Grand Council. Aledaar will put a powerful relic around your neck. The
pain will be immeasurable but your pregnancy has altered you enough you will be
immune. When it
’
s over follow their orders and
escape when you can.

“
Aledaar uses the relic to control our kin
but he won
’
t control you. You will truly
be a free dragonkin and only a free dragonkin can kill him. He must be wearing
the relic when he dies and your kin will be freed.

“
If they find out you
’
re pregnant before you wear the relic
then you
’
ll be imprisoned until your
young are born. He
’
ll claim your will and that of
your children when they are strong enough to survive. If he finds out when you
’
re free then he can still claim them.

“
Do you understand? You must be free from
Aledaar.
”

Cloud only understands she
’
s telling the truth. The female talks
nonsense but it
’
s the truth.

“
How do you know this?
”
Cloud demands as a large square tears
into the stone.

The gold winged dragonkin rests her hand
in the centre of it.

“
Because,
”
she
smiles with hope although her voice betrays great sadness.
“
I
’
m the only free dragonkin and I
’
m imprisoned here, in our fallen city. My
own kin have no choice but to kill me if I portal outside, such is the will of
Aledaar.

“
Now,
I
’
ll see if I can find something
for you to wear.
”

With a nod, she pushes the stone door
open. Other than a slight rumble with the movement there is no hint of a hinge
and it seems one edge of the door connected to the edge of the wall facilitates
its weightless swing. Through the opening, Cloud is able to see an immense
cavern. On the other side stone buildings appear stacked in rows upon each
other.

A crack of thunder reverberates over
everything and Cloud scoots backward until her skin presses against hot stone.

“
Here,
”
the female says when she returns. She
doesn
’
t appear bothered by the noise
outside.
“
Someone has portalled in. If
you cross the city you must use the bridge. You don
’
t want to be hit by a portal when it
grounds.
”

She still doesn
’
t make any sense. All Cloud wants is to get
to Soar if he
’
s indeed waiting for her
outside.

The tunic and trousers she
’
s given are definitely gryphon, right
down to the secure hand-stitched double hems and bone buttons closing the tunic
at the waist beneath the wing openings.

Before she
’
s even finished knotting the drawstring
of the trousers, she
’
s on her feet. The female
’
s hand guides Cloud to the door. Vertigo
hits and leaves her swaying as she grasps the size of the chamber. It must be a
mile long, the sky browned but visible through the strange translucent ceiling.
The stacked buildings on the other side are several hundred feet away.

Soar picks up his pace halfway across the
bridge. He
’
s dwarfed by the gold-winged
dragonkin male at his side. The dragonkin
’
s
massive axe swings at his side and he wears the reds of the Council
’
s Will. It
’
s enough to make Cloud turn
and run back to the warm room but the female still holds her.

Sire?

His red hair is not so different from
Cloud
’
s when she doesn
’
t keep it up. With a hand on Soar
’
s back, the dragonkin whispers and Soar
nods before approaching Cloud alone.

“
You may shift as you like,
”
the female says when Soar is within
earshot.
“
Fly every day to get your
strength back.
”

Then she
’
s gone, leaving Soar alone with Cloud as
she nears the male.

“
Little
gryphon,
”
Soar says and arches his wings
forward to draw her close. His eyes follow the silhouette of her shoulders
against the stone behind her instead of her wings. For a moment he looks sad.
Cloud assumes it
’
s since he doesn
’
t know a pregnant dragonkin can shift.
Then he smiles.
“
You
’
re
okay.
”

The deeper she sinks into his wings the
more his gryphon smell wins out over the scent of shifted dragonkin. As she
folds in his embrace she doesn
’
t see him. Instead the broad
smile of a raven haired female looms before her. The cavern disappears to be
replaced with fire-lit stone walls and the smell of the scene she imagines
makes her heart lurch. It
’
s the room where she was born,
the same room where Torrent nearly killed her. Gryphon and dragonkin mingle,
confusing her senses as the deep laughter of a male comes from within her
vision and outside of it.

“
Cloud?
”

Soar
’
s tight embrace brings her back to the
present as the male
’
s laughter fades to a
delighted chuckle. The scene stretches and thins and her birth dame
’
s dark eyes become lighter as they are
replaced with her mate
’
s.

The older female kneels before Cloud
’
s sire. He doesn
’
t acknowledge her when she extends her
arms, palms and wrists up.

“
Lady Tempest has not conceived, Lord
Fury,
”
she says.

“
Thank
you,
”
Fury touches her wrists
without drawing his eyes from Cloud.

Cloud
’
s anguished yelp is muffled in Soar
’
s shoulder. At least she
’
s spared lying to him.

“
I heard that name, Tempest,
”
she whispers. Anything she can do to
avoid admitting the female told her anything is for the better. That path only
leads to telling lies and until she decides how much of the story is true it
’
s better to live with whatever Soar and
this Lord Fury have to say.
“
I heard it when the lightning
took me from our campsite and the voice, I remember it, too.
”

“
Yes,
”
Soar smiles but there
’
s an edge to his charm as he does his
best to reassure her. Soar doesn
’
t like this place and neither
does Cloud. The tension in his muscles matches hers and she knows if he
’
d listened in on what the female had to say
he
’
d agree with her.