“Not yet. But I know it was sent after you.”
She didn’t want to believe it. How could any of her people do that to her? Esha couldn’t even comprehend it. “As a warning?”
“They thought it would kill you and Kendrick.”
Esha snorted. “Then they know very little about dragons or Dragon Kings.”
“Be that as it may, things are in motion now that cannot be stopped.”
“You’re a Reader. They must believe you.”
Savita smiled sadly. “Ah, sweet sister, you know it isn’t so simple. The Conclave has their own Reader, for one.”
“Then what do we do?”
“I put the word out about you being brave enough to hunt with Kendrick against the thing killing elves. Many are singing your praises right now, as well as Kendrick’s for stopping the nightwraith. But that will only buy you a little time. If he remains in Shecrish, then this fracture will continue to grow. It’s divided our people, and it will end with those angry about Kendrick’s arrival crossing onto Idrias.”
Esha gaped in astonishment. “They’ll be annihilated. If everyone knew the story of the dragons, then they would understand why it’s imperative we keep off their land.”
“Nothing anyone says will change what is happening.”
“And if Kendrick leaves?”
“There is a chance we can repair what has happened. Though it’s a slim one.”
“The fear and distrust are already seeded among those who believe the worst about Kendrick and his motives. That won’t ever change, will it?”
Savita took her sister’s hands in hers. “I don’t know.”
“You do.”
It was a full minute before Savita spoke, a single tear falling down her cheek. “No. Those elves won’t change.”
“There’s a reason the dragons have a border around their land they don’t want crossed. Everyone knows that.”
“That was before a Dragon King came to Shecrish. They’re furious that the dragons believe they can come onto our land without retribution. Not to mention that Kendrick showed his might in killing a creature that no elf can.”
“The nightwraith was after me and destroying everything. What choice did he have?”
Savita nodded sadly. “You know how fear works, sister. It removes reason from the equation.”
“We had a chance to find the invisible foe and kill it. For us and for everyone on Zora. Now, I have to tell Kendrick to leave because elves fear his power.”
“Simply put, yes. Then we begin working to change the minds of those who fear the most and have the loudest voices. We convince everyone to leave the dragons alone. The other option isn’t one I even want to consider.”
Esha didn’t need to ask her sister what the runes had told her to know that it would mean the end of the elves if an army crossed the border. The last thing she wanted was to send Kendrick away, but she didn’t have another choice. Her wants meant nothing compared to tens of thousands of lives.
She looked through the trees toward the lake and Kendrick. “I should tell him tonight.”
“Would you like me to do it?”
“It needs to come from me.” Esha pulled her hands from her sister’s and started back to Kendrick.
Chapter Twenty-three
Kendrick was thinking of all the ways he could spend his last day with Esha. He wouldn’t push her to spend another night in his arms, but that didn’t keep him from hoping she would. There were all kinds of ways he could seduce her, but he had too much respect for her and her vow to the Rangers to do that.
One more day. That’s all he had, and he would make the most of it. If they caught their foe, perhaps it would earn him some more time amongst the elves. There was so much more for him to learn.
He was grasping for reasons to remain so he could get more time with Esha. He still hadn’t figured out how to tell her that she was his mate. They hadn’t known each other long, and she might not believe him. He probably wouldn’t if he were in her shoes. Yet he knew the truth of it with as much certainty as he had known so long ago that the magic had chosen him to be the King of Siennas.
Kendrick needed more time with her. He didn’t want Esha to leave the Rangers and wished she didn’t have to, but they couldn’t be together if she were still part of the organization. It hurt his heart that she would have to give up something she loved so deeply for them to be together.
Time. He needed time. It was something he’d always had plenty of before. Yet now it seemed to slip through his fingers no matter how hard he tried to slow it. There had to be another way to prolong his visit. He had to show her how good they were together. He needed to let her discover that she loved him, too. Allow him to prove his love and devotion.
Because the alternative meant that he had fallen for someone who didn’t love him.
And that thought made him ill. A dragon couldn’t survive without their mate. Once a dragon found a mate, it was all that mattered until they were together. No matter how long it took, no matter what Kendrick had to do, he would win Esha’s heart.
Movement in the trees drew his attention and pulled him from his thoughts. He spotted Esha and relaxed. A part of him had worried that Savita would keep her talking for hours, cutting into the precious time he had left with her. It was a good sign that the sisters finished early. Wasn’t it?
Kendrick met Esha halfway. Her smile was tight, forced even. His heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He searched his mind for possible reasons and found dozens. Despite the unease churning ominously through him, he knew how important hunting the entity was to Esha. If nothing else, he would have that.
So little fucking time. He inwardly scowled at all the moments he had hurried time along. It had never occurred to him that he might run out. Eons and eons of years of life, and he had only a handful of hours now with the one person who mattered the most to him. The irony didn’t go unnoticed.
He tried to think of something to make her smile and ease the tension, but his mind was blank. “I take it the talk with your sister didna go well.”
“You could say that.” Esha glanced at the ground and shook her head.
“Did she turn on you?”
“Actually, she petitioned the Conclave to give me a higher rank, citing I was the only one intelligent enough to see the benefits of befriending you.”
The words said one thing, but her voice said quite another. It felt like something was tightening around Kendrick’s chest. “That should be something to celebrate. Why are you no’?”
“Your arrival has…divided our people.”
Kendrick’s blood ran like ice in his veins. He blinked in disbelief. “I want a peaceful alliance. I told you that from the beginning.”
“I know. There are those who believe that and wish to become allies.”
“But others doona.” It was a kick in the stomach that he should’ve expected.
She nodded solemnly. Esha’s golden-amber gaze held regret and sorrow. He knew what was coming, and he wanted to stop her. Because if she didn’t say the words, then everything could stay the same. Yet all he could do was stand there in excruciating agony as she spoke.