less obstacle in their way. “I’m also going so I can get Farah and bring her to you.”
Bastian smiled. “Thank you.”
“Sleep, now.” She kissed him on the forehead and stood up.
“Tressa?”
“Yes?” She turned back to him at the doorway. He looked terrible – bruises, cuts, bandages everywhere.
“Be careful.”
“I will. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Tressa, wait.”
She looked back at Bastian, waiting for him to complete a yawn.
“Your father –” His eyes fluttered to a close, followed by a quick snore.
She smiled. She would see her father again before coming back into the city. And maybe even Nerak. First, Hutton’s Bridge. They needed the honey.
She stepped out of the building and into the crowded city in the forest. Tressa shook her head at her foolishness. She’d thought escaping the fog was the only obstacle she had to overcome. Then it was killing Stacia. Every action she’d taken opened up her village and the people she loved to more danger. It occurred to her that she might never have a moment’s rest again.
Jarrett stood not far away, leaning against a post for tying up horses. His dark skin framed his pearly smile. He bowed. “Ready, my lady?”
Tressa had changed into a dress provided by the wife of the physic. It was the first time she’d worn one in a long time and she wasn’t sure she liked it. Tressa smiled and Jarrett helped her mount a horse he had procured for her. It pranced, kicking up dirt. Tressa’s heart fluttered. The horse trotted around and she held on tight. There was a first time for everything.
She pulled the skirt up, revealing a pair of riding breeches underneath.
Jarrett laughed. “You’re always prepared, aren’t you?”
“No, but that’s never stopped me before.”
They rode out of the city, hoping no one would notice Stacia was dead before they got back.
Epilogue
The wind caressed the underside of his wings as he flew through the afternoon sky toward the northeast. Away from the city. Away from civilization to the quiet of the forest near the mouth of a river. It had whispered its name to him. The Snake.
He understood the name. From above he saw how it wound through the forest. It was also dangerous and unforgiving. He’d nearly lost his most treasured possession the first time he’d found it. The object he carried with him was too precious to be swallowed by the river.
He’d hidden it in the forest.
With the others.
The horde of dragon eggs he’d stolen, one by one, and spirited away in the night to the nest he’d made for them in the hollow of an ancient tree.
Thirteen eggs.
When the change first happened, he thought he was dying. His skin burned like flames. It stretched and tore until he thought some unseen force was ripping him to shreds. It was more painful than the day the woman had killed him with her braid.
The bars disappeared for him, just as they did every time the woman visited and had her way with him.
He’d taken the egg in his mouth, for now that he was the same magical beast, he knew it for what it was. His seed had contributed to its being. Caring for it was all he knew.
The dragon, who had once been a man, wandered the dark cave, looking for others. All he found were dead men behind bars, their bodies wrapped around the eggs. No more alive than the straw nests built around them.
One by one, the navy dragon carried the eggs carefully between his jaws, away from the tunnels under the castle. His only instinct was to save them. Last, he took his egg to the hiding place in the forest. He would come back for them after he killed the female dragon who had raped him. Ruined him. Changed him.
Now she was dead. He was free.
He lay down next to the nest he’d built with twigs, leaves, and mud from the riverbank. His tail wound around the pile of eggs and he closed his eyes to sleep.
Until a cracking noise disturbed the quiet, starry night.
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Afterword
Thank you so much for reading HIDDEN. I hope you had a good time reading it.
There are some really great ways to stay in touch with me and learn about upcoming releases. I would love to hear from you!
- Continue the story with the sequel, Hunted, coming in 2014. Add HUNTED to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19540790-hunted
- Want to stay up-to-date on news, being the first