Chapter Fifty-Five

Daegal.

Ginny stood in the corner of the room instead of sitting. Something was twisting in her mind. I knew she was upset, my dragon could feel her hostility from across the table.

Anarisa sat down two seats over from Stetson, refusing to take Jeremiah’s seat, and I was thankful for it.

Sometimes I imagined he was still here. That’d he’d taken a trip to Earth in search of some new gadget like he had before.

“She’s coming back?” Ginny said, her thumbnail tucked into the corner of her mouth. “She’s coming back after Jeremiah sacrificed himself. Should we even trust Selena, Daegal? Have we not learned our lesson?”

I tightened my fingers around the curve of the table. The edge whined underneath my grip. “She’s the only choice we have right now. She made it rain blood on us. She’s moving the ground. Poppy almost stepped into the portal. She’s strong enough to do those things, so we don’t think it’ll be long before she can make it back.”

Anarisa sighed nervously. “Selena believes she is offering herself to a dark god. I would assume she’s very angry then. She’s giving up her entire life to get you back.”

“I’m aware of that,” I snapped.

Stetson gave me a sharp look. “We’re all on edge because of this. The women and children are in the bunkers now, and Poppy is in the castle. We have to think strategy here. How do we kill what she's becoming?"

The warrior dragons were positioned around the table, some shoved into the corners of the room so that we could all fit inside. “We have to be on our toes. We’re not sure what will kill her,” I said. “I’ll have to ask Selena—,

The doors opened. “Speak of the devil and he shall show his face,” Ginny whispered.

Selena stopped several feet away from us. “Kelli just appeared in the castle—“

I jumped up but she put her palm out. “Poppy is okay. The wall I had up worked. She wasn’t strong enough to break it. But she was strong enough to materialize. I don’t think we have much longer. A few days? A week.”

Ginny hissed under her breath and reluctantly sat down. “So, tell us how we kill her.”

Selena met my gaze. “We stake her. Her soul belongs to the dark gods now. It’s unbreakable, but her heart is still beating. It’s the only thing that is remotely human.”

“What happens to her soul if we kill her body?” I asked.

Selena rubbed the back of her neck. “It will flee in search of a new host.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ginny said, holding her forehead. “Well, I vote for Selena. The witch that said Kelli was taken care of and wasn’t.”

“Stop it,” I hissed. “She’s the only one helping us—”

“Is she?” Ginny asked. “I’m not sure I believe her, Daegal. She has nothing to lose? She’s wandering from realm to realm with no home. No mate. Nothing. Why would she help us?”

“Because of those reasons,” she said, looking around the room. “Because I have nothing. I put myself in this position. I was willing to sacrifice Poppy because I thought someone loved me. He didn’t. I was fooled. Poppy’s innocent child does not deserve what Kelli will put him through. I’m here to help because I have nothing else to offer the world, but to help this child.”

The silence dripped thick when she finished.

I cleared my throat. “If you have any other objections, Ginny, I suggest you sit on them. We have no other option at this point. We put our women and children in a safe spot, and we get our warriors ready to fight. We’ll attempt to stake her. She’s going to be strong. Stronger than before.”

“Daegal, Melinda sent me over to tell you that Rachel thinks Poppy has preeclampsia. She is dizzy, and her lab test came back positive for protein in her urine. It just means she needs to be watched closely. Poppy won’t say it, but she’s worried.”

I stood up, feeling a swarm of guilt hit me in the chest. “I need to go check on her. Please get some dragons together to begin to make stakes. All of them you can find. I’ll come back shortly.”

I left the meeting room and flew toward the castle. My heartbeat was erratic. Poppy was okay, but leaving her alone made me feel two inches tall.

She was in bed eating a strawberry when I made it up the stairs. Rachel sat on one side of her while Melinda folded clothes on the end of the bed.

Poppy sat up straight when I entered. “I’m sorry you were alone,” I said, sitting down beside her, and lacing my fingers around the back of her neck.

“I was safe,” she said, her gaze lowering to my mouth. “She isn’t normal anymore,” she whispered. “Not that she was before, but she looked demented.”

I kissed her forehead. “She is. She’s given herself to evil. That’s what happens when you choose one side over the other.”

Rachel pulled away from Poppy. “It’s better, but not the best. You need to lay back and rest—,”

“I’ve been resting,” she whined.

Rachel smiled. “How about some alone time? Maybe a hot bath?”

Melinda finished the laundry and grabbed the basket underneath her arm. “I’m finished here if you two want some alone time. Please call if you need anything.”

They both left the room quicker than I’d walked in.

“Thank God,” she hissed. “They’ve been hovering all day.”

I laughed and pulled her into my arms, carrying her toward the bathroom counter. I sat her there and began to run our bath water. “How do you feel?”

She shrugged. “Fine, honestly. I’m ready for dinner, but besides that, I’m okay.”

I watched her take her socks off with her toes, and kick them onto the bathroom rug. “Let me help you,” I said, helping her out of her clothes.

Her round belly was bigger than it was the last time I saw it, but I didn’t dare make the mistake again of commenting on it. I touched the bottom of her stomach and ran my palm along the side.

She watched me in silence for several minutes before she turned her attention to the bath. I let her slip in first and then I did behind her.

The quietness settled over me. It felt like forever since I sat in the silence of a room without the weight of the world on my shoulders.

“His name was Jeremiah,” she said out of the blue.

“Hmm?’ I asked.

“In my dream. Our baby's name was Jeremiah.”

I hadn’t even thought about naming the baby yet. There had been too many other things on my mind. “That’s a nice name,” I whispered. “Is that my hint that you want to name him Jeremiah?”

“I like it,” she said.

“I think the kingdom and Stetson would enjoy it, as well,” I said, rubbing my palms up the curve of her belly. “Jeremiah, it is,” I whispered into her ear.

“Can the baby make it through the portal once it’s born?” she asked.

“With me, yes. Are you asking because you want to bring him to meet your parents?”

“Yes. I think the timeline will confuse them. It’ll be another Twilight birth.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Another time,” she mumbled. “Are you afraid for Jeremiah?’ I asked. “She looked so crazy today, Daegal. So wicked.”

“Because she is,” I said. “But I’ve always been a firm believer that good trumps evil.”

“Are we the good one?” she asked. “I don’t feel good. I feel bad that I’m putting your kingdom in danger.”

“You didn’t do this, Poppy. I did. If choosing to save you makes me the villain, then so be it.”

“The villain doesn’t always win in the end,” she whispered after a few moments.

“This villain does.”